08BallingerR1 Essays - Discrimination, Human Behavior, Abuse

Response Questions #1 1. T estimonial injustice is a type of injustice formed by a person listening to someone sharing knowledge. The listener immediately forms a prejudice about the speaker based on his or her appearance and qualities. This developed prejudice alters how the listener interprets the information they hear. The listener belittles the person speaking and thus discredits the information altogether. The speaker's information could be completely factual, but due to the listeners prejudice it is questioned. The listener will most likely express to others that the speaker is reporting false information. Also, the listener may tell others about more flaws about the speaker that are untrue, solely because of the prejudice. An example of T estimonial injustice could be if a student has doubts about the information provided by their professor, due to the professor's Christian beliefs. Professors study information for years and become experts, and they are also trained to teach others. So, this student formed a bias solely based on the appearance of the professor. 2. H ermeneutical injustice is a type of injustice that happens to a person during an experience, in which the person cannot make sense of it due to lack of this type of experience in society. This Person has no was to figure out what they are going through, because in society this certain kind of thing is not spoken of. Since there is a shortage of information on the experience, the person might not know how to deal with the occurrence. The person will first think about what they are feeling and try to make sense of it using their own immediate knowledge. Subsequently, if society hides these instances or has a lack of similar experiences to refer to, the person will be unable to figure it out. Next the person may seek to the internet to see if they can seek material of like incidents, which is dependent on how society portrays this certain experience. Then if he or she still cannot figure it out they might seek the advice of another person. An example of hermeneutical inj ustice is if someone is born a certain gender, but feels as if they are a different gender. This is unjust because the person should be able to learn about themselves, but due to the lack of information they have a difficult time. 3. When trapped, the prisoners would lack depth perception and the ability to fathom these objects in three dimensions. Also, the only source of light is from a reflection of a fire, so their eyesight is accustomed to darkness. The puppet masters decide what the prisoners see and hear, thus they are narrating what the prisoners believe to be true. The prisoners see figures in the shadows, but they have no outside source telling them what the shadows are of. Thus, they are left to themselves to decide what to make of the sounds and shadows using their imagination. When they are first released from the cave, they cannot discern what is true and what is untrue in the real world. But eventually they begin to think about the objects as they are, not just as they appear in shadows. They make new assumptions and start to piece together the three-dimensional world. 4. Realizing that two sticks are not perfectly equal proves that equality must be innate because the sense of equableness is shown from birth. For example, if one baby is given a cookie but sees that another baby is given two cookies, the first baby knows it was unfair. No person could possibly have communicated to the babies what equality means since they are so young. Thus, they must have some innate recollection of equality in order to distinguish the difference between one cookie versu s two. As people grow older, they become wiser, and they can determine equality in more difficult situations. But, they are building off of the innate information about equality that they were born with. They are not learning what equality is, or being taught what is equal and what is not since they already know.

Prostate Cancer - Who and What essays

Prostate Cancer - Who and What essays In December 2000, CDC sought expert advice from approximately 100 medical and public health practitioners, researchers, and representatives from community organizations and volunteer associations to help develop the role of public health in prostate cancer prevention and control. Experts discussed what the public health role should be related to understanding risk factors and disease burden, primary and secondary prevention, treatment, and quality of life. Discussion focused on four areas of public health: surveillance and monitoring, research, services and programs, and communication. One of the public health concerns is with prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer, other than skin cancer, among men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer-related death among men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 189,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and that approximately 30,200 men will die from the disease in 2002. Prostate Cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the prostate. The prostate is on the male sex glands, and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The size of the prostate is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The prostate makes fluid that becomes part of the semen, which contains sperm. Prostate cancer is most commonly found in older men. As a man gets older, his prostate may get bigger and block the urethra of bladder, which can cause him to have difficulty urinating or even interfere with sexual functions. This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of BPH, or other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms of prostate cancer. Some common symptoms of prostate cancer are: weak or interrupted flow of urine...

Reflection on assessment feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reflection on assessment feedback - Essay Example I had made slides for my students in a simple manner that even a layman could understand solely because I dint know the audience at all hence could not judge whether they would be from a nursing background or not. Based on my previous efforts in giving a slide based lecture, I minimized the use of visual aids since they tend to distract the audience away from the topic. These slides gave general information about spinal cord compression that might help any adult responsible for health education and increase there knowledge about this complication and how to prevent it. Although it was a hard job for me not to include nursing jargons, I managed it by using various websites that gave me non-technical terminologies. The students were given reading exercises where they had to comprehend the general patient information and present their individual’s group work by the end of the session. Since each group will take responsibility for each section in the educational session, the learning and comprehension of the information will increase manifold as compared to if the information was just fed to them. Acting and group based learning, according to me, is vital for student participation, confidence and learning. My real role began after this when I had to act my role in front of the students. I asked the students to form themselves into groups and decide on a topic that they would like to present. Making these groups was the most difficult part for me here since this was an entirely new experience for me. When I tried to force one person to go to a group, there would be wide protests maybe because some people weren’t conformable forming groups with certain people (Hunter, 1995). After using various combinations, groups were formed and I made a mental note that I would have to practice this before another one of these group formations arrive. After each section was assigned to the groups, I opened the discussion where I explained

The Optimum Cultivation and Establishment Methods for Growing Oilseed Literature review

The Optimum Cultivation and Establishment Methods for Growing Oilseed Rape In a Various Soil Conditions within the UK - Literature review Example This research will begin with the statement that as sustainability and the greening of the ecosystem become very important to global agencies and nations, the focus of most countries have turned to the role that plants can plan in achieving this goal. But as important as plants help in the greening of the solar system, they have also become very important sources of food for both plants and animals, including humankind. Plants have actually accounted for major parts of the export made by most countries in the form of raw edible food, processed wood, refined products, and drugs. In the United Kingdom (UK), the role that various plants play in the socio-economic wellbeing of the country cannot be underestimated. It is not surprising that studies have continued to go on about the best ways by which various plants and crops can be well researched into to find the best practices, conditions, and establishments under which they are best cultivated for optimum output. As part of secondary d ata collection for the research work, the review of related literature is taken seriously to know what has already been done in this field and the gaps that exist in the literature. This way, the best ways by which this research can fill the gaps can be rightly identified. The review will, therefore, focus on the background of the crop, the relevance of it to the UK and the best practices in its cultivation. The oilseed rape crop is known by many names including rape, Brassica napus, and sometimes just called rape. The origin of the seed in the UK is raced to the 14th century when the bright yellow flowering was first brought to the European region. The oilseed rape crop belongs to the family Brassicaceae, commonly known as the mustard or cabbage family. The crop belongs to the order Brassicales and genus Brassica. Since arriving in the U.K., the plant has been known as a very important crop, which has been cultivated over the years since the 14th century. In one study, FAOSTAT argu ed that the oilseed rape is one of the longest most adored plants to have been cultivated in the U.K. This emphasis is given to the plant because of the continuous attention it has received over the years for the need to maximize the production of the crop.

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Case Study Example Reason being, it acquired land secretly through undetectable means (Daft & Marac, 2007). Furthermore, the citizens saw the possibility of the emergence of hotels and restaurants that were not proper for their country. Similarly, it was feared that the Disney’s America Park might have a negative impact to the environment. Thirdly, some citizens disliked the nature of secrecy of the company. Reason being, it did not consult them on what should the history of America be made of (Theme Park History: Disneys America and the Historian Dilema , 2013). The information about the closure of the project was conveyed through the external form of communication. The level of knowledge about Disney Park differed among citizens within the county. For instance, majority of those who opposed the project were individuals who were less informed about it. On the other hand, the leaders seemed knowledgeable about the project. At the end of the project, many politicians were disappointed. (The Third Battle of Bull Rumn the Disneys America Theme Park, 1994) In conclusion, the success of Disney’s America Park was unachievable because of its: possessive nature as seen in the naming, and secrecy, which saw the citizens being less informed about the progress of the

Coca Cola: PEST Analysis and Strategy Plans

Coca Cola: PEST Analysis and Strategy Plans Introduction The battle of the chief soft drink manufacturer has been intense and the coca cola company with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia has had the largest market share globally. The company has withstood the test of domination globally from its greatest competitor Pepsi Company. Coca Cola has had a large share of the market capitalization but at times the rival company has emerged strong beating it in market share in other financial periods. Its brands have however remained renowned throughout the world and for them to continue dominating they must focus on the customer needs and preference that is the reason they are in business (Milliken, 2007). The company boasts of key success factors in its operations which include; capacity to introduce competitive prices, global extensive distribution, effective customer awareness, a wide range of product choices for customers, effective and timely distribution channels and bottlers, and a global system of operation. The Coca Cola Company has been forced to operate under tight competition in the US domestic markets from Pepsi, Cadbury Schweppes, Cott, and AmBev, but in other markets especially in the developing countries it has established zones of duopoly where it remains the dominant company. Its efforts to penetrate the Middle East and China have been risky since the Pepsi Company continues to dominate the markets there (Milliken, 2007). PEST Analysis of Coca Cola Politics and legal environment In many developing countries there has been ease of entry but the countries face a lot of political unrests e.g. coups and violence which may affect the penetration of market or losses for the already established companies. Other companies have legal barriers that must be addressed before the company establishes itself. The legal showdown of Pepsi and coca cola in India gives a clear view of this fact and especially in the Middle East and Asian markets where Coca Cola seeks new markets. Economic The Company sells consumer products which are sensitive to buyer disposable revenue. The consumers have viewed the drinks as inexpensive and hence its unlikely to forego. Also the disposable income continues to raise hence more purchase to such things as soft drinks. The world currently is going through many financial crises such as the global financial crunch and increasing inflation and companies especially Coca Cola has continued to put in measures such as price adjustments to be able to impact the markets. The strategy of adjusting prices helps Coca Cola to counter the effects of raising costs and hence thus generate enough cash flow that ensures the company productive capability is maintained (Fredrix Skidmore, 2009). Social/demographic Soft drink consumption is inversely related to the age of the consumer i.e. most people take more drinks when they are young as opposed to when they mature. In the current generation average age increases and most of the population is made up of the young this gives an advantage of the increase in the market base of the company. This means that the company has a more potential market to sell the products to and thus a strategic plan should be worked to own the markets. Technological The world is turning to a global village and the age of effective communication gives the perfect atmosphere for business. The world today is easy and convenient to travel, secure and different tastes and preference have emerged (Hannagan, 2002). The powerful brand name of the company becomes a selling point in the franchise of other companies that need to be affiliated to the prestigious brand. Effective communication has also ensured that advertisements and promotions by the company are known world over hence better growth. Rivalry The major rival domestically is Pepsi in the United States. The soft drinks industry has continued to be very competitive and major competitors turn to rivals. The promotion of the brands such as Sprite, Coke, and Fanta in many countries has grown at the expense of the many beverages in the markets (Mark, 2000). The company must implement an effective strategy that ensures advertising, sales, innovations, increased efficiency, brands development, promotional program trade mark development are done efficiently to outsmart the rivals. Suppliers The Company will always need supplies of raw materials such as fructose corn syrup, and sucrose. The availability of this major raw material at numerous sources has made the company dominate the suppliers, however aspartame has not been available in numerous sites and this can lead to problems if production ceases (May, 1998). Buyers The main buyers are individuals who consume the product. The company however deals with local franchised bottlers who deal with the local markets. After effective bottling of the products the consumer/buyer must get the products through chain supermarkets, vending, and fountain sales. The buyers must have the knowledge of the product and be enticed to consume so that he/she can make the purchase (Mark, 2000). Threats of substitutes Many products have emerge to substitute soft drinks e.g. fruit juices and beverages. The company must have attractive offers to ensure that the substitutes introduced in the market dont interfere with the market share of the company. Threats of entrants New companies keep on coming up to compete for a share of the market. The soft drink markets have been mainly dominated by Coca Cola and Pepsi and new entrants find it very hard to penetrate the markets. Internal Environment Operations Coca cola has continued to globally dominate the market and the regional operational strategy that is centralized production system ensure reduced costs. Sales and marketing The area of supermarkets and brand loyalty has played an essential part in the growth of Coca Cola this has ensured profitability and large market share. Distribution The efficient distribution channels i.e. bottling companies has ensured that customers get the product at the right time and conveniently. Automated channel of distribution like the Coca Cola Enterprise that has sales agents and merchandisers in major outlets complement other distribution strategies. Procurement For efficient operations the company has a strategy to own the bottlers operations so that they do it more efficiently to be able to distribute the product properly. The procurement of acquiring a franchise chain is done procedurally to ensure qualified people own the process. Human resources Many people have been employed by the company and they have remained loyal. The company has given attractive remunerations and compensations in order to make them perform effectively and efficiently. Core Resources and competence The factors that favor the companys growth and development plans include; markets, costs, governments, and competition. In the markets they are characterized by homogenous customer needs, global channels and global customer needs, transferable and easy to manipulate market approaches. Cost are favored by learning and experience, large scale and scope economies, high resource and development costs, conducive logistics, and efficiencies in sourcing (Mark, 2000). On the side of the government they are responsible for putting in place inductive trade policies, technology standards that are common and manufacture and marketing regulations that are common and do not favor any party but put a level competing ground for all players. In terms of competition globalization has been favored through presence of interdependent countries that allow competition, and the liberalization of trade in many countries. With the markets giving many incentives to the company to grow then good management policies is all needed to grow and became successful and coca cola has done just that (Kottler, Amstrong, 2006). It has endeavored in its mission to refresh a thirsty world and creating value to shareholders. The company brands have continued to be advertised and image enhanced, where the company has also acquired more franchise networks globally. The systems of the company that are based on organizational structure and timely decisions have continued to make the company succeed. The objectives of the company include; customer satisfaction and creation of a loyal system of customers, community development, effective partnership, and valuable shareholding in the company. The long term goals include increasing cash flow through increased sales, optimizing of profit margins, and global investments expansion in hot spots (Kottler, Amstrong, 2006). The guiding principle is to have an established production, distribution, and marketing system that can support long term growth of cash flow and shareowner value of Coca Cola. The Strategic Choices Available for Coca Cola Product Filling Strategy Ohmae (1990) states that the product line of a firm is lengthened by the addition of more products within the current range; The implications behind this line filling includes; the reach for profit incremental, satisfying the complaining dealers on sales due to the absence of some items in the line, utilizing the capacity that is excess, to try to be the full time company that is leading the market and lastly, to try to plug the holes hence keeping out the competitors. Kogut (1985) starts by explaining that, Coca Cola uses this form of strategy of filling the line of production from time to time; during different seasons as it launches its new products. For example to Zerocoke was launched by Coca Cola at the time James Bond released the movie Quantum of Solace forms part of product filling marketing. The product is presented as if it new. Distribution strategy Coca Cola is globally famous for its distribution channels. In India the Coca Cola distribution channel is a bout 6.5lakh outlets by the year 2000 as compared to its competitor Peps Cos which was 6lakh. The firm has a development of different strategies of distribution strategies for the rural and the urban sectors. The channel of distribution in the Urban adopts the model similar to the direct store distribution, warehouse distribution brokers and vending food services programs according to Ohmae (1990). This methods ensures savings of margins and encourages quick availability of the item to the retailer While in the rural, the Hub and Spoke model distribution channel is applied. Where there is a division of different distributors categories depending on the area they are covering. This model is utilized by to reach the rural market as the program allows the bigger loads to travel long distances while the smaller ones shorter distances as a result the costs are cut down, as stated by Bate and Johnston (2003). Khan (2005) explain the point that through there use of modern technology in the present times Coca Cola is able to improve its distribution and management operations logistics reasonably. There are the options of Chilled DSD System that deals relatively with the methods of distributions that are small. Particularly, it deals with juicy fruits products that can easily go bad. The second option is the Hybrid System, where there is collaboration between the firm and the firm of complimentary good so that its channels of distribution can be used for the selling of the product. In this, the example is collaboration Coca Cola and McDonald. This system is actually benefited by the creation of the synergy by the two collaborating firms. The Social corporate strategy This is where the firm provides the volunteer services in the community. This strategy with the social work assists in position the firms brand name in the minds of the users for the longer time as the brand that is both ethical and social, hence providing the opportunity for the period of growth that is long term. The recent example is the case of Coca Cola social work in India where it has been awarded a golden peacock a ward. Coca Cola has concentrated on water conservation, clean drinking water access and water conservation awareness and other related issues as the firms strategy on the stewardship of water. The Coca Cola Corporate strategy The achievements made by Coca Cola in China are a very strong indicator that patience pays. The firms strategy and management planned vigorously for the success. The market leadership that it enjoys is rooted on strong capability of reacting in time and accurately to the changing market dynamics. Heller Bono, (2006) argued that the firm dominates the market not because it came early in the market but because of brilliant short time moves like the concentration on fanta and sprite. Also success comes because of joint ventures. Early on when the investment in beverage industry was restricted it formed partnership with government bodies but no equal share. Latter, it joined with other ventures with equal control hence gained majority equity. The strategic partnership that the Coca Cola firm was being involved was the strategy of positioning itself for the future. The Coca Cola partner serves the number of firm critical goal. They do share the investment risks in the plant of bottling and it can leverage the political effects its partners to acquire government approvals for the new plants of bottling. The most significant of these new partners allows the Coca Cola management control via the major equal ownership of joint ventures. Pricing Strategy This drastically affects sales in a number of ways. The case from Kogut (1985) of Pepsi provides an example of how pricing strategy can affect the market and sales. The firm gained popularity in 1936 by introducing 12-ounce bottle. The earlier price of 10 cents resulted to slow sales. After slashing the price to 5 cents there was a substantial increase in sales. This was due to the Pepsi ability to encourage the price-watching users to switch the Coca Cola 6-ounces standard bottle for the price of 5cents instead of 12-ounces. Pepsi sold at a similar price. The sales in 1939 a lone was 5 million bottles as the profit doubled as the consumption went higher. The Communication Strategy Dana and Oldfield (1999) say that after looking at the environment that is changing, Coca Cola calibrated its communication strategy in a way that is very innovative. The works of imagery for the carbonated soft drinks, while the work of functionality for the rest of the categories. The example that entrenches imagery is the brand for refreshing; the firm introduces the issue of comfort ability. Brand Development Strategy The strategy that I believe Coca Cola Company should peruse is the brand development strategy. According to Dana and Oldfield (1999) this strategy has far reached and managed to remain in the limelight ever since it started to be good with these that do not take alcohol. The loyalty of the brand is a significant factor to maintain the number one position. Collins (1991) states that Coca Cola Company enjoys the status of being of the biggest non alcoholic beverage firm worldwide its distribution system is unique from other non alcoholic companies. Over years the company has passed many brand enhancement tests and a point is made for the products under the banner of Coca Cola as it invades the minds of the users continually. Hamel and Prhalad (1985)explains that the brand development strategy of Coca Cola should involve the redesigning of its brand development policies and the techniques of keeping up with the set minds of its users that is ever changing. In the beginning this brand believed in affordability, being available and being acceptable. However this Coca Colas brand development should be changed to include the value of price, preference and pervasive penetration. Boutzikas (2000) explains that the issue of building brand of the firm is based on the fact that it wants its users accessibility, which is to be within the reach of desire of the arm. In the efforts of building the brand identity of the firm, many brand attributes for example 20 are to be tested in every month which may involve as much as 4000 users. The strategy of brand development of Coca Cola is very effective as it has been having the capability of constructing, managing as well as maintaining its brand image since many years ago. Another reason as to why this strategy should be used is that the brand has unanimously gained the acceptance all round the world because of the fact that it has shown the capability of relating very well with its users. This signifies the brand loyalty. The loyalty of the brand has been very vital in maintaining the brand picture of Coca Cola. It has believed in shelling out the best as a result the users by default are retained as explained by Boutzikas (2000). The enhancement of the frequency of purchase is one of the techniques of building brand. The firm has also made investments in many campaigns of advertisements always involving the services of theses who are the celebrities around the world. On top of the users, there is another category of users, who usually increases the user foundation and they comprises of the brand collectors. They most of the time indulges in the collection of the old and the logos that are upcoming of the Coca Cola bottles and they literary matter. Collins (1991) says regarding to the development of the brand of Coca Cola zero the firm came out with an advertisement that was some what different from the most common ones. In the concern of this the no calorie beverage, it has given raise to three forms of products that include; the Coca Cola Classic, the Diet Coke, and the Coca Cola Zero. Boutzikas (2000) continues that there are a number of experts who have a believe that these times when Coca Cola the tag of line that states, the real thing, it was really meaning that, however, with the invention of different kinds of categories of coke, the statement the real thing got changed to the statement that reads many things, and the flavor that was there originally is at most times lost. As the result, the building of the brand strategy has to be in such a manner that it will not lead to the peoples confusion and have the capability of retaining users despite the fact that many new manufactures of non alcoholic beverage being on the anvil. Theories And Practice Of Leadership: Nissan Theories And Practice Of Leadership: Nissan When making major changes in a business, efficiency, adaption and human relations need to be considered and the trade-offs between these that might be affected. Efficiency was improved by closing 5 of the factories in Japan and eliminating 21,000 jobs to maximize production and reduce wastage. To simplify the production process Ghosn reduced the number of car platforms by 50% and the number of power trains by 33%. Human relations is always a trade-off when job cuts are made, this was counter acted by Ghosn. He used natural attrition whilst selling subsidiaries or offering early retirement or part-time work at other company facilities all of which would help the morale of the employees that left and the ones that remained so they did not feel so guilty and suffer from survivor syndrome (Daniels, 2006). Reducing purchasing costs by 20% was another way that Nissan improved efficiency; this was achieved by reducing the number of suppliers and making bigger orders. A negative trade off from this was the reduced relationship status with suppliers which is a highly regarded aspect of business in Japan. Engineers were also to blame for making overly specific orders which increased costs unnecessarily as they produced cars to solely improve performance, the trade off was that cars began to be made with customer needs in mind, not performance improvement. Weak distribution was also to blame for the downfall of Nissan; Ghosn reduced dealerships by 10%. Brand loyalty is high in Japan and determined by good customer relations which was a trade off for the reduction in dealerships; this was handled by improving the management in the remaining dealerships so that they become more entrepreneurial than social roles in the business. Design was instigated by engineers and not by the designers; this is why only 4 of the 43 cars in production were profitable. Twelve new cars were to be produced by the designers, to meet customer needs. A trade off of this was poor self-esteem for the engineers but equally designers were given freedom to be innovative and feel more valued by the company. Adaption was improved by correctly identifying the major changes, whilst not dictating them to employees. These plans were all released at once with the explanations behind their needs as to stave of criticism and prejudgments. The trade off for this was in the use of cross functional teams to improve human relations via interaction across departments for them to identify the major changes themselves, therefore then not feeling like they are being dictated to by senior executives. Human relations were improved (for the company, not the employee) by not giving lifetime job guarantees and not adhering to the seniority system that was in place for pay and promotions which lead to the replacing of weak middle management with competent replacements. The trade offs for implementing this was for poor employee relations to occur but this was managed by a merit pay plan, for performance related pay increases and promotions, with employees capable of earning up to an additional 33% of their wage based on performance and gaining stock options. To conclude Ghosn tried to weigh up and counter act the trade offs between efficiency, adaption and human relations well with the use of merit plans, extra innovation and better management. However there was not any strong counter action in relation to reducing purchasing costs, this was evident for the engineers in particular, where as it was obvious how the designers benefited from the changes made. Effective change is essential to the success and survival of a business as 62% of new businesses fail within 5 years and only 2% survive over 50 years (Nystrom Starbuck, 1984). With this in mind effective change management is critical to Nissan and Ghosns success. Ghosn used planned change which has both driving forces and restraining forces that affect the organisations state of equilibrium during implementation (Thomas, 2010). Features of planned change include; Assumption of a stable/predictable environment which Nissan do have. Required change must be identifiable, Ghosn meet this by introducing cross functional teams to identify the problems and changes needed. To move from one fixed change to another, this was done with the permanent closing of 5 factories and the loss of 21,000 jobs. Organisational members must be willing to change; Ghosn increased the willingness to change by creating a vision for the company, empowering employees such as the designers and cross functional team to identify the changes needed which meant they would then be more willing to follow the changes through than have them dictated to them. To have the appropriate tools and techniques available, Ghosn had all the tools available, in most instances it was a case o f reducing them in terms of factories, workers and suppliers. Where he did not have the correct tools he brought them in such as designer Shiro Nakamura. Restraining forces of planned change include (Katz Kahn, 1978) structural inertia, work group inertia, politics and previously unsuccessful efforts. Ghosn changed structural inertia by implementing the cross functional teams to identify and suggest changes for the problems and allowing them to be more adaptive and innovative than ever before. Work group inertia was changed from the design being engineer led to being designer led and customer focused and not performance focused. Politics was addressed by giving more power to the employees via cross functional teams and via the merit pay system were people earned their promotions and pay rises/bonuses. Ghosn managed to implement these changes using Lewins (Lewin, 1947) three step model of change (see appendix 1). In the unfreezing stage of the model, Ghosn had to make sure that employees were ready for change and understood the need for it. This was achieved by using cross functional teams, as the employees would identify the issues and solutions of the company which would lead to higher acceptance for change as the changes were realized and not dictated. Ghosn also offered to step down from his post if the targets were not meet which installs confidence, commitment and belief in the employees that the changes are necessary, realistic and achievable. The change stage of the cycle was used to implement the required changes that Ghosn and the cross functional teams had identified such as the reduction in suppliers, better distribution channels and management, customer focused designs and reduction in production costs. The refreezing stage of the cycle is Ghosns weakest part in terms of delivery. Nothing had been outlined specifically to make sure those attitudes, processes and cultures do not return to how they were before or that similar patterns do not appear again. The incorporation of a vision and plan for the firm can be seen as a retention strategy for changes made, however this area is significantly weaker than previous two stages. In my opinion Ghosn was right not refreeze the changes, the opening statement points to the need for constant change and transformation for a company to keep up with the changing environments that they work within. This therefore would count as criticism of the theory; as Lewin talks about the tactics for change but does not recognize that change should be constant and never ending, which is not the impression you get in his theory with the refreezing of culture which would represent an end to the change. Ghosn was very focused on the planned changes that he had in mind for Nissan, which could be seen as reasonable due to the short term nature of the plan. However with every planned change, the external environment can not be predicted with complete assurances. All companies have to deal with strategic drift (Johnson G, Scholes K Whittington R, 2005) which is when strategies fail to address the strategic position of the organisation, relative to the changing environment. Ghosn had not considered this at all in his plans and therefore had failed to acknowledge the potential importance of emergent change. This could have been critical had there been severe and critical changes to the external environment. For example if the banking crisis that has hit us now had happened ten years ago during implementation, did Ghosn have an alternative plan. Ghosn managed to implement effective change management techniques through the use of planned change and used Lewins three step model of change to rectify problems encountered by the restraining forces. Ghosn managed to minimize the resistance to change through the use of cross functional teams, the merit pay system, empowering employees, offering alternatives types of work for some of the people unfortunate enough to lose their jobs and showing his commitment to the challenge by stating he would resign if the goals were not achieved on time. A trait refers (Yukl, 2002) to a variety of individual attributes, including personality, temperament, needs, motives and values. Skills refer to (Yukl, 2002) the ability to do things in an effective manner and are determined by learning and heredity. The use of good traits and skills will have been used by Ghosn to successfully lead Nissan out of its crisis to meet the goals that he set for the company. Strategic leadership requires a managerial ability to (Thomas, 2010), anticipate and envision change whilst maintaining flexibility and empowering others to manage strategic change if necessary. Effective strategic leaders (Thomas, 2010) tend to be able to manage operations effectively, sustain a high performance, make better decisions than their competitors, and make courageous and pragmatic decisions. They must also understand how their decisions affect the internal systems and respect the feedback from peers and employees about their decisions and visions. The three factor taxonomy of skills shows (Yukl, 1994) that it can be broken down into these sections: Technical Skills, Interpersonal Skills and Conceptual skills. Ghosn shows his technical skills in reducing the amount of power train combinations and car platforms due to his knowledge of the processes required. This shows his strategic leadership in managing operations effectively and sustaining higher performance Interpersonal skills were shown when dedicating cross functional teams to identifying and eradicating the problems in the business. Changing to the merit pay system from the seniority system also showed his good interpersonal skills as by taking one away but replacing the lose with something better and more productive. This was a courageous decision as these strategies have never been contemplated before in Japanese businesses prior to Ghosns arrival. His conceptual skills were proved in his ability to reduce the production costs by as much as 20%, by cutting down on factories, employees, suppliers and dealers and managing to keep a positive spin on these cost cutting initiatives. This showed his ability to make better decisions than his Japanese competitors and therefore be a successful strategic leader. Ghosns personality proved to be charismatic as he holds traits of charisma (Conger Kanungo, 1988) such as being self confident and enthusiastic and willing to take personal risks, such as putting his job and reputation on the line. He challenged the status quo with things such as reducing dealerships and suppliers and introducing cross-functional teams. Ghosn was also innovative and unconventional in relation to how the Japanese operate normally, by instructing designers to produce 12 new cars for construction and changing the whole pay and promotion system in the company. Ghosn has shown a range of skills and traits that are needed to be a successful strategic leader, such as the interpersonal skills to convince people of a new vision and get them committed to the goals through his own strong beliefs and dedication to them. Empowering people was used to enable them to become more innovative and creative and to be able to identify and solve problems themselves. Ghosn managed to improve production efficiency with his conceptualization skills whilst showing the charisma to be able to challenge the status quos in a culture that has a naturally high level of uncertainty avoidance. A transformational leader is (Bass, 1985) someone who identifies the needed change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executes the change with the commitment of the followers. An empowering leader is (McLagan, Patricia Nel, Christo, 1995) someone who gives a clear vision, strategy and enabling tool kit. A change-orientated leader is (Tichy Devanna, 1990) someone who recognizes the need for change, creates a new vision and then institutionalizes the change. Ghosn was a transformational leader as he incorporated all of the 4 Is (see appendix 2) into his leadership style (Northouse, 2001). Ghosn managed to gain idealized influence through making a huge commitment to the goals that he set by putting his job on the line. This is a charismatic and confident thing to do that would have firmly set the belief that he was superiorly knowledgeable and capable. Inspirational motivation was clearly set out by Ghosn as he made his targets clear and bold as he released them all at once, whilst managing to avoid leakage to minimize criticism without understanding. The merit pay scheme would have also been motivational to employees as they would now know they could get recognition and promotion for other reasons than besides seniority. Ghosn managed to install intellectual stimulation to his employees through the use of cross functional teams that allowed them to be creative and innovative in their approach compared to their previous roles. He equally gave designers the same freedom to become innovative. Ghosn did also challenge organisation processes with the reduction in suppliers, distributors and the use of power trains and car platforms. Individualized consideration was also covered by the use of the merit pay system and each employee now has the potential to earn an additional 33% of their salary through bonuses. They can also now gain promotion when it was maybe not possible before under the old system. However he could have done more for the engineers as they gained criticism for overly detailed specifications on orders and having too much influence on designers, nothing was outlined on how they would be picked up after these knockdowns. A mentoring or coaching scheme could have been incorporated to help employees reach their personal goals more effectively to improve on this point this further. Ghosn was also a change-orientated leader as he did identify and implement changes but it was already obvious that change was needed, which is why Ghosn was brought to Nissan in the first place. Ghosn was equally an empowering leader as he gave his employees responsibility and roles they had not experienced before but he done so much more for Nissan than just empower employees as he made radical changes himself. These two leadership styles in my opinion are present for Ghosn but are only small parts of his repertoire and the overall picture, which is that they are aspects which feed into being a good transformational leader. Ghosn incorporates all three of the leadership styles but uses change and empowering leadership as tools to direct his transformational leadership style more effectively and to help achieve intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. With Ghosn making so many changes to Nissan, it was inevitable that some of these changes would affect the culture of the company and the issues that are aligned with them. One of the big cross cultural issues that had to be addressed by Nissan first was the action of reducing the number of suppliers to the company, which was seen as unprecedented in the past. This was because supplier relationships were deemed sacrosanct. Part of the problem was that Nissan was at the time part of the Keiretsu culture in Japan, this is where a large group of companies work with each other to the perceived benefit of one enough. It was seen as a safety net upon which they all owned shares in each other and kept each other safe. If Nissan were to get out of their current crisis bold moves had to be made in comparison to competitors, so moving away from this culture was essential. An equally important cross cultural issue that was changed at Nissan was the belief of having a job for life and promotion and pay based on seniority. When the merit pay system was brought in, this was to motivate employees to push for their promotions instead of simply waiting for them to happen. With the new procedures of accountability measured against the goals of the company introduced this showed the weak middle/upper management that needed replacing. This would have been a shock to the Japanese as their culture has always been to respect your elders; this was no longer the case with the new system in place. In Japanese culture there is a high level of uncertainty avoidance, this is when (Yukl, 2002) people fear ambiguous situations and seek security and stability. Ghosn challenged this culture by immediately putting people into cross functional teams to identify the problems with Nissan. Employees will have felt uncomfortable with this new style that had not been experienced before but will have quickly learned the benefits of working with other department managers and understanding the problems they face on a daily basis. This can be a attributed reason as to why the engineers were aloud to dominate the decision making on supply specifications and design for so long, as confrontation was not part of their culture and therefore no would have questioned their workings. Another cross cultural issue faced is the performance orientation (Yukl, 2002). Prior to Ghosn and his introduction of performance that could be measured against specific goals, the Japanese were very focused on maintaining relationships as they believed it was brand loyalty that would ensure repeat purchase. This can be linked to the sacrosanct relationships which they had with suppliers and distributors as well as their involvement in the Keiretsu culture that created this behaviour. Ghosn changed this philosophy of relying on brand loyalty and brought in the need to meet customer requirements which has made them incredibly more goal focused. The important cultural issues that needed to be changed at Nissan, was the movement away from the reliance of other companies and the relationships built with them to ensure the maximum working efficiency and productivity for themselves. It was equally as vital that employees realized they would not have an easy ride with a guaranteed job and promotion but that they had to work for these things and prove themselves worthy of such rewards; this will have improved efficiency and motivation for the workforce. It was also important for Nissan to move away for a high level of uncertainty avoidance and towards performance orientation, to allow the team to work more effectively and understand each others needs to make a more successful and dynamic team. References: Daniels, K. (2006) Employee Relations In An Organisational context. London. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free Press. Conger, J.A., Kanungo, R. (1988), Charismatic Leadership: The Elusive in Organizational Settings, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA Johnson G, Scholes K Whittington R (2005), Exploring Corporate Strategy 8th Edition, Harlow: Prentice Hall. Katz, D., Kahn, R. L. (1978). The social psychology of organisations, 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley. LEWIN, K. (1947).Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method, and reality in social science in Human Relations, Vol. 1(1), pp.5-42. McLagan, P. Nel, C. (1995). The Age of Participation, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco. Northouse, P. G. (2001). Leadership Theory and Practice, second edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Nystrom, P. C., Starbuck, W. H. (1984). To avoid organisational crises, unlearn. Organisational Dynamics, Spring, 53-65. THOMAS, G. (2010). Week 18: Leadership at the Executive Level. Birmingham. Aston University: Geoff Thomas. THOMAS, G. (2010). Week 19: Leading Change in Organisations. Birmingham. Aston University: Geoff Thomas. Tichy, N.M., Devanna, M.A. (1990), The Transformational Leader, John Wiley, New York Yukl, G., Gordon, A., Taber, T. (2002), A hierarchical taxonomy of leadership behavior: integrating a half century of behavior research, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Vol. 9 pp.15-32 Yukl, G. (1994). Leadership in Organisations. 7th Ed. New Jersey. Pearsons. Are Security Threats Real or Imagined? Are Security Threats Real or Imagined? Giulia Valeri Introduction As far as the discipline of International Relations is concerned, security and threat are highly-contested concepts (Baldwin 1997: 10). Far more often than not, their inner nature has been deeply influenced by the historical context in which the two notions were first moulded. Security threats, whether they be real and objective or imagined and subjective, is still a matter to be put into trial by the academics. In turn, if the issue was to be analysed from a non-scholastic point of view, people would refer to those feelings of insecurity that perturb them and influence their daily action. The spread of the belief that todays world is a dangerous universe, where it is best to play safe and to take all the precautions necessary to avoid the risk of being exposed to threatening situations, is rising consistently. But are there any real threats that can eventually put individuals in a position of danger or is this feeling of self-doubt a mere product of policy-makers cunning moves to ac hieve goals, such as gaining wealth and accumulating their power, while letting the individuals sink in growing uncertainties? In other words, are security threats real and objectively calculated, or are they socially constructed and subjectively perceived? The latter interrogative leads us in another direction. One could, in fact, argue that an answer to this controversial issue can only be formulated in the light of the analytical fragmentation and the subsequent interpretation of two dominant approaches in the field of IR, Realism and Social Constructivism. Being aware of such opposing approaches is not only plausible and reasonable from a logical point of view, but it is fundamental in order to solidly ground our understanding of the issue. In this essay, I will first attempt to give a clear explanation of what is meant by security according to the so-called traditional and critical views. Secondly, I will make a distinction between what counts as a referent object for realist a nd constructivists security policies. Thirdly, I will examine the process that an issue has to undergo in order to be prioritized over the others and to become an existential threat worthy of security measures. I will conclude by using a significant case study to analyse and explain why, in the international system, threats to security cannot be tied to a single approach, traditional or modern, but instead need to be reconsidered as a compromise made up of multiple layers. The ontological conceptualisation of security and the shift in the focus of inquiry. Throughout the centuries, the attempt to define security has been a task of major importance for several IR scholars. However clashing theoretical approaches might be, they all shared a common need, i.e. the conceptualisation of security as an ontological basis for any further argumentation. Notwithstanding this premise, not much attention has been devoted to clarifying this notion, therefore there is a persisting disagreement on what security means exactly and on whether it is desirable to give a definition in the first place. The reason why such disagreement has arisen has proved to be related to the various historical periods in which different approaches have developed. More specifically the Cold War, besides being materialised in terms of an Iron Curtain that demarcated the European boundaries between Capitalism and Communism, also acted as an ideological turning point between Realism and Constructivism. Realists point out that security is about safeguarding acquired values. Arnold Wolfers rephrased Walter Lippmans definition, arguing that security is the absence of threats to acquired values (Wolfers 1952: 485). David Baldwin later portrayed security as the low probability of damage to acquired values (Baldwin 1997: 13), arguing that there is way too much optimism in Wolfers absence of threat (Wolfers 1952: 485). These acquired values are nothing more than national independence and territorial integrity (Wolfers 1952: 489), and thus they objectively correspond to the nation-states selfish interests. In turn, constructivists emphasize that the notion of security is a social construct and, as such, should not be bound to a specific referent object. In his People, States Fear Barry Buzan asserts that the search for a referent object of security has to proceed hand-in-hand with that for its necessary conditions (Buzan 1991: 26). As the reader might have noticed, Security is usually discussed in terms of enumeration of new threats and the identification of capabilities needed to counter them, but there is little examination of the meaning of security as such (Wibben, Human Security: Toward an Opening: ) The clashing tension between the realist theorization and the constructivist approach comes to blows when trying to establish what the referent object of security studies should be. Should it always be the state or should it rather be relative to the questioned sector? This problematic derives from the significant shift in focus that has taken place, alongside a massive change in the balance of history as a result of the end of the Cold War. A realistic perspective: security threats are real and objectively analysed. A traditional approach to security threats has to be considered in the light of an objective assessment of the world out there or as it is. Realists act as an elite of scientists with very fixed conceptions of the surrounding environment. As such, they feel the need to adopt a scientific approach to knowledge (Browning, 2013: 13), meaning that they look at reality in an objective way and they hold a static state-centric vision. Instead of bolstering substantial changes, they pessimistically dictate how to best cope with the world as it is (Browning, 2013: 13). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the referent object of security studies is the state, and threats to security are all those directly posed to the state, all those menacing the survival of its core values. The nation-state is presented as the guarantor of security and, as such, it has the duty to act in a way that assures the safety of its boundaries. This entails every action to be inextricably tied to the states assump tions. Realists are convinced that the term security is the equivalent of national security interest (Wolfers, 1952: 481). As the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger put it, how realistically we perceive our national interests is a core security concern (Kissinger, 1976: 182). Exempli gratia, in the international system -which is anarchic- where egoistic and self-interested individuals proliferate, absolute security is irredeemable, and thus states believe that the only way to secure themselves from external military threats is to increase their military forces. Yet by doing so, other states might be led to think that policies of armament are objective synonyms of imminent attacks and, consequently, of real and tangible menaces. In the field of International Relations, this ironic cycle of unintended provocations (Kanji, 2003: 2) is often referred to as the security dilemma, i.e. the belief that increasing ones security means rising insecurity for others as each interprets its own measures as defensive and measures of others as potentially threatening (Herz, 1951: 7). At this point, one could legitimately ask: If everybody claims to perceive real threats, how is one supposed to identify real menaces, if present, with objectivity? Put in another way: Are all military affairs to be considered as real threats or are they real threats only in conditions of international anarchy? As the constructivist Wendt argued anarchy is what states make of it (Wendt 1992: 395), claiming that what is presented as a real threat in international anarchy is not necessarily a real threat in this world. Therefore, can one assume that threats are objectively the same regardless of their political allocation? The constructivist approach: security threats are socially constructed. How the community moulds the concept of securitization. In Wendtianian terms, a security threat is what actors make of it and, thus, by no means can they be objectively assessed. Unlike realists, constructivists act as analysts in charge of presenting how the general public and their leaders mutually construct dangers (Dannreuther 2007: 42), thereby framing our experience of the world. In their Security: a new framework of analysis Buzan, Weaver and De Wilde -prominent members of the Copenhagen School[1] argue that Security is when an issue is presented as posing an existential threat to a designed referent object. The special nature of security threats justifies the use of extraordinary measures to handle them. (Buzan, Waever, De Wilde 1998: 21) Before discussing how an issue, being prioritized over other issues, is presented as an existential threat, it is of essential importance to define what we mean by existential threat in the first place. An existential threat is whatever threatens the safety of somebody or something. As opposed to realists, who unceasingly commit themselves to a scientific state-centric vision, constructivists point out the need for each and every threat to be analysed in relation to the referent object of the sector in question, while sectors have been categorised as military, political, economic, societal and environmental. As for the military sector, the state is the entity that can possibly be in danger. For this reason, however much traditional security studies would try to pass off peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions as menacing in their nature, both might not be regarded as an existential threat to the nation-state. In the political sector, it is sovereignty that is the principle that c an be existentially threatened, so that Brexit, for instance, is the most prominent deterrent to the European Union. In the economic sector, the referent objects are firms, and the threat of bankruptcy may act as an ultimatum for their existence, while collective identities and individual species are respectively referent objects of the societal and environmental sector. One might rightly wonder: What, who and how is an issue transformed into a matter of security or shown to be existentially threatened? Buzan et al. asserts that the answer lies in a key-term, i.e. securitization. Securitization is the process by which a general issue is recognised as an existential threat. Yet this process is built up through consequential steps in which two actors play a key-role, the securitizing actor and the audience. The securitizing actor, alias a political leader, is someone who performs the securitizing move, rhetorically identified as the speech act[2]. The task consists in declaring a state of emergency by recurring to apocalyptic statements, such as If we do not tackle this problem, everything else will be irrelevant (because we will not be here or will not be free to deal with it in our own way). (Buzan, Waever, De Wilde 1998: 21) If and only if the securitizing move raises consensus and it is generally accepted by the audience, the issue is successfully securitized and it becomes an existential threat. Donald Trumps securitizing move, i.e. the Muslim ban, cannot be considered as being successfully securitized because the general public hasnt legitimated the speech act. Contrariwise, war is an empirical example of a successful securitization that, being so recurrent, ends up being institutionalized. Once an issue is securitized, it moves out of the realm of normal politics into the realm of emergency politics, where it can be dealt with swiftly and without the normal (democratic) rules and regulations of policy-making (Taureck 2006: 54; Buzan et al. 1998: 24). The securitizing actor and the audience democratically negotiate and establish what existential threats are under which circumstances. As Buzan et al. underline, security is a self-referential practice, because it is in this practice that the issue becom es a security issue -not because a real threat exists (Buzan et al. 1998: 24). From a constructivist point of view, the realists presumption of assessing threats objectively goes beyond humans means. Threats are in fact inter-subjectively constructed rather than being natural or inevitable (Newmann 2001: 247) since what constitutes a threat for one is not necessarily the referent object for the other (Buzan et al. 1998: 30). How social constructivism has challenged the traditional realistic view. Case study: nuclear weapons are real or imagined threats? almost anything can be a threat CATASTROPHIC, TOO pessimistic and deterministic (timeless and irrevocable)nature of the threats, analysis of the world in itself! assumption: It is out of humans domain to establish which threats are really threatening survival, they are inevitable and there is nothing to do except for facing the crude reality. It is not possible to consider a nuclear weapon in every case a threat. What if the missil tank is a peacekeeping force? At the same time, it is illogical to affirm that a nuvlear bomb of a powerful state is threating whereas a bomb of allies doesnt pose any threat. SELFISH construction of threats: with the excuse of needing to shiftthe focus of enwuiry of the individuals, impact of ideas and values (newmnn, 247). eventually defyning the concept of human security, they ended up prioritizing issues according to the selfish interests of the securitizing actor. For constructivists try to push the notion of human security forward, they somehow end up shadowing the selfish construction of security threats. Both bigo and wibben when experts push for particular forms in which security of humans ought to be prioritized. Bigo showed how the securitizing actor together with the general public has securitized immigration. Issues are prioritized according to selfish interest.   Wibben makes an important point that our conceptions of security come from specific political visions, underpinned by certain ontological and epistemological assumptions. For instance, when experts call for elevating human security as a security concern, they are pushing for particular forms in which the security of humans ought to be prioritised. I Politicians have used the policy of securitization to satisfy their own interests, being legitimated to do whatever through the speech act. Murray Edelman has explained how the social construct of the politicalspectacle works.He has demonstrated how the construction of situations as problems is useful for politicians: the politicians can manage them in order to justify their own authority. It enablesthem, for example, to negate other problems or to transform struc-tural difficulties into easy targets. (Bigo 2002: 68-69) the presupposition that it is possible to control the flow of individuals at the borders of thestate (bigo 1992:69) Murray Edelman, Pià ¨ces et rà ¨gles du jeu politique (Paris: Seuil, 1991),a translation of his Constructing the Political Spectacle (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), with a specific and important foreword7 Chandler (Security Dialogue, 2008): human security has reinforced rather than challenged existing policy frameworks and is too easily co-opted by political elites. Security is a social construct with the meaning ofsoceurity depending of what is done with it. taureck THESIS Threats are real in the sense that there is sth threating the survival of the individuals, yet this cannot be objectively assessed and it is not deterministically given They are imagined in the minds of the politicians andthen presented as threatening, yet it would be irrational to claim that the speech act has no correspondence to the external reality. . they are mediated by the meaning we ourselves give to nuclear weapons rather than to reality e.g. Constructivist assumption: a nuclear weapon doesnt pose a threat by itself (ARGUABLY YES) Why the US view North Koreas nuclear weapons as a threat and not Britains? UK Prime Minister Tony Blairs securitisation of Saddam Husseins WMD programme for the British public in the lead up to the 2003 invasion is a useful case study here. Depending on our reading of the Copenhagen School, the securitisation of Saddam and his WMD programme may have occurred exclusively through public representations depicting the regime and its WMD programme as imminently threatening, through the vote in Parliament legitimising http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1232/1/WRAP_McDonald_0671572-pais-270709-mcdonald_securitisation_and_construction_of_security_ejir_forthcoming_2008.pdf 23 Blairs deployment of troops, or even at the point of invasion itself. While the latter might seem the least likely reading, The system is not deterministically given Brhaviors are socially constructed and can therefore change. (newmann, 247). Threats are socially constructed rather than being natural or inevitable: identity and interest derive from the social processes of interaction leading to expectations of costs and benefits attached with different types of behaviour within a system (newmann, 248) Constructivists: Finally, three important constituents of a speech act are: its internal features (the security form, grammar of security, enunciation of an existential threat and so on); social conditions regarding the position of authority of the securitizing actor (how easily would the audience accept the claims of the securitizing actor); and features of the alleged threat (a tank is more threat-like than a comb, for instance; or to use our example above, a North Korea bomb is more threat-like than a British bomb for America because of the institutionalisation of the North Korean threat). Realists: whoever the nuclear weapon belongs to, it is a threat. A foreign tank crossing the border. Conclusion? Threats to security are real and tangible. One cannot deny that whoever is the owner of a nuclear weapon the presence of a nuclear weapon is menacing the international security commission. However, saying that threats are real is misleading and too generic. what each state perceives as a threat is a variable. allocation Rather, it is a blurred misrepresentation of the world out there. This is to highlight the fact that what is regarded as a real threat in anarchy, being what states make of it, is not an objective reflection of the real threats. It is simply a reflection of the dangers out there. , provided that actions are unavoidably bounded to mere states assumptions Is not insecurity of any kind an evil from which any rational policy maker would want to rescue his country? (Wolfers, National Security: 494) The world is not a universe of all against all From a real basis, security threats are developed and constructed according to the will and mis)perceptions of policy-makers. This is to say that some security threats are prioritized over some others and consequently they might be seen as a matter of national security worth of becoming part of the security agenda. A security threat is what is presented as a security threat A security threat is always the other state Bibliography BALDWIN, D. (1997) The concept of security. Review of International Studies 23: 5-26. BROWNING, C. (2013) International Security: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. BUZAN, B. (1991) People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era. London: Hemel Hempstead. BUZAN, B., WAEVER, O. AND J. DE WILDE (1998) Security: A New Framework for Analysis. London: Lynne Rienner, Chapter 2. DANNREUTHER, R. (2007) International Security: The Contemporary Agenda. Cambridge: Polity Press, Chapter 3. HERZ, JOHN H. (1951) Political Realism and Political Idealism. Cambridge University Press. KISSINGER, H. (1976) Documentation: Foreign Policy and National Security. International Security 1(1): 182-191. KANJI, O. (2003) Security. Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder.   http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/security>. NEWMANN, E. (2001) Human Security and Constructivism. International Studies Perspectives 2: 239-251. TAURECK, R. (2006) Securitization theory and securitization studies. Journal of International Relations and Development (9): 53-61. WENDT, A. (1992) Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization 46(2): 391-425. WIBBEN, A. (2008) Human Security: Toward an Opening. Security Dialogue 39(4): 455-462. WOLFERS, A. (1952) National Security as an Ambiguous Symbol. Political Science Quarterly 67(4): 481-502. [1] The Copenhagen School is a school of security studies, which was established in 1983 by Barry Buzan with his first publication of People, States Fear. [2] The term speech act is rooted in the linguistic philosophy of J. L. Austin and John Saerle and it emblematically represents the rhetorical structure of securitization.

Anne Bradstreet :: Free Essays

Anne Bradstreet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poem â€Å" Upon the Burning Of Our House, July 10th, 1666† by Anne Bradstreet is a poem about her house burning down. I can sympathize with many of her feelings in this poem because I shared many of them when my house was robbed. During the beginning of the poem she talks about her belongings that she lost and the things she would never do again, then towards the end she talks about how the incident brought her closer to God. Anne Bradstreet shows how living through a struggle, such as having your house burn down can bring you closer to God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"My pleasant things in ashes lie, And them behold no more shall I,† (108), shows the pain I felt in dealing with the loss that I suffered. I lost all of my money, my TV, and my stereo. I knew I would never get the opportunity to recover my lost items. â€Å"And to my God my heart did cry† (107), compares with the emptiness I felt when my family arrived home and saw the back door kicked in. At that point I didn’t want to continue into the house to find what had been taken from me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third stanza starts by saying, â€Å"And when I could no longer look, I blest His name that gave and took,† (107). After everything was over she realized that God had given her everything she had lost in the fire, and that she could once again receive those things from God. This relates to me being robbed in the fact that everything I lost was something that was not needed. This helped me to realize that material things aren’t going to make you happy, but the Love of God is. The last line of the play says, â€Å"My hope and treasure lies above.† (108). I believe that Anne Bradstreet became very spiritual after the fire and looked to God for the answer to everything.

Porpyria’s Lover

Porphyria’s Lover – Critical Essay by Scott Jackson Q – Choose a poem that is written in the form of a dramatic monologue. Explain how the poet exploits the features of a Dramatic Monologue in order to create a memorable impression of a character or event. In the poem ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ by Robert Browning the poet exploits the features of the of the poem style of dramatic monologue to create a memorable impression of the main character.The first device used to create the memorable impression is pathetic fallacy in lines two, three and four where the writer says; â€Å"The sullen wind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦Tore the elm tops down for spite†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦Did its worst to vex the lake:† respectively. These techniques are used to show the main character’s very negative and very depressed emotions at the start of the poem before he sees Porphyria.The effectiveness of this being in a dramatic monologue is we are able to view all of his emotions on a more personal level this in turn makes the character of the lover more memorable to the reader. This idea continues onto line five where the reader says, â€Å"†¦With heart fit to break† this is again another insight on a personal level to the characters emotions showing that he is extremely saddened and it emphasizes the character more within the reader as we are seeing things purely from the character’s point of view.Another device used to create an impression of the character within the reader was in line six when the writer says â€Å"and glided in Porphyria† this shows that the character of Porphyria is very gracious and also very beautiful through the eyes of the main character it also shows the character has emotional feeling towards Porphyria in the sense that he is in love with her which gives the reader insight into the mind of the main character and aids in making them more memorable to the reader through th e use of dramatic monologue to display emotions.The main characters emotions are displayed through onto line 7 when the main character feels now quite pleased that Porphyria has arrived; the writer says, â€Å"She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheeriness grate. † This again shows that the main character is in love with Porphyria as it has been shown through the dramatic monologue that she was able to change his mood from being somewhat depressed and unhappy to suddenly becoming quite cheerful.The reader is able to notice the strong emotional changes that occur in the main character and this helps create a more memorable impression of him. The main character develops a high level of sexual excitement and felt like the character of Porphyria was finally falling in love with him. In lines fourteen to twenty-one the writer says, â€Å"†¦ She sat down by my side And called me. When no voice replied, She put my arm around her waist, And made her sm ooth white shoulder bare, And all her yellow hair displaced,And stooping, made my cheek lie there, And spread o’er all, her yellow hair, murmuring how she loved me† Repetition of the word ‘and’ at the start of every line is used to display the build up of excitement within the main character as he watches every movement of Porphyria the main character believes that Porphyria is now in love with him and later in the poem even expresses that she now ‘worships’ the main character this is said at the pinnacle of the main characters sexual excitement.The writer uses the dramatic monologue to exploit the sexual feelings that the main character has towards Porphyria and thus the reader knows more about the character from an emotional perspective and this aids in creating a lasting impression on the reader. The tone of the poem changes in line 40 when a new development occurs and the reader is given more of an insight into the main character in the sen se that he has a psychotic impulse to murder Porphyria the writer says in line 40, â€Å"†¦ And strangled her; no pain she felt. The motive behind the strangulation of Porphyria is possible to have been a sexual incompetence in the main character and due to this it is required if he is to have any sexual pleasure at all he must inflict pain on the victim, in this case Porphyria. Also another way of knowing he is insane is when he says she felt no pain, he of course would not know if she had felt any pain however the reason given in the poem is in line 43 where the writer says, â€Å" I warily opened her lids: againLaughed the blue eyes without a stain. † The main character uses this as justification as to why she felt know pain it also in a way shows that he still cares for Porphyria, as he was concerned about her feeling pain when he took her life. The writer has used dramatic monologue to display the insanity within the main character the shock of this development has created a new impression of the main character on the reader and this was only done through the narrative style of the poem.In conclusion the narrative style of dramatic monologue has been exploited by the writer to create a lasting impression of the main character on the reader and has been done very effectively through the use of pathetic fallacy in the first few lines to display the characters emotions and the sudden change of personality in the character to create a lasting effect and made the character more memorable to readers.

Free sample - Death. translation missing

Death. DeathSuzan -Lori Parks is an American artist, who stayed in Germany for quite some time when she was young. As a writer, she received several awards in 2001 and 2002 consecutively. Parks was heavily influenced by Faulkner’s book ‘As I Lay Dying’, written in multiple perspectives. Her own version, ‘Getting Mother’s Body’, borrows heavily from Faulkner’s book in terms of stylistic devices and plot arrangement. On the other hand, William Faulkner who at one time was awarded an award for literature back in 1950s was a child of Murray Charles. Born in America, his writing skills are well known with several stories and novels to his credit. His style of writing is connected to modernism European literature; which is why the reader unless very keen and highly intuitive, cannot grab anything until may be later in the text. Back in 1930, ‘As I Lay Dying’ was brought in the lime light by William Faulkner. The text revolves around Addie Bundren sickness, her eventual death and burial ceremony. In the text, the author uses the family of the deceased to communicate their information through monologue. The late is not caught in many incidences by the reader using monologue apart from when she is pronouncing her burial site. In this article, the focus will be in one specific way in which Lori Parks in her text Getting Mother’s Body 2003, echoes and perhaps rewrites William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying 1930. It will focus on how a specific theme of death is focused in the latter as echoed in the former. The essay will bring on the surface how death is witnessed in the two books beyond the literal meaning of the word. Like for example, how is death experienced in marriages? What causes the death of characters? How is it received by the bereaved? In the two books, the theme of death is evident and is being represented by the two mothers in each case.   Just like in Faulkner’s book where the family is moving with the body of their dead mother in preparation for burial in the upcountry, in Parks text, Billy Beede is soliciting for support from his close friends and family to help get the body of her mother given that the burial location is being taken over by a shopping mall enterprise. In Parks’ text, the mother’s blues songs are used symbolically by the author to show her message while in Faulkner’s text the mum talks while in the burial box. In this text, the author engineers the death of Billy’s mother to come when she is only ten years of age and this leaves her with a lot of problems as the only people who can take care of her is the aunt and the uncle. On the other hand, Faulkner brings on the surface the little children of Addie when she dies. Although the father is still alive, the family is very poor and they even struggle to give her a decent burial. In Getting Mother’s Body by Parks, the death of Billy’s mother left her so disappointed now that she was an orphan and she was living in Texas town which was being associated with poverty. This is also the same case in Faulkner’s text when Cash the eldest son of Addie makes her a coffin way before she had died. The death of Addie Bundren in Faulkner’s text is received by the family members differently. The youngest son Vandram likens her death to that of a fish he manages to trap some hours back. He is so disturbed that her mother is closed in a box. Just like Billy Beede gets pregnant while still a teenager, the same happens to Dewey Dell in Faulkner’s book in that she gets pregnant while still a teenager. Another echo in form of thematic concern of death by Parks is the death that is experienced in marriages. In the text ‘Getting Mother’s Body’, Billy is unfortunate to get pregnant while she is hardly eighteen years of age. On getting pregnant, she parts way with her estranged boyfriend. This can be viewed as a death of a relationship which emanates from the love that the two had dying. On the other hand, in the text ‘As I lay Dying’ Faulkner’s exposes Dewey Dell as experiencing the same type of death in her affair with Lafe. This is clearly brought immediately after her mother dies so much so that she is so frustrated that she cannot even be in a position to mourn the death of her mother. Going by this, it is evident that parks echoed Faulkner’s book only that in the latter’s text the girl gets pregnant immediately her mother dies while in the former’s it come after some time. In Parks text, ‘Getting Mother’s Body’ the sudden death of Willa Mae’s marriage is brought out. When this happens, she decides to move in with Dill Smiles. After some time Billy is born although she is dark skinned owing to her mother’s many lovers. This is after the death of her former marriage which equally does not seem to work magic for her. On the other hand, in Faulkner’s text, the marriage of Addie Bundren is headed for the rocks due to poverty. This leads to constant quarrels between her and Anse Bundren her husband. The theme of death is further emphasized in the two books on how the bereaved behave upon the death of a loved one. For instance, when Willa Mae succumbs, owing to self induced miscarriage, Dill Smiles, upon receiving the shocking information, avails himself in hospital just in time to offer her a decent burial as the deceased had requested. Willa, as it is revealed in the text, had been buried with very expensive jewels. This is a clearly indication how the dead are honored by those left behind. On the other hand, the death of Addie Bundren is taken with a lot of seriousness by all and sundry in Faulkner’s text. Upon her death after a long illness, her son Cash takes his time to build a coffin just for his mother. He does this with a lot of seriousness as he takes into account all his skill to come up with something magnificent just for her mother. On the burial ceremony day, the same honor for the dead is witnessed where people sing in honor of Addie. The men are also seen o bserving silence as a sign of respect and honor to the deceased. In the same way dill smiles honors the wish of Willa Mae on where she will be buried, Anse Bundren tries so much to honor the request of her wife although by the time she dies he is very broke. It is amazing how the dying women talk in their deathbed. In Parks’ text, ‘Getting’s Mother’s Body’, Willa talks to dill smiles on where to be buried. She also reveals her affair with an affluent man who gave her an expensive ring. She requests to be buried with it. In Faulkner’s text, Addie Bundren talks on her deathbed about her affair with a rich man from the town. This she says led to a very miserable marriage to her husband Anse Bundren. It is the same infidelity that resulted to the birth of Jewel just like in Parks’ it led to Billy’s birth. The theme of death is further emphasized in different ways by the two authors. In Parks’ text, the death is symbolically brought through self induced miscarriage by Willa Mae. It is clearly seen in the text how the writer engineered Willa’s death through abortion that turns sour. This is meant by the author to show the reader how dangerous abortion is, that it can result to death. In Faulkner’s text, the author uses the younger son to compare the death of Willa with that of a fish. It can be explained to say that the death of the fish is symbolic of Willa’s death just as the young son observes. It is also surprising how everybody relates everything to death. Upon the death of her mother Jewel also tends to think that his horse was dead. In a strange but equally humorous way, the two authors bring on the surface the death of the unborn. In Parks’ text, Willa Mae meets her death while she was trying to kill the unborn child in her womb. As fate would have it the unfortunate happens. This might have been used by the author to caution on the dangers that comes with abortion. In Faulkner’s book, Dewey Dell attempts to commit the same mistake that Willa did although her efforts to try and buy a medicine to induce abortion is cut short by a pharmacy attendant who takes her to bed. Finally, the last nail on the coffin of Anse’s marriage to Addie is witnessed when he introduces his new bride to his children. In conclusion, Parks’ text, ‘Getting Mother’s Body’ borrows heavily from Faulkner’s text ‘As I lay Down’ in many perspective. The same thematic concerns addressed in the former’s book are the same in the latter’s. All in all, parks have given the story a different meaning and it sounds more interesting compared with the original text.

ICT in Education

ICT in Education Introduction Information and Communication Technology is among the most indispensable tools that the business world relies on today. Virtually all businesses, in one way or another, rely on technology tools to carry out operations. Other organizations like learning institutions are not left behind technology-wise. ICT is increasingly being employed in contemporary learning institutions to ease the work of students and teachers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on ICT in Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Among the most commendable successes of employing ICT in learning institutions is e-learning in which the ICT tools are used in accessing classrooms remotely. This paper explores the importance of the tools of the tools of ICT in education and the roles that these tools have played in making learning better and easier. Teachers and their role in education Teachers are the scholars who have mastered specific subje cts that form part of their specialty and help in imparting knowledge on students. Some of the roles that teachers play in academic institutions include designing of syllabuses, preparing of timetables, preparing for lessons and convening students for lessons, and carrying out continuous assessments on students. Others include keeping of records of academic reports, disciplinary records and other records related to the activities of students in school like the participation of students in games and other activities. E-Learning In cases where there are limitations such that it is impossible to convene people and resources together for learning. E-learning provides a very important and convenient way of teaching people. In such a case, a teacher provides learning materials and lessons online which can be accessed by his/her students at their convenient. The materials can be audio files of recorded classroom lessons, audio-visual files for lessons requiring visual information like prac tical or even text documents and hypertext documents (Tinio 1). This method of teaching is also convenient for teachers because they are able to record lessons at their convenience and assessment of students involves less documentation. This is because with the use of the internet, teachers are able to upload assignments and continuous assessments on the e-learning systems and after students are done with the assignments, they use the system or emails to send their completed assignments to their teachers. This comes with a number of advantages which are brought about by having student’s completed assignments in soft copies.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of these advantages is that feedback from teachers will be timely and it will be convenient for the teachers. Teachers can also use technology tools such as plagiarism software to check if students have copied th e works of other scholars and thus establish the authenticity of the assignment. It can thus be argued that although e-learning systems have their disadvantages, they are very instrumental in teaching people whose schedules are tight and who may have limitations as far as accessing the classroom is concerned. Therefore technology has been an influential and essential tool in the career of education and several innovations have been made that have made teaching a much easier career. The paragraph below discusses other ways in which technology has been employed in the education career. Other uses of ICT in education Teachers can also use the tools of ICT in other functions. One such function is the keeping of the records of student performances and other kind of records within the academic institution. This can be done by uploading the information in a Management Information System for the school or college which should have a database for supporting the same. The information can also be stored in soft form in Compact Disks, Hard Drives, Flash Disks or even Digital Video Disks (Obringer 1). This ensures that information is properly stored and backed up and also ensures that records are not as bulky as they would have been in the absence of the tools of ICT. Such a system also ensures that information can easily be accessed and also ensures that proper privacy of the data is maintained. Another way in which teachers can use the tools of ICT to ease their work is by employing tools like projectors for presentations of lessons, iPads for students, computers connected to the internet for communicating to students about continuous assessments and the like (Higgins 1). This way, the teacher will be able to reduce the paperwork that he /she uses in his/her work and this is bound to make his/her work easier. For instance, if the teacher can access a projector, he/she can prepare a presentation of a lesson to for his/her students and this way, he will not have to carry t extbooks, notebooks and the like to the classroom for the lesson. The teacher can also post notes and relevant texts for a given course on the information system for the school or on an interactive website and thus he/she will have more time for discussions during lessons. Teachers can also, I consultation with IT specialists, develop real time systems where students can answer questions related woo what they have learnt in class and get automated results through the system (Masie 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on ICT in Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This will help the students in understanding the concepts taught in class better and, this way, teachers will have less workload. Such websites will also help teachers to show the students how questions related to their specialty are framed early enough so that students can concentrate on knowledge acquisition during class hours. This is as opposed to a c ase where the students remain clueless of the kind of questions they expect in exams and spend most of their time preparing for exams rather than reading extensively to acquire knowledge. ICT can also be sued by teachers to advertise the kind of services they offer in schools and also advertise the books and journals they have written. This can be achieved by the use of websites for the school or for the specific teachers or professors. Conclusion As evidenced in the discussion above, ICT is a very instrumental tool in education as a career. The specific tools of ICT used in education in as discussed above include the use of ICT in distant-learning, storage of student performance and other relevant information in databases and storage media, use of tools of ICT in classroom like projectors, iPads and the like. Since the invention of the internet and subsequent popularity of computers, a lot of functions of education as a career have been made simpler. These include administration of continuous assessments, marking of continuous assessments, giving feedback to students and even checking the originality of the ideas expressed in the assignments and examinations. All in all, the impact that ICT has had in educational institutions is so much that school life without ICT is somehow impossible for people who are accustomed to using ICT. Higgins, Steve. â€Å"Does ICT improve learning and teaching in schools†. 2007. Web. Masie, Shank. â€Å"What is electronic learning?† 2007. Web. Obringer, Ann. â€Å"How E-Learning Works†. 2008. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tinio, Victoria. â€Å"ICT in Education†. 2008. Web.

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 6

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example The fan YouTube video shows Jolie meeting her many fans. The video shows Jolie signing autographs for her eager fans. The visual & sound video shows fans were taking pictures of their idol. Meanwhile, Jolie’s bodyguards ensure Jolie’s safety and security. Several comments affirmed one of the Jolie fans fainted, dispelling the accident claim. The initial news reports indicated the fan met an avoidable fan accident. By staying away from the places where Jolie frequents, fan accidents can be literally avoided. With a large fan crowd, the fans must expect it is more difficult to step beside Jolie. For the faint of heart, it is highly advisable to stay away from Jolie’s path. In order to avoid being crushed by other Jolie fans, one fan insisted they must not rush towards their idol. Jolie agreed to have an avid fan her picture (Primary). The Jolie fan’s YouTube video showed both Jolie and husband Brad_Pitt greeting their fans. The video scene was taken during the 2014 film_Independent Spirit Awarding ceremony. Some video viewers commented they did not like Jolie’s question. Other fans opined Jolie’s question was meant to be funny. Another fan insisted Jolie’s questioning seemed seriously uttered. Another video videor emphasized some fans treat Jolie as a movie goddess (Primary). The YouTube video shows another fan’s coverage of Jolie doing humanitarian work. The scene shows Jolie carrying carry a young African boy. The fan uploaded the video to show she is proud of Jolie’s humanitarian work. In another scene, Jolie is seen visiting some bedridden refugees. Another scene showed Jolie was crying as she felt some individuals succumb to the harsh realities of life. The fan likes how Jolie would go visit the children of native African community. Jolie’s humanitarian efforts affirms Jolie goes out her way to beneficially improve the lives of the world’s poor families. Many

Management Information and Communication Systems (MICS) Assignment

Management Information and Communication Systems (MICS) - Assignment Example This is because it helps in the management of resources that is at the disposal of the organisation in such as way that a little resource can be used to achieve several constitute components of the organisational processes. By extension, any organisation that is implementing MICS must be in a position to do things right and in the best approach to achieve needed results. There are times that organisations may be found to be in very good positions to execute IT and e-commerce for themselves. There are other times that doing this for themselves simply do not seem the best way out. In such instance where going about IT and e-commerce does not seem the best way out for an organisation, it tends to resort to the outsourcing of IT and e-commerce. Given the important role that MICS plays in organisation and the fact that it is not always that organisations will be in a position to undertake such IT processes for themselves, the paper seeks to critically discuss reason why organisations outsource IT and e-commerce. IT and e-commerce outsourcing will thus be treated as constitute components of the larger concept of MICS in this paper. To this better, the nature of MICS as a collective concept in organisational management shall be reviewed. This will lead up to an understanding of how MICS helps organisations to improve their management decision making, noting that the outcome of the organisation’s processes is largely dependent on its management decision making (quote). After noting the nature of MICS and how it improves management decision making, the various strategies of MICS in different organisations shall be examined. More particularly, the researcher will be looking into the case of small and medium scale enterpri ses (SMEs) and large multinational companies (MNC). As these different organisations engage in MICS strategies, the factors they consider to yield innovation and some of the key limitations