Outline some of the policies introduced by governments to create an education market in the United Kingdom free essay sample

An education market is about the relationships between schools and the parents of the pupils hoping to go there. So it is the purpose, values and products of schools relevant to the pupils, parents, staff and the wider community. One policy that was introduced by the government to create an education market was the Ofsted inspection report. This is basically a report by Ofsted that parents can look at to see whether or not it is a good school for their children to go to. Ofsted inspection reports are a very clear way for parents to tell whether that particular school is good or not, as it tells the parents what kind of behaviour is expected in that school, and whether or not it needs improving. Of course, parents also have to take into consideration, that if their child/children are not going to go there, and the next school’s transport is too much to afford, then where are they going to send their kids? Another policy that was introduced by the government was the publication of exam league tables. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline some of the policies introduced by governments to create an education market in the United Kingdom or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is basically where schools across the county are put into a league table to see whose exam results were the best. If the schools exam results are not the best, then parents are going to be less likely to send their children there, whereas, if a school has a good exam record, parents are likely to send their children there. Providing funding was available for transport. One last policy that was introduced by the government was the formula funding. This is where all schools get a different amount of funding for everything, so that all schools in competition with each other to try and get the most advantaged kids to their schools. However, this will then create a division between working class and middle class children as they are going to know who is middle class and who is working class by what schools they go to, therefore creating friction between schools, creating more competitions between parents.

Clyde Kluckholm essays

Clyde Kluckholm essays 1. What is the main point and/or argument in the article? "Culture consists of the values (abstract ideals) the members of a given group hold, the norms (definite principles or rules people are expected to observe) they follow, and the material goods they create." -Introduction to Society Anthony Giddens and Mitchell Duneier. This is how culture is defined in our text. In my words culture is the transmission of behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, values, institutions, and tangible goods among groups of people in a society. Now according to Clyde Kluckholm in his article he argues that peoples culture is what makes up a society. He says that the way we get by life is constructed by one's culture. "Culture is like a map- with it you can navigate a society; without it you will be barley human" says Kluckholm. So his main point is that culture is the reason why we exist today. It is how we get by life. It is a concept which controls the way of life for us humans. 2. What theoretical and/or methodological framework does the article use, and what is the evidence for this? In this article Kluckholm proves his theory by comparing and contrasting different parts of the world to each other. Such as the women in Siberia compared to the women here in America; women in America would find the idea of plural wives absurd, however in Siberia they find it absurd if a women is selfish and is not willing to share her man. And throughout the article he gives other examples from other parts of the world. Later in the article Kluckholm demonstrates his theory by explaining and painting a picture of how a society inherits culture. He states that once an individual is "culturalized" he or she feels a sense of belonging, and is obligated to follow the culture passed down to him or her. Kluckholm also displays his agreement with Ruth Benedict's definition to the concept culture; "Culture is that which binds men together." ...

Ecomomic Regulation or competition policy Research Paper

Ecomomic Regulation or competition policy - Research Paper Example The relationship between Competition policy and Economic regulation will also be discussed. Comparison of the two approaches and the synergies that it will bring if both are used by the same agency. We also discuss some other concepts which include AJ effect and rate of return regulation. Literature Review In this literature review we will discuss in detail various concepts related to the topic. Economic Regulations George Stigler was the pioneer of the theory of economic regulation. He suggested that as rule regulations are designed in such a way that they benefit the industry who acquire them rather than protecting or benefitting the public. (Vane) He integrated the economics of regulation and economics of politics. According to him same analysis tools should be applied to both because both of them display self interested rational behavior. Economic regulation is a form of antitrust law in traditional economics through which concentration of wealth is controlled. The major objectiv e was that private motives of accumulation of wealth do not hurt the public interest. It was introduced to safeguard public interest. The intension was to protect public from economic abuses such as unreasonable prices, anticompetitive activities, to protect from sale of unethical products which are hazardous for health and safety of the public. The basic role of regulators was of the watchman of the public interest. In addition to that the role of regulators is of preventing monopoly and preserving competition. (Cochran) Background The regulatory scene which we witness today is significantly different from what it was in 1980’s. This phenomenon is due to massive privatization which gave birth to new regulatory apparatus. This process of privatization is now an international affair. Hence many countries and regions are now following this deregulation by trying to implement the best practices in other systems and avoiding the worst mistakes. A major problem with the deregulati on is that it is based on very weak logical foundation of improving efficiency. In the absence of competition this may not be the case. (Michael A Crew) Economic Regulation Theories It is important to note that study of regulation cannot be done in isolation. It has to be studied in the social, political and economic context in which it exists. The relative powers of different interest groups play their part in formulating and shaping the regulations. Different regulatory mechanisms interact with each other and once implemented they play an important role as the motives of decision makers. A thorough understanding of regulatory process is thus not possible without considering specific institutions, political structures and actors. Two major theories of government behavior about economic regulations are public interest approach and self interest theory or public choice theory. (Jan) Public Interest Approach According to this theory government intervention or regulation is required on ly to in case of market failure, when market is unable to achieve a particular social objective such as equality. Government intervention is needed to correct this failure. This approach is

Sigmund Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sigmund Freud - Essay Example Freud believed that the mind was in fact a complex energy source and should be investigated in a psychological way. Always a bright child and at the head of every class he was in, according to Gregory (1987, page 268), he was educated in Vienna. He began to study for a medical degree in 1873 and undertook research into the vertebrate nervous system and published his first scientific paper on this subject in 1878. On obtaining his medical qualification he decided to specialize in clinical neurology. His work on aphasia, that is loss of speech, especially with regard to Dr Breuer’s patient Miss O., attracted lots of scientific attention. Physical reasons for her many symptoms could not be found. Both Breuer and Freud wrote about how her condition, described at the time as hysteria, was the result of some psychological trauma in earlier life. When the patient was able, through hypnosis, to understand where her symptoms originated from , she was able to overcome them one by one. A lthough Freud was not the first person to discuss the idea of the unconcious mind having an effect upon the conscious, it was through his work that the idea became widely known. Freud moved to Paris, which was then the world centre for neurologists and the study of neurology. At that time he believed strongly in the use of hypnosis in clinical practice. He came to realise that neurosis was much more complex than had been previously realized. After a relatively short time he returned to Vienna where he married and set up in practice as a neuropsychologist. He spent several years searching for causes – concluding that in many cases the origin of problems was the suppression of early bad memories, repressed ideas which caused psychological trauma, especially with regard to sexual matters. This is something he added to Breuer’s theories. He developed over an extended period the theory that all human have an unconscious mind in which aggressive and sexual impulses are alway s in conflict with the minds defences against them. His theories seemed to be capable of encompassing and explaining many different types of human behaviour. They seem to provide causal theories for many kinds of human misery. The problem, as described by Thornton ( 2010) is that these causes are not scientifically observable or measurable. Freud is associated with the Oedipus Complex. This was based upon his hysterical female patients in Vienna, many of whom seemed to have repressed memories about seduction by male relatives in their early childhood. Many of these so called recollections, or repressed memories, obtained under hypnotic conditions, proved to be fantasies, according to Freud. This is what is now often termed ‘False Memory Syndrome’ .Others believe, according to Thornton ( 2010), that there was, even in Vienna’s polite middle class society, a much higher level of child sexual abuse than Freud felt able to acknowledge. . In 1906 he produced ‘Th ree Contributions to the Theory of Sex, a work which shocked many, yet nevertheless had an influence upon modern day ideas about the development of human personality. Earlier (1900) he had written ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’ based to a great deal on his analysis of his own dreams. According to Thornton ( 2010) these dreams had their origins in the huge emotional upset Freud suffered

Models of Integration Implementation Research Paper

Models of Integration Implementation - Research Paper Example Any software development procedure is divided into numerous logic stages that permit the developer to consolidate work competently, in order to build a software product of the necessary functionality within a precise period and financial plan. This model is a progressive scheme process, in which advancement is seen as flowing progressively down, like a waterfall, over the phases of formation, commencement, analysis, scheme, assembly, testing, and upkeep. According to this model, each stage must be finalized before the subsequent stage can begin (Petrice, 2002). This model traces its roots in the construction and manufacturing industries, which comprise highly organized physical settings in which after-the –fact fluctuations are excessively inflated, if not unbearable. This hardware sloping model was merely adjusted for software development at the time for the reason that no software development approaches existed. Winston frequently quotes formal explanation of this model as a 1970 article. He however did not specifically use the word waterfall in the article. He termed the model as an example of faulty, non-working model (Petrice, 2002). According to Royce, the software in request is premeditated and a blue print is drawn for implementers or coders to trail. Once design is thorough, an application of that plan is made by coders, and just before the later stages of the implementation stage, distinct software components manufactured are joined to present new functionality and abridged risk over the removal of errors (Petrice, 2002). This model is not suitable for a high-level plan; it is only applicable in a low-level project plan (Petrice, 2002). This is due to lack of prototype in the earlier stages of the process, until the implementation stage. This might present a catastrophe for a high-level plan, in terms of costs and time spent, for any fault would necessities the repeat of the development process.

Drivers and theories of corporate social responsibility

Drivers and theories of corporate social responsibility This part of the study emphasises on the research literature review related to the study. The structure of the literature review is broken down into three sub-sections. The former relates to the various aspects of CSR. The last two sub-sections discuss the different theoretical and empirical studies associated with CSP and CFP. 2.1 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate citizenship, responsible business, or sustainable responsible business is all but a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model where companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. Arguably, business and society are interwoven: society has certain expectations regarding business and therefore the firm has responsibilities towards society. Hence, being a steward of the needs of society is deemed to be a socially responsible, appropriate, and natural act. The first book acknowledging CSR is the Social Responsibilities of the Businessman (Howard R. Bowen) in the mid 1950s. But, the term CSR came in widespread use in the early 1970s. In fact, it owes its origin due to the globalisation which took place after many multinational corporations were formed, thus, bringing in force the corporate governance mechanisms to ascertain fairness and transparency as well as social responsibility in the corporate world. CSR is defined in various ways in different countries, of about being the capacity building for sustainable livelihoods from Ghana to about giving back to society from Philippines; and of being conventionally presented in a philanthropic model from the United States to being focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities for solid business case reasons and voluntary interaction with the stakeholders from the European model. As such, according to Caroll (2003), The social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary (philanthropic) expectations that society has of organisations at a given point in time. Hence, ideally and broadly, the concept of CSR is a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business would monitor and ensure its support to law, ethical standards, and international norms. 2.1.1 CSR and CSP In todays competitive market environment, businesses are confronted with a new set of non economics-related challenges. To survive and prosper, firms must bridge economic and social systems. Maximising shareholder wealth is a necessary but is no longer a sufficient condition for financial prosperity. Despite the concept of CSR addresses such issue, a specific connotation of CSR and a new performance measure called the corporate social performance (abbreviated as CSP) needs to be unified to capture the performance of a business in the social realm, and also to be more precise in thinking about CSR. CSP defined as a business organizations configuration of principles of social responsibility, processes of social responsiveness, and policies, programs, and observable outcomes as they relate to the firms societal relationships (Wood, 1991), clearly shows that social performance is not limited to corporations only, but also applies to any firm and organisation. This comprehensive definition assumes that CSP is broader than CSR, which consists of three norms at different levels of analysis: institutional, organisational, and individual. Additionally, it includes organisational processes of environmental assessment, stakeholder management, and issues management, and also various measures of its external manifestations and societal effects, such as social impacts. Hence the CSP model expresses and articulates three stages, from less to more engage towards stakeholders: social obligation, social responsibility and social responsiveness (S.P. Sethi, 1975). 2.1.2 Views on CSR According to Hancock (2005), CSR can be viewed through 3 ways namely: Sceptic view According to this view, the notion of CSR is opposed to democracy and freedom, frustrating business focus on its purpose of wealth creation. Milton Friedman best defines this approach: Few trends would so thoroughly undermine the very foundations of free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as they possibly can. Utopian view A utopian view of CSR reflects the idea that companies have a prior duty to anyone touched by their activity, their stakeholders rather than their shareholders, and especially the vulnerable that may be exploited by the companys operation. This is based on the work of Evan and Freeman who are for the stakeholder theory where a corporation must recognise and respect the vital interests of each of its surrounding stakeholders. Realist view This view gathers the greatest following of an alliance model advocated by Patricia Werhane. It states that CSR is not simply about whatever funds and expertise companies choose to invest in communities to help resolve social problems. But, it is also about the integrity with which a company governs itself, fulfils its mission, lives by its values, engages with its stakeholders, measures its impacts and reports on its activities. 2.1.3 Key Drivers of CSR CSR is seen by Porter and Van Der Linde (2000, p. 131) as a competitive driver that requires appropriate resources. CSR programmes, however, on their own, have certain main drivers which are as follow: Bottom Line Effect This is the most relevant driver of CSR programmes as it incorporates a socially responsible element into corporate practice. As John Elkington (1997) rightly underlined that many companies exhibit corporate citizenship through charity or philanthropy. Nevertheless, a new perspective evolved over time for some corporate stakeholders. Success of a corporation is now weighted and defined by evaluating businesses using a Triple Bottom Line comprised of its social, environmental and financial performance. Managing Risk An endeavour to adopt CSR programme has been the gain in market share, key personnel and investment which pioneering companies enjoy when they seriously address labour and green issues. In fact, corporations implement such a programme to manage risks and ensure legal compliance as denoted by Levine Michael A. (2008). They try to avoid investigation, litigation, prosecution, regulation or legislation. Influence of the Corporate Disasters There has been an increased perception of greed amidst senior business officials in the corporate world following corporate scandals affecting Enron, WorldCom and the like. CSR is important in counteracting allegations of corporate greed. As a result, as described by Hancock (2005) in his book, corporations are now shifting away from the philanthropic approach towards CSR and are moving towards the greater alignment of CSR with business strategy and corporate governance. Lower Equity Risk Premium Reputation Management Corporations can face economic damage when their corporate reputations and brands are assailed or sales are affected by consumer boycotts. As argued by some rating agencies, a comprehensive CSR programme will lower a companys equity risk premium. A direct correlation between reputation and financial outcome measures share price and credit rating (Hancock, 2005) has been illustrated through a model designed by the global public relations company Bell Pottinger. In fact, companies may face a variety of legal and reputational risks if they do not have adequate social compliance or corporate social responsibility/sustainability programs in place. Customer Loyalty In todays markets, companies have to focus on building and maintaining customer loyalty. As proposed by Zhou Y. (2009), this can be done through a CSR programme which builds loyalty with customers by offering a competitive advantage in a marketplace where consumers find ethically delivered or produced goods and services. Stakeholder Activism Investment Incentives As perceived by Visser, W. (2008), CSR is encouraged through the activism of stakeholder or pressure groups which often address the alleged failure of the market and government policy. The trend of socially responsible investment gives CSR an incentive where funds are screened on ethical, social and environmental criteria. Thus, this proactively encourages businesses to inform shareholders of potential risks and issues and it helps them to better understand their stakeholders, including shareholders. According to Hill Knowltown (2006), surveys have indicated that analysts place as much importance on corporate reputation as they do on financial performance. 2.1.4 Theories for CSR There are several theories that emerged to explain the reasons behind environmental reporting over the time. These are as follow: Operational Efficiency Theory Operational Efficiency occurs when the right combination of people, process, and technology to boost the productivity and value of any business operation, while reducing cost of routine operations to a desired level. In the context of CSR, operational efficiencies can be achieved through managing impending risks and liabilities more effectively and efficiently through CSR tools and perspectives by reducing costs; streaming information to stakeholders concerning the investment community for better transparency and by using corporate responsibility and sustainability approaches within business decision-making to result in new market opportunities, newly developed manufacturing processes that can be expanded to other plants, regions or markets as advocated by S. B. Banerjee (2007). Social Contract Theory The current practice of CSR by corporations was explained by O. O. Amao (2007) under the social contract theory. This theory dates from the classic period of history but took its modern form in the 16th and 18th centuries with best known philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau who talk on social contract. Rousseau, in fact, conceptualised the individual-society relationship as a symbiotic situation whereby the two parties mutually confer some right to the state in order to maintain social order which makes human life and cohabitation better and to gain benefits of community and safety. In parallel to the social contract, the corporate social theory, pertaining to a firms indirect social obligations, is advanced where businesses are bound by the social contract to perform various socially desired actions in return for approval of their objectives and other rewards. Legitimacy Theory Similar to the social contract theory, the legacy theory was adopted by comporations to ensure that operations are within the limits and norms of their respective societies and the outside parties perceive their activities as being legitimate. Society grants legitimacy and power to business. In the long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend to lose it. This principle developed by Daviss (1973) is commonly known as the Iron Law of Responsibility. It expresses legitimacy as a societal-level concept and describes the responsibility of business as a social institution that must avoid abusing its power. Thus, this principle expresses a prohibition rather than an affirmative duty, and it applies equally to all companies, regardless of their particular circumstances. According to A.K.H. Khor, the legitimacy theory is fundamentally a system-oriented theory where organisations are viewed as components of the larger social environment within which they exist. Stakeholder Theory A key feature of CSR involves the way that a company engages, involves, and collaborates with its stakeholders including shareholders, employees, debt-holders, suppliers, customers, communities, non-governmental organisations, and governments. M. C. Branco and L. L. Rodrigues (2007) argued that companies need to use stakeholder engagement to internalise societys needs, hopes, circumstances into their corporate views and decision-making. While there are many questions about how far a companys responsibilities extend into communities relative to the roles of governments and individual citizens, there is a strong argument that CSR can effectively improve a companys relations with communities and thereby produce some key features that will improve business prospects for its future. Agency Theory This theory comes to explain the relationship that exists between the owners/shareholders and the management. As such the latter is the agent which appointed by the principal (owner/subsidiary) and problems such as the potential moral hazard and conflict of interest are likely to occur. CSR comes as a middle way so that both parties can maximise their gains. As such, when CFP is strong, managers may reduce social expenditures in order to maximise their own short term private gains whereas when CFP weakens, managers will try to offset their disappointing results by engaging in conspicuous social programs, hence increasing their own wealth and that of shareholders as well, pursuant to the managerial opportunism hypothesis by Preston OBannon (1997). 2.2 Theoretical Review 2.2.1 Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) Most of the businesses operate with a view of yielding profits. The financial performance of a company is reflected through its policies and operations in monetary terms. These results are reflected through its return on investment, return on assets, value added, return on sale and growth in sales. Managers work in the best interest of shareholders to maximise profits. Financial performance is the most common, however, it cannot be considered as the only indicator used to measure a firms wealth. A broader definition of financial performance is accompanied by additional indicators such as short-term profits, long-term profits, market value, and other forms of competitive advantage, as noted by Jensen (2001). 2.2.2 Corporate Social Performance and CFP Many previous studies have indicated an unclear relationship between CSR and financial performance. Thus, literature has pointed out towards an innovation in bringing the concept of CSP to better explore its impact upon corporate financial performance (CFP). In todays world, for a firm to achieve a good and high level of CFP, it has to go beyond the limits of its own corporate strategies and adopt views of other stakeholders who may be directly or indirectly related to the company. Since over the three decades, the study of the correlation between CSP and CFP has gained much salience. Many studies conducted in this effect have yielded positive correlation, while others produced contradictory results with negative or non-significant different causal directions being found. In effect, there are several competing theoretical models which are proposed to explain three varying findings on the CSP-CFP link. Owing to these differing relationships, I.Y. Maroam (2006) proposes a unified theory of the CSP-CFP link that explain the different relationships that may be observed between CSR and CFP, thus basing itself on the parallels between the business and CSR domains. The concept of CSR instils in corporations the moral responsibility towards society that go beyond the goal of simply making profits for their owners and shareholders (Berman et al., 1999). As Freeman (1984) rightly pointed out that corporations should be socially responsible for both moral and practical (instrumental) reasons, by reflecting a socially responsible posture, a corporation can enhance its own performance. Thus, CSR activities can, inter-alia, be rewarded with more satisfied customers, better employee, improved reputation, and improved access to financial markets, all pertaining to improving financial performance and sustaining the business. However, social accomplishments may equally involve certain financial costs which can effectively reduce profits and comparative performance. Hence, Vance (1975) came up with the trade-off hypothesis to show negative linkage between CSP and CFP whereby corporations displaying strong social credentials experience declining stock price s relative to the market average. 2.2.3 CSP as a Business Strategy So far, it is clear that CSP can be used as a business strategy which can contribute to the competitive advantage of firms. A study by N. A. Dentchey (2004) on the effects of CSP on the competitiveness of organisations reveals that CSP should not be thought as an innocent adventure for executives. It is rather a strategy for achieving corporate strategies, which if not warily implemented, may harm the firms competitive advantage. Competitive advantage, as seen by Porter (1996), denotes the ability of a company to outperform others from successful differentiation from rivals actions. This strategic fit between the outside environment and companies internal resources and capabilities (Hoskissoon et al., 1999) results in superior financial results, as indicated by various measures of profitability. Hence, as per Burke and Logsdon (1996), a strategic implementation of social responsibility benefits all by resulting in strategic outcomes such as customer loyalty, future purchases, new products, new markets and productivity gains. Arguably, CSP can be a source of competitive disadvantage for firms which regard CSP as an additional cost. Business contributions to social prosperity (CSP) are seen by Keim (1978, p.33) as an investment in public good which is consumed or enjoyed by a number of individuals disregarding the cost sharing. Thus, investing in CSP is likely to bear negative effects for the firms which are in curring costs that might otherwise be avoided or that should be borne by others, for example, individuals or government (Aupperle et al., 1985). 2.2.4 CSP, CFP and the Stakeholder Theory Following the above arguments, a new perspective of CSP, based on the stakeholder analysis, emerges to argue furthermore that there exists a positive relationship between CSP and CFP. As such, S.A. Waddock and S.B. Graves (1997) propose that a tension exists between the firms explicit costs (for instance, payments to bondholders) and its implicit costs to other stakeholders (for example, product quality costs, and environmental costs). Hence, a firm which tries to outweigh its explicit costs by increasing its socially responsible actions incurs higher implicit costs, resulting in competitive advantage. Thus, high levels of CSP are seen as indicators of superior management by Alexander and Buchholz (1982) which lead to lower explicit costs and enhanced financial performance. The stakeholder theory accompanies the concept of CSR by shedding more light on the issue of social responsibility. This theory is spread over three aspects (Donaldson and Preston, 1995) namely, descriptive, instrumental and normative. While the descriptive aspect describes and explains the theory, the instrumental aspect discloses the cause-effect relationships between stakeholder management practices and improving corporate performance. The normative aspect, on the other hand, as perceived by I.Y. Maroam (2006) emphasizes on the moral imperatives for practising stakeholder management, rather than the business benefits it may provide. A parallelism between the core business domain and the CSR domain will maximise a firms profitability. The stakeholder theory provides a framework for investigating the relationship between CSP and CFP by examining how a change in CSP is related to a change in financial accounting measures. In fact, the two concepts of CSR and stakeholder share the proposition that social responsibility affects financial performance in some way or other. This subject area has been so vastly explored that this trend is now seen as a natural progression which goes associatively with developments in the industrial and business world. There is an increasing concern and emphasize on humanity, environmental preservation and enlightened social consciousness. Thus, a new area of research began to pave its way within the field of business and society where the relationship between corporate social conduct, both toward the corporations stakeholders and the wider society, and the corporations financial performance was and is still being investigated across several countries. Over environmental issues, research h as revealed that businesses which are eco-friendly and demonstrate good CSR practices enjoy increased consumer purchase preference (Gildea, 1994; Zaman, 1996) and good economic performance (Al-Tuwaijiri, et al., 2004). A stakeholder group, as identified and defined by Freeman (1984), is one that that can affect or is affected by achievement of the organisations objectives, that is, which can be harmed as well as can help it to achieve its goals. Therefore, there is a growing need for firms to address the needs and expectations of the stakeholders to avoid negative outcomes and produce positive outcomes for themselves (Donaldson and Preston, 1995; Freeman, 1984; Frooman, 1997). Pursuant to the stakeholder theory perspective, CSP can be assessed in terms of a company meeting the demands of multiple stakeholders, ranging from cost minimisation to societal maximisation. Building on the previous mentioned definition of CSP, Wood and Jones (1995) propose that stakeholder theory is the key to understanding the structure and dimensions of the firms societal relationships thereby assuming that firms are responsible for honouring all the implicit and explicit contracts they hold with their various constituen ts. Therefore, the stakeholder theory provides a system-based perspective of the organisation and its stakeholders where it acknowledges the dynamic and complex nature of the interplay between them. The various stakeholders of the firms, such as the employees, shareholders, financers, environmentalists, government, communities, customers and even competitors should be convinced by the management that it is working harder to satisfy them. The more important the stakeholders to the firm, the more effort the firm needs to put to uphold its relationship with the former. According to Clarkson, Donaldson and Preston et al. (1995), the stakeholder theory must place shareholders as one of the multiple stakeholder groups which managers should consider in their decision-making process. However, like the shareholders, the other stakeholders may have a say upon the firm, bestowing societal legitimacy. Notably, Bernadette M. Ruf et al. (2001) asserted that firms must address these non-shareholder gro ups demands otherwise they might face negative confrontations which can ultimately result in diminished shareholder value, through boycotts, lawsuits, protests and so on. Hence, firms have a fiduciary duty relationship not only to the shareholders, but to all stakeholders (Hasnas, 1998, p.32). So far, recognising a companys contractual relationship with the various stakeholders has been instrumental in better comprehending the relationship that CSP and CFP share. Stakeholders have expectations from the organisation. Nevertheless, these expectations may conflict with the firms limited resources leading the firm to evaluate its costs and benefits tradeoffs. Firms must thus come with measures representative of the various factors of CSP and stakeholders interests. Unlike neo-classical stockholders who were only interested in financial performance (Grouf, 1994; Shapiro, 1992), the major stakeholders of today, that is, the stockholders are more interested in the firms current and future financial benefits and social performance. 2.3 Empirical Review This section reviews the works done and methods used by researchers on the relationship of CFP and CSP. Empirical results on the latters correlation are mixed whereby some yielded in positive, some in negative and some in non-significant relationships. Basing on the stakeholder theory approach, several models on the CFP-CSP relationship have been proposed, where the largest number of investigations found a positive CSP-CFP linkage. Notably, different methods to compute indexes for CFP and CSP have been used since data on both cannot be possibly obtained in absolute figures. As such, using aggregated weights assigned to K dimensions of social performance obtained through questionnaire for CSP and using change in return on equity (ROE), change in return on sales (ROS) and growth in sales as financial measures on a sample of 496 firms, Bernadette M. Ruf et al. (2001) came up with a positive relationship between CSP and CFP. They, in fact, regressed change in CSP on change in CFP. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between change in CSP and change in ROE and change in ROS in the long term but that with growth in sales was significantly positive only in year 0 and 1. The study suggests that improvements in CSP have both immediate and continuing financial impacts. The authors have furthermore suggested that since many financial performance measures follow a random walk or mean reversion  [1]  , it is important to use lead/lag studies to establish a causal sequence of CSP and CFP. Concerning time period, one year may be short in strat egic terms and could well be distorted by rogue figures, hence, it suggested to take two or five years data in analyses. A paper by S. A. Waddock and S. B. Graves (1997) also found positive linkage between CFP and CSP. An index for CSP was computed using eight attributes relating to shareholder concerns and were rated consistently across the entire Standards Poors 500 by a rating service. The firms profitability was measured using three accounting variables, namely, return on assets (ROA), ROE and ROS used to assess CFP by the investment community. Factors such as size, risk and industry which affect both CFP and CSP were taken as control variables. Used on a sample of 469 companies and using CSP as both dependent and independent variable, the results revealed that CFP does depend on CSP and vice-versa and also indicated the importance of controlling for industry in assessing such a relationship. Size has been suggested in previous studies, like that of Ullman (1985), to be a factor which affects both CFP and CSP. Size remains a relevant variable because there had been evidence that smaller firms may not demonstrate the same obvious socially responsible behaviours as larger firms. Authors like Pinkston and Carroll (1993), for instance, investigated the extent social responsibility orientations, organisational stakeholders, and social issues can differ among firms of differing sizes. P. A. Stanwick and S. D. Stanwick (1998), on the other hand, found a significant positive association between size (annual sales) and CFP at the 10% level for three of the six years of their study. Firm size is particularly the scale of operations in an organisation (Price and Mueller (1986, p. 233)). Previous literature has indicated a need to control not only for industry, and size (Ullman, 1985; Waddock and Graves, 1997), but also for risk (McWilliams and Siegel, 2000) to render research results more complete. The argument to use risk as a control variable is supported by the fact that the degree of risk is seen as the other important component of firm performance assumed by a firm in order to achieve a given level of financial performance as stated by Bettis and Hall (1982). Baird and Thomas (1985) also advocated risk as being both as a strategic variable (firms choose a given level of risk) and as an outcome variable (strategic choices lead to a level of risk) which ultimately leads to improved financial performance. As such, M. Brine, R. Brown and G. Hackett (2004) used risk alongside size as control variables to assess financial performance of 277 companies. Their preliminary results stated that the adoption of CSR does lead to increases in turnover and also an increase in equity, which in turn improve the CFP level. To bring more integrity, M. Orlitzky et al. (2003) conducted a quantitative meta-analysis on the CFP-CSP relationship building on the hypothesis that CSP and CFP are generally positively related leading to competencies, learning, efficiency and reputation-building with its external stakeholders. Taking CFP as a companys financial viability through three broad subdivisions consisting of market-based (investor returns), accounting-based (accounting returns), and perceptual (survey) measures and constructing CSP through four broad measurement strategies, namely: (a) CSP disclosures (annual reports, letters to shareholders); (b) CSP reputation ratings; (c) social audits, CSP processes, and observable outcomes; and (d) managerial CSP principles and values (Post, 1991), the study suggests that corporate virtue in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent, environmental responsibility can pay off, despite the CSP-CFP operationalisations can also moderate the positive associa tion. CSP appeared to be more highly correlated with accounting-based measures of CFP than with market-based indicators, and CSP reputation indices were more highly correlated with CFP than are other indicators. According to Mahoney L. and Roberts R.W. (2007), there is no significant relationship between a composite measure of firms CSP and CFP. Using four years panel data of Canadian firms, they calculated a composite measure of CSP score by summing all dimension strength ratings, such as, community relations, diversity, employee relations, environment, international, product safety, and amongst others and subtracting all dimension weaknesses ratings. Following Waddock and Graves (1997a), ROA and ROE were used separately to measure a firms CFP. As CFP was expected to be positively related to CSP, a one-year lag between CFP and all independent variables (CSP, firm size, debt level, and industry) was used. Inconsistent with their expectation, they found no significant relationship between the composite CSP measure and either ROA or ROE. However, the use of individual measures of firms CSP regarding environmental and international activities and CFP resulted in a significant relationship provi ding mixed support for the business case for CSP. A study, using the Granger causality approach, by Rim Makni et al. (2008) reaffirms Mahoney and Roberts (2007) works on the non-significant relationship. However, there may also be a simultaneous and interactive negative relation between CSP and CFP, forming a vicious circle.

Understanding Zapatista Longevity :: Mexico Economics Politics Zapatista Essays

Understanding Zapatista Longevity When Mexican President Vincente Fox rode into office on a wave of popular support in 2000, he inherited the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas. In 1994, the largely indigenous Zapatista movement began a military campaign to protest economic and political disenfranchisement. Vincente Fox claimed that he could solve the Zapatista uprising in â€Å"15 minutes.† Like his predecessor, he has failed to solve the problem. How did the Zapatistas achieve such longevity in the confines of the â€Å"perfect dictatorship?† When Mexico entered the international economy, it opened itself to global scrutiny. Mexico’s trading partners have kept an eye on Mexico’s human rights record. Mexico simply could not crush the Zapatista rebellion with an iron fist: â€Å"Mexicans and the international community will not accept a genocidal war in Chiapas† (Collier 167). Furthermore, global connections empowered Mexican human rights organizations to exert more leverage on the Mexican government to moderate their repression. The Zapatistas were particularly adept at using the internet to voice their demands and to protest the excesses of the Mexican government. The Mexican government also faced legal restraints which prevented an all-out war on the Zapatistas. After the uprising 1994 and the government counter-attack in 1995, the federal congress passed a law for dialogue in 1995. This foreclosed the option of a unilateral show of force by the Mexican army in areas under Zapatista control. The jungles of Chiapas also made a complete military victory improbable. The government changed its tactics to end the rebellion, resorting to low intensity war. Paramilitaries with differing levels of tacit and explicit support terrorized Zapatistas and their sympathizers. The killings in Acteal in 1997 that claimed the lives of 45 innocent people remains a particularly gruesome example of paramilitary massacres. Most importantly, the Mexican government lots the war of ideas. Though the Mexican government maintained a virtual monopoly of the press, Marcos and the Zapatistsas managed to diffuse their ideas and goals across the country. Though many did not support their violent tactics, the Zapatistas brought attention to the â€Å"plight of those at the losing end of Mexico’s economic globalization, particularly the indigenous groups who were losing both their livehood and their hopes for self-determination† (155). Marcos’ articulate and incisive letters put the government on the â€Å"moral defense† (168). Despite the government’s efforts, support for the Zapatistas increased. The government believed it had scored a victory when it revealed in 1994 that Sub-commandante Marcos was in fact a non-indiginours former philosophy student.

Air India

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tawfik Jelassi in his book Strategies for e Business defined as the use of electronic means to perform an organisation’s business. It’s a development in the e Commerce deals with online sales,online payment, Online Marketing etc. Since the introduction of E business in 1995 it’s been a part in the growth of the company and changing the business structure. As a part of partial fulfilment of my module I have chosen Air India web site.Air India is one of the leading carriers in International airways in INDIA it uses website extensively for the booking of tickets and promotional strategies E business has became a tool for their growth in the past two years. This report is classified into Two parts in the first part Overview to the company and website is given and the Second part is all about Branding, Segmentation, ease of use and transactional facilities followed by conclusion and recommendations. COMPANY OVERVIEW:Air India is an India based world wide airlines company operating both passenger and cargo flights ranging from Boeing 747’s to Airbus A -310. From the day the first flight took of way back in October 15,1932 it is representing the perfect example of both class and quality . Air India is set to transform into world class airline carrier after it’s merger with Indian Airlines the leader in the domestic sector of airlines in India. In addition to the basic facilities providing to the passengers it also provide wide range of in-flight facilities such as Air Shows, Catering etc.Cargo Division of Air India transports wide range of goods and a shipment tracking service is also available online. Air India has got the Infrastructure along with the network which ensures safe transportation and delivery of cargo world wide. From the past three years there is a phenomenal growth on both US and European sector since 2002 network has been expanded to Newark, Los Angeles along with New York and Chicago in US / Numbe r of flights running to these destinations were increased from 10 to 24 flights includes daily services to Newark, New York, Chicago and a thrice a week flight to LosAngeles.Number of flights to United Kingdom were increased from 10 to 30 flights out of which 20 leave to London and Five To Birmingham. There is a significant increase in the frequency of flights to Far East and South Eastern Asia. In April 2005 Air India’s low cost subsidiary Airlines AIR INDIA EXPRESS came into existence operating flights to UAE, Qatar, Oman and Singapore. For the Financial Year ending March 2006 AIR INDIA has made a net profit of Rs 87,480 million with a 15% growth over the previous year. WEBSITE OVERVIEW: [pic]Web site is very informative with all the necessary attributes what an airline should have along with the special offers they have got with them. Through the internet ticket booking which is available on the website a passenger can book tickets of his choice up to five adults, four chi ldren and two infants and can pay the fare through debit card or credit card at a time. These bookings can be made from three hours to 360 days prior to the departure of the flight. There are three kinds of ticketing methods available they are electronic ticketing, ticket by mail and ticket pick up at Airport .We can check the Time table of the flights, status of the flight both arrivals and departure along with the special requirements if needed such as meal preferences, seat and wheel chair. A clear idea regarding the cargo services offered by the Air Lines is given very clearly such as destinations they cover, specific weight limitations to particular destinations and the types of services they offer along with the cargo tracking facility through which we can know the delivery status of the shipment. Air India is distributing e tickets through AMADEUS.Now Air India will offer the Amadeus – enabled e ticketing services across all of its International and Domestic services. This made the most content of the website available to the travel agencies this enables Air India to keep up the progress to improve both efficiency and Customer service. Branding: A brand as defined by Philip Kotler is a term, sign, symbol or combination of these which is used by the consumers to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of the competitors .Brand identifies a market or the seller it can also be named as trade mark, Logo etc. A brand is a promise by the seller to deliver constant benefit’s, features and services for the consumers. Brands vary with the amount of power and value they have got in the market. There are brands which have high degree of Brand Awareness, Brand Acceptability, Brand Preference and Brand Loyalty.High brand equity provides a number of advantages such as reduction of marketing costs because of brand awareness and brand loyalty, launch of extension’s become easy because o f brand name and creditability, this also offers the company some defence against the price competition. A brand name needs to be carefully managed to maintain its brand equity in the market to maintain so the companies should require to improve brand awareness, perceived quality and functionality and the positive association ( Philip Kotler, Marketing Management Millennium edition pg no 406).Air India follows all the fundamentals of branding to maintain its brand equity. Air India came into the market in 1946 with a Muscat of Maharaja (Emperor) which is very popular among the costumers in India. The Muscat symbolizes graciousness and rich living. This attempt of using Muscat took Air India’s sales and promotional messages to millions of passengers across the world. Price with quality gives value and value is why people tend to choose one brand over the other. Brand Marketing, Joe Marconi(2000), page 34) this is what Air India follows and gaining loyalty among the costumers. All the offers and the promotional strategies they follow help in maintaining the brand equity. The varied facilities they provide in the flight including Dining, Music ranging from Indian to western and Japanese music and videos in India to Japan flights is one among the unique features it has got which is attracting the passengers who fly from and to Japan.The Frequent Flyer programme and Flying Return Programme are introduced increases the brand loyalty. Air India is increasing its services to maintain it’s brand equity and attracting the new costumers by starting flights to the new destinations and creating a new sector in the cabin crew for the passengers with special needs all these helps Air India to live in the minds of the customers as a strong brand.The quality of service and the commitment to increase the costumer satisfaction makes Air India a top brand in India in the aviation sector and with it’s merger with Indian Airlines it is going create the same imp act on the domestic passengers as it created on the international customers from the past 56 years when they came into the market as a brand. MARKET SEGMENTATION: According to Philip Kotler ‘market segmentation is and effort done to increase the company’s precision marketing’. To segment consumer markets usually researchers look at the consumer characteristics such as Geographic, demographic, psychographic and behaviour. . Geographical Segmentation: It involves dividing the markets into different geographical units such as Nations,States,Regions,Counties, Cities and Neighbourhoods. 2. Demographical Segmentation: The market is divided into groups on the basis of variables such as Age, Size of the family, Family life cycle, gender, Income, Occupation, Education, Religion, Race, Generation, Nationality and Social Class. 3. Psychographic Segmentation: In Psychographic Segmentation buyers or customers are divided into different groups based on lifecycle or personality and values. . Behavioural Segmentation: Here Buyers or Consumers are divided on the basis of their Attitude towards the product or company, use of it, benefits, usage rate, loyalty status, Buyer Readiness stage . AIR INDIA’S market segmentation is a mix of all the consumer behaviour segmentation’s as mentioned above. Factors such as, Air fare which varies from destinations to destinations this supports that based on the destinations the costumers travel fare depends on to which destination they are flying is Demographic way of segmentation.The company’s website clearly provides all the basic necessities what an Airlines company should have. A passenger can book tickets whose family comprises up to five adults, four children and two infants where majority of family member range across the globe fall into this category. Seating arrangement are broadly classified into three based on the facilities provided like any other airlines. The three classes are First Class , Executive Class & Economy Class. The Preferences of the customers to book the class usually depends on their income, occupation, and Social Class.On the website if we se the two options while we book the ticket they are Restrictive fare and Flexible fare supports the above statement to some extent. All the variables such as Family size, income, occupation and social class are taken into consideration they all come under Demographic segmentation hence we can justify that the market segmentation of Air India follows Demographic segmentation. People who have got a life style of spending lavishly and love to be in esteemed state usually go with 1st class this life style is a variable of Psychographic segmentation.Air India provides extreme benefits for the passengers along with the basic needs such as Dining which offers a varied choice of menus ranging from Indian, Continental, to western nouvelle cuisine and Japanese meals on the India – Japan route if any passenger has got s pecial requirement varied choice of meals as many as 23 special meals whose details are present on the website. Serving first class passengers in Royal Dolton Bone China Crockery nd alcoholic bewarages which are served as complimentary in all classes are some examples of the benefits they provide the customers. Added to this in flight entertainment is provided with all accesses to different radio channels and offering music ranging from Indian to Jazz, Pop etc along with different videos of bollywood and many other regional languages are offered. Frequent Flyer programme and Flying return programme are the most attractive offers for the air India costumers through this they earn mileage points to redeem their tickets faster.Flying return programme has a membership of over 2,00,000 in India , Gulf, UK, USA, all these offer’s and the benefits they provide increase the loyalty status and usage rate and all these are the variables of the behavioural segmentation. Hence from the a bove points it is clear and evident that the marketing segmentation of Air India is mix of all the consumer characteristic segments. EASE OF USE: Air lines are using internet as an effective information dissemination and revenue generating channel (Connoly,Olsen Moore 1998).Standing(2000) claimed that the web has changed from pushing firms and services to pulling clients into value added opportunities that a company provide. According to Stuat (1996) an online catalogue should provide all the information what exactly customers need to make a purchase decision. All the promotions should include product information , product pricing and online ordering information. Connoly , Olsen, Moore (1998) argued that customers should know about Air Ticket prices , Schedules , and flight availability .Kucway (1997) stated that a appropriate airline website for starter should offer schedules , frequent flyer membership, tickets information and updated contact numbers for making reservations and a step beyond that is ability to make e- reservations. Airlines compete not only among each other but also with the other online travel agents such as Travelocity supported by SABRE and Expedia supported by Microsoft. The most common complaints about an about any web page is the lengthy time needed to load the web pages and loads of graphical images though these kind of graphical images attract the viewer.For every 10 sec taken by the graphics to be loaded before the webpage content can be seen there is a risk of loosing 20% of viewers (Taylor 1999). So web designers should try to avoid putting heavy graphical images on the home page and should provide link’s to the related sites or pages where the information is quoted. A successful business website notices customers to visit and purchase as it offers something of value more than that the customers cannot find any where else (Theobald and Dunsmore 2000) Some of the basic characteristics that make a successful airline website a re (Stout 1996) 1.Availability of product pricing and product information. 2. Online ordering information for general products and services. 3. Provision for extra benefits for customers such as discounts on fares etc. 4. Fast loading web pages especially where home page is located. 5. Graphics should be kept in a small display size and scrolling text should be avoided. 6. And to cultivate customer loyalty. Air India website has got all the features what a successful air lines website should have except problem with home page loading.It is very easy to accesses the website the website is developed in such a way that a viewer or the customer can be able to know all the information he needs . It provides the customers with the fleet i. e. with all the aircrafts they have got with them and which kind aircraft they are using for which destinations this is one of the unique feature of this website. All the general information such as booking the tickets , destinations where they fly , of fers they have got with them , special requests baggage tracking facility online etc. One of the unique features of this website is online cargo tracking facility.At the bottom of the homepage there links provided through which one can access the FAQ’s, Investor relations. About the Airlines etc. The website has been segmented into different pages and it is very easy to access the information it follows all the basic concepts and keep it’s brand name alive. Dave Chaffy in stated some principles which should be followed to design an effective webpage. If the web site is designed on these principles it will be user friendly and Air India website is one of the example of such websites with some exceptions.If the website is friendly then only the company can retain it’s costumers Air India is one of such website. TRANSACTIONAL FACILITIES: Transactional facilities are one of the important characters of an airline website. As these airline websites are meant for reser vations and payment of money usually so transactions are done at a higher rate on these websites. Company should be trusty and should give a durable service and the transactions should be secure Air India has got a data protection service which is present on the website.It’s a kind of procedure followed while a passengers books a ticket as a measure of extending the security system one should be able to provide all the details of his including Passport number etc by using or becoming a YATRIK ID holder after this the costumer is directed to purchase of ticket where there is a credit card or debit card verification system. The transaction process is very easy after the costumer pays the fare then immediately there will be mail including everything in the costumer’s mail box .Air India has got a well implemented technology and security features to safe guard the all the personal and transactional details. CONCLUSION: From the above all points we can conclude that Air Ind ia is one of the best example for an success full Air Line company operating the website. Website is filed with all the important information what a customer or passenger needs before booking tickets. All the offers and the destinations to which they fly and the shipment tracking facility on line is one of the important and unique feature of the website.RECOMMENDATIONS: By having a overall look at there are no significant problems with the website except the time taken by the home page to load which is the same case with many pages on the website. For every 10 seconds it takes for the graphics to be loaded before the complete Web page contents can be seen, there is a risk of losing 20% of the viewers (Taylor 1999) so keeping this view point the web page designers should be able to provide a efficient service overcoming this problem. The designers can break up the huge web page into multiple pages (Howe 1999).REFRENCES: ? www. airindia. in. ? http://www. m-travel. com/news/2007/05/ai r_india_to_di. html. ? Marketing Management by Philip Kotler Millennium edition. ? A study of Airlines ‘Online Reservations on the Internet Rob Law and Rita Leung. Journal of Travel research 2000;39;202. ? www. datamonitor. com Airlines in India Industry Profile November 2007 edition ,Reference code 0102-0756 ? E commerce Fundamentals and applications Henry chan, Ray Mondlee, Tharam Dillon, Elizabeth Chang 2001.

HR Dissertation - Iconicity and hubris The WritePass Journal

HR Dissertation - Iconicity and hubris Abstract HR Dissertation Iconicity and hubris ). Hubris indicates a high level of self-assurance and thus is identified as extensive pride or self-confidence. In a book by Glendinning (2012), the focus is on the pitfalls of global modernism demonstrated in the creation of various architectural buildings globally. The main argument introduced by the researcher is that architecture has been apparently spectacularised, which has led to alienated architectural pieces and individuals. It has been indicated that the so-called iconic buildings have insignificant social and historical integrity, implying that the aspect of iconicity has been replaced by triviality that shows inappropriate identified architectural objectives (Jacobs, 1961). The type of iconic buildings created by famous Starchitects has expanded criticism in recent years, as outlined by Glendinning (2012). These buildings have been presented as competing for attention on the skyline and in the mass media. Similarly, Sudjic (2005) indicates doubts in the authenticity and properly intended purpose of iconic buildings. Moreover, researchers have considered iconicity as a distinct type of architectural tourism, which reflects in buildings intended for urban travel destinations (Specht, 2014). Kent (2010) implies that architecture’s status has been changed from iconic to extraordinary in the process of exploring architectural buildings’ effect on a sense of place. Such a sense has been explored by Rybczynski (2008) with a focus on the Bilbao effect or the Bilbao anomaly representing a costly iconic failure. The Bilbao effect, as shown in an article by Martin (2013), creates controversies and thus the researcher presents a warning about the perceived negative impact of Starchitects’ iconic buildings on local cities and states. Iconic architecture has been identified as a substantial failure, as argued in an article by Romaniuk (2010). The author of the research has presented convincing arguments relating to the manipulation of the mass media trying to create a desirable vision of iconic architecture. Such manipulation is evident in emotionally charged architectural projects including the Freedom Tower for Ground Zero (Romaniuk, 2010). It has been argued that the decline of belief and the extensive growth of pluralism have led to the emergence of iconic buildings that are unable to fulfil the objectives of authentic iconography (Reutskaja and Nueno, 2009). In addition, the legitimacy of identifying particular buildings as iconic can be judged with time, disregarding the mass media’s projected implications of successful architectural buildings solely based on sociological and financial profitability. Based on the major studies presented in the literature review, it can be concluded that buildings shou ld be constantly assessed in terms of the values with which they are associated. Chapter 3: Research Methodology The type of research methodology used in this study is non-empirical research design, which is suitable to explore the relationship between iconicity and hubris. Arguments are based on evidence and credible opinion provided in secondary resources (Yanow and Schwartz-Shea, 2006). The major aspect relating to non-empirical research is the focus on data previously gathered by researchers in the field of architecture rather than gathering a new set of data. This research framework is often associated with the purposes of humanities and natural philosophy. One of the most important elements of this type of research methodology, as applied in the present study, is review of existing literature as the focus is to provide sufficient arguments in order to accomplish the previously stated research objectives (MacNealy, 1998). The systematic review of existing literature on the subject implies not only prior knowledge and adequate research skills but also ability to use a distinct form of meta- analysis in an attempt to reach conclusions which are important for the study. It has been noted that non-empirical research analysis suggests a significant amount of varying interpretations of the information obtained from secondary resources. A strong sense of intellectual inquiry is essential in this type of research because the process of acquiring knowledge is accomplished through valid critical and analytical interpretations of the research material (MacNealy, 1998). In fact, it is important to emphasise on the reinterpretation of consolidated information on the issues of iconicity and hubris within the new framework presented in this study. Thus, critical reflection is part of non-empirical research analysis, which is demonstrated in the present research. There is a solid focus on propositions for theory relating to the iconic dimensions of modern buildings across the world (Yanow and Schwartz-Shea, 2006). The development of a particular approach to the present study is a well-structured process that starts with the identification of a focal issue, in pa rticular the exploration of iconicity and hubris including their impact on the perception of emblematic buildings created by Starchitects. Once the first step outlined in the research approach is completed, it is important to move into a direction of identifying key forces contributing to a better interpretation of the research problem. The researcher is expected to postulate such driving forces as well as to present the factors that have been considered the most significant for the completion of the research (Deleeuw et al., 2010). In addition, it is anticipated that systemic logic should be used to present critically the major arguments obtained from secondary resources. The final step of the presented research approach is to submit the entire research to critical consideration (Yanow and Schwartz-Shea, 2006). It can be concluded that the acquisition of non-empirical knowledge can facilitate the process of obtaining relevant information, which would further expand the research to a new stage in the sense of providing an adequate answer and explanation to the research question. Chapter 4: Research Findings Discussion and Analysis of Findings   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main research findings obtained from the critical evaluation of secondary resources are grouped in different subsections of this chapter in order to focus on emerging aspects relating to iconicity and hubris in a more direct manner. Economical and Political Instances/ Cases of Failure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A significant research finding demonstrated in this study is that of the impact of creating iconic buildings on the economy. Specific cases indicating hubris refer to Calatrava and Valencia, as Valencia has been recognised as a city of arts and sciences. Starchitects’ sense of hubris is evident in these cases and comes to show that architecture has entered a new mode of development. Although praised by some and rejected by others, the emblematic buildings created by Starchitects imply a substantial amount of efforts invested in presenting the philosophy of iconicity in architecture (Glendinning, 2012). According to Martin (2013), the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao serves as a relevant example of how iconicity has been used as a substantial indicator to measure the direct impact on the economy. It can be suggested that the creation of iconic buildings around the world, such as in locations in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Alba nia and Brazil, has raised the question of the perceived economic effect of similar activities (Reutskaja and Nueno, 2009). The dimension of commercialisation cannot be disregarded, as the sole motivating factor behind the so-called iconicity and hubris can be found in the idea of generating substantial profits from architectural tourism, which is dominated by emblematic building. Another essential aspect can be also indicated in terms of considering Starchitects’ intention to fill vast spaces, but this tends to create a negative effect among some individuals. According to researchers, the hostage of international mega events is one of the most powerful tools that a city can use for show-casting of resources and development, as well as the development of architectural identities that have come to be defined within the industry as ‘destination images’ (Reutskaja and Nueno, 2009). In this context, specific contemporary events have come to be synonymous with commercial rivalry between cities as well as the transnational environment, as different regions struggle to attract more investors and consumer spending. In light of this, with the increase in pressure for the cities to expand their entrepreneurial stance as they aim at increasing their attraction to mobile capital, the cities have to make considerations on their investments. It would be less economical for them to carry out development if they are not going to realise monetary gain after the renovations. Strong competition is existent within most of today’s cities-th e competition being amongst the city investors themselves as well with other cities that may wish to host different events and expositions that are aimed at increasing the economic wellbeing of the region. For this reason, the completion of iconic buildings by Starchitects has increased from the regional and local scenes, stemming into international and global scales and requiring the integration of the political, social and infrastructural frontiers (Glendinning, 2012). Accordingly, the growth of the cities has generated the needs for the incorporation of all the elements that define a developing civilisation, allowing them to seek out identity in the infrastructural resources that are found within them and their capability to communicate with others and represent themselves in international entrepreneurial matters (Martin, 2013). While the development of the architectural landmarks creates the possibility of increasing the tourism attraction to the sites, expositions and events ar e necessary to highlight and showcase these developments thus creating a means of investment for the local authorities and foreign investors. For the most part, the mere presence of a beautiful square or a religious monument within a city cannot be enough for the modern city. In order to gain recognition as a modern city of the 21st century, a large portfolio of architectural development projects is necessary so increase the output, aesthetics and general appeal of the city to the outside world, as it is illustrated in the case of iconic buildings (Glendinning, 2012). The portfolio includes various strategies that are used by the local development councils in increasing the architectural resources found within the premises as well as the input by multinational organisations within this development in lieu of the rules that are used by Starchitects. As growth is experienced in today’s cities, individuals can witness how similar design implementations are used in different cities, with transformations of the existent architectures aiding in the provision of superiority and identity (Marshall, 2000). The last two decad es have seen the rise of the ‘megacity’ phenomenon, with small scale and often ‘off the grid’ cities being uplifted to city stardom through the regeneration of existent architectures and the inclusion of socio-cultural events around the creation of these resources. As global cities develop, cultural and communal events have been moved to these venues creating a sense of appreciation for their existence and a need for their improvement. Another finding that emerged from the research is that iconic buildings are perceived as a powerful tool to redefine the economical and political image of cities and countries in which they are constructed (Reutskaja and Nueno, 2009). The economic impact of these buildings has been extensively considered in order to present adequate conclusions about the state of regional economies. It cannot be denied that the presence of many iconic buildings in different locations across the world has improved the economic well-being of residents. Based on the results obtained from conducting non-empirical research, it can be argued that there are both cases of economical and political successes and failures associated with the construction of iconic buildings. This finding is confirmed in a research by Reutskaja and Nueno (2009) who provide evidence of the positive impact on employment in the region due to the emergence of iconic buildings and the essential element of hubris attached to them. The construction of such buildings is directly linked with the creation of a substantial number of jobs in different countries as well as greater contribution to the local government budgets in terms of taxes and duties. Another positive economic impact is related to additional employment in manufacturing processes for organisations that are responsible for the construction of iconic buildings. However, the negative economic effects of the erection of emblematic buildings should not be ignored (Rybczynski, 2008). For instance, a significant economic drawback is associated with the higher fees that are usually charged by Starchitects, indicating their egocentric factors of motivation used in the construction of similar buildings. A consideration of the challenges of cost estimations and over-budgeting should be considered in order to determine the precise economical and political impact of iconic buildings. Social Ethical Instances/ Cases of Failure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The representation of iconic buildings has been also linked with specific social and ethical implications. There are extensive examples that indicate hubris of the involved Starchitects. These are Zaha Hadid’s Qatar Stadium and Patrik Schumacher’s rant at 2014 architecture biennale. It appears that the mentioned buildings carry out the ‘pride’ of their creators in terms of involved efforts to make a lasting impression on the public. Moreover, it has been discovered that the aspect of public alienation is among the main factors contributing to the increasing social and ethical instances of failed iconic buildings. Starchitects have been identified as losing their appeal because they have consistently adhered to the philosophy of constructing architectural buildings of excess (Glendinning, 2012). As a result, it frequently appears that architectural design of certain buildings around the world is dominated by exces sive elements, which create an irrelevant perception among people. The present study also indicated that architecture is in a new era of development in the sense of focussing on the possibilities that technology has to offer. Yet, this raises the question whether such modern architecture succeeds in serving the needs of humanity (Kent, 2010). The answer to this question is complex considering the multiple effects created by the specific line or mode of architecture followed by Starchitects. However, it can be stated that architecture apparently emerges as an art that cannot be avoided by any means. An ethical instance of failed iconic buildings is related to the morality and controversy of such pieces of modern architecture. For example, Patrik Schumacher was accused of being motivated by an aspect identified as ‘misguided political correctness’. It has been argued that architects should try their best not to confuse architecture and art. A relevant finding revealed in this context is that architecture is actually found in charge of the specific form of the built environment (Glendinning, 2012). It is important to emphasise that one of the major duties of architects in contemporary society is to deliver a strong aspect of social justice. However, it should be indicated that Starchitects’ works have raised a series of ethical and moral concerns (Martin, 2013). In Qatar, migrant workers died at a stadium which is currently under construction, as this intensifies social anxiety and fear relating to the purpose and means utilised by Starchitects in their egocent ric representations found in modern buildings. It has been claimed that architects are not responsible for the death of these migrant workers, but the question of the moral and ethical parameters of such iconic buildings still remains persistent in the minds of individuals. Environmental and Evolutionary Instances/ Cases of Failure Evolutionary Perspectives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of discussing Starchitects’ hubris reflects in numerous examples, such as Lloyds building and Calatrava Valencia. The main aspect that was revealed in the study from an environmental perspective is that of the creation of defective masterpieces of architecture. It can be argued that such architectural creations have been resulted of the over-ambition of Starchitects (Glendinning, 2012). The example of Lloyd’s of London as anticipating leaving its iconic headquarters clearly illustrates the assumption of environmental failure. In fact, it has been indicated that the major problem with this building is its exposure to the elements making it an extremely costly structure (Martin, 2013). Cases of failure like this one point out that the technological advances of modern architecture have outpaced the simple ability of Starchitects to adeptly utilise them. The failure of emblematic buildings to meet strict functional req uirements is indicative of their inappropriate environmental impact. Another example of a failed iconic building, as seen through the environmental lens, is seen at Calatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences complex in Valencia. Only eight years after the completion of this project, certain parts of the construction started falling off. Such an instance of architectural failure confirms major findings outlined in the literature review section regarding the failures of contemporary iconic buildings (Reutskaja and Nueno, 2009; Romaniuk, 2010). The research findings indicated that both architects and developers are extensively focussed on erecting icons, but the results frequently turn out in a negative direction. The ambitions of Starchitects seemed to have contributed to the emergence of inappropriately maintained pieces of architecture in modernity (Romaniuk, 2010). In this sense, it can be argued that the architectural fabric is completely disregarded by Starchitects. Yet, a main problem created with iconic buildings is that they often produce one-lined response, which has become rather problematic for the entire functioning of the cities where these buildings are situated. Assessing the environmental impact of iconic buildings is a complex process relating to the interrelations of factors such as place, function and history (Rybczynski, 2008). Based on the research findings outlined in this study, it is important to state that iconic buildings have completely changed their status in the sense that people more and more start abandoning the idea of iconicity attached to similar pieces of modern architecture. The negative environmental impact of emblematic buildings cannot be ignored in the discussion of the ambitions of Starchitects and how those ambitions reflect in the buildings constructed by them. Changing the status of Starchitects’ buildings from iconic to extraordinary one is indicative of the way the public has altered its perceptions regarding the contributions of modern-day architects. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations This paper explored the implications of iconicity and hubris relating to architectural pieces created by Starchitects. Numerous aspects associated with this issue have been thoroughly investigated to include different perspectives and instances of hubris, such as economical and political instances of failure, social and ethical instances as well as environmental instances of how the concept of iconicity in modern architecture has been unsuccessful. It has been concluded that these architectural creations are merely economically and socially disruptive egocentric representations of the irrelevant ambitions manifested by Starchitects. The study illustrated how these emblematic constructions built by Starchitects have presented main failures with long-term social and ethical implications (Glendinning, 2012). As a result, it was demonstrated that the creations of Starchitects cannot be perceived anymore as iconic, as the aspect of iconicity has been simply replaced by so-called extraordi nary dimensions of perceiving similar buildings (Martin, 2013). The research method used in this study referred to the framework of non-empirical research analysis, which has been found suitable to meet the study’s main aim and objectives. This type of method allowed for greater flexibility in exploring specific concepts related to the impact of iconicity and hubris on the development of modern architecture (Sudjic, 2005). Moreover, the study identified that architecture has entered into a new stage of development with both positive and negative aspects that should be discussed thoroughly to understand the specific impact of Starchitects’ ambitions (Glendinning, 2012). However, certain limitations can be identified for the present study. The major limitation refers to the use of non-empirical research method. Instead, the researcher could have utilised empirical research method that could have contributed to achieving greater credibility and reliability of research findings (MacNealy, 1998). Another limitation relates to the specific literature that has been selected for obtaining results. Broader literature could have been used to cover the main arguments illustrated in the study (Yanow and Schwartz-Shea, 2010). In terms of recommendations, it is essential to note that the explored subject is quite complex and thus requires the implementation of multiple perspectives to understanding the wide array of impacts relating to the architectural works of Starchitects. Thus, it is recommended to conduct an in-depth primary research involving modern architects from different countries, as they can provide insightful suggestions regarding the development of a modern era in architecture (Glendinning, 2012). This recommendation also indicates a solid focus on including suggestions for future research in the field in order to bring the topic of iconicity and hubris of architectural buildings to new horizons of research exploration (Martin, 2013). A potential subject that may be investigated in a future research refers to people’s opinion on the impact of iconic buildings for the long-term development of their cities. References Deleeuw, J., Meijer, E. and Goldstein, H., eds. (2010). Handbook of Multilevel Analysis. Santa Monica, CA: Springer. Glendinning, M. (2012). Architecture’s Evil Empire? The Triumph and Tragedy of Global Modernism. London: Reaktion Books. Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House. Kent, F. (2010). Toward an Architecture of Place: Moving beyond Iconic to Extraordinary. Project for Public Spaces [online]. Available at: pps.org/reference/toward-an-architecture-of-place-moving-beyond-iconic-to-extraordinary/ [Accessed on: 18 Oct. 2014]. King, A. D. (1990). ‘Architecture, Capital and the Globalization of Culture’. Theory, Culture and Society, vol. 7, pp. 397-411. MacNealy, M. S. (1998). Strategies for Empirical Research in Writing. London: Longman. Marshall, R. (2000). Emerging Urbanity: Global Urban Projects in the Asia Pacific Rim. London: Spon Press. Martin, J. (2013). The Bilbao Effect: If You Build It, Will They Come? The Economist [online]. Available at: economist.com/node/21591708/comments [Accessed on: 18 Oct. 2014]. Reutskaja, E. and Nueno, J. L. (2009). ‘Starchitects, Emblematic Buildings and Their Effects on Urban Economics’. IESE Business School, University of Navarra, pp. 1-20. Romaniuk, O. (2010). Failure of Iconic Architecture. Living Space [online]. Available at: livingspace360.com/index.php/failure-of-iconic-architecture-12484/ [Accessed on: 18 Oct. 2014]. Rybczynski, W. (2008). When Buildings Try Too Hard. The Wall Street Journal [online]. Available at: http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB122731149503149341 [Accessed on: 18 Oct. 2014]. Specht, J. (2014). Architectural Tourism: Building for Urban Travel Destinations. Wiesbaden: Gabler. Sudjic, D. (2005). Can We Still Believe in Iconic Buildings? Prospect Magazine [online]. Available at: prospectmagazine.co.uk/ [Accessed on: 18 Oct. 2014]. Yanow, D. and Schwartz-Shea, P., eds. (2006). Interpretation and Method: Empirical Research Methods and the Interpretive Turn. New York: M. E. Sharpe.

Rules for Writing Place Names with “The”

Rules for Writing Place Names with â€Å"The† Rules for Writing Place Names with â€Å"The† We live in the United States of America. Other countries go without a â€Å"the† – otherwise known as the definite article – before their names. Why is this? And what is it that makes America so much better than every other country? Even our dogs are patriotic. [Photo: Randy Robertson/wikimedia]Well, we’re proofreaders, meaning we’re not qualified to comment on the global status of particular countries. But we know plenty about language, so we can answer that first question. In fact, we’ll dedicate this entire blog post to explaining when (and when not) to add â€Å"the† before a place name. Read on to find out more! Countries and Continents The United States of America is not the only place that uses â€Å"the† in its name. There’s also â€Å"the United Kingdom,† â€Å"the Seychelles† and many others. Essentially, we use â€Å"the† for countries that encompass a group of places. So â€Å"the United States of America† is a group of states and â€Å"the Seychelles† is a group of islands. Most countries don’t require this article, since they’re considered a single place. The other situation when â€Å"the† is required is when a country’s name includes the word â€Å"republic,† like â€Å"the People’s Republic of China.† Other examples include: Definite Article No Article Required The United Kingdom England The Democratic Republic of Congo Senegal The Netherlands Belgium The Czech Republic Estonia It’s worth noting that some regions used to be described with â€Å"the† (e.g., â€Å"the Ukraine† or â€Å"the Argentine†), but that it’s incorrect to add â€Å"the† when describing the modern countries associated with these areas (e.g., Ukraine and Argentina). Since all continents, like â€Å"Europe† or â€Å"North America,† are singular, none require the definite article. We do, however, sometimes use â€Å"the† for the regions to which continents belong, so we might refer â€Å"the Antarctic† when discussing Antarctica. Also known as that place with the penguins. States, Cities and Regions States (e.g., Utah, Tennessee, Alabama) and cities (e.g., Michigan, Paris, Beijing) are almost always treated as single places. As such, they do not usually require the definite article. When discussing specific regions, on the other hand, it’s fairly common to add â€Å"the† before the place name. For instance, we might say â€Å"the Midwest of America† or â€Å"the South of France.† Lakes and Mountains Single lakes and mountains do not generally require the definite article (e.g., Lake Erie, Mount Hayes). It’s important to check, however, since there are exceptions, such as â€Å"the Matterhorn.† Furthermore, we do use â€Å"the† when describing a group of lakes (â€Å"the Great Lakes†) or a mountain range (â€Å"the Rockies†). It’s also conventional to use â€Å"the† when naming oceans (â€Å"the Atlantic†) and rivers (â€Å"the Mississippi†). Buildings, Streets and Monuments There are no special rules for whether buildings and place names require the definite article, so the best thing to do if you’re unsure is check. Examples include: Type of Place Definite Article No Article Required Building The Empire State Building Buckingham Palace Street The Mall, London Broadway, New York Monument The Statue of Liberty Christ the Redeemer THE Empire State Building.

Managing Human Resources (assign to Writer# 4592 or 3665) Essay

Managing Human Resources (assign to Writer# 4592 or 3665) - Essay Example ss has been suggested for National Lewis and Clark Corporation (NL&C) in consultation with different department heads, which can be consistent among all departments and which will drive company performance. The first requirement is to have a carefully structured system of appraisal where individuals do not judge the work performance of others. Different department heads should maintain record and describe in clear, concrete, objective language what occurred--who, what, where, when, and how rather than stating interpretations (Foster). Feelings expressed increases the responsibilities of the HR directors who have to review and correct the evaluations. It can also create motivational, ethical, and legal problems (ANA, 2006). Periodic interviews based on performance documentation would help to examine and discuss the performance while identifying strengths and weakness as well as oppurtunities for improvement and development. Appraisals should not be linked to rewards because this encourages biased appraisals. It also holds back an employee from discussing his weaknesses. To bring uniformity in appraisals, rating scales should be used where each employee is appraised on the same criteria and which allows ratings to be easily compared and contrasted. The rating-scale traits should be standardized so that they are relevant to all departments. It should not contain any traits that are specific to one department. A specific time should be allotted to give ratings so that department heads do not give false ratings under time constraints and other work pressure. They should be made to take the appraisals as a project so that justice is done to the employee. They should be encouraged to give an objective description and if necessary we can train the department heads to write the performance documentation. Human beings have a tendency to see what they want to see in a person and this cannot be eliminated but can be reduced to a great extent. Management by Objectives

Parpgraising paragragh about phosphene and alkynyl legand Essay

Parpgraising paragragh about phosphene and alkynyl legand - Essay Example Large variety of phosphines are thus possible, while different widely available verities include 1,1’ (BINAP) and 2,2’-bis (diphenylphosphino). In such chiral systems, steric constraints come up, that can be resolved into diastereomers. While discussing reactivity of complexes belonging to phosphine ligands, two properties of these ligands are considered important. These properties relate to their steric bulk and their accepting ability, also called electron donating ability. (d-Metal OGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY) Like alkyl groups, alkynyl, alkenyl and aryl groups can bond to a metal form through a single carbon atom. For this property, these groups are described as â€Å"monohapto’. However, there is a possibility of each of these three groups accepting â€Å"pai† electron density into anti-bonding orbitals, although the same has not been observed, largely, so far. This can be ratified by an example, which shows little change in the stretching frequency of the triple bond in alkynyl complexes, as they attach to a metal; although â€Å"n-1 –alkynyl group† might be considered analogous to a CO group. As per d-metal organometallic chemistry noting, the displacement of halide with a lithium reagent at a metal center can make way for introduction of alkynyl groups into organometallic complexes. While looking at the donor-pair scheme of electron counting, alkynyl ligands are considered to be two-electron donors with a single negative charge. (alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl