The EU and US Data Protection Approaches and their Sustainability Essay

The EU and US Data Protection Approaches and their Sustainability - Essay Example The US has also mounted a scathing attack at the EU Data Protection Directive claiming that it is fast becoming outdated and with time its practicability in implementation will deteriorate (Bercic and George, 2009). Herein after this paper takes a look at the different approaches used by the US and the EU to protect individual’s personal data and which among the two approaches is sustainable in the long run. Data Protection in the Europe With the internet boom starting to take place in the mid-90s, the European countries saw it fit to come up with one regulatory framework that will ensure that the data is about to be generated and shared among users will be safe. Instead of each country independently regulating their own information technology industry, common guidelines were instituted on where each country will base their data protection laws. This regulatory framework was known as the EU Data Protection Directive (Long and Quek, 2002). All member countries, who are also sig natories of the European Commission on Human Rights (ECHR), were required to enforce the provisions therein in within the first three years. The EU Data Protection Directive This is a directive that is meant to protect data and regulate its usage within the European Union. It has 34 articles providing specific instructions about how data should be handled in specific situation. It is based on 3 principles; transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality (Tavani, 2007). The issue of transparency is covered from article 7 through 12. Using this principle the Directive states that the data subject reserves a right to be informed when his personal data is being collected for processing. The data controller is the person or the... This essay focuses on the US and the EU that are among the blocs that have been on the forefront to promote data protection and hence privacy. The right to privacy is a fundamental human right that is presented as a main focus of the essay. Whereas the US has no specific regulation scheme that is designed to regulate the collection, processing and transfer of personal information, the EU has one. The US has also mounted a scathing attack at the EU Data Protection Directive claiming that it is fast becoming outdated and with time its practicability in implementation will deteriorate. Herein after this essay takes a look at the different approaches used by the US and the EU to protect individual’s personal data and which among the two approaches is sustainable in the long run. After taking into considerations all these factors that were explored by the researcher, it is clear that the EU approach is more sustainable in the long run. The reasons are that though it is sparingly fl exible it does not require this flexibility as it is not the final regulation but just the framework, the member countries can revise their data protection rules as the environment changes provided they are within the framework. The current EU Data Protection Directive is still serving the critical stimulus role to taking data protection very seriously, abandoning it would be disastrous, and instead it should be a reference model for other countries or blocs. The idea of an international standard is the only way to foster globalization in this technological era.

How Effective Was English Foreign Policy 1515 -1529 Essay Example for Free

How Effective Was English Foreign Policy 1515 -1529 Essay How effective was English Foreign Policy by Eniola (Enny) Salau The English Foreign Policy from 1515 to 1528 can often be described as incoherent; this is because the aims of foreign policy from 1515 to 1529 kept altering due to the change in balance of power in Europe. This meant that for England to keep acting as the centre for European affair the foreign policy would have to keep changing. A result of this was that the foreign policy seemed ineffective due to lack of structure, the high costs, and few territorial acquisitions was the traditional opinion on the foreign policy that it was a failure. However with all of these mentioned factors the foreign policy could also have been seen as very effective. This was due to its ability to adapt to situations that arose in the period 1515 to 1529. If you break down this time period into smaller sections you can look at them individually and see where the foreign policy was effective on a smaller scale. When looking at this way it is easier to get a bigger picture as to how effective the foreign policy actually was. Gaining international recognition and influence for England was a big part of Henry’s foreign policy; this was because England had not been an active part of European affairs since the end of the hundred year’s war in 1453. So with Henry’s ascension to the throne and wanting to make g his mark this was a very important factor on judging how effective the foreign policy was because this was one of the more consistent of the factors of the foreign policy from 1515 to 1529. An example was in 1513 Henry gained Tournai and Therouanne, this is a good example of how the foreign policy was effective as Tournai was a significant achievement as although it wasn’t a city of great economic or strategic importance it was internationally known therefore bringing England prestige, this would add to the international recognition got England. The capture of Therouanne in the same year also meant that Henry was gaining an ally and this was another factor that links in with whether or not the foreign policy was effective. This was because with Therouanne once England captured Therouanne it was given to Maximilian who wanted it and then burnt to the ground. Connections with Maximilian due to this exchange would increase England’s international influence as he was now in the league of major personalities in European affairs. Also during England’s campaigns in 1512-13 Emperor Maximilian served under the English flag and pay. This would build up English influence as it would mean that countries less important than England would start to look towards England as a powerful force as it had been good enough for the Holy Roman Emperor. This also links to personal glory and status of Henry during this period. Success at the Battle of the spurs and battle of Flodden in 1513 also increased England’s influence as it showed that England was eliminating enemies on the continent and those closer to home, showing that England was a powerful force even though she may not have been as powerful as countries such as England and France. During 1512 to 1513 the successful examples above shows that the foreign policy was very effective and did implement Henry’s aims. Although these examples also have negatives as territorial acquisition is a factor that can influence a country’s international recognition and influence as the more land you have the more powerful you were but due to what little territory was actually acquired with all the effort that was put in this made gaining international influence and recognition was a failure therefore making the foreign policy ineffective during 1512 – 13. Contrastingly from 1518 to 1521 the foreign policy could be seen as effective in gaining international influence and recognition for England as in 1518 the Treaty of London gained international recognition for England as using the international influence gained from 1512-1513 England had been able to bring the twenty leading states of Europe together and make them adapt a policy of collective security and be at peace with one another. Henry and Wolsey also used this as an opportunity to gain more influence as the Treaty of London meant that they had removed some of the power from the Holy Roman Empire as it had originally been the Pope’s plan. The Bruges Treaty of 1521 showed that England’s influence had some a long way since 1512 as both France and the Holy Roman Empire had been bidding for English support. Although this period can also be seen as showing that the foreign policy had been ineffective in gaining England international recognition and influence as the land that had been gained (Tournai) was now being given away to France in the Treaty of London so nothing significant had been gained as it had been an exchange instead. Overall the foreign policy was effective in gaining England international support and influence as this provided bargaining tools for the future but with hindsight the foreign policy didn’t actually gain much recognition and influence for England. Acquiring personal glory and status was a big part of Henry’s aims as he wanted to be seen as a chivalrous and valiant king. Examples of how the foreign policy was effective in succeeding this aim were in the Battle of Flodden 17th September 1513 and the Battle of the Spurs 16th August 1513. Henry had shown that his army could be victorious with and without him leading as he had such a powerful military this enhanced his own personal status that the Battle of Flodden had been won while he was on the campaign in France. Although this can also be seen as a failure of the foreign policy as it showed that Henry wasn’t that successful a king as the battle of Flodden arranged and organised by his wife Catherine of Aragon, which removed the Scottish menace to England for years to come. This therefore upstaged Henry’s victory in the Battle of the Spurs was not a personal glory for him. The Field of Cloth of Gold was also an example of how Henry and Wolsey used the foreign policy to acquire personal glory and status. Even though it was not the most significant in terms of making policies and deals it did show that the Henry was at the same level as Francis I in 1520. This asserted England’s status in European affairs. Again in August 1525 in the Treaty of the More the agreement to receive pensions from the French meant added possible glory for Henry as in his campaign in 1513 he believed that he would be able to go back to France in 1514 and be crowned the King of France but due to a la ck of funds he was unable to return. This meant that the pensions that would be received as a result of the Treaty of the More could eventually lead to personal glory for England leading on to an elevated status. Although towards the end of this period in foreign policy all of England’s efforts to have increased glory an status appeared to be a waster as in 1529 in the League of Cambrai England became isolated as Francis 1 and Charles V had agreed to bring fighting to an end this meant that England could no longer act as an arbiter was no longer an equal to France like it had been during the Field of Cloth of Gold. Although during the later years of the foreign policy there were some successes such as the Treaty of Westminster in April 1527 which meant that there was a perpetual peace between England and France, Francis I had also agreed that either him or he’s second son would marry Mary I this would assert England’s status and give Henry a personal glory as he had made a useful connection and deve loped an alliance. This would therefore make the foreign policy more effective in the later years. However incoherency of the foreign policy did dampen the glory of the later years of the foreign policy as in 1526 due to the League of Cognac Henry had agreed to fight Charles if he refused to join the peace, this meant that war was declared on France in 1528. England declared war but didn’t cut off trade as the profitability of the English cloth market was extremely dependent on the Flanders Cloth market. Due to this â€Å"double-play† situation England was left humiliated and so removing most of the status and glory that had been developed for England with the foreign policy from 1515 -1529. Generally the foreign policy was quite effective in acquiring personal glory and status as it meant that England wasn’t constantly working towards gaining more and even though they were losses they were equally matched with victories. Gaining territory or control over France as mentioned in the theme of gaining international influence and recognition for England was a big issue for Henry as France was England’s traditional enemy, also Henry had wanted to revive the victories of Henry V and take back lands that he believed England held claim to. As we know a lot of Henry’s Foreign policy was based around going to war so this should have been a theme that the foreign policy was actively trying to make the most effective part of the foreign policy from 1515 to 1529. In the early Henry did manage to gain Tournai in 1513 which was internationally known and did act as a bargaining tool in the Anglo-French Treaty in 1518, as it was a result of this that France signed the Treaty of London. Therouanne was another acquired territory in 1513 but it was given away to Maximilian and burnt to the ground making it a waste of resources as they didn’t gain any extra land, but it did mean that Tournai was easie r to capture as the people of Tournai feared Maximilain so believed it would be easier to give into England. England also had the advantage of having funding to be able to attack France so as to be able to gain control and territory in France, for instance in 1523 parliament grating Wolsey money for the attack on France and the forced loans of 1522 and 1523 provided even more money. This should have meant that the foreign policy was very effective as England now had the funding to attack France which had been all that had stopped England in 1514. Although several things stood in England’s way for instance in 1515 when Francis I allowed the Duke of Albany to return to Scotland an replace Margaret as regent this removed the English influence in Scotland and also meant England’s two enemies were now linked causing a bigger threat an making England to lose control over them. The failure of Bourbon in August 1523 to rally up support to rebel against Francis I ruined Henry and Wolsey’s chances of beating France. In this factor England’s successful alliance with Charles would have given England the chance to gain territory and control over France as when Charles defeated Francis at Pavia in 1525 Henry had wanted to gain some land but failed to due to the lack of things to actually offer to Charles in return as Charles no had everything he actually wanted. This was one of the least effective parts of the foreign policy from 1515 to 1529, this was because England didn’t gain any land but instead gave lots away and in doing so also gave away his right to attempt to gain these lands back, so England had made a loss with this factor in the way foreign policy had been set out in terms of gaining territory and control over France. Managing the finance of the wars was one of the themes of the foreign policy for this time frame that can be seen as a failure as the cost of the wars and campaigns were just too expensive in comparison to what was actually got in return. This is because on average England had an income of about  £110,000 while from 151 to 1525 Henry spent  £1.4 million on warfare, this is made even worse by the fact that there was no real tangible gains at the end of 1529. Successes of being able to manage the finances were that there was always a place to draw money from for instance in the heavy parliamentary taxation in 1523-4 and the forced loans of 122 and 23; this meant that there wasn’t ever a massive shortage of money. This could also be seen a s a hindrance for Henry as this supply of money may have been the reason for him entering campaigns for the benefit of allies or even â€Å"potential† allies even if they didn’t have that great a benefit for England. Also for Henry to be able to compete with countries such as France and the Holy Roman Empire he would need to spend like this. For instance France had an annual income of  £350,000 while the Holy Roman Empire had an annual income of  £560,000. Although this supply of money wasn’t always available, for instance, failure of the amicable grant in 1525 due to the taxpayers revolt. This was not an effective part of foreign policy as it did not make use of the supplies that had been provided for England, such as the money that had been saved by Henry VII. Making alliances was an important part of the foreign policy an ought to have been very effective this was because to do anything you usually need the support of other countries especially in the case of England where it was not the very strongest companies and the opponents were often stronger. Overall Henry and Wolsey’s foreign policy didn’t make any alliances that were beneficial 100% of the time, but they did make several alliances that did benefit them most of the time. Although the alliances that were made did have advantages in the short term but not necessarily in the long term. Making alliances with almost all of the key players in Europe meant that the foreign policy in this time was very effective as it allowed Henry to get the most out of people around him. Examples of where Henry was able to successfully develop alliances was with the Treaty of London in 1518 Henry and Wolsey were able to get alliances with both Ferdinand and Charles by being an arbiter or peace, this meant that England was preventing being isolated and was using both leaders to England’s advantages. The Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 was also important to making reliable alliances as even though it appeared that England was taking France’s side Henry and Wolsey had cleverly planned it by meeting Charles before the Field of Cloth of Gold and afterwards at Gravelines. Once again using both leaders to his advantage. Although this did affect how effective the foreign policy as the distrust built up between Henry and alliances meant that in the future when Henry wanted something from the allies they could very easily turn on him like after Pavia in 1525 when Charles didn’t give Henry parts of France even though they were allies at the time and it was what Henry had wanted. Henry also used his alliances to get money and gain a position of neutrality. Where the foreign policy failed to make reliable alliances was with the Treaty of Cambrai in 1517 where an agreement was made between France and Charles meaning that everything Henry had tried to avoid had happened. The switching of alliances was also a way of preventing one power or country becoming extremely powerful and being able to rule all so setting them off against each other and never permanently assigning themselves to one or the other meant that England was able to keep the balance of power spread and not heavily based around one country. Getting Henry a divorce was one of the more personal aspects of the foreign policy, this was because the divorce had more negative effects for England than it did positive effects yet it was what Henry wanted. The foreign policy was effective in getting Henry closer towards getting a divorce as after the Treaty of London in 1518 Henry was held high up in the church and was a Papal Legate therefore he could influence the Pope’s decision or at least try and get the divorce solved in a way that would benefit Henry such as having the case solved in England. Henry’s alliance with Charles who was the Holy Roman Emperor could help him, although this didn’t go to plan as the foreign policy failed to help Henry get a divorce as Charles was Catherine of Aragon’s nephew and was therefore opposed to the divorce and would therefore do anything to stop it. After the sack of Rome in 1527 the Pope was under Charles’ power, so therefore unlikely to grant the annulment for Henry against Charles’ wishes. Also toe Pope wasn’t in support of Henry after he stole the idea for the Treaty of London right from underneath him in 1520. This is an example of how although the foreign policy was ineffective as all of the effort sometimes amounted to nothing. In conclusion I believe that the fact that Henry was struggling to get a divorce is a good example to summaries why the foreign policy was ineffective this was because due to the unreliable allies and the constant drive for international influence an recognition Henry had failed to develop political friendships that he so desperately needed when it came to personal matter like the divorce. It was also the incoherency of the foreign policy that added to this. Although the foreign policy couldn’t be dismissed as being totally ineffective even though it did put very extreme stains on resources such as money with the heavy expenditure on warfare, it did result in the most manipulative and beneficial way to run a country of England’s size and status without getting too actively involved as the tense relationship between Francis I and Charles V made it very difficult to hold a position of neutrality. The foreign policy was effective on the short term as it did more than once give useful results; the advantage of this was that it meant that if there was a problem, with the foreign policy it could be easily adapted to benefit England. Therefore the incoherency and lack of structure in the foreign policy for England led to a policy that was best suited to the ever changing centre of power for Europe from 1515 to 1529.

Autonomy and Responsibility of the United States During the Space Race :: Essays Papers

Autonomy and Responsibility of the United States During the Space Race At the end of World War Two there emerged two world superpowers. The United States and the U.S.S.R had entirely different ideologies. The Soviet Union attempted to expand their ideologies westward and southward. Only the United States had the power to put a stop to Soviet expansion. The American industries and armed forces were at their highest peak, but they made no attempt to block Soviet expansion. They were trying to install a sense of world peace by removing their troops from Europe and increase support for autonomy and democracy throughout the world. The Soviets saw their expansion as automatic compensation for their loses in the war. As communism grew into France and Italy, Americans saw the growth as a threat to undermine capitalism and democracy. It was not long before the hostility between the former allies was apparent. Soon the western democracies and the Soviet Union were verbalizing and acting upon their differences. These differences helped establish the "iron curtain" around the eastern block. Any plan the United States devised to offer compensation to the Soviet Union with conditions of letting the other eastern countries establish their own governments was rejected. Under the Marshall Plan Western Europe flourished, and the gap between west and east grew larger with the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union growing. Fear of the spread of communism was increasing. There was competition between the two superpowers to spread their ideologies. One favored autonomy and democracy while the other favored totalitarian rule. The competition between the two was so intense that they competed in many areas of domination.1 One area of extreme competition between the two powerful nations was the race to control outer space. The extreme concern and race to control the beyond was started in October 4, 1957 by the Soviets. The Soviet's Sputnik was the first successful man-made satellite. Not to be outdone the United States sent their first unmanned satellite into orbit on January 31, 1958 called Explorer I. Over the next few years the United States and the Soviet Union put many satellites into orbit, some even contained animal passengers. The race to control the skies in outer space grew once again. There was suddenly a large desire to beat the Russians in space. The Americans felt behind in their quest to win t he space race.2 Eisenhower immediately stepped up his space policy.

Ikea Case Analysis

Case Study Analysis – IKEA IKEA possesses numerous strengths that will help the company gain high value proposition around the globe in general and in the United States in particular. IKEA has been well known for its distinctive self-service store, unassembled furniture with flat packages, and featured amenities as playrooms for children and Swedish cafes. Its success in the United States has visibly shown through the double revenues from 1997 to 2001 ($600 million to $1. 7 billion) (IKEA Invades America case study). By 2002, the United States was IKEA’s third-largest market, after Germany and United Kingdom, (exhibit 3 – IKEA Invades America case study) with 14 stores established, second largest number of stores worldwide (exhibit 4 – IKEA Invades America case study). IKEA displays itself as a unique IKEA â€Å"culture†, in which the minute the customers set their feet in the store, they emerge in the whole new world of furniture shopping with the latest, trendiest interior designs.Everybody could be a interior designer of their own homes for the time they are there, being able to choose from a wide selection of items available for each decorative setting, mix & match themes and color, etc. The store layout is designed in a predetermined path that leads shoppers toward different layouts of the model rooms. IKEA uses price tags with detailed information concerning the product, how to pick them up later at the storage (aisle #, bin #), and color-coordinated cards for design tips throughout the store for customers’ convenience.If customers need to carry on the shopping without their children, they could drop their kids at the childcare facility on the way into the store featuring large climbing structures. If they are hungry, they could stop by the IKEA restaurant with delicious items like smoke salmon or Swedish meatballs. In short, IKEA designs their store to meet every customer’s personal needs. IKEA’s Vi sion Statement about building a â€Å"partnership† with its customers reaches many different needs and dreams within satiable budgets.On a two-way partnership, IKEA gains its uniqueness by having designers create furniture that satisfies the aesthetic, cost, and quality criteria on one hand, and searching globally for suppliers with the most suitable raw materials to maintain the lowest price possible for their customers on the other hand. IKEA’s customers, therefore, are given more choices in their selection of furniture that best suits their interest and vision of how they want to furnish their homes/offices.The innovative flat packaging is one of the key determinant factors of how IKEA attains their low- cost goals for customers, for storage space and cost of inventory are significantly reduced. IKEA also creates a unique experience for their customers in such that instead of having a piece of furniture readily available for use, customers can now gain a more person al touch by putting in some labor to build up their piece of furniture into a complete product.IKEA’s slogan â€Å"Low price with meaning† in the Vision Statement emphasizes the company’s commitment to offer cleverly designed products in low cost and decent quality in order to help â€Å"people improve their homes and create better everyday lives†. Although flat packaging and the experience of self-built furniture are perceived as the distinctive components of IKEA, it will be helpful to expand the services to a wider range of customers who love the products yet refuse to go through the hassle of setting them up.One suggestion is to have an active delivery and assembling team that can deliver the finished product to customers who are willing to pay the extra costs. At IKEA, a product-strategy council consisted of senior managers go through the process of establishing priorities based on consumer trends and creating the matrix to set the product’s t arget retail prices. The matrix includes three basic price ranges and four basic styles, according to Figure B in the case study.Although the matrix is very successful at helping the product managers identify market opportunities and gaps in the company’s product lineup, the matrix is limited in terms of few product styles and price ranges. Hence, the choices in the store would only appeal to a limited group of customers who share the same tastes for interior designs as IKEA’s designers. Yet, I do not think the company should change its product lineup because by doing so, the company would increase its inventory and engineering cost tremendously that would consequently lead to higher products’ prices.The President of the IKEA Group recognizes that the â€Å"Scandinavian design and style is a niche and it is not to everyone’s taste†. Therefore, although the company may seek to appeal to a broader market, it does not want to be just another supplier of traditional furniture. I support this point of view and do believe that IKEA should continue to keep applying its matrix approach in its product lineup. One of the other challenges IKEA is facing in the American market is the guarantee of supplying lifetime quality products.The American consumers who specifically emphasize their demand on the longevity of the furniture would lean toward the specialty retailers that guarantee the lifetime of their purchases instead of IKEA’s â€Å"commitment-free approach to furniture†. As a result, in order to gain more market share within the American population, the company ought to modify the matrix. IKEA can do so by modifying its pricing bracket to include more high quality products, which allow a specific targeted group of customers more freedom in the process of choosing the most satisfying piece of furniture that meets all of their needs.With the high volume of purchasing products from Europe and Asia, specifically China and Poland (exhibit 5 and 6 – IKEA Invades America case study), the company can certainly increase the quality of their high-end products without much increases in the already low global purchasing prices. Giving the high marketability of furniture retailing ($67 billion in sales in 2002 – Case study IKEA Invades America) and the wide spread in low-end and high-end retailers in the United States, IKEA has very good market opportunities in increasing its growth rate.IKEA provides customers a one-of-a-kind furniture shopping experience that neither the low-end or high-end retailers can provide. Plus, IKEA supplies customers with more attractive products compared to low-end retailers and more options for price-sensitive customers compared to high-end retailers. In addition, with the current economic situation, people will steer away from expensive specialty stores and turn to the economical market.With the company’s low cost product strategy, based largely on the glob al suppliers and internal competitive engineering designs, IKEA could certainly target its marketing toward price-sensitive consumers in the recession to make the company more attractive. One suggestion would be have more IKEA location in college town and statistically ranked pool cities in the nation because low-income population would definitely find IKEA products more appealing than other unattractive low-end retailers. SWOT AnalysisStrengthsOnly organization of their kindScandinavian heritageLow cost with clever designStore layout and catalogues Shopping cultureConvenient for transportationClear instruction and easy-to-assemble| WeaknessesShort lifespanLimited product stylesLimited location for a no-delivery service| OpportunitiesMarketability of furniture retailingPrice-sensitive consumers in recessionWide dichotomy of current retailers| ThreatsDependant on global suppliersEmergence of low end retailersHigh quality specialty retailers| IKEA Case Analysis IKEA has a distinct market segment in the home furnishing arena. It has created a niche market with innovative designs, quality, and low price structure. IKEA has employed the cost leadership and product differentiation strategies through low price structure and innovative designs, respectively. Additionally, the uniqueness of the disposable furniture concept allowed IKEA to capitalize on the first mover advantage (Harrison & Enz, 2005). Behavioral Customer Segmentation for IKEA The behavioral consumer segmentation data provided by Bartlett and Nanda (1996) indicates the demographic profile of IKEA customers and buyer behavior.IKEA’s strategy post World War II, was to target young couples and new families in the low to middle income range by providing inexpensive furniture with durable construction and contemporary lines. The demographic profile presented by Bartlett and Nanda (1996) suggests that the archetypal IKEA buyer is young; middle-class; married; either has no childre n or one child; and lives in a rental. This new target market’s primary determinants to purchase were based predominantly on price (44%); followed by large assortment (16%); and design (14%). Quality; design; and price were the three most important criteria for store choice.Similarly, price; distance; and design were the significant factors leading to consumer attitude toward IKEA. This target market based their decision purchases on information gathered from the IKEA catalog; visits to other stores; and prior visits to IKEA. Contrary to the traditional IKEA consumers’ determinants to purchase and buyer behavior, sustainability is now playing a larger role in consumer spending habits (Datamonitor, 2010). In a recent Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) analysis IKEA was ranked ninth overall for customer satisfaction, which is largely due to IKEA’s commitment to sustainable initiatives.Of IKEA’s products, 71% are recyclable, made from recycled products, or bo th. IKEA also recycles 84% of the waste the stores generate (Datamonitor, 2010). Comparison of Traditional and U. S. Customers Before entering the U. S. market in 1985, IKEA did not conduct thorough market research on U. S. consumers or U. S. buyer behavior. IKEA assumed that U. S. customers would embrace its way of doing business and the products offered. That was not the case, as IKEA’s furniture; metric measurements; and kitchenwares did not meet U. S. customer’s expectations.The furniture was uncomfortable, as it was designed for the European preference of being hard and rigid. The unit of measure was in centimeters, whereas the U. S. has never adopted the metric system. The U. S. serving sizes are generally larger than the European portions, making the kitchenwares too small for U. S. servings. Likewise, the cabinetry was too small for U. S. appliances. The traditional IKEA customer subscribed to the value proposition that furniture was a soft good versus a hard g ood. This value proposition was in contradiction with the mindset of the U. S. onsumer, making it necessary for IKEA to rethink its marketing strategy. IKEA launched an advertising campaign targeting U. S. customers at the same time it entered the U. S. market. Its tagline for U. S. consumers was, â€Å"†¦to take a more commitment-free approach to furniture† (Moon, 1996, p. 8). IKEA’s intention was to convey to the U. S. population that it was not necessary to hang on to furniture for decades. The simplicity and low price point IKEA offers affords consumers the opportunity to replace furniture and opt for a new look at a significantly lower price point than at conventional furniture, appliance, or kitchenware stores.IKEA was essentially making fun of U. S. consumers and the desire to keep furniture for decades. Traditional consumers understood that the value proposition offered by IKEA meant no in-store sales assistance; limited variety; unassembled furniture; and no delivery. This did not meet any of the expectations of the U. S. consumer. Hence, the revenues at IKEA in the U. S. were flat, taking almost ten years before increasing. IKEA has since focused on organic slow growth and low risk in the U. S. as it was a new market (Module 2, Lecture 1, n. d. ). This allowed IKEA time to do more market research on U. S. ustomers and expand manufacturing facilities. IKEA has done a great job in leading customers to pull its products into U. S. homes (Module 2, Lecture 2, n. d. ). IKEA has learned to meet U. S. customer needs by studying consumer preferences and behaviors based on interactions (Module 2, Lecture 1, n. d. ). This information provided demographic and consumer behavior data by store location and region of the United States, allowing IKEA to meet or exceed the loyal customer expectations. Given that, IKEA has built a U. S. cult following and state of mind that is centered on low prices, zany promotions, and contemporary designs (Capell , 2005).U. S. Strategic Growth Opportunities for IKEA IKEA was making a huge push into four major geographic markets in the late 1980’s. They were Eastern Europe, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Any one of these large geographic locations would need exponential resources and one would have to wonder if IKEA was opening itself up to incredible risk. This hard line expansion poses a major strategic challenge. The major strategic concern was the changing target market segment. IKEA rode the post war baby boom wave to become successful.The target market segment of low-income married couples had shrunk and the original IKEA customers, the baby boomers, have become older and more comfortable. IKEA is continuously striving to differentiate its price, products, and services to keep them in line with a first mover competitive advantage and ahead of the market trends to the point that they may be setting the standards for furniture and related product expectations (Ha rrison & Enz, 2005). However, the United States’ target market segment proved to be more difficult; as the U. S. consumers were used to having furniture delivered, and preassembled.Additionally, the U. S. consumers and IKEA’s other target markets all preferred traditional rather than modern furniture, with the exception of consumers in Denmark and Holland who buy modern design furniture. At IKEA, the furniture product mix is comprised of 70% modern with the remainder being traditional (Lee, 2005). For IKEA to be successful in the U. S. market it would need to tweak its product lines and strategic plans in an effort to achieve growth. In order for IKEA to achieve strategic growth in the U. S. it will need to get the buy-in of senior management to change its product line-up.The lack of senior management buy-in has been proven in many studies to be a leading factor in not attaining growth (McGrath & MacMillan, 2009). IKEA will need to hire a consultant to perform a SWOT a nalysis to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats. In addition, utilizing a TOWS matrix derived from the SWOT analysis would prove beneficial (David, 2009). The TOWS Matrix is designed to assist managers with matching the attributes of IKEA with the various opportunities and threats that exist in the environment.It also allows for the development of corporate strategies than can be implemented, thus maximizing marketplace positioning. The four types of strategies that can be formed based on the TOWS Matrix are: SO, which use the firms internal strengths to maximize opportunities; WO, which looks at improving weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities; ST, utilizes the company’s strengths to avoid threats; and WT, which are strategies designed to assist in the development of defense tactics to help reduce internal weaknesses and avoid external threats (David, 2009).The crucial information obtained from th e SWOT and TOWS Matrix will prove to be invaluable to IKEA if it wishes to grow in the United States as well as globally. The snap shot of information will help tell IKEA what it must become to U. S. and global consumers in order to grow strategically. Failure to capture and understand this information could keep IKEA from growing in a large geographic market.

How Successful Was the New Economic Policy

The New Economic Policy (NEP) was a measure implemented in order to counter the arguably disastrous effects War Communism. The New Economic is controversial. Some historians argue it allowed the Soviet economy to solidify and begin to recover, and also allowed the Bolsheviks to retain control over Russia. Others, like Orlando Figes, state it was ultimately a failure, arguing that under the NEP the peasants grew away from the Bolshevik regime, inviting a future, and brutal, reassertion of central control. This essay will discuss the effectiveness of the NEP economically and politically as well as outlining War Communism and why it failed Michael Lynch argues that ‘By 1921, the grim economic situation had undermined the original justification for war communism. During its operation, industrial and agricultural production had fallen alarmingly. ’ War Communism was first introduced as an extreme economic measure in order to deal with problems created during the Civil War as well as enabling the Army to be fed. However in accordance with Lynch, the policy did not improve Russia’s productivity or indeed the Bolshevik popularity. The existence of the Cheka and the Red Army enabled Lenin to embark on the policy of centralisation. This resulted in a considerable increase in Bolshevik influence in the factories via the infiltration of the Workers’ committees by political commissars. This development helped prepare the way for issuing the Decree of Nationalisation in June 1918 and within two years it brought practically all major industrial enterprises in Russia under central government control. Yet nationalism did nothing to increase production due to being imposed at the time of severe industrial disruption caused initially by the strains of World War One but which worsened during the Civil War. Furthermore the military needs were given priority thus denying resources to those industries not considered essential. The situation was made more serious by factories being deprived of man power as a result of conscription into the Red army and flight from urban areas of large numbers of inhabitants who left in search of food or by means of escape from the Civil War. This led to the population of Petrograd and Moscow to drop by half between 1918 and 1921 causing a dramatic decrease in Russia’s productivity. Problems were deepened further by hyper-inflation. The scarcity of goods and the government’s policy of continuing to print currency notes effectively destroyed the value of money and by the end of 1920 the rouble had fallen to 1% of its worth in 1917. Ultimately War Communism tightened the Bolshevik’s grip on industry but did not lead to economic growth. Agriculture was also largely affected by War Communism. A major purpose of War Communism was to force the peasants to provide more food. However peasants were resistant to the government’s demands and this was largely blamed on the Kulaks who the Bolsheviks claimed were hoarding the grain. As a result the government become infuriated by the peasant’s refusal to conform and condemned them as counter-revolutionaries and restored to coercion. Cheka requisition units were sent into the countryside to take the grain by force. In 1920 the order was given to hang one hundred kulaks publically in order to terrify the population however this seemed to have the reverse effect of the one intended. With the knowledge that any surplus would be confiscated, peasants produced the bare minimum to feed themselves and their family. By 1921 a combination of requisitioning, draught and general disruption of war resulted in national famine with grain harvests in 1920 and 1921 being less than half that gathered in 1913. The matters became so desperate that the Bolsheviks admitted famine and accepted foreign assistance however foreign help was too late to prevent mass starvation. Of the 10 million of the Civil War period over half starved to death. Although War Communism proved catastrophic in terms of industrial and agricultural output the Bolsheviks saw it as true socialism due to the squeezing of the peasants and the ending of private ownership. Even after the Red Army’s victory in the Civil War, the policy of War Communism was maintained. As a short-term measure the policy produced the results Lenin wanted but severity increased Bolshevik unpopularity resulting in a number of minor outbreaks of resistance during the 1920s. But the Kronstadt Rising of 1921 proved to be highly disturbing to Lenin as he described it as the ‘lightening flash that illuminated the true reality of things’. Lynch claims that ‘As long as unrest was confined to the peasants and the Bolsheviks’ political enemies it was a containable problem’ but Lenin began to worry over the development of War Communism within the party itself. The two prominent Bolsheviks involved Alexander Shlyapnikov, labour commissar, and Alexandra Kollontai, who led a ‘workers’ Opposition’ movement against the excess of war communism. Kollontai accused party leaders of losing touch with the proletariat and from this, groups of workers in Petrograd went on strike in early 1921 justifying their actions in the proclamation than change is needed in the policies of the government. By February 1921 thousands of Petrograd workers crossed the naval base on Kronstadt claiming that Russia should be better, not worse, than Tsarist times ,as the Bolshevik government claimed Russia to be a workers’ state. In an attempt to pacify strikers Lenin sent a team of political commissars to Kronstadt who were greeted with derision. In early March, the sailors and workers of Kronstadt produced a manifesto. It was not the demands that frightened the Bolsheviks but the people who drafted them as the workers and sailors of Kronstadt had been great and popular supporters of the Bolsheviks in 1917. Shelia Fitzpatrick describes them as ‘The Kronstadters, heroes of the July Days and supporters of the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution, had become almost legendary figures in Bolshevik mythology. Now they were repudiating the Bolsheviks’ revolution, denouncing ‘the arbitrary rule of the commissar’ and calling for a true society republic of workers and peasants’. The danger for the Bolsheviks was that due to their popularity of the Kronstadters revolted the rest of the people would be due to follow. The rising was finally crushed when Trotsky ordered the Red Army to storm the Kronstadt base with violent results. Lenin took an important lesson from the Kronstadt uprising which was to avoid scandal and embarrassment of another open challenge to his party and government and so decided it was time to soften his severity of war communism leading to the introduction of the NEP in order to tackle the famine and thus prevent further uprising. The majority of historians agree that the NEP was certainly an economic success compared to the catastrophe of War Communism with both Shelia Fitzpatrick and Orlando Figes agreeing that NEP was introduced as ‘an impoverished response to desperate economic conditions’. Lenin is a pragmatic character and so seeing that peasants could not be forced to produce more food so instead must be persuaded and thus temporarily abandon the idea of War Communism. The success of the NEP can in reality only be measured by its aims. The NEP was set up primarily to stabilise the economy; this included decreasing inflation, increasing agricultural and industrial production and re-establishing trade outside of the country. The other major aim of the policy was to minimise the gap between the worker and the peasant in order to get peasant co-operation and support. Due to the fact that the NEP was set up as a result of Kronstadt its other aim is to demolish the possibility of such a rebellion happening again. Many reforms took place in Russia due to the NEP. Under the NEP the Government stopped its policy of requisitioning the peasants entire crop and instead began to take only what was needed to meet the minimum requirements of the army and the urban workers. Fixed tax in kind was introduced and although the peasants were forced to pay the tax, they were now allowed to sell the remainder of their crop for profit. They could sell either privately or to the state. This gave peasants the initiative to grow more crops as a result the grain harvest went up from 37. 6 million tons in 1921 to 72. 5 million tons in 1925. This was a success of the NEP as it increased agricultural production to Russia’s pre-war levels, which helped to stabilise the economy. Nationalisation was minimised with only the large industries remaining under state control. However, this was still a lot as 85% of the workforce worked for state enterprises, the rest for private enterprises or co-operatives. Also conscription of the workforce was abandoned. Over the course of five years, the NEP allowed industrial and agricultural output to rise to its pre-war levels. In this sense, the NEP did achieve economic recovery. However, the NEP was bitterly disliked by many leading communists who saw it as a reversal of everything they believed which will be discussed later in the essay. Although industrial production increased at a slower pace than agricultural production, which caused many problems such as the scissors crisis in 1923, it did increase. For example, coal in 1921 did not exceed 8. million tons while in 1925, it was around 18. 1 million tons, and steel production increased nearly 10 times from 183 thousand tons being produced in 1921 to 2135 thousand tons in 1925. However industry did not attain the same levels of recovery as agriculture and did not reach the pre-war level. This shows that the NEP was successful in increasing industrial production. However, the increase in heavy industry was not as great as light industry, consequently it suffered in comparison. Trade with foreign countries was also reintroduced, as earlier it had been prohibited. The ban against free trade was lifted too so the whole population was permitted to trade with one another. The state only had control over 15% of the trade; the rest was under Nepmen or co-operative control. However, the boom in private trade led to a widening gap between rich and poor. This can clearly be seen by the sudden rise in unemployment in the first two years of the setting up of the NEP. There was a lot of anger focused on the Nepmen, who were seen as the ‘new class’, between rich and poor. The workers also felt resentful towards the Bolsheviks as they felt the NEP was sacrificing their class interests in favour of the peasantry. Therefore although the NEP allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade, not everyone benefited from it. And in fact this lead to the very thing communism went against class. Nepmen became the new beneficiaries, as they grew rich. Also, the gap between rich peasants and poor ones increased as class, once again became an issue. In addition, a new currency was set up to ease the economic problem. This currency was known as the chervontsy. However, they were in heavy demand and only available in large denominations. The rouble was still legal tender until February 1924. Inflation can clearly be seen as in January 1921 there was 1,169 milliards of roubles in circulation and by January 1923 there were 1, 9994,464 milliards. This clearly shows that a change in currency was needed. Although this helped the economy as the rate of inflation decreased slightly, it did not do enough to help the people and their financial difficulties. The NEP did minimise the gap between workers and peasants. The policy meant that peasants could make more of a profit as they were allowed to sell their own produce and trade with others. It also encouraged them to work harder. However, it was the peasants who suffered most due to inflation. Although they made money, it was worth little in industry. In this way the NEP had been partly a success as it had minimised the gap and made things better for the peasants but did not improve everything. As for the NEP’s other aim, that being avoiding another rebellion like Kronstadt, the policy was successful as there was no threat of them ever losing power. Although there were protests against the NEP or some parts of it, overall these were unthreatening to Bolshevik power and were ignored or came to an end after a while. Aside from economic issues, the NEP also caused dispute amongst the Bolsheviks themselves in political terms. As Fitzpatrick argues ‘From the communist standpoint NEP was a retreat, and a partial admission of failure. Many Communists felt deeply disillusioned: it seemed that the revolution had changed so little. ’ The NEP was a mixture of socialism and capitalism and was referred to as a â€Å"step back† for the Bolsheviks as they had just defended socialism in the civil war but was now retreating into capitalism and the â€Å"old ways†. A major objection from the Bolsheviks was the reintroduction of money and private trading had created the Nepmen. It was the profiteering that Victor Serge, a representative of the Left Bolsheviks, had in mind when he described the immediate social effects of NEP: ‘the cities we ruled over assumed a foreign aspect, we felt ourselves sinking into the mire. Money lubricated and befouled the entire machine just as under capitalism’ As the NEP had become such a contentious issue among the Bolsheviks Lenin introduced the banning of factionalism as well as outlawing all other parties except from Bolshevism. The object of this was to eliminate party disputes and political rivals and to a certain extent this worked. In conclusion, the NEP was successful to a certain extent. Because of the New Economic Policy the Soviet economy revived quickly. There was more food from the farmers; there were goods in the shops and outdoor markets, However many Bolshevik members did not consider the NEP as socialism and thought that it was a betrayal of communist principles. On the whole the NEP was a success. It met most of its aims. The policy helped stabilise the crumbling economy and re-established pre-war levels. The policy decreased the rate of inflation, it increased agricultural and industrial production, it allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade. However, some of these aims it only met partly. For example although the rate of inflation did decrease it was still very high and the NEP did not stop it completely. Industry production also suffered as a result of the NEP. Although its production increased its prices rose due to the fast increase of agriculture. Trade also caused problems like the re-establishment of classes. So these aims were only partly successful and created many other problems. The NEP tried to minimise the gap between peasants and workers. Many of the aims in stabilising the economy were for the peasants’ benefits like the end of requisitioning and allowing them to trade. However, the high prices in industry and high inflation left the peasants with money which was not worth as much. However, the policy did try to get peasant support. It was partly successful in bringing workers and peasants together, however many workers felt let down by the party that was supposed to cater to their needs. The fact no major rebellions threatened the Communists shows that the policy had kept many people happy and those that protested were insignificant or in such small numbers they were unable to mount a decent threat on the party. Thus the NEP was one of the major factors that had enabled the survival of Communism in Russia. The step back from socialism and the reintroduction of capitalism had worked. Peasant uprisings virtually ceased, the economy recovered and the Bolshevik regime was consolidated

Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia Essays

Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia Essays Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia Russian History Consolidation of Democracy in Post-Soviet Russia Introduction The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more than a political event. The powerful interaction and fusion between politics and economics that characterized the state socialist system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of the Soviet Union. The penetration of the Communist regime into every facet of life left the Russian people with little democratic traditions. Russia faces the seemingly impracticable task of economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with a necessity to answer nationalist and ethnic questions that have plagued Russia for centuries. This paper addresses the problems of creating a stable democracy in Russia. The prospects for a stable democracy in Russia are limited at best. I will outline some of the concerns that academics have in the consolidation of Russian democracy. What is paramount to note is that a stable democracy must adequately address what Ken Jowitt calls the developmental trinity: nation-building; capitalism and democracy. The dilemma that is especially relevant to Russia it that these conditions are often contradictory. The often messy business of politically reconstructing a nation defies traditional democratic ideals. The establishment of democratic institutions can hinder the development of a market economy and, conversely, programs that are designed to enhance capitalist expansion often are antagonistic towards democratic goals (Jowitt 7). These seemingly endless Catch-22s are at the heart of difficulties facing Russia in its attempt to create a stable democracy. The Process of Creating A Nation-State The question of who is the playing the game and what makes the playing field is an important one for the Russian Federation. Ethnic and nationalist questions plagued the Soviet Union and continue to stress the Russia Federation during its nascent period. The dynamics of center-periphery relations provides Moscow with some of the greatest challenges in establishing a stable democracy. Phillipe Smitter writes, There is no simply democratic way of deciding what a nation and its corresponding political unit should be (Smitter 66). Later in his article, he writes those that have not yet resolved the dilemma of defining their national and territorial boundaries are unlikely to make much more progress in other domains (Smitter 73). The dilemma facing the Russian Federation is that it finds itself with a charge of establishing and following democratic institutions, while at the same time facing secessionary pressures that seem to require extra-democratic means to preserve the integrity of the nation. Nationalism in multiethnic areas in the Russian Federation has provided a substantial challenge for democratization. There is a direct relationship between democratization and ethnic peace (Smitter 72). In a democratically weak society, ethnicity assumes a stronger role, and when democracy and ethnicity are balanced, political stability is possible. As a result of a lack of democratic institutions and channels for dialogue, Russias inhabitants are now increasingly identifying themselves as members of ethnic groups rather than as citizens of the Russian Federation (Drobizheva). An important development in center-periphery relations is the growing importance of economic nationalism, an effort to create an economic basis for political independence. Economic nationalism is a protective defense against the Russian federal governments economic dominance. Alternatively, it is also a sign that the republics wish to retain relations with Moscow since politics remains primarily in the hands of the center (Drobizheva). For example, Tatarstan and Sakha-Yakutia both have a wealth of natural resources, giving them a potential advantage in economic development and a desire to establish control over these resources. Tatarstan, for example, strives to sell its oil at world market prices in foreign markets to generate income, and in 1993-94, the local governments in Tatarstan and Yakutia sought economic decentralization in Russia by refusing to pay federal taxes. Consequently, an agreement reached between the federal government and the republics gave the latter what they wanted: increased economic autonomy (Drobizheva). Further inquiry into the agreements with Tartarsan demonstrates the flexibility the Yeltsin regime is willing to employ in dealing with possible powder-keg situations. A treaty signed on February 15, 1994 attempted to mollify the tensions on both sides. The treaty affirmed Tartarsan right to its own international and economic relations and, as previously noted, provided substantial autonomy in economic issues for Tartarsan. Smoothing over

What You Ought to Know About Crafting Great Scenes - Freewrite Store

What You Ought to Know About Crafting Great Scenes - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Marsh Cassady. Marsh has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. Two men are collecting their papers and preparing to go home after a writing workshop. One approaches the other, obviously wanting to say something.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Get the hell away from me.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I just want to help, damn it.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Help? How can you possibly help me? For God’s sake, man, you know even less about constructing a good scene than I do.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Oh, yeah? If that’s what you think, why don’t you let me prove you wrong?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Yeah, sure, you’re going to prove me wrong. I can’t believe this.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Just listen, for heaven’s sake.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I guess that’s the only way to end this stupid argument.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"So it’s agreed?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"You wear me down, man. So just go ahead and say what you want.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"All right then.† He begins to explain†¦ We often think of scenes as plot segments, or to use a theatrical term, motivational units. Yet consider two things. First, a scene can rarely stand alone and make sense by itself. But some jokes and some short stories, particularly flash fiction, are exceptions. For instance:    The Forecast Is Rain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"For crying out loud! We gotta run...or are you gonna lie in bed all day? I’ll get the car, while you phone and tell them we may be a little late.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sally knew how important it was to get the new apartment. The rent was cheap, but all we could afford.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"When you're ready- and it better be quick- come out to the car.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was a sad situation. I’d lost my job. No prospects. Sally never would work; too lazy, I suppose. Can’t see any other reason. And if we didn’t get the new apartment, the manager here would kick us out on the street.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dammit, where was she? The forecast was for rain, and the old car leaked around both doors and the windshield. I wanted to get to the new place before we got soaked. Make a good impression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Sally, where the hell are you?† I screamed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The front door opened; Sally stood there in pajamas and a robe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"What’s wrong with you?† I asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Mom sent me money,† she said. â€Å"You can go; I’m staying here.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What! After all this time, nearly four years, together. And to think I’d always treated her so well. Second, not all scenes directly contribute to the plot. What was that? Okay, I said â€Å"directly contribute.† Yet each scene has to contribute in some way to the overall story. Sometimes scenes are largely narrative or descriptive and involve little conflict. At the same time, they have to be interesting; they have to, in some way, contribute to the advancement of the plot- even though indirectly- and they have to hold a reader’s attention. This all means that a scene needs to have a purpose, and everything within it has to relate that purpose. It’s up to you to figure out the purpose of each of your scenes and not deviate from it. There can be many reasons for including a scene. Maybe it’s to establish the world or universe in which the action exists. Maybe it’s to reveal character. There are many types of scenes, a few of which we’ll get to later. But let’s take the type that directly advances the plot. Plot and The Scene First, maybe we need to define plot? What exactly is it? The answer is that it’s the portrayal of conflict between a protagonist- the guy with the white hat- and the antagonist- the guy with the black hat.   Both have a particular goal they want to reach within the context of the story. When plotted fiction is at its highest point, one of the two beings or forces is victorious in defeating the other, thus reaching its goal. â€Å"Beings or forces† instead of men or women? Yes, since first of all there are different sorts antagonists. In other words, the protagonist may struggle against: 1) another person; 2) against self; 3) against society; 4) against nature. To further confuse things, a protagonist or antagonist may be a group of people, rather than an individual. The second sort of conflict may be as simple as a person fighting against an addiction, the third fighting against corruption, the fourth against a severe storm. An example of a group antagonist would be a n evil government. And characters in fiction certainly don’t have to be human beings; they can be animals, extraterrestrials, or even imaginary creatures like Hobbits. A plot generally has four (or sometimes five) parts. It begins when things are at an even keel and something destroys this balance. This may occur near the beginning of the novel but often occurs before the action begins. This â€Å"upset† is the inciting incident, which initiates the struggle between the protagonist and antagonist. The parts are the: 1. Inciting incident- Which leads to the conflict. 2. Rising action- Where the tension and conflict build. 3. Turning point- Where the end of the conflict is determined. 4. Climax- Where the protagonist or antagonist is defeated. 5. Falling action or denouement- Where everything is tied up. The following illustrates a very simple plot, and serves as a diagram for a scene, as well. But if it is one scene of many, of course, there is no turning point. Rather the action falls off a little before it continues to build. In other words, there are minor climaxes.       Look back at the opening of this post, which, in effect, has all the necessary ingredients of a scene- two people arguing over whether one of them actually knows how to construct a scene. The beginning of the argument is the inciting incident, the argument itself the rising action, the one person’s decision to give up is the climax, and the rest of the blog is the denouement- though most denouements are short. (An exception is some mystery novels in which a lot of loose ends need to be tied up.) Each scene in which there is conflict has to contain these elements. Most stories and certainly virtually all novels have more than one scene, each building to a climax and then falling off a little before the next scene begins, like this:       Sometimes, the turning point and the climax are the same, sometimes not. The turning point is where the action can go no further without something irrevocable happening. The climax is where the irrevocable actually occurs. Think of a close basketball game. The teams struggle to score baskets. One scores first and temporarily gains the upper hand. Then the other goes ahead. The struggle continues till the final seconds of the game. The score is tied. One team gets the ball and scores just as time runs out. This is both the turning point and the climax. But suppose two people are enemies, and each wants to defeat the other. They have a sword fight. One knocks the sword out of the opponent’s hand. This is the turning point. The climax comes a few seconds later when the one still holding the sword stabs the other†¦or decides to spare his life. The turning point is when the one with the sword in hand carries out the decision, which brings about the defeat of the other. Fiction often contains scenes in which there appears to be no direct conflict. Yet if the piece is well‑written, the conflict is inherent; it relates to what already has been shown. For example, one character may be describing what is bothering her, what has caused the central problem and conflict. In so doing, she may begin to glimpse a possible solution, foreshadowing more direct conflict while building tension and anticipation about whether she will succeed. But remember that everything that occurs in fiction with a plot has to be relevant to the advancement of the plot. Everything must be relevant to the protagonist’s attempt to reach his or her goal. Dialogue and The Scene Most scenes contain conversations. Writing dialogue involves many considerations. First, does it sound natural? I say â€Å"sound natural† because dialogue is rarely an exact replication of everyday speech. It’s more direct, more honed. It doesn’t change direction as often as regular conversation. Each line has to contribute in some way to the advancement of the scene. It cannot be extraneous, except if going off on tangents is an important part of the character’s personality. Other things to consider are if the dialogue fits the â€Å"universe† or the â€Å"given circumstances† of the story. Dialogue from Elizabethan times would be vastly different from that of today. And a Bostonian would speak much differently than a Canadian. You need to consider if the dialogue in any scene fits the characters. Are they highly educated or do they have little formal education? What are their economic backgrounds? You need to figure out any part of a character’s background, experience, and personality to have them speak â€Å"naturally.† What is natural for one character could be vastly different from what is natural for another. Further, the mood of the scene helps determine the type of dialogue. A scene in which a mother is trying to save a child from an attack by a rabid dog would certainly be different from that mother talking to her neighbor about an upcoming vacation. Character, Dialogue and The Scene More than all this, you need to keep in mind everything you already known about the   character and build on that. You also need to be sure that during any scene, particularly one of intense conflict, you need to reveal more and more about what the characters are like. This is true for the protagonist and the antagonist, but usually not so important for other characters, many of whom are there simply as â€Å"devices† to further the action. The less important the characters, the less the reader needs to know about them. If you spend too much time with these minor characters, you take away from the plot and lead the reader astray. The central characters have to be well-developed enough so that what they are willing to do to reach their goal is a logical outgrowth of the type of people they are. There also has to be a reason for other characters to be present in any scene. You need to ask yourself why they are necessary to the advancement of the plot. Each character in a plotted story, like the protagonist and the antagonist, has a goal. Maybe a husband’s goal is just to support to his wife in her struggles. Maybe it’s as simple as a mailman delivering a letter- his goal- that is important to the plot. Exposition, Dialogue and The Scene There’s also the matter of exposition. You need to determine everything the reader or audience member needs to know in order to understand the scene. Exposition establishes the time period, the location, the situation, and anything else the reader needs to know. At the same time it shouldn’t call undue attention to itself. The first of the two following examples is ludicrous; it’s intrusive and unnatural:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John: Well, here we are, the first day of our vacation in Paris, and we forgot to ask the Thompsons to water our plants while we're gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marsha: Yes, and, like we discussed, we should have canceled the newspaper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John: Oh, well, since this is the first vacation we've taken in the last eight years, we should just try to forget such things and enjoy our two weeks together.    Such a scene can come across as humorous or boring. Besides that, the characters are telling each other things they already know. Some of the information may be necessary for a reader to know, but presenting it this way doesn’t work. You could rewrite the same material to give it tension and conflict:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"For heaven’s sake, Marsha, how could you forget to ask the Thompson’s to water the plants?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I suppose, John, the same damn way you forgot to cancel the paper. I mean we did agree on who was responsible for what!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I take you to Paris- for a nice vacation, one I thought you’d appreciate- and you act like this.†    Or take the following scene from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The scene is pure exposition, yet Wilde makes it humorous, reveals lot of information about the two characters, and sets up what is to follow:    ALGERNON: How are you, my dear Earnest? What brings you up to town? JACK: Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere? Eating as usual, I see Algy. ALGERNON: (Stiffly) I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o’clock. Where have you been since last Thursday? JACK: (Sitting down on the sofa) In the country. ALGERNON: What on earth do you do there? JACK: (pulling off his gloves) When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring. ALGERNON: And who are the people you amuse? JACK: (airily) Oh, neighbours, neighbours. ALGERNON: Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire? JACK: Perfectly horrid! Never speak to them. ALGERNON: How immensely you must amuse them! (Goes over and takes a sandwich) By the way, Shropshire is your county, is it not? JACK: Eh? Shropshire? Yes, of course. Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea? ALGERNON: Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen. JACK: How perfectly delightful! ALGERNON: Yes, that is all very well; but I am afraid Aunt Augusta won't quite approve of your being here. JACK: May I ask why? ALGERNON: My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you. JACK: I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her. ALGERNON: I thought you had come up for pleasure?...I call that business. JACK: How utterly unromantic you are! ALGERNON: I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.    Some of the things we learn in this scene are that Jack and Algernon are good friends since Jack has felt comfortable enough to drop in unexpectedly. We learn that Jack will be serving tea to Gwendolen, whom he obviously intends to marry. We find that Jack and Gwendolen obviously love each other. Wilde also begins to reveal what the two men are like and hints at what is to follow. Furthermore, Wilde sets up a series of small conflicts. Many of the lines are humorous because we don’t expect them. In the following, the two characters had been hovering over their bodies in an emergency room. Suddenly, they swooped down†¦into the same body:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Frank opened his eyes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Well, Brad, I see we're awake," a female voice said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brad! What the hell was going on!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "What...what happened?" His voice sounded funny; he felt strange.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brad woke up, his head filled with random images, alien thoughts. What's going on?He screamed inside his brain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stop the damned screaming!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What! Who are you?he asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Frank Willard. Who are you?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bradley Booth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are you doing in my head?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You're in my body,Brad said. Get the hell out!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your body? What happened to my...oh, my God!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What?Brad asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I was in this smash-up. A guy wasn't looking. An asshole in a semi. He pulled in front of me; I couldn’t even swerve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You!Brad said. You were hovering. I thought how awful your body looked. A pile of rubbish!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hey!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yeah?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My body isn't... Oh, Jesus, I was up there, and floating beside me- You! Nothing seemed to be wrong with you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nothing wrong, you stupid shit! I'd been stung by a bee!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A bee? You were stung by a bee. What kind of person-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I'm allergic to bee stings, all right! I could die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What kind of sissy are you, man?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Look, creep, you're the one who's dead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dead! Oh, Jesus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You ...Brad sensed that part of his brain had gone to sleep. Oh, fuck. How could this be? He really was crazy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Then he remembered. Somebody saying he was going to make it. At the instant he merged with his body, he felt another-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Mr. Booth!"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Yes," he said. "It's just me."    The second scene, presented humorously, is filled with conflict, though with elements of personality and some exposition involving the situation. But the scene sets up what is going to be a series of conflicts in which the two men have to solve the major problem of sharing the same body. Obviously, this is going to affect everything they try to do in that each is stubborn and refuses to give in to what the other wants. Some scenes are strictly narration, as in the following excerpt from a longer scene in which a man with serious mental problems has been trying repeatedly to kill a young actress. Though the scene consists only of his thoughts, we certainly get a glimpse into the sort of person he is and how he feels.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I said I loved Mary. I was going to kill her†¦ I love Mary. I love Ruthie. She'll have to have me. We're going to be married. If she doesn't marry me, I'll ki...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No, I love her. Damn it, I love her. I love Mary too; no, I don't, the little bitch.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some scenes are strictly narrative. They may show a character jogging or traveling in a train or any one of dozens of other scenarios. Or they may be entirely descriptive. But they set up what is to follow; they anticipate and so build interest and suspense. __________   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to remember that each scene in a story is different and therefore has its own purpose and its own requirements. What you need to do is to determine that purpose and how you can do your best to achieve it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Examine each element of your scene and figure out if it accomplishes what you want it to, and that it is consistent with the other scenes in the story or novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Does the dialogue fit the character, the situation, the mood, the time period? What is jarring about the conversation? What doesn’t fit?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do the same with the important characters. Are they believable and consistent within the framework of the story? Is there anything out of place? If so, what, and how can it be fixed?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is the scene interesting? Will it hold a reader’s attention? Is there tension and suspense? Have you written the scene so that it holds the reader’s attention and make him or her look forward to the next scene? Are the characters themselves interesting? Will the reader care about the protagonist and those close to him or her? If not, you need to make the character more appealing in whatever way you can. What can you do to make the reader care?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Writing a good scene is a matter of figuring out its purpose and following through in an interesting manner. If you do that, you should have no problems.       Marsh Cassady has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. For about eight years he was co-publisher of a small press and a literary journal. He has also taught creative writing at the University of California, San Diego, and for thirty-five years led all-genre writing workshops.

Grandfather Clauses and Their Impact on Voting Rights

Grandfather Clauses and Their Impact on Voting Rights Grandfather clauses were statutes that seven Southern states implemented in the 1890s and early 1900s to prevent African Americans from voting. The statutes allowed any person who had been granted the right to vote before 1867 to continue voting without needing to take literacy tests, own property, or pay poll taxes. The name â€Å"grandfather clause† comes from the fact that the statute also applied to the descendants of anyone who had been granted the right to vote before 1867. Since most African Americans were enslaved prior to the 1860s and did not have the right to vote, grandfather clauses prevented them from voting even after they had won their freedom from slavery. How the Grandfather Clause Disenfranchised Voters The 15th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870. This amendment stated that the â€Å"right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.† In theory, this amendment gave African Americans the right to vote. However, black Americans had the right to vote in theory only. The Grandfather clause stripped them of their right to vote by requiring them to pay taxes, take literacy tests or constitutional quizzes, and overcome other barriers simply to cast a ballot. White Americans, on the other hand, could vote get around these requirements if they or their relatives had already had the right to vote prior to 1867- in other words, they were grandfathered in by the clause. Southern states such as Louisiana, the first to institute the statutes, enacted grandfather clauses even though they knew these statutes violated the U.S. Constitution, so they put a time limit on them in hopes that they could register white voters and disenfranchise black voters before the courts overturned the laws. Lawsuits can take years, and Southern lawmakers knew that most African Americans could not afford to file lawsuits related to grandfather clauses. Grandfather clauses weren’t just about racism. They were also about limiting the political power of African Americans, most of whom were loyal Republicans because of Abraham Lincoln. Most Southerners at the time were Democrats, later known as Dixiecrats, who had opposed Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. But grandfather clauses weren’t limited to Southern states and didn’t just target Black Americans. Northeast states like Massachusetts and Connecticut required voters to take literacy tests because they wanted to keep immigrants in the region from voting, since these newcomers tended to back Democrats during a time when the Northeast leaned Republican. Some of the South’s grandfather clauses may have even been based on a Massachusetts statute. The Supreme Court Weighs In: Guinn v. United States Thanks to the NAACP, the civil rights group established in 1909, Oklahomas grandfather clause faced a challenge in court. The organization urged a lawyer to fight the state’s grandfather clause, implemented in 1910. Oklahoma’s grandfather clause stated the following: â€Å"No person shall be registered as an elector of this state or be allowed to vote in any election held herein, unless he be able to read and write any section of the Constitution of the state of Oklahoma; but no person who was, on January 1, 1866, or any time prior thereto, entitled to vote under any form of government, or who at that time resided in some foreign nation, and no lineal descendant of such person, shall be denied the right to register and vote because of his inability to so read and write sections of such Constitution.† The clause gave white voters an unfair advantage, since the grandfathers of black voters had been enslaved prior to 1866 and were, thus, barred from voting. Moreover, enslaved African Americans were typically forbidden to read, and illiteracy remained a problem (both in the white and black communities) well after slavery was abolished. The U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously in the 1915 case Guinn v. United States that grandfather clauses in Oklahoma and Maryland violated the constitutional rights of African Americans. That’s because the 15th Amendment declared that U.S. citizens should have equal voting rights. The Supreme Court’s ruling meant that grandfather clauses in states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia were also overturned. Despite the high court’s finding that grandfather clauses were unconstitutional, Oklahoma and other states continued to pass laws that made it impossible for African Americans to vote. The Oklahoma Legislature, for example, responded to the Supreme Court ruling by passing a new law that automatically registered the voters who’d been on the rolls when the grandfather clause was in effect. Anyone else, on the other hand, had only between April 30 and May 11, 1916, to sign up to vote or they would lose their voting rights forever. That Oklahoma law remained in effect until 1939 when the Supreme Court overturned it in Lane v. Wilson, finding that it infringed on the rights of voters outlined in the Constitution. Still, black voters throughout the South faced huge barriers when they tried to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Even if African Americans managed to pass a literacy test, pay a poll tax, or complete other hurdles, they could be punished for voting in other ways. After slavery, large numbers of blacks in the South worked for white farm owners as tenant farmers or sharecroppers in exchange for a small cut of the profits from the crops grown. They also tended to live on the land they farmed, so voting as a sharecropper could mean not only losing one’s job but also being forced out of one’s home if the landowner opposed black suffrage. In addition to potentially losing their employment and housing if they voted, African Americans who engaged in this civic duty could find themselves targets of white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. These groups terrorized black communities with night rides during which they would burn crosses on lawns, set homes alight, or force their way into black households to intimidate, brutalize, or lynch their targets. But courageous blacks exercised their right to vote, even if meant losing everything, including their lives. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated many of the barriers that black voters in the South encountered, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. The act also led to the federal government overseeing voter registration. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is credited with finally making the 15th Amendment a reality. Sources â€Å"Along the Color Line: Political,†Ã‚  The Crisis, volume 1, n. 1, November 11, 1910.Brenc, Willie. The Grandfather Clause (1898-1915). BlackPast.org. Greenblatt, Alan. â€Å"The Racial History Of The ‘Grandfather Clause.’† NPR 22 October, 2013.Keyssar, Alexander. The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States. Basic Books, 2009. United States; Killian, Johnny H.; Costello, George; Thomas, Kenneth R. The Constitution of the United States of America:  Analysis and Interpretation : Analysis of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 28, 2002. Government Printing Office, 2004.

Mateship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mateship - Essay Example He spoke with his wife and they had determined that if they portioned there money properly they would be able to purchase a home, with a small amount of livestock and farmland. If they were able to reach their quotas they would be able to continue to support themselves and their infant daughter Abby. As Alex continued to look outside his window he became increasingly worried. While the first few years after moving to their new home had gone as they had hoped, in recent years they had experienced tremendous hardship. A spread of disease had overtaken much of their cattle, causing them to use the profits they had saved throughout the earlier years to buy new livestock. While the farmland had been the backbone of their existence, the recent drought had placed them once again on hard times. Added to this difficulty the couple’s infant daughter Abby was now a five year child with increasing demands; should be need to be sent to school in the upcoming year and the family worried abo ut having the money to support her education. Alex worried that if things did not soon improve he would have to sell the farm and admit catastrophic failure. While Alex and his family had enjoyed their lives and had become accustomed to the relative solitude, it did mean that they had to rely only on themselves in these challenging situations. Alex considered his solitude. He thought that of all the friends and family he had known throughout his life and recognized that there was nobody that could help him. He began to think about his surroundings. There was not another neighbor for nearly twenty-miles in any direction, except the lone estate on Douglas Hill. He had never ventured to this estate. It was clearly the home of a rich man, as it had fantastic architecture and was surrounded by a large and expensive fence. Alex recognized that there was farmland in the back and that the owner must have a reservoir of water he saved for droughts. Still, Alex had always been intimidated by entering the area of the home as he recognized the individual probably wanted nothing to do with a poor farmer like himself. Alex thought to himself – desperate times call for desperate measures – and set out to the estate. When Alex reached the estate he pressed the buzzer outside the gate. A light came on and he spoke into it identifying himself. He heard nothing on the other end and began walking away; as he was walking away the gates began to open. Alex turned around and walked towards the estate. When he reached the door Alex remained intimidated as he knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, expecting to be sent away or disregarded. Suddenly the door opened. ‘Howdy mate!’ a smiling middle-aged man in a hat said. Alex was taken aback. He had expected an old and serious gentleman, but had found an upbeat and casual person. Alex explained to the individual that he lived in the house a mile away. Before he could explain why he came, the man invited h im in. He introduced himself, saying his name was Steve. Alex was still slightly intimidate, but had become increasingly relaxed by Steve’s friendly demeanor. The two men walked into the home and onto the back porch. Steve retrieved some beers and they sat and talked about the area. Steve told him he had move there twenty-years ago and had started out from humble beginnings and built his farm and wealth up from nearly nothing. The conversation shifted to the drought and Alex told him about the dire straights his family had fallen into as a direct result. Understanding

Importance of Good Communication Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Importance of Good Communication Skills - Essay Example Huge tasks were easily achieved through team work proper cooperation amongst individuals. Lack of teamwork resulted into a series of disagreements and the struggle for superiority which slowed down progress. In addition to the two lessons I have mentioned above, I also learnt on the importance of proper leadership skills especially for the managers of the organization. Poor leadership skills, such as lack of rules and regulations in the organization can sink down an organization like it attempted to in this organization. Personally, I have added value to my organization through learning the foreign language Spanish for 60 hours in three months, hence enabling me to communicate effectively with Spanish speaking clients. Many Spanish speakers therefore feel a sense of belonging to the organization (Tovey, 1998). My professional development as a sales agent through the learning of Spanish has spiraled me to higher levels. I was, six months ago appointed to be the regional supervisor for sales agent for six states with a major on the states populated with Mexicans, with a salary that is twice what I got as a sales agent. Besides my organization and my clients gaining from my development, my family has also gained. This is because, my monthly income has improved, and I can afford a better house, and a better school for my children. To identify my learning and professional needs, I look at the needs of the clients and the organization at large. For example I identified the need to study Spanish to communicate with the increasing number of clients of Mexican Origin. In the next one year, I seek to advance my skills in the sales industry by acquiring a Masters degree in Sales and Marketing. Secondly, I would also like to develop my team functioning skills by enrolling for classes with the human resource department.

Asset Classification Policies and Procedures Essay

Asset Classification Policies and Procedures - Essay Example Asset Classification Policies and Procedures For information to be handled properly, employees are required to have a working knowledge of the categorization of information into the three provided categories. Employees should be able to categorize the information before forwarding it further. If at some point, employees are confused about properly categorizing the information, the proper course of action is to classify it as confidential while an appropriate supervisor would later review and properly classify. Public Data- As the name suggests, such data is usually open to the public and is easily available. Disclosure of such data does not put the firm in any kind of risk; however certain controls are required to be enforced on such data to prevent modification or destruction of the data by unauthorized parties; Sensitive Data- Data is classified as sensitive data when disclosures of such information publically can result in potential risk for the organization or its people. Such information may be provided to others on a discretionary basis and under the supervision of the data owner. Confidential Data – Confidential data is the most sensitive data within the organization and unauthorized disclosure of such information can result in significant risk for the firm. The highest level of security and control are applied on such information. The System Impact level will determine the impact of activities on the system on a scale of one to five with five being the most crucial impact and one having the least crucial impact.

Enviroment science lab3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enviroment science lab3 - Essay Example According to Budyko (1982), anthropogenic activities of man more so industrialization and agriculture are the key contributor to the greenhouse gases. The data clearly indicates that, between 1990 and 2005, there has been an increase in the CO2 by more than 20 mol-1 in the five regions. Anthropogenic activities in the regions of studies in regard to the production of greenhouse gases, which are deforestation to create space for industrial development and agriculture and combustion of fossil fuels, have been on the rise. With this being the trend, is clear that in the last forty year, CO2 emission was lower. This is because industrialization was low and the population that needed to be fed from agriculture was low too. Therefore, deforestation and green gas emission was low making my hypothesis is right (Budyko, 1982). Earth System Research Laboratory: Global Monitoring Division. (n.d.). Retrieved from U.S Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Research web site: http:

Culture of Excellence in the Classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture of Excellence in the Classroom - Essay Example The key ingredients for success in creating the best culture of excellence in the classroom are the teacher’s experiences, responsibilities, and goals. Certainly many teachers teach the way they were taught.  A teacher’s experience and philosophy are important aspects for successfully providing a culture of excellence in the classroom. For example, if the teacher believes in individualism using Mill’s philosophy, he will encourage students to focus only on themselves, which in turn could result in the development of selfish attitudes.  This will lead to developing a generation which has less effective involvement in their society. On the other hand, if the teacher believes in Bentham’s philosophy, which espouses the approach of the greatest good for the largest number of people, he will encourage students to share what they have learned with their peers.  Ã‚  This enhances the possibility of developing a generation of mutual respect for all peoples.  It is because of these factors, that educators must carefully consider their philosophy of education before they ever enter the classroom. They want to make sure that they foster a learning environment that not only fits their personality, but also is flexible enough to effectively reach all of the students in their classroom. Teacher experience is a vital component in developing a culture of excellence in the classroom because it is through these experiences that students can gain insight and knowledge in a fresh and relevant way. Likewise, there is no doubt that the participation of all stakeholders is important for creating and developing a culture of excellence.  Nevertheless, there is still a tremendous amount of responsibility thrust upon the teacher. For instance, he is charged with the task of implementing institutional rules that society expects its citizenry to uphold. Also, he is responsible to the students because the instructional techniques used in the