Cyber Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cyber Security - Essay Example In a computing context, the word security is used to denote cyber security. Effective cyber security employs coordinated efforts throughout the information system. Some of the major elements of cyber security include end-user education, application security, disaster recovery/ business continuity planning, network security and information security (Marshall, 85). World governments devote huge sums of their annual budgets towards enhancing cyber security with the United States in particular, since 2010 allocating over 13 million USD annually for the next 5 years to cyber security. The traditional way of ensuring cyber security has been to dedicate most of the effort and resources on the most crucial system components in attempts to keep in check the biggest known threats while partly neglecting some less important system components. However, this method has proved greatly insufficient especially in the age of the rapidly and constantly changing nature of security risks. Most cyber security measures are now embracing guidelines in their risk assessment framework that recommends a shift towards continuous monitoring and real-time assessments (Singer and Allan,

The Learning Organisation (HRM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Learning Organisation (HRM) - Essay Example Filling this knowledge gap is, however, not an easy job. The reasons are twofold. First, it has been shown that due not only to change resistance, but also to feelings of stress and insecurity, people do not learn new behaviors when they are forced' to, which is the case in many change processes (e.g. Argyris, 2002; Lahteenmaki, Toivonen and Mattila, 2005; McHugh, 2005; Miner and Mezias, 2004). Second, even if they did learn, organization flux in times of change makes it of the utmost difficulty for researchers to distinguish the learning effect from all the other change effects. There has been keen discussion on organizational learning (OL) and learning organizations in recent years. At the moment, as various typologies of extant OL theories or models demonstrate (e.g. Easterby-Smith, 2005; Fiol and Lyles, 1985; Miner and Mezias, 2004; Shrivastava, 1983), these models are not as yet synergistic, but instead OL research is scattered across different scientific fields. There are many different, partially overlapping, approaches to both organizational learning and learning organizations. The processual approach is taken by some, whilst others concentrate on finding out who are the main actors of organizational learning. ... adaptive learning, assumption sharing, the development of the knowledge base and also institutionalized experience effects (for more details see Shrivastava, 1983). By giving different weightings to either cognitive or to behavioural developments, even more definitions, such as the evolutionary development of learning systems, habit formation, the discovery of new cognitive modes and the diversification of outcomes have been introduced (for more details see Fiol and Lyles, 1985). So far, the most prominent modellings seem, however, to be the division between single-loop and double-loop learning as presented by Argyris and Schon (1978) as well as the division between adaptive and generative learning presented by Senge (2002). Because of the different ways of perceiving and defining OL, it appears to be extremely difficult to find synthesis, much less compare these models with one another. One of the most crucial, but almost totally neglected questions is, whether all learning is valuable (Miner and Mezias, 2004). In OL literature there seems to be an underlying concept that learning always means attaining the desired developments. However, one has to keep in mind that organizations, just like people, learn bad habits as well and this may be even more probable than the opposite (e.g. Argyris and Schon, 1978). Therefore the question needs to be reformulated: do the cognitive and behavioural changes of the organization's members have to improve the firm's performance before they are considered to be reflections of organizational learning, or are all the changes in attitudes and behaviors, no matter how good or bad, gathered under the concept of organizational learning Despite the fact that in

Theory Of Civilization And The Caribbean History Essay

Theory Of Civilization And The Caribbean History Essay Oswald Spengler was a German historian and philosopher. He was born in 1880 in Blankenburg. His parents were Protestants. His father came from a family of mine engineers while his mothers family had a bias towards the arts. Spengler inherited both traits as was evident in his interest in both arts and sciences. He grew up in an emotionally reserved home, leading him to turn to books for solace (Spengler, Oswald). Spengler studied a wide range of subjects in school including Greek, Latin, mathematics, natural sciences, poetry, drama and music. He also studied a wide range of courses at the universities of Munich, Berlin, and Halle including history, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, music, and fine art. His doctoral dissertation was on Heraclitus, the Greek Philosopher.(Spengler, Oswald) Spengler worked as a teacher in several schools around German. Scholars who have attempted to study this Germany Philosopher note that his life was relatively uneventful and punctuated by long spells of loneliness. He died in 1936(Spengler, Oswald) Oswald Spengler is best known for his controversial book The Decline of the West, published in 1918, coinciding with the collapse of German. This was the first of his two-volume work. It was subtitled Form and Actuality, while the second volume was subtitled Perspectives of World History. (Stimely, n. pag) The emergence of first volume of The Decline of the West was received with mixed reactions around Europe. The main critics of this book were professional scholars and historians who claimed that Spengler was an amateur, not a trained historian. In spite of this, the book was a great success. Spenglers approach to history was inspired by Goethe, a German writer and Nietzsche, a philosopher (Spengler, Oswald). His approach entailed taking a direct look at things as opposed to strictly scientifically. Spengler was of the view that science often masked the real meaning of things and that the so-called professional historians were victims of this kind of blindness. As a result, Spengler believed in his ability to not only unravel the mystery that is history but also to predetermine it. According to Spengler, history is not the study of a consistent progression of events, but a comparative study of cultures (Spengler, Oswald). He rejected the linear view of history in support of the cyclical, implying that history comprised of events and developments that generally repeated themselves in cycles. Spengler was strongly opposed to the traditional way of categorizing history in terms of ancient, medieval, and modern. Instead he majored on eight cultures, sometimes referred to as Spenglers cultures. These cultures are Egyptian, Indian, Babylonian, Chinese, Classical (Greek and Roman), Mexican, Arabian and Western. (Spengler, Oswald) Each one of these cultures has its own unique features. For example the Egyptian culture was symbolized by their preoccupation with religion, architecture, such as the pyramids and art. Each culture too, evolves through a cycle of stages more or less like a plant through the stages of youth, maturity and then death (decline). Each culture, according to Spengler goes through its stage of civilization which could be referred to as its declining phase. In other words, civilization, according to Spengler is what remains of a culture after its development phase fades. In his book, Spengler mainly centers on comparisons between the Classical and Western cul tures and civilizations. He noted that the civilization of the West since the late nineteenth century exhibited similar characteristics to ancient (Greek and Roman) civilization in its decline. He claims that in each of these cultures 1000 years of active life there existed a cycle of development and decline (Stimely, n. pag). In his book, Spengler described the then Western culture as doomed and headed for extinction just like all the other high cultures that had existed earlier. He faulted it as being based on the illusion that everything would always get better and better eternally, instead of understanding it as having a distinct and fixed life-span moving from birth to maturity and then onto death just like in a living organism. The West, according to him was in the heart of its civilization phase and its end was probably just decades away. During the civilization phase, in a high culture there exists severe social disorder, mass movements of people, persistent wars and unending crises. At the same time, emergence of great megalopolis is witnessed, causing the surrounding rural areas to be drained of their strength, brains and spirituality. The residents of these new urban centers soon grow into immoral and materialistic people. Soon the push for democracy and a free press set in following the desire to amass more wealth and money. This leads to conflicts and supremacy battles between the new culture and the original culture, marked by bloodshed and strangulation of democracy. Only blood is seen as strong enough to overturn the rule of money. Eventually, the cities start to depopulate, with the people going back to the countryside and re-inventing their old religious and artistic symbolisms. This results in the end of the culture and the civilization that came with it. According to Spengler these phases recur within a p eriod of time and at some point in future, these great cultures will experience phases similar to those that they went through years back. He predicted that there would be recurrence of such events as the world wars followed later by a nearly united Western civilization. Spenglers theories opened up inspiring and divergent social views in the western civilization. A number of scholars and analysts continue to ponder over whether or not Spenglers analyses are correct, in spite of some of his predictions having come true. Many critics viewed his work as outright pessimism, although he remained one of the most read authors in the early 20th century years. Even his critics acknowledge that his greatest strong point was the parallel comparisons he made between the classical and western cultures. His strength in the arts played to his advantage during his study and analysis of different cultures. He is considered by some to have paved the way for National Socialism (Spengler, Oswald). The history of the Caribbean dates back to around 4500 B.C. Before the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas and the subsequent colonization, civilization in the Caribbean was clearly organized and operational. It is believed that the coming of the Europeans into the Caribbean introduced ethnocentric beliefs that ensured the collapse or disintegration of their civilization. With more and more European countries claiming territorial shares in the Caribbean, rivalries emerged among these European nations, making the Caribbean battleground for European wars for many years. In addition to the instability caused by these wars, diversification was introduced in the Caribbean region bringing in new religions, cultures, architectural designs among others. Caribbean civilization has evolved from an ethnically and racially plural society to a relatively inclusive society comprising almost entirely of migrants from Africa, Europe and Asia. These peoples share a common history of colonialism and slavery in a blend of great diversity, thus making it a one-of-a-kind civilization. In addition, the Caribbean has a unique physical environment that has further played to attract in more foreigners, thus further diversifying their culture. Despite their widely varied backgrounds, the people of the Caribbean managed to forge a unity that resulted in one culture characterized by shared political ideologies, a common language and corporation aimed at improving each others lives. Looking back at Spenglers theory of civilization, it can be argued that it fell short in addressing racial differences among different cultures as is the case in the Caribbean. Spengler preferred to look at race as a minor difference in the members of the same race. He viewed race as not being of significant implications on the unity or disunity among people of the same culture. In so doing, Spengler contradicts the science of biology and heredity. In the Caribbean case, the unique mixture of people from different racial backgrounds was a significant factor in the development of their civilization. Further, Spengler considers each culture and civilization as a closed and isolated unit, bound together only by a common strong idea or belief. Critics argue that such ideas cannot undergo organic evolution as purported by Spengler since they are a mere creation of the human mind, lacking any substance. If that were the case, the Caribbean civilization would have been long gone the way of the classical culture. By only studying a few cultures, Spengler was, according to critics, not better placed to generalize on the fate of all civilizations since he did not have accurate information. Finally, Spenglers theory claims that each of civilization came into being independently without borrowing from other cultures. The Classical cultures existed and became extinct in totality. On the other hand, the West viewed their modern civilization as a rebirth or continuation of the Classical civilization. The similarities in some of these cultures therefore clearly points to the fact that there exists an inter-relation between them that continues to survive the test of time. The Caribbean civilization borrows from a number of other cultures and civilizations from Europe, African and Asia shaping them into a single strong culture.

American Religion in Long Days Journey into Night Essay -- Long Days

American Religion in Long Days Journey into Night      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The modernist sentiments throughout Long Days Journey into Night, by Eugene O'Neill, are apparent in many different ways.   Among the methods he used was the portrayal of America's withdrawal from traditional religion and modes of behavior.   He used his immigrant Irish family, the Tyrones, as a pedestal for this idea by highlighting their departure from traditional Irish beliefs and their struggle to form new, uniquely American, ones.   O'Neill did this by repeatedly evoking a drastic difference between his character's conduct and their Irish Catholic counterparts.   He replaced the main tenets of the Catholic faith, communion and confession, with entirely new ones. While the Tyrone family was busy forging new American spirituality, the author was bringing about the birth of truly American drama.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tyrone family made the choice to renounce their old ties and form new ones, with differing amounts of success.   This meant a severing from the Catholic faith community, leaving a social void that they tried to fill with drugs and money.   James Tyrone, the father, sold himself out early on when he opted to act for money rather that for the sake of art.   His sons Jamie and Edmond also turned away from the Church by shrouding their lives in alcohol and whores.   Lastly, their mother Mary Tyrone had effectively excommunicated herself by marrying a disreputable actor and turning to morphine to solve her problems.   I am not sure if in the end their gods matched up to their ... ...w chosen religion, no longer an Irishman but an American.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The day was a journey from of external versus internal spirituality but also of internal versus external influence on American theater.   By using themes of immigration and social integration, O'Neill broke away from European theater influence and created an entirely new class of theater: American.   And while he borrowed ideas from the Greek and Shakespearean theater, he combined them with a new setting and audience to form an entirely new art form.   Just as the Tyrones could never fully leave behind Ireland, O'Neill could not entirely leave behind Europe.   Instead, the author and his characters took their existing belief/theater structure and adapted it to a new country, while making it their own.

Analysis of characters of a clean, well- lighted place

Published in 1926, Ernest Hemingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place introduces three unnamed characters whose lives intertwined one early morning in a Spanish cafà ©.The young waiter is irritated by the fact that the old deaf man does not want to go home and keeps on ordering for more drinks which the young waiter refuses to give.1 He insults the old customer knowing he cannot hear a single word he says. He is angry because he wants to go home and be with his wife. There is life for him outside his job the cafà ©.On the other hand, the old waiter sympathizes with the old deaf man. He realizes that the old man is not â€Å"nasty† but lonely. He concludes that his loneliness must be the reason why he tried to end his life the week before while the young waiter is clueless why he wanted to do such a terrible thing given that he has plenty of money.Closing the cafà ©, the waiters begin a conversation about being lonely, feeling no fear despite the odd hours they have to ge t home. The young waiter exclaims that he and the old waiter are the same in being confident. But the man disagrees:â€Å"No. I have never had confidence and I am not young (†¦) I am of those who like to stay late at the cafà ©,† (†¦) â€Å"With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night.†However, the you waiter does not seem to understand the idea of having a clean, well- lighted place, a place where old people do not have to feel lonely. The young waiter heads home while the old one chooses to stay in case some fellow needs a lighted cafà © for the night. A clean, well-lighted place, instead of a dark, unclean bar or a bodega which may only intensifies loneliness.1. Ernest Hemingway A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1987), 289.In A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, Ernest Hemingway portrays the difference between the young and the old waiter on drinking.2 For the young waiter, it is better f or the old deaf man to buy a bottle and drink it alone in his house rather than going to a public place and get drunk. But the old waiter approves of drinking in public than having a single glass in private. In my opinion, drinking is better or more fun when done in the company of other people.I can relate with the old waiter. I am not used to drinking alone in private even though I have problems. Drinking alone exacerbates the feeling of loneliness. Look at what happened to the old customer. He was probably drunk and alone in his house when he tried to commit suicide. Drinking in a public cafà © assures his family that he will not attempt to kill himself in front of other people. In public, you can talk to someone or meet someone probably on the same boat, suffering the same loneliness. You can start making friends and not feel the reason why you are there drinking in the first place.As for myself, I am not comfortable drinking alone whatever my mood is. However, I think the young waiter is right when he says that the old customer has no reason to kill himself given that he is rich. I am not saying that rich people has no problems because probably they have worse problems than common people have. All I am saying is that nothing can justify suicide. Every existence has its meaning and you just have to find it. In every stage of our lives, a new purpose unfolds and it is up to us to do something about it and make our lives more productive.Another way to analyze the difference between the two waiters is how they view life.3 In this matter, I can relate with the young waiter.

Benjamin Franklin

The Benjamin Franklin is quintessential American in the American history. The Benjamin Franklin was a great scientist, politician, printer, musician, economist, inventor, and environmentalist. He was a person with many historical stands with him which illustrated his excellence in various field whether it was politics or science or painting or any other field. He was an intuitive and sensitive person with many qualities. He was one of the persons who were known as the founders of America. He had a diverse area of interests and thus was having diverse qualities.He was a political leader, but at the same time he was a scientist also. This shows his quality of grasping and using his skills. The life span of Benjamin Franklin started in 1706 and lasted up to 1790. This was remarkable as the age above 80 was very rare in the in 17th century. He was the core person in the American Revolution who utilized his qualities to evolve as the politician in the American history. He used his scienti fic, diplomatic, industrial, philosophical ways to contribute to American Revolution.He conveyed his knowledge throughout the America for the building and construction of the America of his beliefs. Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 17th January, 1706. (Benjamin Franklin 1) His father Josiah Franklin was a wax maker. His mother’s name was Abiah Folger. The Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son among the 17 children from his father. He was 15th in his brothers and sisters. Initially his father earned his money from selling soap and candles. He was very naughty boy in his childhood. But his father did not earn well.His father as was not a rich person could not send him to school, so the Benjamin Franklin did his studies through voracious studies. Thus the Benjamin Franklin was not having enough education in his childhood as his father was a poor person. He was a person with very hard will and thus he evolved himself from the core. The Benjamin Franklin sta rted working with his father and sold soap and wax. He was an intelligent and practical person without relying on the theories. After this, he started working with his brother for five year in printing press.During these five years he had access to many books which he had borrowed from his partner sellers. Thus he started his education actually from these books related to various fields. Thus he gained his control over many fields and which he utilized further in his life. The elder brother of Benjamin Franklin started a news paper, The New England Courant where Benjamin started working and used his skills and became the apprentice. He wanted to write for his news paper, but his elder brother was against his writing in news paper.He moved to Philadelphia from Boston and worked as a printer. The elder brother of Franklin did not allow him to write for the newspaper, so he wrote some articles with a pseudo name even. He was a man with great deed. The Benjamin Franklin started working as a clerk in Denham’s merchant business. He founded a library with his friends for studying the books as the books were rare and expensive to purchase. This showed that he was very fond of reading and studying.In 1728, after the death of Deham, Franklin established a printing partnership with Hugh Meredith. In 1732, Franklin started the newspaper Philadelphische Zeitung. Up to 1734 he was a prominent person in Pennsylvania and for the first time he published the first book, reprinting of James Anderson’s The Constitution of the Free Masons. He wanted to became a high quality writer which would be renowned for his works. He spent his many years in England and made known his famous Poor Richard’s Almanac and the Pennsylvania.In his these books he used his writing skills and cited many proverbs which got famous from that time. These proverbs are used today also. He formed a public lending library and fire department in America. He was against many political steps like Iron Act in 1750, the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, but favored the stand for paper money as currency. He was acknowledged as a national hero in America at that time when he went forward to oppose the parliament to put down the Stamp Act.He also became a minister and went to Paris where he was respected comprehensively by the French people. Later in his life he became the Postmaster General and was the President of the Supreme Executive Council. He made great efforts to contribute in the American Revolution. The Benjamin Franklin was a writer also through out his life. His famous works were Poor Richard’s Almanac. This book comprised of many proverbs like â€Å"a penny saved is two pence dear†, â€Å"Fish and visitors sink in three days†.These were some of the famous proverbs from his book. These famous proverbs showed his high level of his writing. Franklin was a scientist and an inventor also in his life. He was assumed to be a magnificent person in field of science in 17th century. His famous experiment of flying kite showed his deep interest in field of electricity. He showed the concept and theory for positive and negative charges. He was the first person who showed the conservation of charges. This later became a theory.He invented Franklin stove, Catheter, Swim fins, Glass Harmonica, and bifocals. He founded the American Philosophical Society in 1743. He had a deep interest in philosophy. He was also elected as the first President of the American Philosophical Society. He started his experiments in this society about the electricity. He got retired from the printing press in 1748. In 1759 he gave his suggestion for experiment of electricity in lightening. Due to his renowned work he was elected as the first American for Royal Society’s Copley Medal.In his political career he became a councilman in 1748 in Philadelphia and in 1751 he was elected as the Justice of Peace in Philadelphia. He was appointed as the deputy postm aster general in 1953. He was elected as chief of a delegation to Albany Congress. He was sent to England to protest against Penn family in 1757. In 1763 when Franklin returned back to Pennsylvania, where he saw some war was there known as the Pontiac’s Rebellion. There were attacks on his character during this period and so he lost his assembly election in 1764.In 1764 when he reached England, King George III sent him back to Pennsylvania as the agent for the colony. He also became agent of Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts colonies also. He opposed the Stamp Act in London and later Townshend Acts of 1767 ends his wishes for working for English Government. He was a man with zeal and passion to work and to oppose also. So when he watched the disgusting acts of the English Government, he opposed them severely. This showed his character for freedom against the oppression.The Franklin came back to Philadelphia where the American Revolution had started. The Pennsylvania Assem bly had selected the Benjamin Franklin as delegate for the Second Continental Congress. He was a member of committee which drafted the Declaration of Independence of America in 1776. The Franklin devoted himself as a leader in the American Revolution for the independence of his nation. He coordinated with great Thomas Jefferson and made many changes in the drafts proposed by the Thomas Jefferson.He was an Ambassador to France from 1776 and became the commissioner for the United States. He lived in the France up to 1785. He was very famous personalities in France as many people buy his paintings. He, when, returned to the America back then he received an honor as he was placed just below the George Washington. He became an abolitionist in America after 1785. He worked in many fields for welfare of the people also. He donated 200 Pound for the development of Franklin Collage. He also finished his autobiography during this period of 1771 to 1788.His political career went to the peak wh en he was elected as the President of the Pennsylvania in 1785. He was the President for just three years. Thus this was the end of his political career. He worked as the President to work for the people and for the welfare of the country. He thus was very famous and respected among the people. When he was President, the people felt relaxation and were content. He, during his office duration worked with many great people or politician like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington etc.Many famous writers like Thomas Paine wrote about him and admired him for his qualities. The Benjamin Franklin was a most important character in the history of America whether it was related to science or politics or development also. The Benjamin Franklin through out his life work for the America and just remained a part of American politics up to his death. His death was termed as great loss to politics in America. He advocated the republicanism of his country in his life. He advocated this concept widely. He thought that his country when became a republic could remain when the people would attentive for their social rights and their duties. He also explained this concept in famous book Poor Richard’s Almanac. The person with a deed and character was known as Benjamin Franklin. He worked in the American Revolution for the freedom of the America from colonialism of England. He fought against the English Empire although he had worked for them. But he had a great love for his country.He had worked as the politician through out his life and became the President of Pennsylvania for the benefit and safety of his state. He was a very wise man and had rebellion character also. He strongly opposed the English Government for Stamp Act and Townshend Act in England. He worked in many committees as the delegates to explore the new political ideas. Even he was in the committee known as Committee of Five for drafting the Declaration of Independence which was comprised of Thomas Jefferson.He w as also rewarded as the second person to George Washington in his time which was a great political honor. This honor was given to him as he was hero in American Revolution. There were many myths prevailed about Benjamin Franklin as he was a great character. Some of them were true and some of them never had been proved by the people. One of the myths was that the Benjamin Franklin was a womanizer when he was residing in France as the Ambassador from America.He had thirteen children which were not legal. It was a myth that he had an illegal relation with a French woman. But it was termed to be a fake as no historian or any other captured any note about this relation. Although he had many woman friends associated with him like Catherine Shipley which was only eleven year old when she came in contact with Benjamin Franklin. He was very lovable character in women. But there were no proof that he had gone with any illegal relations with these women.But he had academic, brave and scholar r elations with them. The Benjamin Franklin was wise men who devoted his time and indulged himself completely to make a new and constructive America. There were many myths encountered through out his life which were accepted in the history. He was venerated for his beliefs which had grown to a myth. He called a three days of prayer session during recess in July, 1787 and clergyman for the prayers for daily meeting in the constitutional convention.It was also stated that the after these sessions of prayer gathering, the constitution was written very speedily. This myth was true as there were many records about this myth. There was also myth related with the Benjamin Franklin that he discovered electricity when he was flying the kite and his kite got struck by the lightening. But real fact is that when Benjamin Franklin was flying a kite, his main goal was to prove the electrical nature of lightening. Hi kite just picked up the stray charges which cause the phenomenon of stray capacitan ce.If his kite got struck with the lightening, he might be killed at that instant. He discovered the nature of charge in the lightening and thus discovered the electricity. He was the first person who showed high interest and make use of his high quality knowledge for this experiment. Thus this belief that the Benjamin Franklin had discovered the electricity was true. There were many myths about the acceptance of symbol of America at the time of Benjamin Franklin.Many people wanted eagle to be the symbol, but the bald eagle was accepted as national symbol of America. These myths were also related with the Benjamin Franklin. He was not agreed upon the bald eagle to be a symbol of a nation. It did not seem good for having bald eagle as the symbol of a nation as according to the Benjamin Franklin. But in his letter to his daughter Sally on January 26, 1784(The Eagle, Ben Franklin, and the Turkey 1), he putted his doubt on using the Bald Eagle as the symbol for America.The statement poi nted to the Benjamin Franklin â€Å"a penny saved is a penny earned† represents a myth which was broken later in the history. He wanted to utilize the money through the savings. Thus he was incorporated with the foundation of habit of saving. He was closely associated with saving the money and thought that saving money is the best method of earning. But this myth was broken as the due to modernization of the society today. There are certain myths and stories behind the Benjamin Franklin which were not true.These myths were held across the nation was due to the lack of information medium in America at that time. The medium of information was the major factor which was lagging extensively. This myths stands throughout the history because the information which was given by one person when had reached the last person, had changed due to replacement from different persons. Sometimes it might happen that, when an historian or writer had written some myths about the Benjamin Frankli n, they got reached other person.Thus these myths reached from one person to other. The major reason for the spread out of these myths was gossiping. These gossiping were the main reason for these myths. The Thomas Jefferson was very inspired with Benjamin Franklin and wrote â€Å"I have seen, with extreme indignation, the blasphemies lately vended against the memory of the father of American philosophy. But his memory will be preserved and venerated as long as the thunder of heaven shall be heard or feared. † (The Real Benjamin Franklin, pages 232-233).Instead of all the myths and stories which proclaimed about the Benjamin Franklin, he was renowned as the great and legendry personality of American history. He was one of the founding fathers of America. He had done widely for America and American Revolution with his full efforts. Work-Cited: 1) Benjamin Franklin, From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin 2) Thomas Jefferson, The R eal Benjamin, Page 232-233. 3) The Eagle, Ben Franklin, and the Turkey. http://www. greatseal. com/symbols/turkey. html

Definition and Examples of Elenchus in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Elenchus in Rhetoric In a dialogue,  elenchus is  the Socratic method of questioning someone to test the cogency, consistency, and credibility of what he or she has said. Plural: elenchi. Adjective: elentic. Also known as the Socratic elenchus, Socratic method,  or elenctic method. The aim of the elenchus, says Richard Robinson, is to wake men out of their dogmatic slumbers into genuine intellectual curiosity (Platos Earlier Dialectic, 1966).For an example of  Socrates use of elenchus, see the excerpt from Gorgias (a  dialogue  written by  Plato  around 380 BC) at the entry for Socratic Dialogue. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: DialecticSocratic DialogueAporiaArgument  and ArgumentationDiaphoresisDissoi LogoiProofRefutation EtymologyFrom the Greek, to refute, examine critically Examples and Observations Socrates famous method of refutationthe elenchustended to induce the experience of emptiness in others: an interlocutor would begin thinking he knew what justice or courage or piety is, and in the course of the conversation would be reduced to confusion and self-contradiction. For his own part, Socrates was the ancient Hellenic version of the Cheshire cat, fading away into his own smile. . . . In short, Socrates had an uncanny gift for bringing others to the brink of anxiety.(Jonathan Lear, The Examined Life. The New York Times, October 25, 1998)A Model of the ElenchusThe elenchus is often used in describing the Socratic dialectical method. This model in its simplest form can be sketched as follows: Socrates lets one of his interlocutors pose a definition of x, after which Socrates will interrogate the interlocutor up to the point where the latter has to admit this definition was, indeed, wrong and that he does not know what x is. This model of the elenchus can indeed be found in som e dialoguesI think especially in the early dialogues.(Gerard Kuperus, Traveling With Socrates: Dialectic in the Phaedo and Protagoras. Philosophy in Dialogue: Platos Many Devices, ed. by Gary Alan Scott. Northwestern University Press, 2007) Multiple MeaningsVarious terms are used in [Platos] dialogues in connection with Socrates manner of inquiring and interrogating, but none of them is used consistently by Plato in any precise or technical way that would legitimize it as Platos label for the philosophers approach. . . .Still, in the last 30 or 40 years, it has become rather standard for commentators to use the term Socratic elenchus as a label for Socrates way of philosophizing in the dialogues. . . .It is fundamentally unclear whether the elenchus is supposed to refer to a process (in which case it could mean to cross-examine, to put to the test, to put to the proof, or to indicate) or a result (in which case it could mean to shame, to refute, or to prove). In short, there is no general agreement about the elenchus, and therefore no consensus either about its employment in the dialogues.(Gary Alan Scott, Introduction to Does Socrates Have a Method?: Rethinking the Elenchus in Platos Dialogues. Penn State, 2004) A Negative MethodSocrates is considered one of the founding fathers of Western philosophy but, problematically for scholars, his thought is preserved only through the accounts of his students, most notably in Platos dialogues.His most significant contribution to Western thought is the Socratic method of debate or Method of Elenchus, a dialectical method of questioning, testing and ultimately improving a hypothesis. Through asking a series of questions, the method sought to show contradictions in the beliefs of those who posed them ​and systematically move towards a hypothesis-free from contradiction. As such, it is a negative method, in that it seeks to identify and demarcate that which a person does not know, rather than which he does. Socrates applied this to the testing of moral concepts, such as justice. Plato produced 13 volumes of Socratic Dialogues, in which Socrates would question a prominent Athenian on moral and philosophical issues. So often cast as the questioner, it is hard to establish any of Socrates own philosophical beliefs. He said his wisdom was an awareness of his own ignorance, and his statement, I know that I know nothing is often quoted.(Arifa Akbar, Arrogance of Socrates Made a Compelling Case for His Death. The Independent [UK], June 8, 2009) Alternate Spellings: elenchos

The Constitution essays

The Constitution essays The Declaration of Independence called for a democratic government and the first result was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was too weak to be an effective form of government. It did however, pave the way to the U.S. Constitution which was a much stronger form of government. Did the writers of the Constitution create an aristocratic government to benefit a wealthy few, or did the writers of the Constitution recognize the importance of a strong central government that could run the country effectively? The Declaration of Independence did call for a democratic government. America had felt that the English monarchy had invaded their rights. Many people were scared that a strong centralized government, even a democratic one, would trample their rights just as easily as England had. Keeping this in mind, the writers of the Articles of Confederation opted for a league of friendship between the different states. Each state had control of its own currency, laws, tariffs, etc.... Although this league of friendship may have quieted fears of a strong, centralized, and imposing government, the effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation soon came into question. The Articles of Confederation had some weaknesses. The regulation of commerce was not left to the government under the Articles of Confederation. This left the individual states free to use their own currency, making the ability to tax the states relatively impossible. The government asked the states to voluntarily contribute their share, which they seldom did. The national government was virtually powerless under the Articles of Confederation, and eventually the convention that brought forth the United States Constitution came about. Although the Articles of Confederation were ineffective, they were a great stepping stone to the Constitution, outlining general powers that the centra ...

Blues Music And Its Influence On Integration

Essay, Research Paper Sarah Anne Stevenson Dave Stockum English Language and Comprehension 20 November 1999 Bluess Music and its influence on integrating From old ages 1505 to 1870, the universe underwent the largest forced migration in history: West Africa was shortly to be convulsed by the reaching of Europeans and go the coming of the transatlantic slave trade. Ships from Europe, edge for America, appeared on the skyline, and their captains and sailors-carrying muskets, blades, and shackles-landed on the seashore, walked up the beach in their unusual apparels, looked around, and demanded slaves. A hideous chapter in history had begun, and neither Africa nor America would be the same once more. ( Awmiller 14 ) Approximately 10 million Africans were brought across the seas to the Americas to be manipulated into bondage ( 14 ) . It became evident that these African work forces, adult females and kids were meant to bring forth money. They were meant to work rough labour, yet they were no longer intend to hold a voice. A few Americans took the clip to appreciate the difficult work performed by the slaves ; nevertheless, grasp is a short measure in the long route to equality. It was non until the late nineteenth century that America began to mend the amendss done by this immoral trading of human existences. Once the slaves were? freed? after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it did non make much to stop the subjugation and bias against their race. Their freedom did non give them a bosom ; it did non turn out they had psyche. This is where their music becomes important, and this is Blues music ( How the Blues Overview ) . Throughout their music, it took much less clip for the black race to turn out that they were non unlike the remainder of humanity ; in fact, they did hold a voice, and a stalking one. Once Blues music was non merely recognized, but besides comprehended, admired and imitated, it opened the Gatess of in-migration, and the state to this twenty-four hours has matured in its ability to see grey. Included in the mass of faceless slaves, the boats entrapped and migrated a big figure of griots. A griot was an African version of the European roving folk singer. They spent their lives going from small town to village, playing the function of a musician, narrator and wise adult male. They typically carried an instrument similar to a guitar or banjo ( Awmiller 13 ) . However, due to their rapid alteration in environment, they could no longer sing the vocals that they used to sing in their old small towns ; they invented new vocals. The griots invented new vocals that addressed their new and terrific fortunes: Songs about being chained on the ships below deck like animate beings, about those who did non last the barbarous crossing to New World, and about the places they would neer see once more. And one time in America, there were other adversities to sing about: the shame of the auction block, the separation of household members, the remorseless intervention at the custodies of landholders. ( 15 ) Even though their Masterss, and most slave proprietors at the clip, continued a moving ridge of new Torahs and limitations to stamp down the baleful civilization of Africa, these griots and these slaves used their new manner of music to shout out against these blazing errors to their race. They needed an flight to retain the necessities of their civilization, of their fatherland of which they doubtless could non stamp down the memories of values and of experiences known antecedently to them. By the terminal of the Civil War, these slaves had blended African and European influences to animate their ain civilization. This neo-African civilization included Afro-american manners of dance and storytelling, work and spiritualty, conversation and community. ? By sifting among the many elements of this vibrant, vital universe, we can follow the specific musical roots of what would be known, by the terminal of the century, as? the blues? ? ( 15 ) . Bluess music originated in the cotton Fieldss of the southern United States where the bulk of the slave custodies were put to work. ? The earliest folk-blues were sung by unidentified African-Americans life and working in the South? s cotton belt in the early 1880? s and 1890? s- in peculiar, the part from the Mississippi Delta to East Texas? ( Barlow 3 ) . It was believed that this began as a call and response manner, which matured into the work vocal. From that point of view, after the release of the slaves, the work vocal so matured into their Spirituals, and subsequently was introduced to the Whites through black-faced Minstrel of Medicine shows ( How the Blues Overview ) . As the music matured and became more celebrated, its influence became outstanding in the music manners of the clip, and in the entwining relationships between the races. ? The music was a alone and cultural offering that Whites could non deny. It was something new and challenging to Whites that shed a new visi ble radiation on inkinesss and their topographic point in American civilization and society? ( Overview ) . The music did non look to hold the same colour limitations as the music antecedently performed. It drew inkinesss and whites together in a topographic point where everyone could go forth the Jim Crow Torahs at the door ( Overview ) . This offered a new and good life style for the inkinesss every bit good as the Whites. Possibly the involvement was that the white people had found a new endowment to work and from which to do easy money, or possibly, possibly it was because the Whites truly understood the cultural significance in the music and respected this endowment of the black race adequate to get the better of racial and cultural differences. ? The white slave proprietors were intrigued by the slaves? ? music? [ and ] encouraged the slaves to sing and play? because they felt that the slaves were happier-and less rebellious-if they were allowed to do their music? ( Haskins 9 ) . While their music was evidently something these slaves were utilizing to maintain their African heritage, the Whites believed that their music was an look of felicity and contentment. They believed that their vocalizing was an look of their credence of their difficult destiny. Former slave Frederic Douglas wrote that the music of these slaves reflected an look of the antonym: ? I have frequently been absolutely astonished, since I came to the North, to happen individuals who could talk of the vocalizing among slaves as grounds of their committedness and felicity. Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The vocals of the slaves represent the sorrows of his life ; and he is relieved by them merely as an hurting bosom is relieved by tears. ? ( Douglas 97 ) ? In the early nineteenth century, advertizements would indicate out the musical endowments of these slaves who were for sale knowing that would set them in higher demand? ( Davis 27-28 ) . It was due to the Whites? misconception that those slaves who displayed musical endowment were typically given easier work and wagess for their endowment and their apparent obeisance of their labour. At times these slaves were bought specifically for their musical endowment and were neer subjected to harsh fieldwork. Sometimes, these black workers were invited to weekend parties, asked to execute, and were given whisky, nutrient and other wagess for their services. ? Blues music was non merely an indispensable component of many spiritual and secular events for inkinesss, but it was a significant beginning of amusement for Whites as good? ( How the Blues Appreciation ) . This displays historically the constitution of the white adult male? s echt grasp for black music. In 1903 Mr. W.C. Handy, subsequently referred to as the? Father of the Blues, ? hears his inspiration. He notices a ruggedly dressed old black adult male sitting on a bench, playing guitar. Handy wrote the notes of the old adult male? s down: Rather than thruming and picking the strings, the adult male was skiding an unfastened pocket knife up and down the guitar? s cervix doing the notes bend and slide, the strings groan and lament. The sound was so much like a human voice that you could about state the guitar was shouting. ( Awmiller 12 ) Gertrude? Ma? Rainey, a professional music hall vocalist, told a similar experience. She heard a immature adult female singing outside her vaudeville collapsible shelter, a strange and? poignant vocal, ? about her adult male who left her. In add-on, farther off, a white fiddle participant named Hart Wand was playing a tune that an Afro-american employee of his male parent? s said gave him? the blues? ( 12 ) . So, what is it that precisely constitutes the Blues? Cross beat were used extensively in the Blues. This was besides outstanding within the old West African drumming. This was popularly created by dividing the melodious line from the groundbeat, which so puts the two in rhythmic struggle, and was done by a lone instrumentalist vocalizing or playing stressing the upbeat. Possibly the most outstanding invention was their melodious inclination to show lifting emotions with falling pitch. This became such a hallmark with the African look of Blues, that it is now referred to as playing bluish notes. Finally, Bluess instrumentalists seldom used the same manner of voice. Blues was a mixture of harsh croaky tones and slurs to falsetto and melisma, and this was all used to colourise the melodious line and give it individuality and expressiveness ; which all of these hallmarks they innovated from their old West African music ( Barlow 4 ) . With this full battle from the white folks to weaken the African # 8217 ; s African heritage, it seems implausible to believe that the slaves # 8217 ; music was what threw the first rock at the barriers between the inkinesss and Whites. It was the Minstrel and Medicine shows from the 1830 # 8217 ; s that gave the Whites their first chance to dig into the civilization of the slaves and their music- in the beginning with the lingering alibi of show concern. A folk singer show was a musical event where white folks got the opportunity to paint their faces black with burned cork and perform in the character of a black adult male. This gave the white Americans their first gustatory sensation of the black adult male # 8217 ; s music in a harmless environment free of the black adult male. Many white American # 8217 ; s in blackface and black garb were able to go around the state, distributing the musical manner of the inkinesss they had heard before to others who may non hold had the chance. This may hold aided in the increasing popularity of a stereotypic black adult male, # 8230 ; nevertheless, if it is true that imitation is the extreme signifier of flattery, so these sh ows were grounds of white’s attractive force and fancy for black civilization ( How the Blues Minstrel and Medicine ) . ? The first folk singer melody identified as such to do a dent in the national consciousness was Tim Rice # 8217 ; s # 8216 ; Jump Jim Crow, # 8217 ; published in 1830 # 8230 ; [ first ] Sung by a black stable manus in Louisville, Kentucky ( Davis 36 ) . These medical specialty shows were? an entry into a universe in which black could be white, white could be black, anything could be itself and at the same time opposite ( 37 ) . There were many white work forces who thought the show? s intent was to do a gag at the black adult male # 8217 ; s disbursal ; nevertheless, most of the white histrions executing at these shows unfeignedly wished to be able to portray the musical manner, and obtain and copy the civilization possessed by the black race. Although this information of the black music and its civilization was 2nd manus, it insinuated the presence of the black adult male, and foreshadowed the reaching of black work forces and adult females instrumentalists into the music concern. Therefore, it seems about dry once more that while some of these white work forces were seeking to know apart against the inkinesss with these shows, they were unwittingly helping in the inkinesss capableness to subsequently reclaim the same rights as the white work forces had. In fact, it was these black-face folk singer shows that subsequently gave the inkinesss the right to play in the same shows. After Minstrel shows, the Medicine shows so became popular around the bend of the century. They became the first shows to have and entertain both white and black Americans. This was perchance the most influential in regard to race dealingss. These shows still offered the Whites a opportunity to set on a black face ; nevertheless, both the inkinesss and Whites were eventually holding on something-music. This is where state and blues came together, and both grew to be a extremely critical and influential landmark in music history. These shows remained popular after the Civil War and forth after the Reconstruction period, a clip span from 1860 until 1877 ( How the Blues Minstrel and Medicine ) . These shows confirmed the common aim of both races and secured the booming concern between the two. While both black and white instrumentalists borrowed freely from each other # 8217 ; s manner of music, the black # 8217 ; s Blues music proved to be the most indispensable in manner with its fa rinaceous vocal texture and its typical accent on rhythmic impulse. ? It was this differentiation that made black entertainers indispensable and continued to cultivate white grasp for black music ( Minstrel and Medicine ) . This is now old ages after Lincoln # 8217 ; s Emancipation Proclamation, and it was around this clip that some white citizens were get downing to see their former slaves as of import subscribers to American civilization. ? Whites began entering the blues in the early twentieth century therefore widening the typical relationship between inkinesss and Whites in a positive way? ( White Interest ) . As both races began to work together, they began to develop the same ideals and ends, and recognizing it or non, began to alter history to break the hereafter for humanity. The black instrumentalists had already been playing in the medical specialty shows and for some clip had begun to go around and execute for the white common people who appreciated their music. The white business communities took notice of this and, after a piece, decided to market this private operation. The blues music of the inkinesss was deriving popularity throughout the United States, and white concern saw this as an chance to do a net income. ( Thank heavens for capitalist economy! ) Although this seems to possess a negative affect on the black race and their music, it truly helped develop their rights, particularly in the music concern and their ability to turn as instrumentalists. The record companies sent out lookouts to happen these gifted instrumentalists and enter them. With the success of one blues artist, there came the success of the remainder. This flourished in the 1920 # 8217 ; s particularly. With the successes that these blues work forces were holding, it was decided that they likely did cognize a few things about music. These record companies, owned by white work forces, were engaging these black Bluess instrumentalists to be advisers on which albums to advance and the manner in which to advance it. Despite exposing a stereotyped black, advertizements were selling their Bluess albums. It was exposing to the populace that these black work forces and adult females did hold endowment and were being viewed more as ( about equal ) human existences, and less and less every bit simple workers. Making music is a circumstance under which people of both races could blend without raising really many superciliums ( Integration of Musicians ) . This subsequently assisted to interrupt unfastened civil rights barriers due to the slow alteration in the national consciousness of the clip. ? Rumor has it that the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan managed Jaybird Coleman, an early Blues mouth organ participant ( Integration of Musicians ) . It was about this clip period, around the late1930? s, that Blues no thirster was being played purely by black instrumentalists, but was being imitated, accurately, by white Bluess instrumentalists. Some white instrumentalists imitated the black music manner of Blues so good that in some cases it is open today who was white and who in fact was genuinely black upon listening to old recordings. This proves that this imitation was done now purely by esteem, and no thirster was being imitated by the Whites merely as a parody every bit much as the Minstrel music was. In add-on, non merely were the Whites copying the Blues music, but besides the state music manner of white music was being integrated into the black manner of Blues. This proves that the civilization between the inkinesss and Whites was get downing to blend and film over, and this was due to the affects of the machination of Blues music. Although it was socially acceptable for the Bluess instrumentalists to compose, compose and bring forth their music, it was frowned upon, until the late 1950 # 8217 ; s, that the teenage coevals be exposed to black Blues instrumentalists. However, white Bluess instrumentalists were another narrative. The distribution of Blues music was eased into the populace by utilizing white screens of black creative persons ( Covers and Dances ) . Ironically plenty, the white screens of these black creative person? s music neer climbed as high on the top-seller list as the 1s originally put out by the black musicians themselves. In 1956, white musician Pat Boone did a screen of the black Blues creative person Little Richard # 8217 ; s? Tutti Frutti that reached figure 18 on the best seller chart. However, when Small Richard put out his ain release of Long Tall Sally subsequently in that same twelvemonth, before Boone put out his screen of it, Small Richard already had it at figure six. This merely proves that, nevertheless trying to decelerate the eventual rise of black creative persons, they were in fact rushing the inevitable. Nothing did more than the screen phenomenon to ease a mass market for R A ; B and widen the chances for black creative persons? ? ( Ward 44 ) . These screens merely expedited the procedure of the mass exposure of the populace, and this rapidly developed a funny fancy for Blues and its African civilization. Finally, it did non affair who was singing, every bit long as it was performed good. This Blues phenomenon created a impersonal land for both inkinesss and Whites to portion and, henceforth, better their relationship. Although the black slaves had long been freed, notably there remained in the southern United States an inordinate figure of limitations on the black population. These were the ill-famed? Jim Crow? Torahs. However, when the inkinesss and Whites got together at dances, these seemed to get down to waver and so vanish. The dances would get down with the functionaries threading a rope spliting the dance floor in half to maintain the races from mixing. As the eventide wore on, the music was able to get down up the Jim Crow Torahs # 8230 ; [ and ] it was ever the Whites who instigated the crossing over because a black adult male making so risked being lynched ( How the Blues Covers A ; Dances ) . Another beautiful show of this liberalism was when the wireless became incorporate. About 80 members of the Ku Klux Klan were crushing down the doors of an Alabama wireless station for playing the endowment of black Blues creative person Shelley Playboy Stewart. Their purpose that dark was to kill the proprietor sitting indoors. The proprietor, Ray Mahoney, suggested that the Ku Klux Klan did non believe that The Playboy was good plenty to play for them. All 800+ of the white childs inside jumped out the doors of the station and proceeded to assail the Klan, the same race as they, to contend for one black adult male ( Integrated Radio ) . Literally, they saved the hapless black adult male # 8217 ; s life that dark ; symbolically, they helped salvage the full black race from such persecution. While this kind of activity seemed to go on while the music was playing, and playing good, this remains symbolic of the Whites? willingness to deconstruct the racism and prejudice prominent of the clip. After Elvis, the barriers between black and white music were broken down wholly. The bulk of white adolescents, and those within other age brackets, began to see the significance of the Blues in music and life style, and all were idolizing the music and its musicians-white and black. It was because of Blues music that white childs ventured into black countries and had a sense of? just drama? long before the civil rights motion ( Blues and Rock ) . As there will ever be, there were those people who were disgusted with this kind of music, behaviour, belief, and life style. However, historically and late, this is disregarded as? conservative fluff and discarded in a haste. Once the Blues got this far, there was no clemency and no turning back. It seemed as though Blues music did more for the civil rights motion than Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education ( Blues and Rock ) . Blues was similar to a little leak on a dike, and one time the H2O broke through, it was best to watch it run i ts class. Traditional Blues music is reflected in modern music, which displays vague or blatant Bluess influences. However, the Napoleons of the Blues shall neer be forgotten because they fought a war America had at one clip decided it could neer win. The music instilled faith into the Black Marias of many black Americans and at the same clip instilled empathy and passion in the white Americans. It non merely congregated people, it congregated two separate civilizations, both every bit different as black and white.

Culture Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Culture Studies - Essay Example Identity can also refer to other qualities such as hairstyles, clothes, and preferences that make one different from other individuals. Some of the most vital facets of the term identity for me include issues such as beliefs, qualities, attitudes and preferences. I personally have unique beliefs, qualities attitudes and preferences that I have been able to acquire over the years from my culture, religion and environment, and which make me recognizable. All these make me unique and contribute to my personality. I also believe that each individual ascribes to a different set of beliefs, qualities, preferences and attitudes, and in as much as they may appear similar in the broad sense, they are very unique in the finer details. Social identity refers to an individual’s sense of self in relation to others or groups with regard to what they all have in common (Bennett, 2005). Social identity therefore refers to how one perceives themselves in relation to the groups they belong to. Social identity can also be understood as the self-awareness or perception of an individual gotten from being a member of a social group like a political organization, religious group, or family. Individuals tend to affiliate themselves with groups that address their interests and issues Social identity, as a concept is very important in trying to explain social behavior of individuals as well as in trying to understand culture. Sociologists rely on social identity to explain the behavior of individuals as well as understanding their role on the society. Psychologist Henri Tajfel first introduced the term social identity in 1979 in the social identity theory. According to the theory, individuals always classify or categorize themselves and others in relation to their membership to wider groups in the society. People identify with groups that have the same interests as themselves and those that have a positive impact on the

Using The Body Shop as the company, examine the factors behind any Essay

Using The Body Shop as the company, examine the factors behind any changes that have taken place in the structure or geographical location of its Value Chain in - Essay Example Its stock appeared on London’s Unlisted Securities Market in April 1984, opening at 95 pence. The Body Shop was fully listed on London Stock Exchange in January 1986 and at that time, the company’s stock was selling at 820 pence. The market value of the company had reached at  £350 million ($591 million) by 1991. The journey was not smooth; ups and downs came when Littlehampton manufacturing plants were sold. In the year 2000, manufacturing was outsourced. Even then, the Body Shop commanded the same market value in the year 2004 ( £334 million as of September 2004). The Body Shop’s value chain has expanded vertically and horizontally, transgressing its physical boundaries from the UK and the Republic of Ireland into America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. A business system in itself is the value chain of a firm. From business perspective, value is the amount customers are ready to pay for the goods of the firm. A firm’s produce is measured by its total revenue – means the number of units sold times the price. A firm remains in profit only until the total value is above the costs borne by all of the firm’s value activities. Michael Porter uses the term ‘value chain’ for this business system. In an industry, value chain of a company depends on its history, strategy and ways of applying that strategy. The set of activities required to collect inputs, design, manufacture, market, deliver and support the goods and services, creates a generic business value chain. A generic value chain is complete in all value activities with added margin, which comes after subtracting the cost of all activities from the total value. The supplier and channel value chains also carry margins, which are included in the total price paid by the ultimate end-user. (Reimann, The Planning Forum 1989) Michael Porter developed the value chain approach in his

Business Process Integration Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Process Integration - Coursework Example In fact, the Internet offers the businesses a lot of opportunities to grow. It allows the businesses to reach the international markets and the worldwide customers without facing geographical restrictions and cost issues, improve business service and support, access to worldwide communications, reform associations, streamline internal procedures, share private data and information and run applications (Simpande & Jakovljevic, 2003; Norton, 2001; Shelly et al., 2005) Basically, the most excellent method to deal with determined business software issues is to remove the old stuff and bring in the innovation. In spite of the demand to put extra messes on the legacy or traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology based system and keep the software applications and projects for another day, the idea is that software technology evolves very quickly as well as innovative EP tools emerges in critical regions like that accessibility, corporate process automation, business intellig ence and integration with new tools like that social CRM or mobile devices can help business organizations to improve their business processes. In this scenario, the latest delivery models like that software as a service (or simply SaaS), hosted Enterprise Resource Planning or innovative technologies like that open source ERP systems can dramatically change IT procedures as well as positively influence corporate performance. Though, latest business software applications and their deployments are for all time a major concern, however they come with a wide variety of risks, mainly when we are talking about our ERP systems. In addition, they are not small systems as they are corporate mission critical technologies that communicate nearly with each transaction in the corporation (gotERP, 2012; Weston, 1998; Simpande & Jakovljevic, 2003). In light of the above discussed facts, the selection of suitable Enterprise Resource Planning system is no longer simply a matter of choosing the corre ct vendor similar to SAP vs Microsoft vs. Sage etc. In the past, there was a standard process to get business licenses for software and then obtain the software services installation disks via email. On the other hand, at the present, we have a wide variety of delivery models of ERP technology. In addition, all the models do not support all the services however the majority can focus simply on one (gotERP, 2012; Weston, 1998; Simpande & Jakovljevic, 2003). In this scenario, one of the latest Internet supported ERP systems is cloud computing. Basically, the cloud computing is a most latest information technology fashion that many business organizations are adopting because of its environmental aspects, money savings, mobility, scalability and energy effectiveness. Basically, the cloud computing allows organizations or individuals to access all their tools, applications and files from anyplace on the earth, as a result releasing them from the limitations of the desktop and allowing wi despread group partnership (Modavi, 2010; Miller, 2009). In addition, a public cloud based ERP solution is possessed and remotely hosted by the vendor. In many cases, instead of taking the license for the entire software, organizations pay a fee for the services they want to use, it is a software licensing model known as SaaS. In this scenario,

Comparative Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility Assignment

Comparative Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility - Assignment Example To understand more about comparative advantage, the author will feature in an example. In country A, a worker using machinery produces 4 shirts and 4 skirts per hour while in country B which has less machinery, a worker produces 4 shirts and 2 skirts per hour. It is evident that the less efficient country has a comparative advantage in producing shirts. With the absence of trade, the opportunity cost per shirt is 2 skirts. Bearing in mind that the more efficient country has a 1:1 trade-off, the cost per shirt may reduce to as low as 1 skirt depending on the volume of trade. The more efficient country has a comparative advantage in skirts. It would, therefore, make economic sense if the country shifted its shirts production resources to produce more skirts. It would then trade them for shirts. In economics, the net benefits realized by each country are called the gains from trade. The idea of comparative advantage was first mentioned and developed in Adam Smith’s book The Wealt h of Nations. Here, he puts the theory as follows: if a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than when we ourselves can make it, it is better to buy it from them with gains realized from our own industry. This has to be employed or designed in a way that we have some advantage. David Ricardo, in his 1817 book, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, investigated the advantages and alternatives as well as relative opportunity in an example involving Portugal and England. In his book, he noted that in Portugal, it was possible to produce both cloth and wine using less labor compared to producing the same quantities in England. He also noted that the relative costs met in producing those two goods were different in the two countries.

HIV in african country Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HIV in african country - Research Paper Example The following are some of the cultural factors which contribute to increased rate of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. HIV in South Africa Tiruneh (2009, p.106) argues that in South Africa the rank of women is below that of men and the society is male dominated. During socialization, women are meant to the belief that women are inferior to them. Women are supposed to be submissive and have respect for men. Inequality in power between the two sexes put women at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Because of the position they hold in the society, women have no say on sexual matters. The choice of whether or not to use condoms is entirely depended on men. Discrimination against people with HIV makes it hard for prevention of the disease. Patients fear seeking medical assistance because they will be discriminated by the rest of the community members. Because of fear of signaling the HIV status, infected people fear adopting behaviors related to the disease. For instance, breast feeding mot hers continue to breastfeed their young children for fear that other people will question them the reasons behind lack of breastfeeding. Infected men fear using condom for fear of being suspected by their partners (Human Sciences Research Council, 2009, p.66). Sexuality is perceived as a source of economic benefit. Commercial sex workers are very many in South Africa, an aspect which contributes to the high rates of HIV and Aids transmission. Material possession and association with many partners is a sign of prestige among South African black men. In exchange for money and large gifts, young ladies are tempted to engage in sexual activities with aged men. The young ladies affect young men who in turn infect other women and the cycle goes on. The disease is also spread to older women by their husbands (Tiruneh, 2009, p.115). According to Tiruneh (2009, p.117), many people in South Africa, especially the illiterate ones, lack adequate knowledge concerning HIV disease, how it is trans mitted and the risks which expose an individual to the disease. Illiteracy levels are higher among girls who in most cases fail to complete basic education (Buve, Bishikwabo-Nsarhaza & Mutangadura, 2002, p.2014). The culture of South Africa requires women to undertake domestic chores which make them lack time to interact with the outside world. Lack of guidance and counseling on sexuality issues and poor access to protective devices like condoms make youths engage in unsafe sex. Other people fail to buy condoms for fear that it will portray them as immoral. Some of the cultural practices which are related to sexuality increase the prevalence of HIV and Aids disease. Many South Africans have negative attitudes toward condom use. First, it is associated to mistrust and unfaithfulness in relationships. Secondly, South African men believe that sex without condom is more pleasurable and it is good for human health (Brummer, 2002, p.12). Cultural Assessment Model Cultural assessment model s include research design, cross-cultural and panel. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression will be used in the estimation of models used within the paper. The method will be used to determine the impacts that HIV disease has on regional, cultural, political and socioeconomic factors. Prevalence of the disease among the adult population will be used as the dependent variable. The number of infected people between the ages of 15

Copyright Law Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Copyright Law Master - Essay Example In many cases, the competition for this standard will be fierce,(n6) because the winner likely will have intellectual property rights in the technology and hence reap a significant reward. Such incentives often are needed for the development of objectively good standards. Yet, as a consequence of granting intellectual property rights, a monopoly is created in a product that Internet users need. Once an Internet technology becomes a standard, how can the owner of the corresponding copyright be prevented from extracting monopoly rents and thereby negating the increase in consumer welfare that the standard created It is an understatement to say that the Internet has become an important communications and commercial network. The large number of Internet consumers grants each user the benefit of network effects -- the effects of a system whose value to a given user increases with the number of users of that system --- a significant externality that affects decisions by potential new participants. Network effects are particularly important with regard to the Internet, because the more users it has, the more valuable it is as an information resource, a communications tool, and a marketplace for goods and services. In fact, the network effect of the Internet would be destroyed were it not for the adoption of common standards to ensure compatible communication. For example, computers use the public domain protocol TCP/IP, which allows the network effect to prosper, because it allows everyone using the Internet to speak the same language. Without such compatibility, email messages would not be readable by, and web pages would not be accessible to, all users; such facile interchange is precisely the value of being on the network in the first place. Thus, the need for compatibility also drives the standardization of Internet protocols and tools, because the network effect requires users to be on the same network. Copyright in the Age of Internet Copyright is a relatively neglected area as far as economists are concerned and it occupies a backseat by comparison to the economic analysis of patents and R&D. This is surprising since it plays a major role in industries that are increasingly important in post-industrial economies, the cultural industries (publishing, sound recording, film, broadcasting) and computer software. It is a fruitful area for the application of law and economics, for modern theories of industrial organisation and for public choice theory. Copyright law provides the institutional framework for markets in the cultural sector of the economy. Each country has its own national copyright law; however, the necessity for that law to be effective with international trade of cultural products has led to harmonisation of copyright across countries. The author may license, assign or sell these fights outright or in part or transfer them to an agent. All such transactions are made through contracts. Only the author's moral right in the work may not be sold or transferred1. The right way to evaluate policy on copyright is to undertake empirical analysis of the economic effects of changes to the law and to see how markets respond to them. It does not seem that this approach has so far even been considered in European policy-making on copyright. Principal-Agent

HIV in african country Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HIV in african country - Research Paper Example The following are some of the cultural factors which contribute to increased rate of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. HIV in South Africa Tiruneh (2009, p.106) argues that in South Africa the rank of women is below that of men and the society is male dominated. During socialization, women are meant to the belief that women are inferior to them. Women are supposed to be submissive and have respect for men. Inequality in power between the two sexes put women at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Because of the position they hold in the society, women have no say on sexual matters. The choice of whether or not to use condoms is entirely depended on men. Discrimination against people with HIV makes it hard for prevention of the disease. Patients fear seeking medical assistance because they will be discriminated by the rest of the community members. Because of fear of signaling the HIV status, infected people fear adopting behaviors related to the disease. For instance, breast feeding mot hers continue to breastfeed their young children for fear that other people will question them the reasons behind lack of breastfeeding. Infected men fear using condom for fear of being suspected by their partners (Human Sciences Research Council, 2009, p.66). Sexuality is perceived as a source of economic benefit. Commercial sex workers are very many in South Africa, an aspect which contributes to the high rates of HIV and Aids transmission. Material possession and association with many partners is a sign of prestige among South African black men. In exchange for money and large gifts, young ladies are tempted to engage in sexual activities with aged men. The young ladies affect young men who in turn infect other women and the cycle goes on. The disease is also spread to older women by their husbands (Tiruneh, 2009, p.115). According to Tiruneh (2009, p.117), many people in South Africa, especially the illiterate ones, lack adequate knowledge concerning HIV disease, how it is trans mitted and the risks which expose an individual to the disease. Illiteracy levels are higher among girls who in most cases fail to complete basic education (Buve, Bishikwabo-Nsarhaza & Mutangadura, 2002, p.2014). The culture of South Africa requires women to undertake domestic chores which make them lack time to interact with the outside world. Lack of guidance and counseling on sexuality issues and poor access to protective devices like condoms make youths engage in unsafe sex. Other people fail to buy condoms for fear that it will portray them as immoral. Some of the cultural practices which are related to sexuality increase the prevalence of HIV and Aids disease. Many South Africans have negative attitudes toward condom use. First, it is associated to mistrust and unfaithfulness in relationships. Secondly, South African men believe that sex without condom is more pleasurable and it is good for human health (Brummer, 2002, p.12). Cultural Assessment Model Cultural assessment model s include research design, cross-cultural and panel. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression will be used in the estimation of models used within the paper. The method will be used to determine the impacts that HIV disease has on regional, cultural, political and socioeconomic factors. Prevalence of the disease among the adult population will be used as the dependent variable. The number of infected people between the ages of 15

Shakespeare and Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespeare and Macbeth Essay The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. European wars brought an influx of continental refugees into England, exposing the Englishman to new cultures. In trade, might, and art, England established an envious preeminence. At this time, London was the heart of England, reflecting all the vibrant qualities of the Elizabethan Age. This atmosphere made London a leading center of culture as well as commerce. Its dramatists and poets were among the leading literary artists of the day. In this heady environment, Shakespeare lived and wrote. London in the 16th century underwent a transformation. Its population grew 400% during the 1500s, swelling to nearly 200,000 people in the city proper and outlying region by the time an immigrant from Stratford came to town. A rising merchant middle class carved out a productive livelihood, and the economy boomed. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire and was baptized a few days later on 26 April 1564. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a well-to-do landowner from Wilmcote, South Warwickshire. It is likely Shakespeare was educated at the local King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married to the daughter of a local farmer’s daughter, Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. After seven years of disappearing from 1585 to 1592, he was eventually mentioned again in a London pamphlet, Shakespeare has made his way to London without his family and is already working in the theatre. As well as belonging to its pool of actors and playwrights, Shakespeare was one of the managing partners of the Lord Chamberlains Company (renamed the Kings Company when James succeeded to the throne). Shakespeare was prolific. His earlier plays were mainly histories and comedies such as Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II. The tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, was also published in this period. By the last years of Elizabeth Is reign Shakespeare was well established as a famous poet and playwright and was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen at court. In 1598 the author Francis Meres described Shakespeare as England’s greatest writer in comedy and tragedy. In 1602 Shakespeares continuing success enabled him to move to upmarket Silver Street, near where the Barbican is now situated, and he was living here when he wrote some of his greatest tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in New Place in Stratford. He died on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. He left his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna. He also bequeathed his second-best bed to his wife. It is not known what significance this gesture had, although the couple had lived primarily apart for 20 years of their marriage. The first collected edition of his works was published in 1623 and is known as the First Folio. Shakespeare Macbeth: The emphasis on the fact that Shakespeare worked for the Lord Chamberlain’s Company (renamed the King’s Company when James succeeded to the throne) is very crucial to the productions of Shakespeare. Although Macbeth wasn’t bad at all, Shakespeare was paid by the King so he was supposed to cheer the King to portray Macbeth as an evil figure. Theatres were booming at that time, but they were certainly tools manipulated by the governors. James 1, the King especially obsessed with witches. These two elements mixing with the distinction between genders converged to one of the most famous tragedies, Macbeth. Witches stood out right in the opening scene of Macbeth, which suggests the exact time setting of the story James 1 time. Although witches are quite entertaining to people now, they were definitely signs of devil back in James1 time. And it was James who made witchcraft illegal. According to law in 1542, â€Å"it was a serious crime to use witchcraft for unlawful purposes†, then in 1563, â€Å"it was a serious crime to invoke evil spirits and to practice magic if somebody is killed†, afterwards in 1604, â€Å"it was a serious crime to consult with, entertain, employ, feed or reward any evil or wicked spirit; magic becomes a crime that is punished by death†. During 16th and 17th century, science wasn’t widely spread, religious was controlling over the people so that they believed in magic and ‘mysterious’ things. That was one of the main reasons why witches were so popular at that time and the rulers were so afraid of them. The first identification of the detailed list James 1 wrote in his book, Daemonologie, was that â€Å"they are mostly old women† which reflects the roles of men and women in Jacobean England. Women were considered to be inferior to men because people still hold the belief that Eve tempted Adam to sin against God by encouraging him to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. In general, women were governed by the rules and men dominated the society, which made some women stand up to fight against them, including Lady Macbeth. Disobedience was seen as a crime against their religion. The Church firmly believed this and quoted the Bible in order to ensure the continued adherence to this principle. The Scottish protestant leader John Knox wrote: Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man. To summarize, Shakespeare lived in the most prosperous time of the English history when theatres were booming and his masterpieces were praised by both the governors and the ordinary. References: 1. October 18th, 2013 http://www. elizabethan-era. org. uk/ 2. James 1, Daemonologie (1597) 3. October 17th, 2013 http://www. bbc. co. uk/history/people/william_shakespeare (January 28th, 2013) 4. October 17th, 2013 http://www. bardweb. net/england. html

Literature review of concepts and theories of Motivation

Literature review of concepts and theories of Motivation In the fierce era of competition, organizations nowadays are more emphasizing on the management of Human Resources (Robert. L, 2008). Motivation; a key strategy in Human Resource Management has helped practitioners largely enough to subject the term Motivation for a discussion. Steers et al. (2004), asserted that employee motivation plays a vital role in the management field; both theoretically and practically. It is said that one of the important functions of human resource manager is to ensure job commitment at the workplace, which can only be achieved through motivation (Petcharak, 2002). Based on these reasoning, this paper shall include analytical and empirical studies to reveal the discrepancies and feasibility aspect of the domain, as Rai (2004) put forward; motivation is crucial for good performance and therefore it is increasingly important to study what motivates employees for better performance. This section offers a review of literature, which explores the concepts, types and theoretical aspects including content and process theories, theories of motivation developed in other psychological areas as well as empirical evidences in organizational contexts. 2.1 Motivation Motivation is defined as a human psychological characteristic that add to a persons degree of commitment. It is the management process of in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing employees behavior. (Badu, 2005) Conversely, Bartol and Martin (1998) relate motivation to the force that stimulates behavior, provide direction to behavior, and underlies the tendency to prevail. In other words individuals must be sufficiently stimulated and energetic, must have a clear focus on what is to be achieved, and must be willing to commit their energy for a long period of time to realize their aim in order to achieve goals. However, other than motivation being a force that stimulates behavior, Vroom (1964) emphasized on the voluntary actions. Supported by Steers et al. (2004), Vroom (1964) defined motivation as a process governing choice made by personsamong alternative forms of voluntary activity. Similarly Kreitner and Kinicki (2004) assumed that motivation incorporate those psychological processes that create the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented. Quite differently from the other definitions, Locke and Latham (2004) identified that motivation influence peoples acquisition of skills and the extent to which they use their ability. According to the authors the concept of motivation refers to internal factors that impel action and to external factors that can act as inducements to action. The three aspects of action that motivation can affect are direction (choice), intensity (effort), and duration (persistence). Motivation can affect both the acquisition of peoples skills and abilities; and also the extent to which they utilize their skills and abilities (Locke and Latham, 2004). In a nut shell, different authors have put forward the concept of motivation differently. Nonetheless, these definitions have three common aspects, that is, they are all principally concerned with factors or events that stimulate, channel, and prolong human behavior over time (Steers et al. 2004). 2.2 Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation Following Lakhani and Wolf (2005), Lakhani and Von Hippel (2003) and Lemer and Tirole (2004), the current scholarly thinking favors a framework that considers two components of motivation given by intrinsic and extrinsic components. Accordingly, Lawler (1969) intrinsic motivation is the degree to which feelings of esteem, growth, and competence are expected to result from successful task performance. This view bounds intrinsic motivation to an expectancy approach and expectancy theory which clearly indicates that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations summate (Porter Lawler, 1968). Moreover, as per to Amabile et al. (1993) Individuals are said to be intrinsically motivated when they seek, interest, satisfaction of curiosity, self expression, or personal challenge in the work. On the other hand individuals are said to be extrinsically motivated when they engaged in the work to gain some goal that is part of the work itself. As per to the author this definition of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is based on the individual perception of the individual perception of task and his or her reasons for engaging in it. Moreover, Amabile et al. further argued that intrinsic motivators arise from an individuals feelings with regards to the activity and they are necessary to adhere to the work itself. Conversely, extrinsic motivators although they may be dependent on the work, they are not logically an inherent part of the work. Furthermore, in line with the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, De Charms (1968) suggest that external rewards might undermine intrinsic motivation. He further proposed that individuals seek for personal causation and because of the desire to be the origin of his behavior; man keeps struggling against the constraint of external forces. Thus, De Charms hypothesized that when a man perceives his behavior as originating from his own choice, he will value that behavior and its results but when he perceives his behavior as originating from external forces, that behavior and its results, even though identical in other respects to behavior of his own choosing, will be devalued. De Charms (1968) further argued that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may interact, rather than summate that is the introduction of extrinsic rewards for the behaviors that was intrinsically rewarding may decrease rather than enhance the overall motivation. The author argued that the introduction of an extrinsic reward put the individual in a dependent position relative to the source of the reward. The locus of causality for his behavior changes from self to the external reward and thus the individuals perception of self-control, free choice, and commitment deteriorate and hence do his motivation. In addition Frey (1997) note that high intrinsic work motivation evolving from work which is interesting involves the trust and loyalty of personal relationships and is participatory. However, under certain circumstances, intrinsic motivation can be diminished, or crowded-out by external interventions like monitoring or pay-for-performance incentive schemes. This was also supported by Frey and Jegen (2001) who reviewed the literature on intrinsic motivations and found that the evidence does suggest that incentives sometimes do crowd-out intrinsic motivations. Besides, Frey (1997) suggests that the important matter is whether the external intervention is in the form of a command or a reward. Commands are most controlling in the sense that they seize self-determination from the agent, while rewards might still allow autonomy of action. The maximization of employees motivation to attain the organizations goals can only be obtained through a complete understanding of motivation theories (Reid 2002). There is a wide variety of theoretical frameworks that have been developed in the attempts to explain the issues related to motivation. Stoner, Edward and Daniel (1995) has described two different views on motivation theory, given by the earliest views and the contemporary approach which can further be subdivided into content and process theories. 2.3 Theories of Motivation 2.3.1 The earliest views of motivation One of the earliest views of motivation is Frederick W Taylor et al. (1911) scientific management theory. Taylor (1911) with regards to employee motivation proposed a paternalistic approach to managing workers and argued that workers are economic men and in order to motivate them, workers should be paid higher wages. The author also argued that the higher is the wage rate, the higher will be the level motivation and productivity. Furthermore, Taylor points out that many payment methods were ineffective, as they did not reward efficiency and he believed that a differential piece-work incentive system should be replaced with a piece rate incentive system (Wren, 2005). In other words workers should be paid according to the number of units produced in order to motivate them to work. On the other hand in line with building on the concept of motivation Elton Mayo (1953) came up with the Human Relations approach whereby the emphasis is laid on non-economic motivators. According to Elton Mayo (1953), if objectives of organizations are to be met, it must attempt to understand, respect and consider the emotions, sense of recognition and satisfaction that is the non-monetary needs of workers. He believed that employees are not just concern with money but also they need to have their social needs to be met in order to be motivated to work. He is of view that workers enjoy interactions and managers should treat them as people who have worthwhile opinions. Furthermore, McGregor (1960) postulates Theory X and Theory Y which is based on assumptions about people and work. According to this theory, there are two types of assumption made with regards to employees whereby theory X assumes that employees are lazy and therefore theory X suggests that in order to motivate employees a more autocratic style of management is required. On the other hand theory Y assumes that workers enjoy work, committed to objectives of the organization and will apply self control and self directed in the pursuit of organizational objectives and therefore does not require external control. 2.3.2 Content theories of motivation Content theories tend to focus on individual needs and attempt to explain the factors within a person that stimulate and stop behavior (Reid, 2002). According to Bassett-Jones and Lloyd (2005), content theory assume a more complex interaction between both internal and external factors, and explored the circumstances in which individuals react to different types of internal and external stimuli. The most well known content theory of motivation is the hierarchy of needs which has been put forward by Abraham Maslow (1943). According to Maslow, people are motivated by five types of needs and in order to motivate people to work more productively there is a need to offer them opportunity to satisfy those needs. He proposed that basic needs are organized in a hierarchy of prepotency and probability of appearance (Wahba and Bridwell, 1973). These needs include physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem and self-actualization. Maslow argued that once a lower order need is fulfilled, the next level of needs in the hierarchy comes into play that is once employees satisfy the lower order needs they will next consider the next level of needs. The author further argued that unfulfilled lower needs dominate ones thinking and behavior until they are satisfied (Berl et al. 1984). However this theory has also been criticized to a large extent, for example Wahba and Bridwell (1973) argued that based on the ten factor analytic studies that have attempted to test Malows theory; there is no clear evidence that human needs are classified into five different categories, or that these categories are organized in a special hierarchy. The authors contradict Malows proposition and points out that, none of the studies has shown all of Maslows five need categories as independent factors, for example some studies have showed that the self-actualization needs may emerge as an independent category. They also argued that studies have also proved the issue of need deprivation and the domination of behavior to be different from that suggested by Maslow. Moreover results have also proved that either self-actualization or security are the least satisfied needs and social needs are the most satisfied. Therefore it is difficult to determine the general pattern of the degree of sati sfaction and these trends are not the same as proposed by Maslow (Wahba and Bridwell, 1973). Conversely, Alderfer (1972) in the attempt to address the short comings of Malows theory proposed an alternative to Maslows theory which he termed as the ERG theory and postulate a three level hierarchy. Alderfer grouped Maslows five categories of needs into three categories given by Existence, Relatedness and Growth. According to the author, people are motivated by these three groups of core needs and he asserted that as one level of need is satisfied another takes over but if a need is not satisfied on a continuous basis, the individual may decide to give such a need a low priority. Nonetheless, while Maslow and Alderfer presented the concept of motivation in a hierarchy, McClelland (1961, 1971), ignored the concept of hierarchy and put forward a theory known as the acquired need theory that emphasize on three types of needs namely, need for affiliation, need for achievement and need for power. McClelland is of view that individuals experiences are acquired through life experiences that is they are learned. According to this theory individuals possess several needs, and when these needs are activated they serve to motivate behavior and this is to the contrary of Maslows proposition of a continuous progression throughout the hierarchy of needs (Steers et al. 2004). Moreover, also put differently Herzberg et al. (1959) sought to understand how work activities and the nature of an employees job influence motivation and performance. They proposed a theory that involves what they termed as motivators and hygiene factors. According to Herzberg the most crucial difference between the motivators and the hygiene factors is that the motivator factors involve psychological growth while the hygiene factors involve physical and psychological pain avoidance. The authors examined motivators and hygiene factors in the workplace and proposed that where job satisfaction was high there would be corresponding high motivation. Herzberg (1959) further argued that work motivation is influenced to a large extent by the degree to which a job is intrinsically challenging and provides opportunities for recognition and reinforcement. However despite that Herbergs theory has been widely accepted by managers (e.g Latham 2007, Miner 2005, Steers and Porter 1983), this theory has been criticized by many authors. For example Reid (2002) argued that the work of Herzberg is an examination of job satisfaction rather than motivation of employees. Reid also argued that no matter how much emphasis is laid on factors that are intrinsically rewarding, if hygiene factors such as low pay is not addressed, their full effect cannot be felt. Moreover, also Brenner et al. (1971) contradict Herzberg proposition that motivation factors increase job satisfaction and hygiene factors leads to job dissatisfaction and points out that his study and others indicated that the employees received job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction from both the motivating and the hygiene factors. Similarly Locke (1976) assessed Herzberg two factor theory and argued that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction result from different causes. 2.3.3 Emperical studies of content theories Zakeri et al. (1997) carried out research in the Iranian construction industry to find out level of Maslows hierarchy of needs are the most motivating factors and whether these factors are motivating factors or just hygiene factors as proposed by Herzberg. A list of 20 factors was chosen according to Maslows classification of needs and the lists were presented to the construction crafts- men and operatives whereby Zakeri et al. (1997) found five most motivating factors in descending order namely; fairness of pay, Incentive and financial rewards, on-time payment, good working facilities and safety. The authors argued that despite Herzbergs proposition that money is not a satisfier, this survey along with others proved that money is the most motivating factor. In addition Arnolds and Boshoff (2002) conducted research in a number of firms in South Africa to investigate the impact of need satisfaction on self-esteem and of self-esteem on performance intention as suggested by Alderfer (1972). According to the empirical results, self-esteem was found as a significant determinant of employee job performance and results showed that providing frontline employees opportunities to perform challenging work, allow participation and teaching them new things on the job will enhance their self-esteem as well as their performance intentions (Arnolds and Boshoff, 2002). The authors argued that the experiment also showed that the satisfaction of fringe benefits does not have a significant impact on performance intentions via self-esteem as an intervening variable and this support Herzbergs et al. (1959) theory. 2.3.4 Process theories of motivation Along with the content theories, there are also different process theories. According to Viorel et al. (2009) the content theories emphasize on specific factors that motivate workers with regards to certain necessities and aspirations, while the process theories emphasize on the processes and the psychological forces that have an impact on motivation. They start from the premise that motivation starts with the desire to do something. The process theories provide more realistic principles with regards to motivation techniques and therefore they are more useful to managers compared to content theories (Viorel et al. 2009). Vroom (1964), in the interest to study motivation developed an alternative to the content theories which is known as the expectancy theory. Vroom suggest that there are three mental components that are considered as instigating and directing behavior and these are referred to as Valence, Instrumentality, and Expectancy. He argued that employees rationally analyze different on-the-job work behaviors and then choose those behaviors which they believe will lead to their most valued work-related rewards and outcomes. Moreover, Porter and Lawler (1968) expanded Vrooms work to identify the role of individual differences for example employee abilities and skills and the role clarity in relating job effort to actual job performance. Porter and Lawler also explained the relationship between performance and satisfaction and argued that this relationship is mediated by the extent and quality of the rewards that employees receive in return for their job performance. In addition to expectancy theory Adams (1963), developed the equity theory to clarify how employees respond cognitively and behaviorally with regards to unfairness in the workplace. Adams suggested that employees develop beliefs about what constitutes a fair and equitable return for their job performance and contributions therefore employees always compare their efforts and the associated rewards with that of other employees and in case there is a situation whereby there is an element of injustice or unfairness there is an imbalance that is a perception of inequity will result. The author is therefore of view that when perception of inequity occurs the employee will get engaged in activities and do effort in order to reduce the inequity. On the other hand, quite differently Latham and Locke (1979) came up with the goal setting theory. According to Latham (2004), the underlying premise of the goal setting theory is that ones conscious goals affect what one achieves. The author argued that this is because a goal is said to be the objective or aim of an action and having a specific goal result to improved performance. Employees with specific hard goals tend to perform better compared to those with vague goals and that a goal is a standard for assessing an individuals performance. Moreover, Latham also suggested that to the extent that the goal is met or exceeded, satisfaction increases; and conversely, to the extent that performance falls short of the goal, ones satisfaction decreases. While content theories have tended to focus on needs of people and process theories have focused on factors motivating people, Adair (2006) have brought some new issues in the field of employee motivation and developed a new theory of motivation known as the Fifty-Fifty rule. Unlike the authors of content and process theories, Adair is of view that motivation lies both within an individual as well as external to the individual. According to the author, 50 percent of motivation lies within a person and fifty percent lies outside the person however Adair points out that this theory does not assert for the exactly fifty-fifty proportion in the equation but it only emphasized on the idea that a considerable part of motivation lies within a person while a considerable part lies outside and beyond its control. 2.3.5 Emperical studies of process theories With regards to Adams Equity theory, Levine (1993) calculated wage residuals for more than 8,000 manufacturing employees. Wage residuals re ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect employees wages relative to employees with similar demographics and human capital in terms of education and training (Ambrose and Kulik, 1999). Levine found that employees with higher wage residuals reported that they were less likely to leave, were more satis ¬Ã‚ ed with their pay, were willing to work harder than they had to, and were more committed to the organization. Therefore in line with this argument, the author pointed out that employees with low wage residuals might be expected to experience inequity or unfairness relative to similar others and exhibit negative responses. Moreover Arnolds and Boshoff (2002) conducted research in a number of South African firms whereby they analyzed the application of the expectancy theory put forward by Vroom (1964) and they argued that the satisfaction with pay and fringe benefits does not impact on the performance intentions of frontline employees because these need satisfactions do not have any esteem valence for these employees. In other words, frontline employees do not have a higher regard of themselves if they are getting enough pay to fulfill basic necessities (Arnolds and Boshoff, 2002). Besides based on the Goal Setting theory, Stans ¬Ã‚ eld and Longenecker (2006) performed a study in a traditional manufacturing plant in the Midwestern USA to develop a model of efficient and effective goal setting and feedback practices for manufacturing. According to the authors the study showed that an information system, facilitating goal setting and feedback can play a vital role in improving individual performance levels. Stansfield and Longenecker also found that employee motivation and performance were both improved in the study, which lead to better organizational performance and pro ¬Ã‚ tability. The authors also argued that goal setting and feedback can create competitive advantage for manufacturers with a minimum investment of time and capital if they implement these practices with proper coordination. 2.3.6 Reinforcement Theory B.F. Skinner (1953) compared to need and process theories, came up with a different theory known as the reinforcement theory in which he proposed that peoples behavior is dependent upon its consequences. He suggested that if consequences of behavior is positive then such behavior will be repeated and vice-versa. Skinner (1953) argued that behavior can thus be reinforced through different forms of reinforcement or rewards. According to him individuals can be influenced in four different ways given by positive reinforcement (a reward such as praise so that the person repeat the behavior), negative reinforcement (rewarding employees by removing unwanted consequences), extinction (deliberately withheld positive reinforcement to discourage unwanted behavior) and punishment (applying undesirable consequences for unwanted behaviors). Through these theories, it can be said that work motivation has been characterized by dimensions such as interesting job, ability to perform, recognition, adequate pay, and feedback on performance (Dwivedula and Bredillet, 2010). However according to Meyer et al. (2004) it is also very important to consider differences in the psychological states, or mindsets that can accompany motivation. Therefore, Meyer et al. (2004) argued that motivation theories developed in other areas of psychology render a convincing case that motivation is multidimensional. 2.3.7 Adaptation-Level Theory Bowling et al. (2005) argued that the adaptation-level theory (Helson, 1948, 1964a, 1964b), offers one potential explanation for the temporal stability of job satisfaction. Bowling explained that the theory postulates that someones evaluation of an outcome is said to be a function of previous experiences outcomes. For example, an employee who has worked for years without a pay raise would be expected to respond positively to even a small pay increase because this change in pay would be different from that individuals adaptation level, however the positive response would be temporary as the individuals adaptation level would eventually change as the experience of the pay increase is integrated into the employees adaptation level (Bowling et al. 2005). 2.3.8 Self-Regulatory Theory Moreover quite differently, Higgins (1997, 1998) proposed the regulatory focus theory that draw important differences in the processes through which individuals approach pleasure and avoid pain. Huggins proposed that individuals have two types of motivational systems given by a system that regulates rewards (promotion focus) and one that regulates punishments (prevention focus). According to the author people who operate primarily within the promotion focus are concerned with accomplishments, are sensible towards the existence or absence of rewards, adopt a goal attainment strategy, are more creative and are more willing to take risks. However, people who operate within the prevention focus tend to be more concerned with duties and responsibilities and are more sensitive to the existence or absence of punishments. Moreover the regulatory focus is ascertained both by situational and chronic factors (Higgins, 1997, 1998). 2.3.9 Activation theory On the other hand Anderson (1976, 1983) came up with the activation theory whereby he argued that the strongest motivating factor is the work itself however over time as the worker get used with the environment and learns the responses required in the repetitive task there may be a fall in the activation level or job stimulation. It is important to highlight that over time all work tends to become repetitive after the job has been practiced and therefore a wide range of dysfunctional and non-task activities must be pursued to offset the fall in the job stimulation level (Milbourn 1984). Moreover according to Milbourn (1984), if dysfunctional activities are addressed, managers can consider enriching jobs through job redesign to reduce monotony at work in order to maintain job stimulation. 2.4 Motivational practices in Organizational environment According to Islam and Ismail (2008) the theories mentioned continue to offer the foundation for organization and managerial development practices to a large extent. Along with the above theories, during the last decade, based on employees motivation many empirical studies have been carried out (Islam and Ismail, 2008). For example, Bent et al. (1999) carried out research in small food manufacturing businesses whereby respondents were asked to complete, using a five-point Likert scale about how they felt motivated and then how satisfied they were with their jobs and the authors found that the degree of positive motivation was high. According to Bent et al. (1999) the employees were either very or moderately motivated with their jobs, however it was important to note that no respondents stated that they were either very motivated or very dissatisfied with their job. The authors also argued that issues which are associated with individual management style include lack of appreciation f rom management to feel for the work of employees and that there was also poor communication contributing to low job satisfaction and this contrasts with the identification by employees, of the motivating or satisfying qualities of a good management style. Moreover VaitkuvienÄ- (2010) conducted research in two Swedish manufacturing companies given by, the company Frilight AB and Enitor Plast AB and reported that the workers were found satisfied with the working conditions, training of staffs and career opportunities. The author argued that the Swedish employees were motivated and that the employees do not avoid responsibilities and follow directions. VaitkuvienÄ- (2010) also found that almost all employees are stimulated with the organizing of recreational tours, holidays and events. According to the author more than half of employees in the Sweden manufacturing companies are stimulated through gifts on various occasions (birthdays, holidays), free meals at work, health insurance coverage, work, clothes, equipment, travels for the company employees, days off, recognition and good working conditions and therefore the author pointed out that the employees of the manufacturing companies consider non-financial motivation tools to b e more important. Eventually, Dwivedula and Bredillet (2010), in line with the authors Cummings and Blumberg (1987) pointed out that studies from the manufacturing sector emphasize on the importance of providing autonomy, and skill variety to the employees which are otherwise absent. On the other hand Adler (1991) observed and concluded that manufacturing firms rely on job rotation, and voluntary job switching to motivate the employees. Moreover, Galia (2008) supported by Dwivedula and Bredillet (2010) reported that more recently it has been observed that, in a survey of 5000 manufacturing  ¬Ã‚ rms by SESSI (Industrial Statistics Department of the French Ministry of Economics, Finance, and Industry), practices such as autonomy at work, incentives to promote creativity have been widely adopted in order to motivate the workers.