Essay I 3610 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

I 3610 - Essay Example As much as they are not physically with us, their memories are still fresh in our minds. This can be traced back in the sixteenth century. The oral story telling had main objectives of connecting to the roots of our ancestors and has moral teachings. Gradually the evolution of having stories and poetry work edited for future use came into place. The secret behind story telling was to pass this wisdom from one generation to another. The story telling also revolved the core business of the society that include skills like leather works, blacksmith and the farming activities just to mention a few, (Faroqhi, p 204). Many of the stories that were passed to the next generation had a common pattern of religion, empires and their migration history and having been confined by geographical zones. The death of the rich travelers that resisted the rule of the Ottoman was told to emphasize on loyalty of the Turks, stressing the importance of loyal citizenship. The worrier’s at that time can be compared with the current army of today and their key roles to defend the boundaries against the enemy, (Faroqhi, p 206). The many gifts and rewards that the worriers got when they returned back from war. In today’s world they are rewarded in terms of monetary value. At the Ottoman era, the story telling was done also on occasions that had great value at that particular time. Another great moment was the breaking news of the birth of a new prince within the empire, circumcision season, the court marriages and not forgetting the ascension day of the new ruler. This was the high time the story teller would portray skills on words chanted. The entertainment was highly valued and the deliberate effort to preserve that culture is evident on our valued historical museums, (Faroqhi, p 220). This paper acknowledges the great efforts that our great grandfathers did during their time. The great teachings from our history and this help us refresh our roots. Governments and other stake

Curriculum Development Essay Example for Free

Curriculum Development Essay In the early 20th century, there was a stable increase in high school enrolment and graduation rates. This is because of the second industrial revolution which led to an increased demand for white collar jobs. It is important to understand that the aims of secondary have the societal needs as their point of departure. The societal social, economic, political and even religious needs have hitherto determined the content. However, sometimes it is possible that the two i. e. high school education goals and societal needs may be out of touch thus making the education boring irrelevant and boring. This paper seeks to highlight how American high school viewed as irrelevant can be rearranged to fit the needs of a rapidly emerging high-tech society in the United States. The paper also dwells on a model development of a flexible one-block schedule for a medium sized high school that will include provisions for both departmentalization and team instruction can be. It finally compares the issues and problems in the high school education in the past 50 years with the present ones. The emerging American society has become high tech and calls for a high degree of specialization in any field that an individual deals with. Americans need experts in all fields. Based on the premise that there is need for experts in the job market, the products of high school education are found to be less prepared for this kind of demand. In the American education, there is no specialization until the sophomore year in college. Therefore, there is a pressing need to embrace specialization in the early years in high school to make the students better prepared for the job market. Another issue of concern is the fact that American students have full control of their education in that they choose even the core classes. The curriculum drafters have the responsibility of ensuring that the languages, science and mathematics be compulsory because the respective skills of communication, critical reasoning and evaluation are necessary in the job market. Consider a model one block schedule for a medium sized high school. The model emphasizes the core or compulsory classes that each student must take. These core classes can be taken together in large classes by one teacher but when it comes to the electives, and then the classes need to be at the departmental level. The departments need to develop there own timetables in consideration of the core classes timetable and a curricula tailored to be in tune with the job market specifications. The core classes need ton run everyday. A student is supposed to belong to at least one department and at most three. These are the departments that will help the students specialize in the field of his/her fancy. Before a student t joins any department, there is need for him to clearly describe his career to the careers master at the department so as to determine how what is offered at the department can fit the student’s career goals. The career master is then supposed to advice the student to either join that department or refer him to another one which will fit student’s specifications. This model schedule emphasizes the concept of early specialization as a way of preparing the student for the job market. A number of issues have bedevilled secondary or high school education. The major one being lack of security in the school. The recent shootings by students with guns in schools serve to illustrate this rather unfortunate issue. These shootings underscore the very responsibilities of the school officials of ensuring that students, teachers and other workers are safe while at school. Another issue is the completion rates of high schools which have stagnated for the last 30 years. If progress exists, there is need for the completion rates to be seen increasing. A major issue in education in American high schools is the lack of a nationalized curriculum. Every state has its own specifications and this has in the past attracted cries for the nationalization of education so as to establish national standards that should be adhered by all states. The above issues are either a recurrence of last 50 years or new altogether. Fifty years ago, there was high security in the schools, the completion rate increased especially during the second industrial revolution due to the high demand for skilled manpower. For the case of the nationalization of secondary education, this has been an issue from time immemorial. Each state has been giving its own curriculum with a few resemblances here and there.

Observations of The Joy Luck Club

Observations of The Joy Luck Club Quotes Observation 1) p3 On her journey she cooed to the swan: In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husbands belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English. 2) P3 This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions. And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English. (I.Prologue.4) 3) P56 I was still screaming after two laughing men grabbed this man and, shaking him, said, Joe, stop it, for Chrissake. Youre scaring that poor little girl and her maid. (II.2.38) 4) P121 I know this, because I was raised the Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other peoples misery, to eat my own bitterness.And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl. And I was born to my mother and I was born a girl. All of us are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down, but all going the same way. (IV.1.4) 5) P129 In the afternoon, my mother spoke of her unhappiness for the first time. We were in a rickshaw going to a store to find embroidery thread. Do you see how shameful my life is? she cried. Do you see how I have no position? He brought home a new wife, a low-class girl, dark-skinned, no manners! Bought her for a few dollars from a poor village family that makes mud-brick tiles. And at night when he can no longer use her, he comes to me, smelling of her mud. (IV.1.90) 6) P 145 My daughter did not look pleased when I told her this, that she didnt look Chinese. She had a sour American look on her face. Oh, maybe ten years ago, she would have clapped her hands hurray! as if this were good news. But now she wants to be Chinese, it is so fashionable. And I know it is too late. All those years I tried to teach her! She followed my Chinese ways only until she learned how to walk out the door by herself and go to school. (IV.3.6) 7) P 145 How can she talk to people in China with these words? Pee-pee, choo-choo train, eat, close light sleep. How can she think she can blend in? Only her skin and her hair are Chinese. Inside she is all American-made. 8) P149 And then I saw another sign across the street. It was painted on the outside of a short building: Save Today for Tomorrow, at Bank of America. And then I thought to myself, This is where American people worship. See, even then I was not so dumb! Today that church is the same size, but where that short bank used to be, now there is a tall building, fifty stories high, where you and your husband-to-be work and look down on everybody. (IV.3.50) 9) P 154 Cannot be helped, my mother said when I was fifteen and had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin. I was a sophomore at Galileo High in San Francisco, and all my Caucasian friends agreed: I was about as Chinese as they were. But my mother had studied at a famous nursing school in Shanghai, and she said she knew about genetics. So there was no doubt in her mind, whether I agreed or not: Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese. (IV.4.2) 10) P 156 And then I whispered, Theyll think Im responsible, that she died because I didnt appreciate her. And Auntie Lindo looked satisfied and sad at the same time, as if this were true and I had finally realized it. (IV.4.29) 11) P 158 Hello, I say to the little girl. My name is Jing-mei. But the little girl squirms to look away, causing her parents to laugh with embarrassment. I try to think of Cantonese words I can say to her, stuff I learned from friends in Chinatown, but all I can think of are swear words, terms for bodily functions, and short phrases like tastes good, tastes like garbage, and shes really ugly. And then I have another plan: I hold up the Polaroid camera, beckoning Lili with my finger. She immediately jumps forward, places one hand on her hip in the manner of a fashion model, juts out her chest, and flashes me a toothy smile. As soon as I take the picture she is standing next to me, jumping and giggling every few seconds as she watches herself appear on the greenish film. (IV.4.53) 12) P 166 And although we dont speak, I know we all see it: Together we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish. (IV.4.146) She wants her daughter to have a good life in America. She dreams of her daughter having it better and only being judged because of her capability and not based on who she is married to. Her child will have a voice of her own and wont be looked down on just because she is American. There is a language gap between mother and daughter. In order to get her daughter to understand all of her love and intentions, the mother needs to wait and communicate in her daughters languageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦which might never happen. Seeing an Asian woman and what appears to be a white girl, peoples first conclusion is that the Asian woman is the girls maid. Despite An-meis best efforts, her daughter still followed the mold of Chinese women who are voiceless and shoulder all the emotional burdens. An-mei speculates that the long matrilineal line is like a staircase that: although each step is in a new place, they are all going the same direction. Suyuan Woos is ashamed of her life. She hates how she doesnt have any rights and unhappy because she is treated just like property. It disappoints her how this is how she must live because of Tsing. She has to be grateful to him since he is the one who created her social life and position. Waverly doesnt like hearing she isnt chinese from her mother. Part of that may be because its trending but Waverly still likes to believe that she is chinese even though she is American. She wants to believe its a part of her, but when her mother told her that they will know shes an outsider just by doing nothing when they are in China, it upsets her. She is saying that chinese traits are in her blood and that they were passed on to her and when she goes to China it will come out. However, she is still American so there will be things that make Waverly stand out. She may look the part but she doesnt fit it completely. Lindo is basically saying that American people treasure wealth rather than their own God. She says that Americans believe that money is the most important thing in our society and that can say a lot. Suyuan says that you cant choose your nationality. Being chinese is a part of you and its always going to be inside of her or in her genes. She cant just choose not to be chinese. Jing-mei feels guilty because she thinks she wasnt a good daughter while her mom was alive. There are also the other sisters who didnt get a chance to also be good daughters for their mom when she was alive so that causes her to feel even guiltier. Although she wasnt able to talk to her verbally, she was still able to communicate with her in some way to show we was a friend. The language barriers can be broken down. ing-mei is able to accomplish one of her moms dreams. They all have a connection with each other and their mother. They are like her and look like her too. This is a way for the mother to still be with her daughters even if she has passed. They all have a part of their mother in them.

business plan Essays -- essays research papers

Wedding Consultants 1.0 Executive Summary CMG Wedding Consultants is a full service company that provides complete consulting services for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and every other special event. Our consultants are experienced and dedicated professionals with many years of event planning experience. CMG is unique in that we give our clients our undivided attention. We listen to their needs and work with them to create the event of their dreams. Our clients' wishes become our commands. So whether our client wants a Western, Tropical, Las Vegas or more traditional wedding, we can help. Our services include weddings, honeymoons, receptions, anniversary consultations, budget planning, answers to etiquette questions, as well as full-service florists, hair stylists, entertainers, musicians, etc. We also provide the inventions and thank you notes 1.1 Objectives Whether this is our client's first wedding, a renewal of their vows or their anniversary, we want every detail of their event to be both a pleasurable and a memora ble experience. With our full service the client does not have to stress on getting everything done, we do it all for them. Therefore we offer a host of packages and services specifically tailored to the needs of each couple. 1.2 Mission At CMG our mission is to keep our customers pleased! Party’s can be very stressful and time consuming, we are here to take the pressure of the client so they can spend more leisure time with family. We listen to their needs and work with them to create the event of their dreams. Our client’s wishes become our commands. We are confident that this business venture will be a success and we estimate that our 1.3 Keys to Success The keys to our success are as follows: 1. Service our clients' needs promptly and efficiently. 2. Maintain excellent working relationships with vendors such as musicians, hair salons and bridal shops. 3. Maintain a professional image at all times. net income will increase more than 10% by the second year. 2.0 Compa ny Summary CMG Wedding Consultants is a start-up company that provides wedding, reunions, and anniversary consulting services to brides, grooms and other family members. We are a full-service bridal consulting group and our goal is to put the fun back into planning a wedding, birthday or anniversary party. Too many people become overly stressed and frustrated when plan... ...eivables $51,322 $67,444 $74,775 Subtotal Cash from Operations $89,442 $113,188 $125,093 Additional Cash Received Extraordinary Items $0 $0 $0 Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received $0 $0 $0 New Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0 New Other Liabilities (interest-free) $0 $0 $0 New Long-term Liabilities $0 $0 $0 Sales of other Short-term Assets $0 $0 $0 Sales of Long-term Assets $0 $0 $0 Capital Input $0 $0 $0 Subtotal Cash Received $89,442 $113,188 $125,0 Expenditures 2001 2002 2003 Expenditures from Operations: Cash Spent on Costs and Expenses $1,396 $1,029 $1,150 Wages, Salaries, Payroll Taxes, etc. $53,100 $76,200 $85,800 Payment of Accounts Payable $11,446 $9,556 $10,252 Subtotal Spent on Operations $65,942 $86,785 $97,202 Additional Cash Spent Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out $0 $0 $0 Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0 Other Liabilities Principal Repayment $0 $0 $0 Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment $0 $0 $0 Purchase Other Short-term Assets $0 $0 $0 Purchase Long-term Assets $0 $0 $0 Dividends $0 $0 $0 Adjustment for Assets Purchased on Credit $0 $0 $0 Subtotal Cash Spent $65,942 $86,785 $97,202 Net Cash Flow $23,500 $26,404 $27,891 Cash Balance $28,500 $54,903 $82,794

Dealing with Office Politics

â€Å"There's too much wrangling and maneuvering going on – I just hate this office politicking†. â€Å"Joe, well he's a smart political mover – knows exactly how to get what he wants and how to get on. † Whether you hate it, admire it, practice it or avoid it, office politics is a fact of life in any organization. And, like it or not, it's something that you need to understand and master to be sure of your own success. â€Å"Office politics† are the strategies that people play to gain advantage, personally or for a cause they support. The term often has a negative connotation, in that it refers to strategies people use to seek advantage at the expense of others or the greater good. In this context, it often adversely affects the working environment and relationships within in. Good â€Å"office politics†, on the other hand, help you fairly promote yourself and your cause, and is more often called networking and stakeholder management. Perhaps due to the negative connotation, many people see office politics as something very much to be avoided. But the truth is, to ensure your own success and that of your projects, you must navigate the minefield of Office Politics. If you deny the ‘bad politics' that may be going on around you, and avoid dealing with them, you may needlessly suffer whilst others take unfair advantage. And if you avoid practicing ‘good politics', you miss the opportunities to properly further your own interests, and those of your team and your cause.

SolutionstoBullying

GE problem for parents and teachers, because stopping bullying is a hard task and they often don't know t he best ways to go about it. There are three key elements to stopping bullying: educating the bullies, Punic sighing the bullies, and protecting the victim. The reason that bullies must be educated is that many of them are not aware of exactly how much they are hurting their victim.Most bullies wouldn't want their victim to become as sushi deal as they have made them. Bullying can come in all sorts Of forms and one that affects girls in particular I s a group of scalded friends excluding them from everything. In cases like these if the bullies understood t hat they had become bullies picking on a victim, they may think twice. The second way to deal with the bullies is to punish them. This could be the o only thing that works for incredibly bad people, because they will only care when it begins to affect the m.Bullying often isn't taken recourse enough, for example, if you punched a person in the middle of the s tree you would probably be arrested, but if it happens in a case of bullying, the perpetrator might only get a detention. The final main way to deal with bullying involves working with the victim. Victim ms of bullying need to their self worth so that they don't just let people bully them. All in all, there is no one is Engle solution for bullying, but it's not good enough to ignore it just because it's hard to deal with. But by SSI nag a combination of these three tactics we maybe able to stop it.

Bradstreet vs. Wheatley essays

Bradstreet vs. Wheatley essays Anne Bradstreet vs. Phillis Wheatley If ever two were one, then surely we (Bradstreet, 1) 1... Celestial choir Enthrond in realms of light (Wheatley, 1) 2... So began two well-known poems by two well-known poets. In the poem To My Dear and Loving Husband, Anne Bradstreet used writing techniques unique to the Puritan era. Consequently, Phillis Wheatley approached her poem To His Excellency, General Washington in fashion of the Age of Reason. Even though the two women were born over 150 years apart, they were both landmark writers. Their poetry was drastically different: one drew on biblical references and used simple language; the other used philosophical meaning and poetic devices. Although, undoubtedly, Bradstreet and Wheatley were two epitomic writers of their respective times, Phillis Wheatleys poetry was more thoughtful and stylish than the poetry of Anne Bradstreet. The first major difference between the two styles of writing came from the use of writing techniques. On one hand, Anne Bradstreet exemplified the Puritan Plain Style in To My Dear and Loving Husband. Bradstreet did not use any extra language that was not necessary. Instead, her lyric is purely straight forward, and to the point: If ever man were lovd by wife, then thee (2). On another hand, Phillis Wheatley used a variety of devices in To His Excellency, General Washington, which was commonly seen during the Age of Reason For example, she used alliteration. In the seventh line of that poem, she said, See the bright beams of heavens revolving light. In another line, she alliterated Thy evry action let the goddess guide (40). Another device Wheatley used was personification. She compared America to the goddess, Columbia: She flashes dreadful in refulgent arms (3) and For in their hopes...

TOK- the ways of knowing Essays

TOK- the ways of knowing Essays TOK- the ways of knowing Paper TOK- the ways of knowing Paper The main reason why I positioned perception above the other four WOKs is because perception, among others, is the one tool that is absolutely necessary to gain knowledge. Regardless of how much knowledge of reasoning, emotion, or language you possess, it all revolves around the idea of perception. Perception, in my view, is the ability to understand various matters at ease, a skill which represents basis of the course. I believe it is perception that ultimately gives shape to ambiguous thoughts and develop them further as it allows you to more fully apprehend ideas. What is made out of perception, however, is strictly due to peoples pasts. People see things differently based on what theyve been through- The concept of the half filled/ emptied bottle is completely to do with perception. If a person has experienced hardship and struggled through it, that person will most likely say that it is half filled because he is gracious for everything he/she can get. In contrast, if a person who has enjoyed wealth throughout his/her life, he/she will more likely say that the bottle is half emptied because he/she can get whatever he/she wants without going through hardships. 2. Reason Reasoning, the ability to use logic to differentiate right or wrong, is another essential element of TOK. One of the main reasons for positioning the WOK of reasoning as the second most important is that reasoning allows people to piece together scattered ideas into one. Reasoning uses past experiences to decipher bits of thoughts and ideas into various ideas depending on personal experiences and what people are taught. In other words, different people come up with different results through the process of reasoning. Yet, the gap in the variation in the results is not as large as perceptions. Unlike perception, the results obtained through reasoning do not extend as far as that of perception as reasoning is more rational, which is one of the main reasons perception is ranked higher than reason. Real-. When presented numerous clues that lead to one another, you need reason to piece them together. For example, if given a math problem like x + 3 = 5, you can automatically know that x = 2 if you think logically as the answer is always rational regardless of your past experiences. 3. Emotion Emotion is a tool used for sharing thoughts. It tends to personalize transmitted information into the way people want it to be shared. This altered information then gets shared among people which influences the way the people perceive the ideas. While emotion helps people perceive matters personally, the extent to which emotion influence people has a limit that only reasoning and perception can exceed. Real- When talking to others, you may want to share an idea that possesses a positive connotation. However, due to emotion, you may alter the tone of the way you speak and therefore, slightly changing the implication of what you say, and possibly making it negative. 4. Language Putting language as the least important quality among the four WOKs is not to show that language is unimportant or unnecessary, in fact, quite the opposite. Language is another vital part of human understanding as well as the others. Without language, communication would be nowhere near as explicit and the exchange of thoughts would be hindered. Even if there are other ways of communication, such as gesturing, no other methods are more efficient than simply communicating through the use of language. However, compared to the other WOKs, the use of language is just a tool to exchange ideas derived from perception, reason, and emotion. Without the other WOKs, no thoughts can be shaped and subsequently shared through language. Yet, without language, thoughts can still be exchanged, just in a more restrained and less lucid matter, although, still doable. The more accessible substitutes for language are the main reasons why I positioned language as the least important WOK among reason, perception, and emotion. Expressions, movements, body language, and several more, for example, can all be reduced substitutes for language. Real- When talking to others, there are several ways of expression yourself, the most effective being the use of languages. For example, when you order for something in McDonalds, rather than pointing at the picture vaguely and unclearly, you can simply say the name of the food making it easier for the idea to be transferred. 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 International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one? Search for

Characteristics of Capabilities and Resources of Carrefour

All groups (5 students in a group) should read Case Study Carrefour, and elaborate the following issues related to the Case with justifiable theories. 1. Since 2004, Carrefour has been in a re-launching process, because of a growing competition both on a worldwide level and in many specific country markets. Conduct a SWOT analysis for the group and discuss critically the multi format approach in this context. 2. Conduct General environment analysis with justifiable theories. 3. Conduct Industry environment analysis with justifiable theories. . Discuss the characteristics of capabilities and resources of Carrefour. 5. Briefly explain the three types of international corporate-level strategies with some relevant theories and then discuss critically about Carrefour’s adopted international corporate-level strategy. 6. Discuss the level of diversification in Carrefour with referring to financial statement analysis. 7. Discuss the Relationship between customers and each of Carrefour ’s business level strategies (business formats) in terms of who, what and how? 8. Based on problem statement and your analysis, give suggestion how Carrefour can achieve competitive advantages and above average return or sustain competitive advantages and above average return. Justify your answer based on relevant theories. Page 1 of 1 Resource: 1. Sources used for this case study include the web sites http://www. carrefour. fr and http://www. carrefour. com , and various annual and interim reports, investor relations presentations as well as explicitly cited sources. SUBMISSION INFORMATION The assignment must be completed by week 10. Late submission will be penalized. Please type the assignment in Times Roman 11/ Ariel 10 font, with one and half (1. 5) spacing (save paper) with numbered pages – The assignment should not be more than 15 pages. The cover page template for the report is given below. ALL facts in the assignment must be substantiated except those that are obviously common knowledge. This necessarily requires that the source of information be cited. For example, if a statement is made that the local economy is likely to get better or worse over the next five years, then the report MUST indicate the source of this expectation. RULES AND REGULATIONS †¢ †¢ You are assigned to complete this assignment as a group. You must write the assignment based on real information. SPECIFIC INFORMATION This assignment will be group work. If you cannot find a group, I will assign you to one of my choice. All the members of a group are required to contribute equally. If the contribution of the members is considerably unequal, you can agree on a different weighting scheme that reflects the contributions of each member. Lacking agreement, you will be asked to provide me with the details of each member’s contribution in writing, and I will decide the weights. Page 2 of 2

Logistics and operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Logistics and operations - Essay Example According to Airman (n.d.), different companies use different types of inventory systems for inventory management and asset tracking. Inventory systems help managers in keeping track of assets and stocks, as well as in knowing where and when they have used their assets within companies. Some of the widely used inventory systems include information services inventory system, fixed asset inventory system, and information system (IS) for inventory management. All of these inventory systems are useful as they help companies keep an eye over stock and assets. In this paper, we will discuss IS-based inventory management system in order to know its effectiveness, as well as the way managers can use this to track deliveries. In today’s age of information technology, almost every company and organization is making a good use of technology based information services to carry out business activities. An information system (IS) based inventory system is one of such tools which helps managers keep track of incoming and outgoing stock. According to Kietzman (n.d.), inventory software is a specialized computer-based program that is used to keep track of the stock inventory, quantity, location, and current status. IS-based inventory management system deals with the use of information technology tools to help managers in doing information processing and management. An information system is a part of internal business control system that deals with a company’s inventory information, stock keeping procedures, and information technology. IS-based inventory systems help managers in tracking deliveries while improving efficiency and keeping control of business processes. A manufacturing or distribution company can never be successful without an IS-based inventory management system because IS keeps proper record of information related to inventory that managers can use for analysis and decision-making purposes. IS-based inventory management

Proposal Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proposal - Outline Example In order to get a solution to this, the telecommunications company had to undertake a market research by deciding to employ Netezza data warehouse appliance as the only vender who performed above the rest, as far as their scalability, simplicity, performance and total cost of ownership was concerned (Froggatt, 2009, 1). According to Froggatt, (2009, 1), the most important requirement of the project was its seamless nature to the business users, and would make the company carry on with its existing tools with the Oracle alongside the new improvements by Netezza. From the proven results above it is seen that Netezza’s performance is 252 times faster than Oracle. This makes the information system even simpler as far as its management is concerned. The company has therefore had dramatic positive results with Netezza as its enterprise data warehouse of choice and the world’s number one in BI software. As a business object and a query tool, the biggest benefit has been the increased company performance (Froggatt, 2009, 2). Therefore, it is worth noting that business objects solutions are basically designed with the purpose of helping organizations gain much better insight concerning their businesses, enhanced enterprise performance as well as improved decision making. It is of prime importance that any information technology system needs to be faster on average speed, such that it can support any type of query. There was need to improve speed of the system in the company (Froggatt, 2009, 2). Secondly, the company systems needed to be simple in their approach, which is quite vital for the users and the information technology department. In implementing new technologies, the complexity of traditional database implementations needed to be cut out, and this could only be delivered by using the most appropriate data warehouse appliances. The use of database administration team needs to be as minimal as possible. This can only be achieved by

Psp go Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Psp go - Essay Example According to Joseph Schumpeter (Schumpeter), an entrepreneur may innovate in the form of new products, new production methods, new markets or new forms of organization. However, entrepreneurship does not just involve owning a small business. Firstly, there has to be some innovation. Secondly, entrepreneurs take much bigger risk and the gains are much higher. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures may be successful. The success of the business or idea depends on a number of factors. A lot of people have researched on different entrepreneurial setups and have looked into what makes an entrepreneur successful. In this research paper we shall analyze the process of entrepreneurship from different angles and identify the key factors which relate to the success or failure of the entrepreneurial venture. The organization that we have selected for this project is Sony (SCEI). This is because Sony is quite famous for its innovative products and technologies. Over the years Sony has releases some of the breathtaking inventions of today and is considered to be a pioneer in developing new ideas. Sony is also famous for its entrepreneurial culture and environment which supports innovation within the organization. Further, the product that we have selected is their PSP Go, which is a unique handheld gaming console for kids and adults. Sony’s Game business venture is made up of game software and consoles offered by the Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporation (SCEI).The current global digital lifestyle has lead to the innovation and evolution of portable digital games to match. Based on Sony’s Corporation five year strategy, (Sony’s Annual Report 2009, p.23), Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled PSP- GO (Play Station Portable go) in Tokyo on June 3rd 2009 which was made available in stores as from 1st October 2009.PSP go is a new evolution of handheld digital entertainment system, uniquely

Groupon Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Groupon Inc - Research Paper Example It has resulted into numerous restatements of financial statements. Any material weakness means internal controls were ineffective and not able to detect misstatements or irregularities. This weakness was cited by the accounting firm as the cause of its revised earnings and revenues. An audit exception like that cited by Ernst & Young regarding the refund policy of the Groupon company is the cause of the inaccuracies in its financial statements. It is considered as a â€Å"material weakness† because the weakness is big enough or serious enough to impact the overall accuracy of the audited financial statements prepared by Ernst & Young. This particular ruling is contained under Auditing Standard No. 5 which states the requirements to be met by a firm to assess its managements effectiveness in instituting internal controls with regards to the financial reporting integrated with an audit of its financial statements.2 The crucial issue therefore causing the material weakness is the inability of Groupon to accurately predict the approximate amount of refunds it will give to customers who did not avail of promos based on varying coupon prices. It is a serious issue that impacts earning per share resulting in the stock price sliding 7% in a day. A monetary unit sampling (MUS) is a very useful method used by auditors to determine if a particular financial account is fairly stated.3 In the case of Groupon, the auditors must have a feeling its refund account is not stated accurately enough. The executives at Groupon admitted its difficulty with regards to estimating accurately the amount of refunds it will have to pay out due to the refund behavior of customers which started to shift or change around the year 2011 as a result of the company introducing higher-priced deals. This change in its mix of product deals means a requirement for increases in its reserve fund to deal with the higher-priced deals being unavailed and returned by some

Coke and Pepsi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coke and Pepsi - Essay Example cator of working capital, also means that Coca Cola operated within its working capital range and was therefore not in a good position to pay for its current liabilities as they fell due. A comparison of the company’s current ratio with the ratio in the period ended 2011 suggests a decline because 2011 had a current ratio of 1.399. This raises concern because the company could be experiencing a continuously declining solvency potential and may compromise stakeholders such as suppliers and investors. Pepsi reported a current ratio of 1.095. Like the ratio for Coca Cola, this was low, compared to the recommended ratio of 2:1. The organization therefore operated close to its working capital and was unlikely to meet its short-term liabilities as they fell due. Pepsi’s current ratio for the year ended 2011 was however 0.961, an indication that current liabilities were more than current assets. Consequently, Pepsi experienced an improvement in its ability to meet its current liabilities, from the year ended 2011 to the year ended 2012 (Debarshi, 2011). Pepsi is doing better in management of its current assets and liabilities, into better solvency. This is because it reported a higher ratio than Coca Cola did, 1.095 compared to Coca Cola’s 1.071. In addition, Pepsi improved its ratio in the year 2012 while the ratio for Coca Cola decreased to suggest better management in Pepsi than in Coca Cola. Coca Cola had better profitability than Pepsi. Return on assets measures effectiveness in use of assets to generate income. Higher values are therefore preferred. Coca Cola had a return on assets ratio of 11.46, a value higher than Pepsi’s 8.33 percent and this suggests more effective assets management in Coca Cola. The following table summarizes the companies’ return on assets ratios for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. In addition, Coca Cola experienced improvements in its profitability over the period while profitability of Pepsi declined. Pepsi, however reported

Psp go Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Psp go - Essay Example According to Joseph Schumpeter (Schumpeter), an entrepreneur may innovate in the form of new products, new production methods, new markets or new forms of organization. However, entrepreneurship does not just involve owning a small business. Firstly, there has to be some innovation. Secondly, entrepreneurs take much bigger risk and the gains are much higher. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures may be successful. The success of the business or idea depends on a number of factors. A lot of people have researched on different entrepreneurial setups and have looked into what makes an entrepreneur successful. In this research paper we shall analyze the process of entrepreneurship from different angles and identify the key factors which relate to the success or failure of the entrepreneurial venture. The organization that we have selected for this project is Sony (SCEI). This is because Sony is quite famous for its innovative products and technologies. Over the years Sony has releases some of the breathtaking inventions of today and is considered to be a pioneer in developing new ideas. Sony is also famous for its entrepreneurial culture and environment which supports innovation within the organization. Further, the product that we have selected is their PSP Go, which is a unique handheld gaming console for kids and adults. Sony’s Game business venture is made up of game software and consoles offered by the Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporation (SCEI).The current global digital lifestyle has lead to the innovation and evolution of portable digital games to match. Based on Sony’s Corporation five year strategy, (Sony’s Annual Report 2009, p.23), Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled PSP- GO (Play Station Portable go) in Tokyo on June 3rd 2009 which was made available in stores as from 1st October 2009.PSP go is a new evolution of handheld digital entertainment system, uniquely

Coke and Pepsi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coke and Pepsi - Essay Example cator of working capital, also means that Coca Cola operated within its working capital range and was therefore not in a good position to pay for its current liabilities as they fell due. A comparison of the company’s current ratio with the ratio in the period ended 2011 suggests a decline because 2011 had a current ratio of 1.399. This raises concern because the company could be experiencing a continuously declining solvency potential and may compromise stakeholders such as suppliers and investors. Pepsi reported a current ratio of 1.095. Like the ratio for Coca Cola, this was low, compared to the recommended ratio of 2:1. The organization therefore operated close to its working capital and was unlikely to meet its short-term liabilities as they fell due. Pepsi’s current ratio for the year ended 2011 was however 0.961, an indication that current liabilities were more than current assets. Consequently, Pepsi experienced an improvement in its ability to meet its current liabilities, from the year ended 2011 to the year ended 2012 (Debarshi, 2011). Pepsi is doing better in management of its current assets and liabilities, into better solvency. This is because it reported a higher ratio than Coca Cola did, 1.095 compared to Coca Cola’s 1.071. In addition, Pepsi improved its ratio in the year 2012 while the ratio for Coca Cola decreased to suggest better management in Pepsi than in Coca Cola. Coca Cola had better profitability than Pepsi. Return on assets measures effectiveness in use of assets to generate income. Higher values are therefore preferred. Coca Cola had a return on assets ratio of 11.46, a value higher than Pepsi’s 8.33 percent and this suggests more effective assets management in Coca Cola. The following table summarizes the companies’ return on assets ratios for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. In addition, Coca Cola experienced improvements in its profitability over the period while profitability of Pepsi declined. Pepsi, however reported

Life of John Milton Essay Example for Free

Life of John Milton Essay Milton continued to write poetry during this period of study: his Arcades and Comus were both commissioned for masques composed for noble patrons, connections of the Egerton family, and performed in 1632 and 1634 respectively. Comus argues for the virtuousness of temperance and chastity. He contributed his pastoral elegy Lycidas to a memorial collection for one of his Cambridge classmates. Drafts of these poems are preserved in Milton’s poetry notebook, known as the Trinity Manuscript because it is now kept at Trinity College, Cambridge. Family Milton and his first wife, Mary Powell (1625–1652) had four children: * Anne (born 7 July 1646) * Mary (born 25 October 1648) * John (16 March 1651 – June 1652) * Deborah (2 May 1652 – ?) Mary Powell died on 5 May 1652 from complications following Deborahs birth. Miltons daughters survived to adulthood, but he had always a strained relationship with them. On 12 November 1656, Milton was married again, to Katherine Woodcock. She died on 3 February 1658, less than four months after giving birth to a daughter, Katherine, who also died. Milton married for a third time on 24 February 1662, to Elizabeth Mynshull (1638–1728), the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester. Despite a 31-year age gap, the marriage seemed happy, according to John Aubrey, and was to last more than 11 years until Miltons death. (A plaque on the wall of Mynshulls House in Manchester describes Elizabeth as Miltons 3rd and Best wife.) Two nephews, John Phillips and Edward Phillips, were well known as writers. They were sons of Miltons sister Anne. John acted as a secretary, and Edward was Miltons first biographer. Blindness But in the course of his work for the government, his eyesight had begun to fail, and by 1651 (43) he was completely blind. Death He ended his days in a small house near Bunhill Fields, alone with his wife and a maid. He died in ++1674 (66) without pain or emotion, according to testimony at the time no one in the room noticing his passing. - Published poetry Milton is the author of dramas such as Samson Agonistes (1671) as well as lyrical sonnets, of which the finest were in fact inspired the the death of his second wife. Altogether John Milton would write twenty- three sonnets. In a very real sense therefore these can be considered as exceptions. He uses such moments to express his thoughts and feelings on specific events, historical or personal. In his lifetime, moreover, he was mainly known for his political pamphlets. As a poet during the age of Shakespeare, he was born less than a decade after the death of this one. Milton might have been less appealing than such a master of the English language but he was nonetheless destined to become one of the best writers England would ever know. Having sided with the parliamentarians against the monarchists, Milton would begin a political career with responsibilities comparable to that today of an undersecretary of state for foreign affairs. However the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 will mean that he is both fined and imprisoned in the famous still standing today Tower of London. Eventually pardoned, Milton would from then on lead a rather retired life devoted entirely to writing until his death in 1674. Miltons poetry was slow to see the light of day, at least under his name. His first published poem was On Shakespear (1630), anonymously included in the Second Folio edition of Shakespeare. In the midst of the excitement attending the possibility of establishing a new English government, Milton collected his work in 1645 Poems. The anonymous edition of Comus was published in 1637, and the publication of Lycidas in 1638 in Justa Edouardo King Naufrago was signed J. M. Otherwise the 1645 collection was the only poetry of his to see print, until Paradise Lost appeared in 1667. Paradise Lost Main article: Paradise Lost Milton’s magnum opus, the blank-verse epic poem Paradise Lost, was composed by the blind and impoverished Milton from 1658 to 1664 (first edition) with small but significant revisions published in 1674 (second edition). As a blind poet, Milton dictated his verse to a series of aides in his employ. It reflects his personal despair at the failure of the Revolution, yet affirms an ultimate optimism in human potential. Milton encoded many references to his unyielding support for the Good Old Cause.[31] Milton followed up Paradise Lost with its sequel, Paradise Regained, published alongside the tragedy Samson Agonistes, in 1671. Both these works also resonate with Milton’s post-Restoration political situation. Just before his death in 1674, Milton supervised a second edition of Paradise Lost, accompanied by an explanation of why the poem rhymes not and prefatory verses by Marvell. Milton republished his 1645 Poems in 1673, as well a collection of his letters and the Latin pr olusions from his Cambridge days. A 1668 edition of Paradise Lost, reported to have been Miltons personal copy, is now housed in the archives of theUniversity of Western Ontario. Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, changed into twelve books (in the manner of the division of Virgils Aeneid) with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification.[1] The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eveby the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Miltons purpose, stated in Book I, is to justify the ways of God to men.[2] Paradise Lost is widely considered one of the greatest literary works in the English language.[3] The poem begins strong as follows: Of Mans first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe (with loss of Eden, till one greater Man restore us, and regain the blissful seat) Some of the famous verses from Paradise Lost include: The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n. The context of this passage is that of Satan not yet really considering revenge. At that point he is instead deciding to make the most of the situation. This is confirmed only a few lines later when he makes the very famous utterance: Better to reign in hell, than serve in heav’n. The following quote is from a point in the work when God is talking with his son and angels about the fact that since angels and man were given free will, it would have been meant changing their nature to have intervened and prevented their sin: The first sort by their own suggestions fell, Self-tempted, self-depraved: man falls deceived By the other first: man therefore shall find grace, The other none Finally, let us consider the following quote where Milton tells us about Eve having been deceived: Greedily she engorged without restraint, And knew not eating death; It interesting to note that even though Paradise Lost was to become considered as a major influential work, it did not meet immediate success when it was first published in 1667. It was not until 1688, a little over ten years after Milton’s death that the poem would start to be widely recognized. Perhaps such late recognition has partly to do with the fact that by the time of his death Milton was not only broke, but he had been alienated out of intellectual life in his own country. In 1670 he would publish his controversial The History of Britain, and in 1671 Paradise Regained, dealing with the temptation of Christ. Milton would die in London on November 8 1674. The same year would appear the second edition of Paradise Lost. - Characters Satan Satan is the first major character introduced in the poem. Formerly the most beautiful of all angels in Heaven, hes a tragic figure who describes himself with the now-famous quote Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven. He is introduced to Hell after he leads a failed rebellion to wrestle control of Heaven from God. Satans desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to be subjugated by God and his Son, claiming that angels are self-begot, self-raised,[4] thereby denying Gods authority over them as their creator. Adam Adam is the first human created by God. Though initially alone, Adam demands a mate from God. Considered Gods prized creation, Adam, along with his wife, rules over all the creatures of the world and reside in the Garden of Eden. He is more intelligent and curious about external ideas than Eve. He is completely infatuated with Eve, which while pure in and of itself, eventually contributes to his reasons for joining Eve in disobedience to God. Eve Eve is the second human created by God, taken from one of Adams ribs and shaped into a female form of Adam. In her innocence, she is the model of a good wife, graceful and submissive to Adam. Though happy, she longs for knowledge and, more specifically, self-knowledge. Her first act in existence is to turn away from Adam and look at and ponder her own reflection. Eve is extremely beautiful and thoroughly in love with Adam, though may feel suffocated by his constant presence. One day, she convinces Adam that it would be good for them to split up and work different parts of the Garden. In her solitude, she is tempted by Satan to sin against God. Adam shortly follows along with her. The Son of God The Son of God is the spirit that will become Jesus Christ, though he is never named explicitly, since he has not yet entered human form. The Son of God shares total union with God, and indeed is understood to be a person of the Godhead, along with the Father and the Spirit. He is the ultimate hero of the epic and infinitely powerful, singlehandedly defeating Satan and his followers when they violently rebel against God and driving them into Hell. The Son of God tells Adam and Eve about Gods judgment after their sin. However, he sacrificially volunteers to eventually journey to the World, become a man himself, and redeem the Fall of Man through his own death and resurrection. In the final scene, a vision of Salvation through the Son of God is revealed to Adam by Michael. Still, the name, Jesus of Nazareth, and the details of Jesus story are not depicted in the poem.[7] God the Father God the Father is the creator of Heaven, Hell, the World, and of everyone and everything there is. He desires glory and praise from all his creations. He is an all-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely good being who cannot be overthrown by even the great army of angels Satan incites against him. The poem begins with the purpose of justifying the ways of God to men, so God often converses with the Son of God concerning his plans and reveals his motives regarding his actions. The poem portrays God’s process of creation in the way that Milton believed it was done, that God created Heaven, Earth, Hell, and all the creatures that inhabit these separate planes from part of Himself, not out of nothing.[8] Thus, according to Milton, the ultimate authority of God derives from his being the author of creation. Satan tries to justify his rebellion by denying this aspect of God and claiming self-creation, but he admits to himself this is not the case, and that God deserved no such return/ Fr om me, whom He created what I was.[9][10] Raphael Raphael is an angel who is sent by God to warn Adam about Satans infiltration of Eden and to warn him that Satan is going to try to curse Adam and Eve. He also has a lengthy discussion with the curious Adam regarding creation and events which transpired in Heaven. Michael Michael is a mighty archangel who fought for God in the Angelic War. In the first battle, he wounds Satan terribly with a powerful sword that God designed to even cut through the substance of angels. After Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, God sends the angel Michael to visit Adam and Eve. His duty is to escort Adam and Eve out of Paradise. But before this happens, Michael shows Adam visions of the future which cover an outline of the Bible, from the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, up through the story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Interpretation and criticism The Creation of Man, engraving from the 1688 edition, by John Baptist Medina The writer and critic Samuel Johnson wrote that Paradise Lost shows off [Miltons] peculiar power to astonish and that [Milton] seems to have been well acquainted with his own genius, and to know what it was that Nature had bestowed upon him more bountifully than upon others: the power of displaying the vast, illuminating the splendid, enforcing the awful, darkening the gloomy, and aggravating the dreadful.

Merger Management of Kraft and Cadbury

Merger Management of Kraft and Cadbury Nowadays, organisations must actively develop and adapt appropriate changes that fit the dynamic environment. This highlights the importance of change management in judging how flexible and responsive an organisation is. As more companies expand and diversify, it is inevitable that smaller organisations are now looking into merger with bigger organisations to boost their share of their market. Bigger organisations are also attracted by the opportunities of entering untapped emerging markets. Therefore, the nature of change that we will be investigating in this report is merger and acquisition (MA). We will relate this change to USs Kraft Foods Incorporated, as the company recently acquired UKs Cadbury. The issues we have selected to focus on are in the following order: leadership and communication, cultural change, and staff resistance. Leadership is chosen because leadership is critical to determine the success of an acquisition. Firstly, due to the huge number of employees involved, the choice of an appropriate leadership style is vital to ensure integration in both companies is a smooth process. Next, an effective leadership will improve the productivity of both companies through the efficient allocation of resources to achieve the organizational strategic goals. Communication is chosen because the acquisition will raise doubts among Cadburys employees on their roles in the new company and its vision and goals. The feeling of uncertainty about their future could lead to a dip in their morale and low productivity at work. Thus, it is essential for Kraft to use an appropriate communication strategy to increase the awareness of the employees of any impending change initiatives. Culture is chosen because of the diverse cultures between Kraft and Cadbury. Cadbury was founded on Quaker ethics to build a socially benign business. This philosophy helped Cadbury to build a world-class brand that is close to the hearts of the British people. In contrast, Kraft is more of a performance driven company with decades of profit driven mergers and demergers. Thus, it is essential for Kraft to identify and value the cultural differences as sources of synergy and efficiency in order to manage the acquisition process effectively. Staff resistance is chosen because management and employees made up the core structure of the organisation. The policies undertaken by these personnel and behaviour exhibited can have an immediate and vital impact on determining how organisation functions. In the horizontal acquisition of Cadbury, Kraft must also be able to seek equilibrium for integrating the staff from both sets of organisation. Conflicts at management levels, diverse working styles and even motivational approaches are some situations that may hinder and pose challenges. Before implementing any change initiatives, we recommend Kraft to conduct diagnosis of the three issues mentioned above. 2.0 Leadership and Communication 2.1 Definition of Leadership Koontz and ODonnell (1955, pg 17) the activity of persuading people to cooperate in the achievement of a common objective 2.1.1 Adairs Action Centred Leadership Duberly (2010) Adairs Action Centred Leadership model points out that a leader can only be successful when he is able to meet all three areas of needs task, individual and team maintenance needs- by helping his followers achieve the objectives of the common tasks, generate team dynamics and cater to the individuals needs. 2.1.2 Case-Study Rebecca Johnson (2008) The case study of Refresh Yourself illustrates Britvics use of Adairs action centred leadership to revive their company. For meeting task needs, the use of the balanced scorecard system with job descriptions provided their employees with a clearer understanding of their duties and responsibilities. With that, it helped to set the direction for employees to achieve their objectives. For meeting individual needs, the use of a performance management system with a core set of behaviours allows the employees to know how effectively they are performing relative to expectations. With a performance-based rewards system, Britvic motivated their employees by rewarding them accordingly as a form of recognition. For meeting team maintenance needs, a workshop session was conducted for the leaders of Britvic to reflect on their leadership. The insights gained proved to be very beneficial to them in their role as a leader as survey results showed that the employee engagement increased from 55% to 70% and employees confidence in leadership leapt to 72%. 2.1.3 Recommendations For meeting task needs, Kraft needs to provide a detailed road map which includes specific and clear goals, a detailed approach for achieving these goals, and a list of resources and time required to reach these goals. With that, Kraft and Cadbury can identify common goals so that the employees from both companies can work together on common projects in order for a smooth integration to occur. In the case of Kraft, the closure of Cadburys Somerdale plant led to a loss of 400 jobs. This caused the Cadburys employees morale to decline as they were fearful of further jobs losses. More importantly, this caused a loss of trust in the leadership of the organisation. Thus, Kraft should make a pledge to them that there will be no further job losses and factory closures to assure them of their job security. This form of assurance will restore their morale and bring about greater productivity within the team to meet the team maintenance needs. For meeting individual needs, Kraft should acknowledge employees achievements by offering rewards to keep them motivated. The rewards can be offered in the form of the cafeteria rewards system which offers employees the ability to choose a combination of benefits that best suit their needs. 2.1.4 Transformational Leadership Bass, B. M. (1990) There are four factors which make up a transformational leader, namely, charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individualized attention. Firstly, a transformational leader exudes charisma and instils pride in employees within the organisation. He creates vision to guide his followers and as engines of change within the organisation. They are deemed as role models. Secondly, a transformational leader communicates optimism about future goals to inspire his followers. Thirdly, he uses intellectual stimulation which encourages innovation and creativity in approaches towards identifying and solving problems. Lastly, he shows individualized attention by addressing his followers concerns and providing them with training for self-development. 2.1.5 Case-Study Catherine Monthienvichienchai (2007) The case study of Korea Ladder illustrates how Jonathan Cormack took on the role of a transformational leader. He united the two organisations behind a shared vision to inspire his employees. They were placed in groups for a discussion to help them realise the shared vision. He also fostered workplace creativity by conducting workshop sessions which were not a common practice in a Korean workforce. It was used as a form of intellectual stimulation to instil a sense of belonging in the employees. The positive feedback received from the employees proved that it was a success. He showed individualized consideration for the staff when he convinced the union that the foreign executives should not be removed as their experience and strengths possessed were essential to bring the bank to the next level. 2.1.6 Recommendations As the acquirer, Kraft needs to unite the two companies under one vision by offering communication programs that support the shared vision. The programs can be in the form of workshop sessions which creates a participative environment to foster a sense of belonging and involvement among employees. This environment would enable Kraft and the employees to work out a mutually satisfying outcome (i.e. a win-win situation). Next, Kraft must work at gaining the trust and respect of Cadburys employees to prevent the defection of talented people. Kraft can do so by bringing talents from both organisations together to work jointly on projects. This will encourage employees to focus on their similarities rather than their differences.The organisations various departments need to be restructured and processes must be redesigned to align with Krafts vision. 2.2. Communication 2.2.1 Definition of Communication Newman Summer (1977, pg 12) Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons. Communication Process Duberly (2010) Communication begins when the transmitter encodes a message to convey an idea, the receiver then decodes the message to achieve understanding. The context of a message refers to the non verbal cues conveyed by the transmitter to the receiver. The perceptual filter actually influences the way the message is transmitted. It ends with the receiver providing feedback to the transmitter to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. For effective communication on change, we will focus on three communication strategies. Firstly, spray and pray is used when employees are showered with a wide variety of information, and managers pray that staff will pick up what is needed to be done. Secondly, tell and sell is used when management attempts to both inform employees on changes and sell them on why they are required to the passive employees. Lastly, underscore and explore is used when management engages employees in a dialogue about the change process and seeks to identify obstacles and the misunderstandings that need to be addressed. Lastly, withhold and uphold is used when information is withheld until it is absolutely necessary to release it. 2.2.2 Case-Study Sarah Butcher (2005) The case city of Recovery plan illustrated the use of tell and sell as a communication strategy to persuade the bankers at Citigroup to be receptive to the new performance appraisal and compensation system. With regards to the revised compensation system, Citigroup need to sell to their bankers the idea that bonus payout will not be solely based on reaching financial targets but also dependent upon comprehensible understanding of the shared responsibilities. Another communication strategy adopted by Citigroup was spray and pray in educating their employees on the ethics and the banks code of conduct. It is a top down and one way communicating approach as the responsibility of communicating the acquired knowledge to the rest of the employees falls on the shoulder of 3000 senior employees at Citigroup. 2.2.3 Recommendations For effective communication, Kraft can adopt the underscore and explore method whereby they conduct a transparent and truthful dialogue with the employees to address the differences in culture and to identify any constraints for the change to be implemented. Kraft can also go beyond reassuring the Cadbury employees of their motive regarding the closure of the Somerdale plant. Since this is a two-way communicating process, the feedback generated from the active employees will be useful in resolving misunderstandings and build consensus on key issues. Kraft has to be cautious especially when dealing with redundancies. The communications, compensations, and benefits for redundant workers need to be clear and direct so as to build trust and commitment. In addition, they should also take a closer look at the effects of survivors (remaining workers) who suffered from low morale and decreasing commitment, trust and loyalty towards the organisation after the merger. Kraft can being by educating and persuading survivors of their good intentions by accounting personally for their action. On the other hand, the survivors need to be informed of their specific job roles and entitlements. Unless companies try to deal with this survivor syndrome by demonstrating to the remaining employees that the process for determining redundancies was transparent and professional, and those made redundant were treated fairly and lawfully, the general productivity and morale are less likely to be affected adversely. 3.0 Cultural change 3.1 Definition of Culture Drennan (1992) defined organisational culture as, Culture is how things are done around here. It is what is typical of the organisation, the habits, the prevailing attitudes, the grown-up pattern of accepted and expected behaviour. And as aptly phrased, culture is the key factor for making or breaking a merger and acquisition dealÂÂ ­. (Accenture, 2000) 3.1.1 Understanding Organisational Culture To better understand organisational culture, different methods are used, one being the Onion skin (Duberley 2010, modified from Schein 1992, 2004) Schein suggests three levels to organisational ÂÂ ­ structure: artefacts (e.g. language, environment, rituals), espoused values (organisations strategies, goals, philosophies) and basic underlying assumptions level (subconscious perceptions, thoughts and feelings that are the ultimate source of values and actions). Onion Skin (modified from Schein) 3.1.2 Sources of Organisational Culture The founder, organisational history, industry and size of the organisation impact its culture. (Duberley, 2010) Organisational culture is also reflected by national cultures and professional subcultures. (Hofstede, 1981) 3.1.3 Influence of National Culture The difference in various elements of a country such as languages, laws, values and attitudes will lead to one nations culture diverging significantly from another (Hofstede, 1980; Tayeb, 1989; Wilson, 1992) As an example of national culture, Adler (1997) describes Americans strong individualistic tendencies evidenced in their language such as trounced the opposition, and their human resource management based on individual knowledge and skills. (Calori and De Woot, 1994; Hemel Hempstead: A European Management Model Beyond Diversity), we understand that though organisational culture in the United Kingdom has similarities with the United States, certain significant differences include the adversarial relationships with labour, the tradition of the manager as a gifted amateur (as opposed to the professionalism of US managers) and the influence of class differences in the firm. 3.1.4 Cadburys and Krafts Culture Cadburys culture stems from its founder of Quaker origins: a paternalistic and philanthropic culture, which also focuses on the well being of groups rather than the individual. This translates to the idea that the leader knowing what is best for the organisation and its followers: (i.e. leaders as expert father figures). Cadburys culture of principled capitalism is what makes Cadbury great and it has successfully built a socially benign business. Cadbury has a loyal workforce that consists of staff and managers who have been in the organisation for a long period. Cadbury has a long tradition of high quality production and most of its factories make use of its local community, thereby ensuring that the brand itself is close to the hearts of locals. What this translates to is a family orientated and communal working atmosphere where staff takes strong pride in their work. Krafts culture is more performance oriented and is more focused on the meeting of sales and performance goals. Kraft is the quintessential traditional multinational business firm. There is a mercenary culture present; most staff and managers perform in relation to the rewards they get. Most rewards they expect are material and on an individual basis. Furthermore, Kraft is very much interested in destroying competition and seeks many alternatives and ways to ensure they are always ahead of competitors. Krafts culture is less communal and the working atmosphere is unlike a family atmosphere, in that people view each other as merely working colleagues and do not share deep friendships with one another. Staff and managers in Kraft are productive and focused in their work and most of them have a passion for business. 3.1.5 Potential of Post-Acquisition Culture Clash The acquisition will damage Cadburys current culture as the striking differences between Cadbury and Krafts culture may damage Cadbury existing successful culture of principled capitalism. This would bring about lower morale and performance and de-motivated staff. Krafts competitive and goal orientated culture might cause staff burn out amongst the Cadbury employees as they may feel insecure and uncertain. Krafts mercenary culture may create a lack of trust, which will weaken Cadbury staffs strong loyalty. By joining an American company, Cadbury risks losing UK benefits schemes to American procedures. Also, consumers may feel betrayed by the loss of its original organisational goals, resulting in a weakened brand. However, one advantage is that Cadburys shareholders will profit through the acquisition with the worlds second largest food manufacturing company. 3.1.6 Case-Study (Quote your Reference)SCB (an America-originated company) acquired and merged with KFB. SCB was successful with the merging of cultures due to effective communication, the understanding of the differences in cultures and the understanding that If you dont stretch things at all then nothing will change, but if you stretch things too far or too fast youll leave people behind. The approaches SCB used were the Conciliative, Educative and Corrosive approach, evidenced in the heavy use of consultation, training and use of networking. With this, they successfully overcame problems of national culture and cultural change such as: over-enthusiastic labour unions and differences in management styles, to name a few. What Kraft and Cadbury can learn from this is the importance of communication and flexibility in the use of approaches. 3.1.7 Recommendations Because culture is an essential element in an organisation, culture analysis should play a major role in an acquisition. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis exists in corporate culture: visual artefacts or manifestations of the organisation, the espoused values and basic assumptions (The Onion skin model) of the organisation have to be properly evaluated. This is essential to better understand the Krafts inner-workings and most importantly, its employees and their feelings toward the acquistion. The difference in national cultures of a UK in comparison to US organisation also impacts organisations greatly. Thus, Kraft should exercise patience and understanding to ensure that culture change is implemented and not resisted. (Whittle et al (1991:3) We understand that culture change is not a single event but an ongoing sequence of changes. Flexibility is important, as different stages of the change program may require appropriate approaches. 4.0 Resistance and Resentment Felt by Cadbury Employees 4.1 Definition of Individual and Change We will be illustrating the definition using case-study of the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft. The process involves organisation undergoing a transformative change. This is so as the nature of change is large-scale and fundamental. At the same time, the effect is permanent and can be observed in the long-run. This issue raises the question of uncertainty which in turn, brought about greater anxiety. According to Schein E. et al. elaboration on Kurt Lewins(1951) Three-Step Model, anxiety can be broken down to two major forms survival and learned anxiety. The former pushes for change while the latter obstructs change. In order to integrate the change, Scheins theories suggest an inclination towards minimizing the learning anxieties. Generally, there are three areas we will be investigating with regards to the case-study. Firstly, the consideration of parochial self-interest which will need us to look into how the various groups in organisation will react upon their immediate interests in the company. With a likely shift in management, Cadbury staff will be reassigned to new job roles and positions in Kraft Inc. this may affect the individuals and probably also management. A possible reshuffling of manpower by HR will see the Cadbury staff go through a series of re-employment tests to allocate them to suitable tasks. This means that potential loss of authority and power especially for the executives and leaders of Cadbury relevant to their positions resulting in a conflict between their self-interests and the organizations interests. Therefore, the move to quit by the staff may be explained by this clash of interests. Next, the misunderstanding may be another consideration since the top management could be inconsistent in conveying their messages while middle-level managers could have failed to communicate clearly and on a constant basis to employees. They may put off the delivery of what they deemed as negative news. At the same time, employees are interpreted to be in denial and avoid the truth. They are sceptical of success and are unwilling to move out of their comfort zone to embrace change. Lastly, the tolerance for change is low as the former Cadbury staff may take huge pride in how they go about doing their work. Kraft personnel think otherwise and what they thought to be desirable for the organisation could be in contradiction with the new staff. The former Cadbury staff may reject changes while Kraft personnel likewise will stick to their ways of carrying out tasks. We will look into the Model of Stages of Psychological Reaction by Hayes and Hyde (1996) adapted from Elizabeth Kubler-Ross(1969) and see how it affects the individual change of Cadbury worker. Model of Stages of Psychological Reaction When Kraft Inc. based in the America announces the acquisition of UKs Cadbury on February 2010, there was first, feelings of shock among the stakeholders and also the employees of both companies as the ongoing speculation has been realized. Upon the acquisition of Cadbury, subsequently Kraft drew up plans to smooth the process of integration of the UK-based competitor into the confectioner family. However, at this stage the general sentiments among the people involved are denial. The employees may find it difficult to come out of this particular stage. Implementation of the changes to the different levels of organisation as Kraft begins to incorporate and find a fit for the new employees, new teams and new managers. At this stage, employees may experience depression and letting go but the main idea is that most personnel will not be able to come out of the previous stage so they will have regress or stay put in the previous phase. Thus, not all will complete this cycle. Some may progress beyond and enter the acceptance and testing stage which we believe to consist of majority to be the lower level of staff and employees while the senior management figures most probably regress or stay in the denial stage or even move on to another company highly likely for the case according to the article 120 of 165 Cadbury Staff Leave Since Krafts Takeover on webpage http://www.foodanddrinkdigital.com/sectors/food-manufacturing/120-165-cadbury-staff-leave-kraft-takeover. Case Study (Quote your reference) In January 2005, Gillette was acquired by PG. The merger resulted in around 6000 job cuts which was equal to 4% of the combined workforce of the two companies. The process of post-merger integration of these two companies faced an inevitable resistance. A number of people were told that they had joined what they thought was a long-term employer with sufficient size and famous brand. They felt that Gillette was a leader in the industry on many fronts. Not only were some Gillette staff personally unprepared for the takeover, because they often felt that their company was the better one, they also did not believe in the tremendous opportunities that were promised by top management from PG. Gillette employees had to face the unpleasant dilemma of whether moving to PG (and coming to terms with the changes) or leaving the company. PG and Gillette essentially had two different corporate cultures. Employees of Gillette hoped that Gillette, because they had been so large and successful, would be able to influence PG post-acquisition. But hoping for that was a complete utopia, as one former employee said. Gillette was absorbed into PG and very little from its culture was left, another said. Rather than change, employees voluntarily but reluctantly left the jobs they thought they would have until retirement. (Quote your Reference) In a joint press release at the time of their merger in 1997, the president of Daimler-Benz, JÃ ¼rgen Schrempp, and the president of Chrysler, Robert Eaton, declared that there will be no plant closures or layoffs as a result of the merger. However in 2000, the company announced there would be between 20000 and 40000 job cuts in the North American Chrysler division. Schrempp, by then the DaimlerChrysler president, claimed that the company was overstaffed by at least 6%. Announcing redundancies two or three years after the initial deal can cause even greater stress to the employees who thought that they were survivors. Employees are better prepared to handle the bad news straight after the transaction than two years later, after the newly merged culture has started to take shape when they thought they could rely on managements assurances regarding the merger, often accompanied, as in the Daimler/Chrysler example, with promises of no future redundancies. 4.1.2 Recommendations The negotiation and agreement approach would be much recommended. The resistance stems from Krafts inability to walk the talk of retaining the Somerdale plant in operation. On top of walking the talk, they are expected to keep behaviour consistent with messages, keep commitments and promises, and demonstrate some energy and enthusiasm regarding the change. Only then will team members feel they can take the next step of commitment. Kraft has to deploy the soft power to facilitate integration between the two cultures. The soft power provides an effective mean for Kraft to reach out to employees at a personal level. This promotes the establishment of a long-term positive relationship as empathy and communicating at employees level builds trust and strengthens their commitment to the organisation. 5.0 Conclusion In view of the acquisition of Cadbury, it is critical for Kraft to establish an effective leadership team to pave the way for a change programme. Kraft can adopt Adairs action leadership to have an overview of the three areas of need and ensure that they are met adequately. The success of the acquisition is also influenced by how well Kraft communicates to their employees on the change. Thus, Kraft should use the underscore and explore method to address the possible challenges and problems caused by culture differences. Due to the diverse cultures of Kraft and Cadbury, onion skin method can help Kraft identify the differences to prevent culture clash. With this in mind, Kraft can set directions for the management and employees to realign their styles of working to fit the companys vision. This will pave the way for Kraft to achieve their objectives and develop a strong standing corporate culture at the same time. Effective HR management may be a viable solution but in the long-run, in order to foster a harmonious relationship and spirit of unity among the management and employees. It is necessary to inculcate positive employee attitudes and promote willingness to learn with the acceptance of changes. Eventually, the organization can help staff to align their interests with those of the company so as to keep motivation high level across all departments. 6.0 Appendices 6.1 List of References References for Leadership Communication Type of Source Reference List Reference Books Bernard M. Bass, Ruth Bass (2008), Concepts of Leadership, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications (4thedn), pg 17, Simon Schuster M V Rodriques(2000), The Meaning and Process of Communications, Perspectives of Communication and Communicative Competence, (1st edn), pg 12, Concept Publishing Company Bass, B. M. (1990), Organizational Dynamics, From Transactional to Transformational Leadership: Learning to Share the Vision, pg 22, Winter Case Studies Rebecca Johnson (2008), Refresh yourself, People Management Magazine, pg 32 Catherine Monthienvichienchai (2007), Climbing the Korea ladder, People Management Magazine, pg 30 Sarah Butcher (2005), Recovery plan, People Management Magazine, pg 34 Lecture Notes Duberly (2010), Change Management Lecture Notes References for Staff Resistance Type of Source Reference List Reference Books Esther Cameron Mike Green (2004,2009), Making Sense Of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change (2ndEdition) various Chapters Moeller S., (2009), Surviving MA: Make the Most of Your Company Being Acquired, John Wiley Sons Ltd Adolph G., Pettit J. and Sisk M., (2009), Merge Ahead: Mastering the Five Enduring Trends of Artful MA), Booz Company Inc Maginn M. D., (2007), Managing in time of change, McGraw-Hill Case Studies Gillette and Daimler Online Articles 120 of 165 Cadbury Staff Leave Since Kraft Takeover by Chris Farnell on July 29,2010 accessed on Saturday August 28, 2010 Kraft Gets Boost from Cadbury Thursday August 5, 2010 taken from The Wall Street Journal Earnings accessed on Saturday August 28, 2010 Kraft Criticised over Cadbury Factory Pledge May 26,2010 taken from BBC News Business accessed on Saturday August 28, 2010 Lecture Notes Duberly (2010), Change Management Lecture Notes Session 5 The Individual and Change Quotes Esther Cameron Mike Green (2004,2009), Making Sense Of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change (2ndEdition) What gets in the way of change: resistance to changeSchein E. Page 57, Kogan Page Limited, London UK

Music Appreciation Early Period :: essays research papers

In order to understand how Aquinas affected both Hildegard and Guillaume, one must look at a bit of background of each. To start, Aquinas believed â€Å"everything is arranged in ascending order to God, the only necessary, self-sufficient being.† Aquinas also believed that faith and reason constitute two harmonious realms. They are not the same. Hildegard was born before Aquinas and therefore could not have been directly affected by his modernization of western thought. However, Hildegard was brought up very religious and held God’s will in highest regard. She was also taught outside of the church in what was called learned studies of natural science, medicine, and other matters. Hildegard experienced visions, one of which led her to fully understand the meaning of the Scriptures, and she was moved to write religious poetry with music because of this. Her music reflects her religious upbringing and religious thought. Hildegard’s musical style was more so monophonic, like the Gregorian chant, and reflected the visions she had. Hildegard believed that her visions came directly from God and were God’s will. Hence the fact that she composed music based more on faith. Guillaume, on the other hand, wrote his music based more on reason than faith. Following the philosophy of Aquinas, that only in acquisition of knowledge could one find God, Guillaume pushed to gain that knowledge and in doing so he felt rewarded. His secular music developed from this knowledge. In turn, Guillaume grew with his understanding to the point where he developed a romantic as well as literary relationship with a young woman, breaking the bonds of his religious vows. The drive behind his secular music was emotions and understanding of those emotions. Getting more specific as to the styles of both of these composers, Hildegard had no formal schooling in music, and used an improvisational style. Hildegard had a more individual style that was improvisational, non-linear, and included "dramatic leaps". On the other hand, Guillaume used "complex structures based on the repetition and manipulation of borrowed melodies". Guillaume used strict formatting that follows a logical flow, which he borrowed from other composers Therefore, you hear large differences between Guillaume and Hildegard. Aquinas had thought that knowledge gets one closer to God. Granted, there was no need for knowledge before the time of Aquinas, but there was still that desire to be closer to God.

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Proves Students Need Schools of Their Own :: Room of Ones Own Essays

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Proves Students Need Schools of Their Own According to the Children’s Defense Fund, in 1989 an average of 1,375 children dropped out of school every day. As a future educator, my reaction to this figure is one of horror and disbelief. Once I get past the shock of such a figure and the obligatory rhetorical questions: How could we let this happen?, I become an investigator. I begin to look for patterns in the profiles of students who have failed. I consider the curriculum these students ingest and how it is fed to them. I try to understand what circumstances result in the forsaking of 1,375 students per day. As a nation, we have established institutions of learning that cater to the needs of some. Our schools allow a select handful of students to succeed. Certain segments of our population appear to be at greater risk than others. The future does not bode well for young black and Latino men and women who do not make it through high school. According to Duane Campbell, author of Choosing Democracy, the unemployment rate for Latino men and women is substantially higher than the national average and an African American child is as likely to go to prison as to college (15). According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 1991 43% of African American children and 35% of Latino children were living in poverty. It is not surprising that a vast number of the 501,875 annual school drop-outs come from impoverished black and Latino families. Of course it is not only blacks and Latinos who are lost in the educational shuffle. There are hordes of students who simply do not fit into the traditional public school paradigm. Whether this poor fit is the result of an unorthodox learning style, an emotional disability or a need for a higher level of teacher involvement, these students are often failed. Such students may stay in school, but they receive a sub-standard education. Virginia Woolf, in her essay "A Room of One’s Own" makes a strong case for schools which cater to the needs of students who are failed by our existing system. I did not see the connection between "A Room of One’s Own" and education upon my first reading of the essay, as a matter of fact the idea came to me as I read Woolf’s essay "The Common Reader.

The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy

Abstract The Great Recession of 2007-8 has exposed the inherent weakness of the Western economies, whose growth had been fuelled on heavy indebtedness. This dissertation intends to broach the implications of the Great Recession of 2007-8 by applying the theoretical concepts related to the notion of hegemony in order to determine to what extent there is a geopolitical shift in favour of China, pursuant to the decline of the United States. The dissertation also utilizes the theory of economic crisis in order to ascertain the implications of the Great Recession and corroborate the idea of a hegemonic shift to the East. Objectives The dissertation seeks to intervene in a central debate of our times in the field of Political Economy of International Relations: the possible decline of United States’ â€Å"hegemony† and a possible shift of hegemony towards East Asia, especially China, given East Asia’s growing role in the world economy. This trend has exacerbated since the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-8. Using the theoretical framework of hegemony, I intend to find out to which extent the universalisation of the economic superstructure renders the notion of American hegemony obsolete. A Marxian model of interpretation can potentially shed light into the reasons which China, with competitive advantages that vastly exceed those of the United States will continue to accumulate power and establish itself as the new hegemon. Research questions What is the best way to conceptualise hegemony at the international level in the context of the Great Recession of 2007-8? What elements have to be analysed in order to assess hegemony shifts in Capitalist Global Political EconomyHow does this apply to the crisis 2007-2008? What are the signs that American power decliningWhat are the potential implications of that decline? Did the Great Recession of 2007-8 create an irretrievable hegemonic shift towards the Pacific? Theoretical framework The dissertation is divided into two parts. The first is theoretical and discusses the notion of hegemony at the international level. The second part elaborates on the theory of crises. The way in which hegemony has been conceptualised by influential authors such as Arrighi, Cox, Organski and Kindleberger is critically examined. In particular, the dissertation proposes a re-reading of Gramsci stressing the role of nation states and both elements, coercion and consensus, in the exercise of hegemony. Concerning crises, the dissertation seeks to elaborate an integral and organic theory of economic crises based on Marx, contrasting the latter with recently developed neo-Marxist perspectives, such as the ones espoused by David Harvey and Ernest Mandel. Methodology The method for tackling this dissertation will involve a theoretical treatment of hegemony and the causes of economic crisis. Within that particular methodological framework, I intend to analyse the Great Recession of 2007-8 and its implications for the shift taking place, with the transfer of hegemonic power from the United States to China. Chapter one will be a treatment of the theoretical sources dealing with the notion of ‘hegemony’, as applied to shifts in the international political system. Chapter two deals with the nature of economic crises and long economic cycles, as applied to the hegemonic shift taking place. Chapter three will examine the hegemonic shift taking place as a result of the Great Recession of 2007-8 and how the next long cycle could favour the transition from a US-dominated system to a Chinese-dominated one. I intend to use primary sources which will corroborate the economic and political decline of the United States as well as the rise of China, and analyse my findings through the prism of the Great Recession of 2007-8. I will also utilise theoretical material (as outlined above) in order to examine to what extent there is a hegemonic shift taking place within the context of the ongoing economic crisis of the United States and the West. Literature review Robert Cox uses the Gramscian notion of hegemony in order to expose the structures which arise from shifts in the organisation of the international economy. These structures are kept through consensual and coercive power relations. These power relations are marked by ideological practices which give it an aura of normality, therefore establishing a particular cultural hegemony. Significantly, Cox argued that although specific states may be the bearers of hegemony, at its most fundamental level the term relates to the rooting of a set of elites in different countries that acknowledge certain essential principle on the international economy (Cox in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 42). According to Arrighi, hegemony becomes the added power that a dominant class has as a result of being able to universalise the issues which are capable of leading to conflict (Arrighi in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 148). A state capable of exercising hegemony if it is able to lead the international political system in a particular direction and it is perceived by other states as pursuing the interests of the international community. However, the dominant state could also be interested in leading other countries into their own way of economic development (Arrighi, 1990: 367). Arrighi argues that the competition for resources that promoted the capitalist expansion of the European economy into the wider world is structural rather than conjunctural. Its strength resides in the ability to provoke creative destructions motivated by economic crises, giving rise to the technological breakthroughs that have sustained the process of globalisation (Arrighi, 1998: 128). Organski describes the rise of a hegemonic order in a situation in which powerful nations as well as middle and minor powers accept the given distribution of power and wealth and adhere to the same guidelines when it comes to diplomacy and commerce (Organski, 1969: 354). The international order that arises achieves its legitimacy through the ideology which underpins the ‘power differentials’ between the different states. When a power shift occurs, it may be accompanied by conflict amongst the great powers. This would very much depend on whether the challenger seeks to overhaul the rules of the game in the international political system (Organski, 1969: 354). Gilpin operates with a more deterministic notion of hegemonic cycles, positing that the resolution of a hegemonic war represents the start of another period of growth and eventual decline of a great power (Gilpin, 1981: 210). Kindleberger argues that the need to have a hegemon stems from the idea that only a domina nt power can provide collective goods. He maintains that the main danger that the international political faces is not the existence of too much power accumulated in one single hegemon but the presence of too many free riding states unwilling to exercise authority (Kindleberger, 1981: 253). Gramsci re-examines the Marxian model by positing that the cultural and political ‘base’ of a particular society is necessarily informed by the economic superstructure. The base includes categories such as the legal system, the prevailing ideology, the political make-up of the state and the cultural values of society. These categories are not involved in the production of goods but legitimate the ways in which the productive forces shape society: through surplus value extraction. Gramsci finds that the power of the dominant class goes far beyond the competencies of the state as it extends to the civil society, via institutions like schools, the press and cultural practices. The dominant class maintains hegemony by coopting the civil society, which is imbued with a particular ideology which ensures that the political status quo remains anchored in society and that it legitimates the way the productive forces operate (Holub, 1992: 103). Marx attributed the emergence of economic crises to the tendency of the rate of profit to fall (Marx, 1863). The requirement to provide the workforce with survival wages put limits on the exchange value of the labour capacity. This limits the surplus labour time and surplus value needed for the accumulation of profits. There is a requirement that capital be transformed in consumption, therefore placing another burden on the process of production. Limitations on the production of use value by the requirement to create exchange value and the requisite of private profit before the satisfaction of social needs means that there will be overproduction. Capitalism attempts to create the conditions to resolve the inner contradictions of capitalism, such as the creation of a credit system. However, according to Marxist theory, crises are temporarily resolved until a higher level of economic crisis is attained (McCarthy, 1990: 240). One of the ideas which Harvey puts forward in relation to the rise of neoliberal forms of globalisation is the policy of ‘accumulation by dispossession’, resulting in the centralisation of economic wealth and political power in the hands of a very reduced number of people through policies of dispossession. These policies imply stripping the publics of access to wealth. More precisely, ‘accumulation by dispossession’ entails the practice of financialisation, privatisation, upward state redistribution and the manipulation of crises. Harvey’s work is notably linked in an indirect manner to the ideas postulated by prominent public intellectuals of the Left such as Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, who also highlight the symbiosis between accumulation (upwards) and dispossession (downwards). These ideas seem to hark back to the classical Marxian template of a dialectic between the owners of the means of production and those who sell their labour at a fraction of its cost, living permanently in the ‘realm of necessity’ (Harvey, 2005). Mandel maintains the base/superstructure Gramscian symbiosis in its analysis of hegemonic relations in the post-World War Two era, claiming that it ushered in a ‘long-wave’ economic cycle of growth. The working class had been weakened by the effects of Fascism, which focused on the cooperation of the different social classes, and World War Two. Technology had increased the rate of profit, which produced impressive economic growth and accumulation of capital. Drawing on Gramsci, Mandel claims that it is impossible for the working class to capture civil society from a ‘war of position’ as this would lead to reformism instead of creating true change. Any attempt to seize the control of society must be done using a ‘war of maneouvre’. The working class, as a subject of social change, is not capable to capture society in a hegemonic way, as it has always been economically and culturally disenfranchised. Any revolutionary process of change must be dec isively quick. A drawn-out conflict would inevitably lead to an accommodation with the bourgeoisie (Mandel, 1995: 28). The theory of economic crisis is linked to the notion of ‘hegemony’ in its political aspects. Transformations taking place in the international economy, particularly those of the magnitude of the Great Recession of 2007-8, have the potential to create a fracture in the hegemonic order constituted after the end of the Cold War. To be sure, there is a process of political and economic convergence which arises out of the increased level of interconnectedness amongst states. This process of harmonisation has been marshalled by the marriage between democracy and the free market orientation typical of the American political personality which emerged amidst the triumphalist furore of the early 1990s (Fukuyama, 1992: 338). This emerging geostrategic situation steered the hegemonic path taken by the United States towards an expansion of its political personality to the wider world. The Great Recession of 2007-8 created a situation in which the tenets which sustained that hegemon y have been broken. China and the ‘Rest’ (i.e., the non-Western world) have been growing at a healthy rate whilst the West is still mired in an economic crisis which does not seem to have an end. This dissertation will endeavour to united both theoretical frameworks in order to determine to what extent the economic crisis will induce a change of hegemonic order. The most crucial aspect to be analysed is whether China will be able to rework the notion of ‘hegemony’ (which is a Western concept) in order to emerge as a potential challenger to the American dominion over the international order. The Great Recession of 2007-8 will potentially undermine the American military capabilities, which is the main element to be considered in the analysis of a putative hegemonic shift in favour of China. In addition, China seems to be interested in propping up its military capabilities. However, its geopolitical emphasis seems to be on forging commercial links with the Res t, rather than launching a frontal hegemonic challenge against the United States (Jacques, 2009: 22). Case study – The Great Recession of 2007-8 One of my research questions explores the possibility that the Great Recession of 2008 created a hegemonic shift towards the Pacific, specifically China. In some respects, the first stage of globalisation (1990-2008) was successful in creating an extensive network of international governance. The end of bipolarity gave rise to the ability to interconnect mankind by electronic means (personal computers, internet, fast processing of data). Globalisation has also created a uniformity of ideology amongst the nations, such as the concept of liberal democracy and free markets (Dilly, 1992: 59) Although some countries deviated from the norm of untrammelled capitalism after the localised financial crises of the 1990s (Russia, Argentina, etc), by and large there has been a trend towards ideological harmonisation, which also includes a growing concern for human rights. This is true for many countries, notably first world ones. The first stage of globalisation created an interdependence that in ternationalised production and consumption. Whilst the outsourcing of production created benefits for consumers, it also rendered nations incapable of protecting their resources, which are now shared with the rest of the world through its management by transnational economic interests, and managed their economy for the benefit of its populations. As Bobbitt argues, the market-state ushered in by globalisation has as its main purpose the maximisation of opportunities for its citizens instead of protecting their welfare (Bobbitt, 2002: 347). Since economic considerations have overtaken political ones, the increase rate of capitalist profit in the East means that China will continue to accumulate power due to its strategic competitive advantages, lower wages, a young labour force and a huge internal market. The challenges posed by the Great Recession exceed the capacity of individual states to be able to defend themselves. There is no nation, in the incipient stage of globalisation, which can act as steward and caretaker of the system. For example, the total flow of capital in the derivative industries vastly exceeds the size of the major economies of the world like the United States, the European Union and China ($531 tn as of September 2008). In addition, the first state of globalisation was chaotic, horizontal and disorderly. Globalisation brought in many positive elements for the world population, but also created many negative offshoots, which territorial states cannot possibly tackle on their own. The effects of global warming and natural resources degradation, the spread of disease, nuclear proliferation, humanitarian catastrophes and the threat of terrorism has one the one hand exposed the vulnerability of nation-states and created the need for common global action by supranati onal institutions that significantly erode their political sovereignty (Basch, L. et al, 1993: 67) The imperial overstrech that the United States suffers from has resulted in the accumulation of massive debts, which now total more than 100% of its GDP. In addition, its economy is about to be overtaken by China, which is still growing at very high rates (Jacques, 2009: 139). The second stage of globalisation will result in the erosion of hegemonic power of the United States. The Great Recession of 2008 provides an opportunity to recreate the global financial and economic structure as well as create more centralised supranational governance, as seen in the rise of the G20. One of the ways in which the crisis keeps melting down the political sovereignty of the nation-states is seen in the depreciation of the US dollar (the international reserve currency) due to the indiscriminate printing of money (Jansson, 2001: 44). One of the ways in which the second stage of globalisation could bring in a world-state is through the creation of currency harmonisation, possibly based on special drawing rights. The increased indebtedness of nations also harmonises the system towards a world-state, since the nation-state has to rely on a debt-based economy. The socialisation of banking losses through taxpayers’ dollars is also another variable to be reckoned with. The increased fragility of the system at local level creates greater opportunity for extra-national and supranational intervention. To be sure, the role of the nation-state has not gone away. However, their role is subordinated to the requirements of this increasingly emerging extraterritorial financial and economic structure. The reaction to this emerging harmonisation towards a world-state is already being seen in the different arrangements made between BRICS nations and commodity-rich countries seeking to replace the dollar as a medium of exchange (Suominen, 2012: 33) In turn, this will end up hurting the most powerful sovereign nation, which will find it increasingly difficult to maintain military hegemony without the ability to print out as many dollars as it needs. The erosion of political sovereignty as a result of the Great Recession of 2008 and the reaction to it by the ‘Second World’ goes hand in hand with the idea of privatisation of economic power, managed at supranational and extraterritorial level by powerful private concerns (Khanna, 2008: 41). These supranational concerns are in the process of setting up their own regulatory schemes, imposed on individual territorial states, which are finding it increasingly difficult to resist them. My preliminary findings show that the realignment of economic international systems is the main conduit by which harmonisation leading to an hegemonic shift in favour of China will be activated. In addition, there is a definite reaction by what I would call the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc (notably China and Russia, but also the likes of India and Iran). The harmonisation process is proceeding apace in the West. This reaction in the Second World is generating its own kind of harmonisation. The political sovereignty of nations could also be further impaired by the conflict that will arise as a result of it. Trying to eliminate the logic of anarchy brings with it the possibility of conflict. A s Schmitt put it, the political cannot exist outside the realm of conflict. It is expected that the United States will not let China accumulate the necessary military capabilities in order to establish itself as the new hegemon. Preliminary findings There are several factors which enables us to think that a hegemonic transition is taking place. A massive, imposing display of Chinese-constructed fighter aircraft and other military equipment was used to commemorate the 60th anniversary of communist China’s founding, on 1 October, 2009. At the same time, China’s space industry was rapidly burgeoning and continuing to develop. Along with the fact that the Chinese economy continued to expand during a global recession and a rising position on the world political stage, these technological advances indicate China’s movement towards the status of a world superpower. While the rest of the world struggled in 2009, the Chinese economy exemplified a remarkable flexibility in returning to significant growth. The Chinese government attributes this economic resilience to China’s blend of communism with capitalism, in contrast to the laissez-faire approach taken by the West (Guthrie, 1999: 122). In early 2009, a migration of millions of workers from urban areas to rural locales resulted from the closure of factories that produced exports on the east coast and south coast of China. The steep price of fuel and food had put pressure on household budgets in 2008, and in order to halt inflation, stringent financial and credit policies were set in place. These policies caused the construction industry to dip, as well as a slump in the property market. In response, the Chinese government created a stimulus package in November 2008 that was worth 4 trillion yuan (about $586 billion). Approximately 50% of the stimulus package was set aside for improving infrastructure, such as railways and airports, primarily in rural regions, while a further 25% was designated for the Sichuan province, which had been severely affected by a May 2008 earthquake and was in need of rebuilding. Banks were ordered to increase lending, and the result was a 164% upsurge of loans in the first three quarters of 2009. This facilitated a rebound of the economy, which occurred far more quickly than in other countries. (Wright, 2010: 221). Additionally, the latter part of the year saw the recovery of exports, which set China up to overtake Germany as the top exporter world-wide. As a result, speculation grew as to whether China could reclaim the dominant position that it once held prior to the early 1800s, at which time it provided roughly one third of manufacturing in the world, compared to just 25% of manufacturing in the West. This outcome was rendered more probably by a trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that transpired at the end of the year. As the world’s largest creditor, China had a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S., the globe’s biggest debtor, that had become vital in the effort to rebalance the global economy. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued a statement on 23 March 2009 th at called for an international currency that would replace the U.S. dollar as the primary global currency and would remain unattached to individual countries; he argued that this currency would have increased stability over time. The People’s Bank of China also proposed that Special Drawing Rights, which were designed in 1969 by the IMF for utilisation between international institutions and governments, might be employed on a wider scale and used as payment in international finance and trade transactions. This would reduce fluctuations in price and the risks associated with these fluctuations. The initiative was made again at the yearly Group of Eight (G-8) summit that took place in Italy in July 2009. Delegates from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (also known as the â€Å"Group of Five) were also invited to the summit, where China, along with India and Russia (a G-8 member) called for an overhaul of the global financial system and a halt to dollar domination. In the latter part of September 2009, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, cautioned that the U.S. dollar faced an increasing threat due to the rising force of both the euro and the Chinese yuan. At this juncture China had surpassed Japan as the main creditor of the U.S.; there were concerns coming from Beijing that the $800.5 billion value of U.S. Treasury securities, along with other assets that constituted 60% of China’s foreign-exchange reserves and 30% of foreign-exchange reserves globally, would be attenuated by American debt and decreasing confidence in the U.S. dollar. China presented a temporary solution, which was to resist purchasing U.S. Treasury stock and, more significantly, to advocate the utilisation of the yuan as a world currency. (Kim, 2010: 49). Bibliography Arrighi, G., Capitalism and the Modern World-System: Rethinking the Non-debates of the 1970’s Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Vol. 21, No. 1 (1998), pp. 113-129 Arrighi, G. The Three Hegemonies of Historical Capitalism, Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Volume 13, Number 3 (Summer, 1990), pp. 365-408 Basch, L. et al (1993) Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States, Gordon and Breach, London Bobbitt, Philip (2002) The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History. New York, Alfred Knopf Bryson, J. Nick, H., Keebie, D. and Martin, R. (1999) The Economic Geography Reader: Producing and Consuming Global Capitalism, Wiley, New York Dilly, R. (1992) Contesting Markets: Analyses of Ideology, Discourse and Practice, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Fukuyama, F. (1992) The Last Man and the End of History, Free Press. New York Gill, S. (Ed.) (1993) Gramsci, Historical Materialism and International Relations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gilpin, R. (1981) War and Change in World Politics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Guthrie, D. (1999) Dragon in a Three-Piece Suit: The Emergence of Capitalism in China, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harvey, D. (2005) The New Imperialism, Oxford University Press, Oxford Holub, R. (1992) Antonio Gramsci: Beyond Marxism and Postmodernism, Routledge, New York Jacques, M. (2009) When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, Penguin Press, New York Jansson, B. (2001) The Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake: How the U.S. Bungled Its National Priorities from the New Deal to the Present, Columbia University Press, New York Khanna, P. (2008) The Second World, Penguin Books, London Kim, Yong-Ki, The Rise of G20 and Korea’s Response , SERI Quarterly. Volume: 3. Issue: 4 October 2010, pp. 49-66 Kindleberger, C. Dominance and Leadership in the International Economy, International Studies Quarterly 25(2) (1981), pp. 242-54 Mandel, E. (1995) Long Waves of Capitalist Development, Verso, London Marx, K. (1863) The Capital, Volume III, http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/index.htm MCCarthy, G. (1990) Marx and the Ancients: Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-Century Political Economy, Rowman and Littlefield, Savage, MD Organski, A.F.K. (1969) World Politics, Knopf, New York Suominen, K. (2012) Peerless and Periled: The Paradox of American Leadership in the World Economic Order, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Wright, T. (2010) Accepting Authoritarianism: State-Society Relations in China’s Reform Era, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA