Our Visual Culture in Arts and Crafts Essay

Ours is a culture of spectacle, which is to say that we thrive on visual entertainment of all sorts (Mulvey, 2002). We love films, television, drama, ads, in addition to the art of the land expressed in art galleries throughout the world. We thrive on these visual entertainers, and so there is a huge industry involved in marketing visual thrills and using them on the people for a purpose. Visual culture is meant to influence the individual that enjoys it, so therefore advertisements add meaning to our lives by informing us about what is new and what is not in the all-important market of goods and services. Experts study the impact of their visual messages to people. In return for their efforts they have come to know that people are influenced by visual messages even if these messages last only a few seconds in an advertisement; and that the mind is like a long-term-memory photographer that may somehow retain everything in the subconscious part of itself. Henceforth are born marketing campaigns selling billions worth of goods and services to humanity. Films, too, cost billions of dollars. They, too, rely on the visual medium to make a living. What is more, films are seen as a necessity of modern life in terms of the culture that they allow ordinary individuals to relate to. Yes, films allow us to feel like we are a part of the culture they represent. Through films, humanity can connect. Connection and communication are the only essential facets of the media (that is, all mediums of communication). Visual art is special not only because it is related to the five senses of humanity; but also because it reveals a culture of science and imagination that we are invited to feel a part of. Every medium of communication is important in the modern world. The Internet plays an important part in the visual culture by bringing the world of visual arts into our homes. It shows us museums as well as the movies, icons of cultural visuals. Visual culture should be a subject of the communication field, as well as psychology and sociology, besides the fine arts. There are various understandings about what constitutes the visual culture, and so there are experts in visual arts that say paintings and similar art forms must not be open to visual-cultural interpretations. In other words, paintings are best left to the human soul to understand and judge (Kamhi, 2004). Visual culture is about quietude, just as much as it is about flourishing through science fiction movies such as the Matrix, and science fiction tv series like the Star Trek. These visual arts and crafts rely on the power of â€Å"effects† (which should also be read as special â€Å"affects†) seeing that these movies rely on the visual medium to produce pictures in the subconscious mind that would hopefully leave a lasting impression on the mind, depending on how powerful the visual message is. A very good medium of communication, such as the Internet encyclopedia by the name of Wikipedia, has a bad reputation because it is written by many experts and people do not always know whether those experts are real or not. Such reality conflicts are also obvious in the visual arts. Star Trek relied on special effects to make a lasting impression on the audience and also by its use of excessive, unique clothes and implements that never appeared real to the audience. We know that Star Wars is a lie, and yet we enjoy it. The reason appears to be that we enjoy unreal kinds of entertainment because they open the mind, allowing us to imagine things through the mind’s eye. All mediums of communication are open to competition and comparisons. Wikipedia may be compared to the Open Course Ware of MIT, for example, because many people find the encyclopedia useful. Wikipedia’s definition for â€Å"visual culture† appears very professional, concrete, correct and real: Visual culture is a field of study that generally includes some combination of cultural tudies, art history, and anthropology, by focusing on aspects of culture that rely on visual images. Among cultural studies theorists working with contemporary culture, this often overlaps with film studies and the study of television, although it can also include video game studies, comics, traditional artistic media, advertising, the Internet and any other medium that has a crucial visual component (â€Å"Visual Culture,† 2007). The above is actually just a part of the definition of the important culture of spectacle. Our generation of men will have literature about our visual culture in the days to come. Earlier generations of humanity did not perhaps have the kind of riches in visual culture that our generation possesses. We have excessive tv and movies that earlier generations did not have because they had not managed to make optimal use of electricity as well as scientific brains. This, indeed, is an important part of the definition of ‘our visual culture. ’ Like Wikipedia, there are visual means of communication that are rejected by certain kinds of people. In the Middle East, for example, it is considered a bad thing to enjoy Western television with girls kissing, beach babes, etc. And so, certain types of visual arts are not acceptable to particular groups of society. To put it another way, no visual culture or any other medium of communication can perhaps fully satisfy all people at the same time. Perhaps only nature can satisfy all people. Nature is an extraordinary feast to the eyes – a free form of visual art available for all and acceptable to all. Besides, nature could be compared to the films we watch and the photography we admire on the covers of golf magazines. Nature is represented by rivers, streams, oceans, mountains, lakes, green spaces, etc. What is a better feast to the eyes? We next explore how and why the visual culture of science fiction movies and tv shows is a visual form of entertainment. A viewer of both Star Trek and the Matrix may believe that one is better than the other, or that none of these visual entertainers are truly entertaining. In order to understand science fiction, it is necessary to know something about the science behind the phenomena being investigated in the film. Day after Tomorrow was a film that explored the possibility of an ice age suddenly hitting humanity when it’s time for global warming to show its true colors. It was a science fiction movie, and yet it was not an excellent representation of visual culture because the director(s) did not pay attention to good cutting/editing of the film. Similarly, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a famous name, a movie that cannot truly be understood unless one has read a book by the name of Guide to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Tom Cruise’s episode of the Matrix, on the other hand – a movie about the most handsome man losing his face after he had been in a dream machine – is more interesting because it is filmed beautifully. Beauty is a universal language, and so a viewer does not have to know the ‘secret beyond matter’ to understand the science behind the movie. It was not important to understand the science in this case because beauty was caught on tape. Both Cruise and his girlfriend in the movie are breathtakingly beautiful, and so the movie is a definite hit – one that would leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Then there was an Arnold Matrix with a similar story, and of course, the true Matrix with Keanu Reeves. Both were action-packed, and telling a different story about afterlife, or another life. Yet, Keanu and Arnold were not as handsome as Cruise perhaps, and the latter’s movie left a longer lasting effect on the girls as opposed to the boys. Keanu’s version was a hit especially among boys, although girls enjoyed eyeballing Keanu very much. Genders have differing interpretations of the visual arts. So therefore, it can be imagined that boys enjoyed Keanu’s Matrix more than the girls because boys like violent films – a sociological question to ponder, with reference to the visuals of the culture. The best visual culture of arts and films is made by the minds that work on lasting impression. Our visual culture has the capacity to change and shape people, which is why foreigners refer to Americanization as the standardization/globalization of American films and television shows available in all countries abroad. Those who enjoy Americanization and take comfort in a culture that appears tolerant and good to them, are lovers of the visual arts of the West. For them, movies such as the Matrix (all episodes) and shows such as Star Trek are culture definers. The world understands us better because of our visual arts. Thus, it is very important to concentrate on what we want others to know about us in the future. It is essential to ask: Is our visual culture going to be admired by our descendants? It would be easiest for future generations to understand us by looking at our visual arts preserved in museums, homes, books, and the on the World Wide Web. Improved technology has also made it possible to preserve films and television shows in good packaging and systems such as the DVD’s. We are providing improved quality of visual arts to our culture at all times. What we keep in our records will be taught in schools of tomorrow. Hence, it is very important to leave good messages behind, and in good quality films that easily leave a lasting impression on people. Science is a defining attribute of the modern era. What we leave behind in visual arts in terms of science fiction movies has got to reveal that we, as a society of the twenty first century, were thoroughly drenched in scientific facts and we were exploring the universe by the use of imagination. The latter generation of the twentieth century was already exploring time relativity in Back to the Future series. Besides time traveling, our society is interested in a lot more scientific details, such as volcanoes, trips to Mars, etc. Mission to Mars is a new film of bad-to-good quality, perhaps as well filmed as old Back to the Future series. Matrix is perhaps the most modern specimen. It is an unforgettable story, after all. I believe that Matrix is the paragon of modern science fiction films. But then, this is just a single person’s opinion. What society thinks collectively about a visual arts project is generally considered more acceptable an interpretation of the art form, although this argument may not necessarily be true. In the case of Matrix and its contemporary films, the fact is nevertheless that the episodes about life versus dreams were more important for the general public to enjoy in the era of quantum mechanics. Films such as Back to the Future were good in their own time – right after Einstein. Science is constantly moving ahead, and so we may expect science fiction films to improve further. Damien Broderick’s (2000) â€Å"Tearing Toward the Spike† is truly a work of art as far as the imagination of the author is concerned. Mankind is seeking knowledge at greater depths than ever before. What is the future of humanity? – Broderick’s paper answers the question with various creative scenarios, including a future that resembles a black hole, and a â€Å"‘dinosaur-killer’ asteroid† that strikes humanity in the middle of the day. At the same time, the author invites the reader to imagine any number of scenarios on his or her own. As a matter of fact, Broderick’s paper is an invitation for the reader’s very own stream of consciousness to burst forth. It is a mind opener, as well as an attempt to analyze unlimited possibilities. It is very easy to make a visual art treat using the imagination of the paper. Even so, it may very well be that the evolutionists would read the paper differently from the creationists. This is because the creationists are typically those that would like to remain compatible with their belief that the world would end when the Day of Judgment begins. On the other hand, there is no restriction on the faculty of the imagination in both the theory of creation and that of evolution. Both God and chance allow for unlimited possibilities, after all. What is more, in visual arts, it is best to have competitions of quality as well as theory. If evolutionists and creationists both make science fiction movies, they would most probably add to the spice of life in the modern world of spectacle. A variety of different visual treats is definitely good for the human soul. Besides, the greatest thing about visual arts is that it is possible for anybody in the world to join in and become an artist and/or an entertainer/performer. The quality of the visual medium must be taken care of. At the same time, since visual culture refers specifically to â€Å"culture,† it is an unforgettable truth about our world that certain forms of art are still not acceptable to all people of the world. In Iran, Buddha’s sculptures would be rejected. Similarly, Star Trek may be more entertaining than Matrix depending on what we are concentrating on in our appreciation of the craft of moviemaking. Various perspectives are involved in understanding visual culture. The fact remains, still, that our visual culture is a necessity in our lives, and must be good at all costs.

What Can Parents Do to Protect Children from the Bad Influence of Television Violence?

Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior in the developing children’s mind. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming has a highly explicit violent content. Numerous studies has been conducted on the effect television violence has on children and adolescence, and all of it shows negative feedbacks. Children tend to develop emotional numbness to all the horror seen on the screen, and gradually accept violence as a norm and a way to solve problems. Parents can protect their children by engaging them in different after school programs, paying attention to the television their children are watching and try to block some channels showing inappropriate content. One of the most disturbing facts of modern life is the abundance of wasted time spent watching mindless television programs. Children who spend more time in front of the television are more susceptible to all the violence in the media, and not only that they grow to be more aggressive, but also more passive. One way to avoid that is to involve the kid into different after school activities like arts and crafts programs or outdoor sports. Extracurriculars let the children enjoy themselves in a fun, stress-free environment, get some exercises, and make friends outside of school instead of being trapped at home alone with the only source of entertainment, the TV. It is a proven fact that television and media content are affecting how children and teens perceive the world around them. One way to help ease the negative effect of it is to help them understand what is wrong and what not. Parents should be aware of what children are watching, and if there is something violent and upset them, it is important to help them through that. Although the violent content, television can offer some very valuable educational programs as well, which could open doors to new fields of knowledge, when viewed responsible and sensibly. That is why parents should not eliminate the television, just get involved into what the child is watching, and explain why violent and the explicit is not worth watching. Parents can not control what children are doing, or watching every second of the day, that is why many parents rely on some sort of channel blockers. By restricting access to certain channels with violent and explicit language, parents can keep the unwanted content away from the eyes of their children. Childproofing the cable television is one of the best ways to keep the kids away of television violence, but yet it does not guarantee that the kids are protected. The control of the parents over their viewing time and content is most important of all. Television has become more violent in content in the recent years. Although the media experts are trying to market the explicit content, there are still should be some limits and restriction on what has to be shown on the big screen and what not. Until that happens, parents are the only regulators of that content and as so, they have the right to rule the remote control in their living room.

The rise of Obesity and type 2 diabetes in America. Literature review Assignment

The rise of Obesity and type 2 diabetes in America. Literature review - Assignment Example Some states, such as Mississippi, had higher rates of obesity and diabetes than the national average, at 24.3 percent and 8.8 percent respectively, while states like Alaska had lower prevalence rates than average, at 4.4 percent for diabetes, and Colorado, at 13.8 prevalence rates for obesity (Mokdad et al.). The escalation in the obesity and diabetes rates is likewise reflected in rising rates of obesity among children below the age of 5 years in America and the rest of the world, with the rise in obesity associated with a correlative rise in type 2 diabetes rates among the same age group (Deckelbaum and Williams 239s). Fast forward to the present, and newer data suggests a further escalation in the rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in America, mirroring the global rise in rates of the two conditions all over the world. Worldwide, about 1.6 billion adults were deemed overweight in 2005, rising to 2.3 billion 2.3 billion by 2015. Obesity figures are expected to balloon to 700 mill ion. In America, by 2005-2006, obesity rates had soared to 33 percent, where the greatest representation of obese people came from the Mexican-American females and Black Americans. These figures are expected to further rise, triggering a massive health crisis. ... On the other hand, the obesity trends where the metric used as standard is abdominal obesity, measured by waist size, likewise show a general long-term trend towards increased obesity rates (Moffat and Prowse 231-232). Looking at the long term picture, meanwhile, it is clear that diabetes and obesity rates are expected to rise even more sharply, with global estimates at the rise in incidences of diabetes pegged at 20 percent for the developed world from 2010 to 2030, and 69 percent for the whole planet. In the United States, the number of adults with diabetes is expected to rise from 26.8 million people in 2010 to 36 million in 2030, making the United States number three among countries in terms of diabetes incidence for the adult population worldwide (Shaw et al. 5-11). These are essentially macro, big picture views of trends in diabetes and obesity in the US as they compare with the rest of the world. Looking at the micro view, meanwhile, the picture in the United States is one of increasing variances in the occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes by ethnicity. The figures from 2009 reflect observations elsewhere, that some ethnic groups have higher rates of diabetes compared to others. In the concrete, among a sample population consisting of adults who are deemed overweight, one study notes that over time, the rates of diabetes has increased 60 percent for Black Americans, 227.3 percent for Mexican Americans, but only 33.3 percent among white Americans. One interesting fact is that among groups who have undiagnosed diabetic conditions, there are fewer disparities among ethnic groups. This analysis is from data on diabetes rates among different ethnic groups from 1971 to 2004, among adults between the

Organ donation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Organ donation - Research Paper Example The society is divided in two with regard to this issue. On the one hand, there are people who claim that it is a positive practice that brings a considerable number of positive consequences. On the other hand, the opponents of the above mentioned approach point out various personal as well as religious reasons why people should not perform it. In this essay, I will claim that organ donation is a positive phenomenon that saves lives, contributes to the improvement of the society and helps the families in various ways. To begin with, one should focus on the most positive as well as undeniable advantage of the practice in question: it is literally capable of saving lives of the people. Keeping in mind that being alive should be regarded as the most precious gift that a person is able to receive, there is no doubt that if one is capable to giving it, one should not hesitate for a moment. Indeed, not so many actions that are performed by people have such a positive outcome. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is that a person does not only save one life by donating organ, but up to eight ("Donate Life Month"). In other words, a single person can help many other individuals and grant them a second chance. It is clear that every day all over the country people die; so, if they all donate their organs that every day eight times more people will be saved. This is surely a positive trend for the society in general. The significance of saving lives of citizens in obvious: it does not on ly allow particular families to be with their relatively longer, but it also strengthens the country in general as there will be more people who will work and contribute to prosperity. Moreover, it will reflect the spirit of value of every single life. The next positive aspect about organ donation that should be taken in close consideration is the fact that it contributes to formation of an effective framework within the

Supply Chain sustainability & Humanitarian Logistis Case Study

Supply Chain sustainability & Humanitarian Logistis - Case Study Example Thus, this type of supply chain combines both forward and reverse logistics, and covers all the processes from the new product/service development to the point of origin for repairs, manufacture, returns, or recycling (Krajewski, Ritzman, & Malhotra 2010). Moreover, closed-loop supply chain implies sustainable distribution process as the customer sends the used product back to the manufacturer or seller, and thus closes the loop of distribution (Krajewski, Ritzman, & Malhotra 2010). Taking care of end-of-use items is viewed as a proven measure, which makes supply chain for environmentally friendly. Thus, closed-loop supply chain is categorized as sustainable supply chain almost by definition (Quariguasi Frota Neto et al 2010). A closed-loop supply chain is an integrated system, which supports environmental sustainability through maximization of value creation over the entire life cycle of a product followed by recovery of value at different stages and types of returns (Guide & Wassenhove 2009). Practically all phases of the closed-loop supply chain mitigate environmental footprint of manufacturing, usage, transportation, distribution, and end-of-life activities (Quariguasi Frota Neto et al 2010). The items, used in the production process of the closed-loop supply chain, are returned into the supply chain system and then are remanufactured, recovered or recycled (de Brito and Dekker, 2004). These activities help to extend the lifespan of the product and therefore, are sustainable (Quariguasi Frota Neto et al 2010). While extension of the lifespan of a particular item might not be always sustainable as old items might consume more energy than the new ones, the further recycling of these items helps to contr ibute to environment protection (Quariguasi Frota Neto et al 2010). By recycling end-of-life equipment the companies manage harmful substances (polychlorinated biphenyls, lead, etc.), and thus, keep environment cleaner and

Saponification of Triglycerides Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Saponification of Triglycerides - Lab Report Example In this process the triglyceride is reacted with a strong base such as sodium or potassium hydroxide to produce glycerol and fatty acid salts (Whitten et al., 2007). The saponification of glyceryl tristearate is illustrated in Figure 1. The commonest soaps are the fatty-acid salts of sodium and potassium. Hard soaps are sodium salts while soft soaps are potassium salts. The fatty-acid salts of ammonium are also sometimes used for cleansing. Only a few other soaps are of practical importance, for example lead soaps which are used in medicinal plasters, zinc soaps which are used in ointments, and aluminum soaps which are used in waterproofing. Very few of the salts of fatty acids have the properties of common soap. Most of them are but slightly soluble in water, and therefore do not yield suds and have little or no detergent (i.e., cleansing) action. All are nevertheless termed soaps by chemists (Lewkowitsch, 1904). The saponification number (S) is the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to convert one gram of the fat completely into glycerine and potassium soap. It gives information concerning the character of the fatty acids of the fat and in particular concerning the solubility of their soaps in water. Table 1 lists the saponification number of the common fats and oils. Table 1 shows that butter ranks with palm kernel oil and coconut oil as having a very high saponification number. ... Mutton tallow 192 - 195.5 Menhaden oil 190.6 Peanut oil (arachis) 190 - 196 Corn oil 188 - 193 Horse oil 195 - 197 Olive oil 185 - 196 Beef tallow 193.2 - 200 Soy bean oil 193 Palm oil 196 - 205 Cacao butter 193.55 Butter 220 - 233 Linseed oil 192 - 195 Palm kernel oil 242 - 250 Cottonseed oil 193 - 195 Coconut oil 246 - 260 Lard 195.4 (Lewkowitsch, 1904: 400) Table 1 shows that butter ranks with palm kernel oil and coconut oil as having a very high saponification number. This is due to the fact that its triglycerides contain appreciable quantities of fatty acids (myristic acid and small quantities of lauric acid) which when they form soap combine with relatively more sodium or potassium than the more common acids of fats. These acids occur in undecomposed butter in chemical combination as triglycerides. Their sodium or potassium soaps are quite soluble in water. The high saponification number of coconut oil and palm kernel oil is due to the large proportion of fatty acids (lauric acid and myristic acid) that they contain. In this laboratory exercise, saponification as the hydrolysis in basic solution of fats and oils to produce glycerol and salts of fatty acids, and determination of saponification number of sample fat and oil were evaluated. II. Method Triglyceride (2 g) was accurately weighed and was placed in a dry round bottom flask. The prepared ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution (50 cm3) was added to the flask using a pipette. Few anti bumping granules were added to the stirring solution. After setting up the reflux condenser, the solution was boiled for at least 30 minutes. A blank experiment with identical volume as the sample solution was also carried out. After refluxing, the solution was allowed to cool. After cooling, a few drops of

Analysis and Application of Traditional Governance Models Essay

Analysis and Application of Traditional Governance Models - Essay Example Not only in US , in all the other parts of the world, higher education institutions are complex organizations which have tremendous impact on the society. â€Å"Growing demand among learners for improved accessibility and convenience, lower costs, and direct application of content to work settings is radically changing the environment for higher education in the United States and globallyThe demand for higher education is increasing globally. (Sloan-C ) They are in search of convenient, cost effective and quality higher education in this rapid changing environment. In the case of Doctors, only an MBBS qualification is not sufficient enough for getting a good job. Along with MBBS, they need higher qualifications like MD, MS etc. to get good jobs. But such courses are not common everywhere and also the number of seats limited for such higher courses. The world economy is directly linked with knowledge. New organizations are emerging to cater the need of the higher education. Organizational changes and new developments are accelerating advances in learning technologies. Growing demand for learning combined with these technical advances challenges the traditional principles of old universities and institutions. New organizations compete directly with traditional universities. Traditional universities are changing their methodologies and curriculum to cater the demands of the modern world. The universities also divided into different segments like Public University, Open University, Self financing University, Science and Technology University, Agriculture University, Vocational University etc. Some of them functions under the government while others under private sector. Higher educational organizations are different in many ways from other organizations. Conventional management theories may not work with such institutions. The structure, objectives, accountability, all will

Global Prospective Final Memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Prospective Final Memo - Assignment Example The Holocaust in this specific example is one which now is reminiscent of needing to change security levels that are noted worldwide by using different types of security. Performing this will change circumstances by building safer countries and leveraging wars. Enhanced security will: By creating a security council with checks and balances, there will be the ability to stop war like situations and affairs which lead to inhumanitarian acts. The concept which is provided will allow situations such as the Holocaust to never get to the point of violent and inhumanitarian acts while providing new approaches to overcoming political opposition between the people and government. India is known as one of the dominant places for human trafficking of children. There are hundreds to thousands of children that are kidnapped each year and sent to placement agencies. These agencies sell the children for labor or for brothels. The kidnappings range from taking children when a disaster strikes or forcing them into a bogus marriage then selling them to brothels. Currently, the only way to get the children back is through dangerous raids that stop the children from being kidnapped from their own homes and into the black market. However, this can change if the ideologies of thousands begin to change and promote the issue of trafficking and how it needs to stop. With the use of social entrepreneurs, there is the ability to begin transforming the problems that are currently in society. The issues with inhumanitarian issues, such as forced child labor and women who live in brothels, continue to remain a main problem in India. By using social networks and various instruments there is the ability to bring more awareness to this inhumanitarian issue while providing continuous support to organizations such as Save the

International airline industry with a particular focus on British Essay

International airline industry with a particular focus on British Airways - Essay Example It can be seen that the European airline industry has evolved from being dominated by large, business class air carriers to one which is increasingly controlled by the proliferation of low cost airlines. The wide popularity and acceptance of budget air travel which has significantly increased air traffic and gave a boost to the tourism industry has began putting pressure on large airlines to create their own low profile brand in order to regain their market shares. The emergence of budget airlines is directly attributed to the transformation of the global business environment. The major drivers which facilitated this trend are: the deregulation of the European air travel sector; the establishment of the European Union; the 9/11 tragedy; the rapid technological advancement; and change in customers' lifestyle and preferences. It is irrefutable that the deregulation of the European airline industry primarily contributed to the rise of low cost carriers. It can be recalled that deregulation has lowered the barrier to entry in the industry as well as enhanced the competitiveness of the players which are previously receiving subsidy from the government. This, in turn, largely contributes to the cost efficiency of airline operators allowing them to charge lower prices to passengers. The establishment of the European Union affects the airline industry has the same effect like the deregulation of the sector. This has opened up markets and lowered opera ting costs, encouraging the proliferation of low cost carriers (Sorensen 2006). The 9/11 tragedy which left terror worldwide has also helped in lowering the cost of air travel in order to fill up empty seats in the airline. This is coupled by the public's preference of budget airlines since they want to maximize the value of their money in response to the economic recession. Lastly, technological advancement has significantly enhanced company's efficiency. It can be recalled that the internet technology has lowered the airline's costs in terms of booking and servicing customers by eliminating travel agent costs. This has paved way for huge costs savings which cut down the cost of airline operations (Sorensen 2006). 2. Conduct a PEST-analysis of the airline industry - for both the present and medium term (5 years) future. Once you complete Political, Economical, Societal and Technological analysis, chose one example from each heading and discuss how it will affect the industry in 5 years time. Political The operation of the European airline industry is strongly affected by the policies which are instituted by the government. The political issues which are affecting and are more likely to shape the sector are: European and international law on environmental laws and regulations (International Environment Law 2006); further integration with the European Union; harmonization of technical requirements and administrative procedures; and the tighter monetary policies which are currently adopted by each nation in order to maintain the amount of their currencies. Recognizing the need for sustainable development, it is expected that policy makers will be focusing on creating policies which are more focused on the preservation of the environment. It should be noted that right now, the European Environmental Law is gaining more

Edmunds Corrugated Essay Example for Free

Edmunds Corrugated Essay 1. Analyze the issues faced by Edmunds and describe what lead the company to this situation. Edmunds Corrugated Parts Services are a company based in Virginia, U.S. owned by Larry Edmunds; who provided precision machine parts and service for the domestic corrugated box industry. About two years ago, Larry’s grandfather loaned him the money to start the business. It is Larry’s first factory; in a barn on what had been the family’s Shenandoah Valley farm. He operates from a 50,000 square-foot factory located near I-81 just a few miles from that old barn (Daft, R. , 2010). However there are some issues that Edmunds has faced with the quarterly earnings. They simply were not as they had been in the past. Firstly, the company was capable of employing about one hundred employees who were mostly neighbors. They were as hard-working and loyal employees. However, many of employees were going to retire. The company was suffering from the issue of replacing the current employees. The other issue the company was holding market share at 75 percent but the market share lately has reduced significantly. It was due to the number of the companies that had appeared manufacturing the same product. This had made it possible for the company to diversify their production with products such as the more flexible plastic films and reusable plastic containers. The last issue faced by Edmunds is losing industries mainly in U.S. due to the consolidation that was done by the paper industry. Some industries that survived opening other branches oversea as joint ventures. This issue had bought Edmunds to the crossroads of what he should do to bring the company revenues back to where they used to be. 2. Create and describe a strategy for addressing the situation at hand. From the issues the company had faced; the competition was changing, external rules and regulations were changing, and suppliers were changing as well. The strategy that worked well in the past is no longer producing the results company would like. Therefore; the company demanded a strategy would make sure it will recover; by way of strategic management, it is efficient to ensure that the company is capable of returning back to the way of its business. The strategic management is the comprehensive collection of ongoing activities and processes that organizations use to systematically coordinate and align resources and actions with mission, vision and strategy throughout an organization (â€Å"Management Study Guide,† 2008). The requirements for an ongoing process in strategic management are environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. The first process of environmental scanning or situation analysis; refers to the process of amassing, studying and providing information for strategic proposes. It would help the company analyze the internal and external factors that impact an organization. The company can define strength and weakness; with these two, they can find future risk and opportunities as well (BE Business Education, 2011). This will show Edmunds the opportunities and threat; for example, the ones that had made most other companies go overseas. The second strategy formulation is the process of designing and selecting the most suitable course of action for the achievement of organization goals and objectives and thereby achieving the organization vision (Bushman, M., 2007). This strategy should ensure the company regains it competitive edge. The third strategy implementation implies making the strategy work as intended or putting the organization’s chosen strategy into action including developing steps, methods and procedures to execute the strategy (Bhasin, H., 2010). The company management should ensure that the implementation of the strategy is cost effective, not disruptive and acceptable by all stakeholders. The final process of strategic management is strategy evaluation. These activities are evaluating internal and external factors that are the root of current strategies, measuring performance, and corrective actions. These processes will give Edmunds some great opportunities; for an example, making quality goods can be used to ensure that they increase their market share and customers will be loyal to their service. 3. Assess which element in the strategy you just described would be the hardest to implement and explain why. The part that would be the most difficult state in strategic management is the strategy implementation. This is because it involves change. It will require the management to fit the resources, the competencies and the opportunities that the company has in the market. The support of employees and managers are needed in order to successfully implement a strategy. When people do not proactively make the changes that are needed to adapt to the strategy, this will be one of the large difficulties. Moreover, if there is no follow-up to the strategy implementation, this will be one of the largest difficulties. The strategy implementation is hard and risky if it does not well carry on. All the resources that have been put in place can be wasted if any hitch happens in the process. It may lead to complete closure of the company as well if they will waste their time. 4. Describe what strategies Edmunds could use in the future to reduce potential crises before they happen. There are different methods that Edmunds could use in the future to ensure that the company does not entangle in the potential crises. The first strategy that the company would use is development of research department that will be looking at innovation for the company to guarantee that it is at a competitive edge at all the time. The second strategy is the training to the employees. This will ensure that the employees have the upcoming technology skills and the productively level will increase as well. The last strategy is the employee recruitment. The company has to make sure the employees are ready and competitive; which means the employees are capable of rising upon all challenges. These will be good methods for the company to ensure that they will not complicate any of the crises that it is in today. References Daft, R.S. (2010). Management. 9th Ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Management Study Guide. (2012). Step in Strategy Formulation Process. Retrieve Feb. 8, 2013, from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategy-formulation-process.htm BE Business Education. (2011, September 6). Importance of Environment Scanning. Retrieved Feb. 8, 2013 from http://business.svtuition.org/2011/09/importance-of-environment-scanning.html Bushman, M. (2007, April 7). The Major Elements of the Strategic Management Process. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2013 from

Objective Of The Value Management Construction Essay

Objective Of The Value Management Construction Essay The initial massage from the city authorities is to have the new-build modern local government administrative headquarters consist with high quality specification, to replace the old aged located government in various locations. Their investment is to integrate the public sector department to increase efficient administration. The aim of the VM study of the new project is to achieve the concept of the value for money aspect. Which is mean the stakeholder need and the objective in clearly identify. OBJECTIVE of the VALUE MANAGEMENT Value Management (VM) is a service that maximises the functional value of a project by managing its development from concept to occupancy through the audit of all decisions against a value system determined by the client. VM consist of the combined application of value methodologies and other methodologies at organisational level (from strategic to operational) in order to improve organisational effectiveness (G.Moris Pinto). Value methodologies included the process, tool and techniques from the Value analysis (VA). VA is aimed at the organised approach to the identification and elimination of unnecessary cost (J. Kelly S.Male), The value methodologies include the concept of function, which is the basic need or must in term of preference, the concept of cross functional teamwork which is based on a multidisplinary team approach in the environment of workshop to enable a broad view and an increased knowledge of situation and the concept of a structured process, which is based on creative thinking, in the vertical or lateral thinking to approach solution or solving the problem. VM Strategic Briefing Study A VM in the strategic level is least appropriate given information and unclear basic need of the construction project at this stage. The client is clearly exposed to the high risk and danger of unclear objective. The critical mission here is to define the project function and make it clear, simple and understandable sentence to satisfy the clients objective has yet to be confirmed. The VM at this stage is to analyse the initial information available and fully aware of the problem which may occur at surround the project and to develop the project objective that formally authorises a project and the strategic fit with the corporate aim of the client organisation. The strategic planning in stage is comprises with three processes, in the stage one: Orientation and diagnostic phase and the stage two: workshop phase. The final stage is the implementation phase. Pre- Workshop Study Orientation and Diagnostic phase In initial phase is planning to discover the information and documents of the project that may use at the workshop phase. The value manage will meet the commissioning client, project sponsor and key stakeholder to conducting interview, briefing the value process and the reviewing documents. Throughout the document analysis, the agenda of the workshop will be developed. Identify the key stakeholder by interview is the first approach to define the need and expectation of the key stakeholder, to understand the organisational structures and corporate culture that is crucial for the preparation of agenda at the workshop. Throughout the documents analysis, general information will discover like the existing size of the organisation, the location of project, the existing drawing of the project to review if there any constraint of the underground services, if possible take a site condition survey and record the surround the project environment that will help for the understanding the risk that may impact the project. Refer to quick review the cost estimation, the construction estimated budget of 25 million which is mean the GBP 2000/m2, reference from the Spons prices book 2008, cost modal for a high quality City office in the central of London was GBP 2004.45 sqm (not include fit-out) in the year 2004, the estimation budget is meet the average satisfactory level. However the construction in the city is exposed in high risks and uncertainty such as the construction difficult, compensation for the use of title, delay on the site acquisition, and preservation of culture heritage building, volatility of the interest, exchange rate and prices escalating that may cause the budget over run and put the project in to the high risk. And to deliver the effective high accuracy cost estimation is require a substantial amount of time, cost and labour intensive. It is highly recommended for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) procurement route as it is preferred Government Construction Strategy. PFI is mean the p rivate sector invest in the workforce to provide a service to the public sector, including capability and facilities, rather than the public sector acquiring the necessary assets itself through a traditional procurement process (C. Dale G. Stephen), there way of arrangement also is budgetary benefit for the government. Selection of Cross Functional Teamwork Member The team member is greater in number at the strategic stage to generate idea or thinking and smaller when the technical detail of the project is being involved, the initial size of team tends to be large as 18-20. The client build team member composition should be selected from the multidiscipline to provide input relevant at the strategic stage. They should be architect, accountant, engineer, operator and maintenance. The involving with the design team is highly recommended at the initial stage. That design team can be proactive identifying a batter way of proceeding throughout the project largely lost. The weakness of the independent review team overseeing the work of design team, there are totally independent, no preconceived ideas contributed during the workshop. There can be only a reactive or as audit team. The tool of the selection of is recommended to be taken by the ACID test (refer appendix A). There are several factor need to take into account during the selection of the team members. To avoid multiple representations from one discipline. To prevent argument in favour of the multiple represented organisation. To provide the hierarchical mix within the team, the mix in team is generate creative comprehensive thinking which is reflect from difference level rather than being control by few senior. To understand the relationship between team member. The completeness of team member need to be further with the client any apparently missing members. Proposed Agenda for the VM Study to Focus The main agenda of the local government is seeking for a new government office in the city centre for integrated all local government in the single location, to perform all function of local government administrative in the sustainable and high quality building that fulfil the socio-economic, recreational and spiritual of the residents and employees. The figure 1.1 indicates the job plan and the sequential of the activity in the process of value management. Figure 1.1 the value management Benchmarked Brainstorming Brainstorming is a group of participants gathering idea. All ideas are recorded and none are discarded under the prioritisation exercise. The session duration is taken about thirty minute to an hour that produce ideas may resemble science fiction. Client Value System The Client Value System is to focus the client business to explore the place of structured value criteria within an existing quality environment. A client value system diagram will construct by the view of the client and decide the value criteria by the client. After complete the matrix diagram, the ranked value criteria in order that represented the satisfactory client value criteria. Time Cost and Quality Draw a triangle with the time, cost and quality at each angle. A dot placed within a triangle that describes the relative important of time, cost or quality in relation to the project as the team consensus. Timeline Timeline is a focusing technique or a simple milestone used to show duration of the project that will happen. The aim is to sensitising the team to the critical anticipated dates. Function analysis system technique The FAST is a method that helps to describe and to interpret complex system. Starting by a principal function that will be decomposed to component functions, further decomposed to element function. The objective at the strategic stage is to lay the foundation for the solution to the problems that offers the best value for money. FAST is the closing techniques that lead to the primary objective after the issue analysis. Expected Output of the VM Study After the event of the workshop, the anticipate deliver of the VM study will be robust business case with the project mission statement for the purpose of the project that clearly define the scope and the capital expenditure budget with the cashflow constrains and the whole life cost of the building. A high level risk has been registered that the project possible to process for the next project briefing study. Simple programmes include the phases of the project and organisational structures for the project delivery with the initial procurement strategy plan. Recommendation of the follow-up VM Study Project briefing study VM Concept design study VE / RM Final sketch / Scheme design workshops VE / RM Operation work shop. VE / RM Fig Value Opportunity mapped out on a modified RIBA plan of work. Source : Male et. Al (1998) The Value Management Benchmark Despite of the value study, the OGMs Achieving Excellence in Construction Framework for Construction Procurement shell keep reviews in its gateway at all the relevant stages of the project. Project team should regularly measure the effeteness of the process and outcome. Conclusion In generally the form of the modern building should in the characteristic by: The concept of sustainable building, which is refers the structure and process using is environmental responsible resource efficient throughout a building life cycle. The concept of simplicity and clarity of forms eliminates of unnecessary detail, which is focus on efficient and waste reduction. Form follow function that the finish building design should derive directly for its purpose. VM study should consider the whole life value generated to the business and community and not simply focus on minimising initial capital cost. Does the building deliver social and economic benefit for the surround community? Is the building design and construction of high quality, including detailing?

Early Egyptian Religious Beliefs and Akhenaten?s Reforms Essay

Early Egyptian Religious Beliefs and Akhenaten’s Reforms During the New Kingdom of Egypt (from 1552 through 1069 B.C.), there came a sweeping change in the religious structure of the ancient Egyptian civilization. "The Hymn to the Aten" was created by Amenhotep IV, who ruled from 1369 to 1353 B.C., and began a move toward a monotheist culture instead of the polytheist religion which Egypt had experienced for the many hundreds of years prior to the introduction of this new idea. There was much that was different from the old views in "The Hymn to the Aten", and it offered a new outlook on the Egyptian ways of life by providing a complete break with the traditions which Egypt held to with great respect. Yet at the same time, there were many commonalties between these new ideas and the old views of the Egyptian world. Although through the duration of his reign, Amenhotep IV introduced a great many changes to the Egyptian religion along with "The Hymn", none of these reforms outlived their creator, mostly due to the massive forces placed on his successor, Tutankhamen, to renounce these new reforms. However, the significance of Amenhotep IV, or Akhenaten as he later changed his name to, is found in "The Hymn". "The Hymn" itself can be looked at as a contradiction of ideas; it must be looked at in relation to both the Old Kingdom's belief of steadfast and static values, as well as in regards to the changes of the Middle Kingdom, which saw unprecedented expansionistic and individualistic oriented reforms. In this paper I plan to discuss the evolvement of Egyptian Religious Beliefs throughout the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms and analyze why Amenhotep IV may have brought about such religious reforms. The Old Kingdom of Egypt (from 2700 to 2200 B.C.), saw the commencement of many of the rigid, formal beliefs of the Egyptian civilization, both in regards to their religious and political beliefs, as they were very closely intertwined. "... There was a determined attempt to impose order on the multitude of gods and religious beliefs that had existed since predynastic times... and the sun-god Re became the supreme royal god, with the ki... ...oyal couple changed their names to Tutankhamen, demonstrating their renewed allegiance to Amen-Re. The king restored the old temples of the many gods, and reinstated the priesthoods" (David 158). The reforms, which Akhenaten brought to return the power once held by the Pharaoh in the Old Kingdom, were unable to be understood. The people who Akhenaten had to ensure comprehension of his reasoning did not, for they no longer were connected to the old order which he was trying to reestablish. Bibliography Aldred, Cyril. Akhenaten - King of Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson, 1998. Casson, Lionel. Ancient Egypt. New York: Time Inc, 1965. David, Rosalie. Discovering Ancient Egypt. New York: Facts on File, 1993. Hawkes, Jacquetta. Pharaohs of Egypt. New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1965. Matthews, Roy T., and F. Dewitt Platt. Readings in the Western Humanities. Third Edition. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing, 1992 Montet, Pierre. Lives of the Pharaohs. Cleveland: World Publishing Company, 1968. Redford, Donald. Akhenaten - The Heretic King. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984. Strouhal, Eugen. Life of the Ancient Egyptians. London: Opus Publishing, 1992.

Essay on Colonialism: Comparisons Between Things Fall Apart and Histori

Nigerian Women and Colonialism: Comparisons Between Things Fall Apart and Historical Accounts. Chinua Achebe is arguably the best known African writer of the twentieth century. And more than any other writer, he has shaped the world's idea of what African literature is. As Rose Mezu states, "Things Fall Apart is significant because it began the vogue of African novels of cultural contact and conflict" (Mezu 1). This is a highly influential position for a single writer. So what was Achebe's purpose in writing his novels? What does he hope to accomplish? According to Cora Agatucci's summary of Achebe's essay, "The Novelist as Teacher," she writes, " Achebe describes a dual mission to educate both African and European readers, to reinstate a sense of pride in African cultures and 'to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of years of denigration and self-abasement'" (Agatucci). So Achebe's purpose for writing is to overcome the stereotypes of Western readers that Africans are primitive savages with no sense of culture or history, and to combat the internalization of these stereotypes by his fellow countrymen. So where does Achebe's purpose for writing his novels leave women and are the gender roles as described in Things Fall Apart culturally accurate? Before this question can be accurately be answered; gender roles both in history and in Achebe's novel must be addressed. Specifically, what roles did men and women play in society in all three stages of Nigeria's more recent history? In the last 200 years of Nigeria's history, there have been basically three distinct phases in government: pre-colonial rule overall by Muslims (there were some tribes unaffected by this rule), colonial r... ...~womanist/1995/mezu.html "Nigeria." Encarta Encyclopedia. 3 July 2001. http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp? mod=1&ti=761557915&page=2 "Nigeria." U.S. Department of State, Human rights Reports for 1999. 30 June 2001. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/nigeria.html Ogunsuyi, Austin. "Women in Africa." African Cultures Page. 30 June 2001. http://africancultures.about.com/culture/african cultures/library/weekly/ aa011401a.htm Rojas, Maria. "Women in Colonial Nigeria." African Postcolonial Literature in English in the Postcolonial Web Page. 30 June 2001. http://landow.stg.brown.edu/ post/nigeria/colonwom.html ----- "Women in Pre-Colonial Nigeria." African Postcolonial Literature in English in the Postcolonial Web Page. 30 June 2001. http://landow.stg.brown.edu/ post/nigeria/precolwon.html

Civil War Essays -- essays research papers

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the south was in total ruins. Houses were destroyed, crops were gone, and lives would never be the same again. It wouldn’t be until years after the war that people would get their lives back on track. Whites in the south now hated the blacks and still think they are inferior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The process of rebuilding that followed the American Civil War was known as reconstruction. The war left a set of pressing questions concerning with what to do with the South. These questions involved the relationship with the former Confederate states and the Union; the type of punishment that should be imposed on the ones responsible for the rebellion; the status of the freed slaves and how to restore the South’s economy. President Lincoln, President Johnson and the Radical Republicans each had their own plans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lincoln started thinking about reconstruction as early as 1863. He wanted for 10 percent of the voters in each southern state to take an oath of loyalty to the United States. After this the state could form its own government. The government had to abolish slavery. After this was done the government could elect congressmen and participate in national politics. His plan was known to be lenient; many had opposed it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately President Lincoln did not live to carry out all of his plans. A Democrat was elected into office and took over. The new president was Andrew John...

Current Generational Differences in Attitudes Toward the Role of Religion in America Essay

In the United States, its citizens are categorized by their date of birth into four commonly known generations. The individuals born anytime before 1946 are considered Pre-Boomers, individuals born between 1946 and 1964 are known as Boomers, individuals born between 1965 and 1976 are known as Generation X, and last but not least is Generation Y, which are individuals born anytime after 1977. The individuals categorized in each of these generations tend to share similar values and views on things such as religion, culture and politics. These segregated differences in views are also known as generational gaps. â€Å"A generation gap is commonly perceived to refer to differences between generations that cause conflict and complicate communication, creating a gap. † (Adcox, 2012) Research shows that there are many other differences between each generation in America, however the generational differences in attitudes toward religion tend to be very apparent. During this study of the generational differences in attitudes toward religion, the research center made three statements giving Americans the option to agree or completely agree with each one. The three statements included: â€Å"Prayer is an important part of my daily life, We will all be called before God at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins, and I never doubt the existence of God. † (Pew Research Center Publications, 2007) In past years, eight out of ten Americans agreed with these three statements and the agreement of these three statements between the generations rose dramatically during the 1990’s. Then , the majority of Americans believed that religion and personal beliefs were extremely important and a vast majority belonged to a religious affiliation. However, the percentage of generational agreement has started to fall within recent years as the new generations start to come about. During the years of 1987 through 2007, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press also conducted a study in hopes of comparing the religious attitudes of each generation. The study showed that while the majority of Americans have remained religious throughout the years in both their practices and beliefs, the percentage of Americans that expressed strong religious beliefs have dwindled down drastically since the 1990’s. Not surprisingly, the percentage of individuals who chose not to be affiliated with any one religion has increased with each new generation, showing a decrease in religious commitment. The study showed that between the years 2006 and 2007, 19% of Generation Y, 14% of Generation X, 11% of Boomers, and 5% of Pre-Boomers were either atheist, agnostic, or had no religion. There have always been and will always be differences between each generation and their views on certain hot topics, such as religion. As new generations come about, I feel that the attitude towards religion in America will continue to decrease on a level of importance as well as the level of beliefs. The newer generations will of course outlast the older generations which will then in turn outlast their beliefs regarding religion and its importance. The newer generations will instill their values of religious importance on to the next generation and slowly, I believe religion may no longer be of any importance to the majority of Americans. References: Looking at the Generation Gap: Identifying Generational Differences and Their Causes. Adcox, Susan. (2012). Retrieved on July 5, 2012, from: About. com: http://grandparents. about. com/od/grandparentingtoday/a/GenerationGap. htm Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007. Pew Research Center Publications. (2007). Retrieved on July 5, 2012, from: Pew Research Center: Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World: http://pewresearch. org/pubs/614/religion-social-issues

Dr. Martin Luther King Essay

Early in the 20th century, Mohandas Gandhi started his political career in South Africa, resisting the discrimination against the Indian people in South Africa. Despite some successes, segregation in South Africa remained a very real reality until the 1990’s. Gandhi went back to India and achieved perhaps one of the greatest feats in history, liberating India from the yoke of colonialism through nonviolent passive resistance. Gandhi’s strategy yielded much less spectacular results in South Africa. It may have been deducted then that nonviolent passive resistance does not work everywhere and was successful mainly due to Gandhi’s leadership or the culture of the Indian people. But then came along another great visionary. Martin Luther King Jr. showed the world that nonviolent passive resistance works, not just in India, not just under Gandhi’s leadership, but also in the Western world. What Martin Luther King Jr. achieved inspired millions of South Africans who knew very well what segregation and discrimination meant. His words and the example he set avoided a bloodbath in a racial civil war in South Africa as it did here in America. Our media was filled with reports of the civil rights struggle. Despite the South African government’s attempts to turn King’s work into an example of the anarchy that would explode should apartheid be abolished, people saw and understood that justice will prevail and that violence is not the answer. (Richard, 1989) South Africa’s own icon of peace and forgiveness, Nelson Mandela, was filled with hope and conviction by what King had achieved. There are so many parallels between the lives of these two great men. Mandela like King unleashed great power among his people that led to their liberation. Both men throughout their lives encouraged a path not of hate and violence, but of non-violence and love. It may be what gave Mandela the courage to walk out of prison after 27 years and conquer what must have been a strong innate urge to retaliate with bitterness and hate. It is possible that Dr King’s words and work gave Mandela the strength to forgive and the conviction to lead his people to reconciliation in the miracle that is South Africa. What touched me was Dr. King’s dedication to the dignity of the human being. He fought against all practices that robbed people of their dignity and pride. His speeches spoke to the best that resides in all of us. He reawakened my awareness of our ability to walk in righteousness and dignity, despite circumstances and the actions of others. (Kenneth, 1974) Dr. King’s vision went beyond racial discrimination and the borders of the USA. He remained committed to uplifting the poor and oppressed, white and black, and those committed in war. Dr King’s words have convinced me that the only way to heal this world is for all of us to realize that we are all one. We are all part of humanity and the suffering of any one of us, affects all of us. Uplifting the poor and the oppressed can only be done by allowing people respect, dignity and justice. In addition to food and shelter, we all need to hold our heads high in dignity, to be proud of our lives and ourselves. Martin Luther King, Jr was the leader of civil rights in United States. He has dedicated his life to the struggle for the racial equality of African Americans. In August 28th, 1963, King gave one of his most influencing speeches entitled â€Å"I Have A Dream. † The speech was a critical step toward civil rights movement, because without it, King’s opinions of freedom and equality would never reach the hearts of his people, and they would never stand up as a whole to defend themselves. During the speech, King successfully expressed his opinions, and emotionally affected many listeners. This success came from his sensitive approach to audience, his ingenious use of style, and his inspirational tone. (Harry, 1986) Primarily, the speech was given publicly to a huge number of audiences of both live and televised. King was fully aware that in order to let his audience to favor his point of view, he has to be sensitive to them in every possible way. First of all, King demonstrated sensitivity by selecting a universal topic: racial rights and freedom. This was an issue not only to the black community, but also to rest of the world. When King declared: â€Å"all of God’s children†¦ sing, free at last†, it is evident that he included all the people: blacks and whites, in the matter of freedom, and therefore became more appealing to his audience. (Marvyn, 2000) Furthermore, King tried to approach his audience through their emotions. He described his vivid dreams in which blacks and whites are able to live together in harmony and peace. â€Å"I have a dream†¦. † The audience was obviously deeply touched by these images, and they could all imagine what a new and joyous world they could be living in. King successfully achieved his emotive purpose through these words, and bonded with the hearts of his audience. Lastly, King had given hope to his audience. â€Å"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. † The hope King had promised for his audience brightened their future ahead, and the audience in return would have to listen to King in order for their dream to come true. (Marvyn, 2000) In summary, King’s selection of a universal topic, his sensitive approach to emotions and his promises of future freedom all contributed in achieving his emotive purpose, and only by doing that, he would be able to persuade the audience to do what he says. The language King used to convey his opinions was impressive. He used a lot of strong emotional words in crucial sentences, for example: â€Å"sweltering with the heat of oppression† or â€Å"seared in the flames of withering injustice. † (Garth Baker-Fletcher, 1993) All these metaphors were used very effectively to provoke passion of the audience. The vivid words used in these metaphors, such as sweltering, heat of oppression or withering injustice conveyed strong emotional feelings in the audience, which allowed them to think about the seriousness of the issue being discussed more clearly. (Keith, 1992) Again, King’s language helped and supported his emotive purpose toward his audience. Other than the figurative language, King also used connotative statements to arouse feelings and reactions from audience. (Clayborne, 1991) An example can be found in the sentence: â€Å"black men as well as white man, should be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. † In the sentence, King connoted racial equality, which is the big theme he had been discussing about, through common ideas of joy and freedom. This way, his audience would understand his opinions better and produce a more emotional reaction to him. To sum up, through King’s use of strong emotional words, figurative and connotative language, he was able to convey his opinions more effectively. In 1963, the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference decided on the audacious move of attacking segregation in one of its most prominent areas, Birmingham, Alabama. This has been coined â€Å"the Negro Revolution†? by many historians. The day after the city’s municipal elections, Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s Southern Christian Leadership Conference opened their campaign. The civil rights movement underwent a dramatic transition as the nation watched the brutality of segregationist retaliation in Birmingham, despite the SCLC’s commitment to direct, nonviolent action. (John, 1982) Working in conjunction with Birmingham’s civil rights leaders, King coordinated a campaign with the aim of attacking segregation with the use of rallies, sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations. Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor’s stubborn refusal to give way to the civil rights movement gave the movement the attention that it needed. Bull Connor was determined to maintain the status quo, even if that meant resorting to violent tactics. Birmingham was the last area of fortified segregation, a blue-collar city full of racially-motivated violence, in which two strong and opposing forces confronted each other in full view of the nation. Connor represented the force that wielded water hoses and police dogs; the other force was represented by Martin Luther King and a movement struggling to bring to light the plight of blacks. Connor’s popularity, as demonstrated by his six victories in city commission races, was due to white voters, workers and corporate leaders alike. (Lerone, 1968) In addition of Martin Luther King’s language, his tone used during the speech was also helpful in transmitting his ideas. Dr. King used a combination of negative, positive and neutral tones in the speech. All of these helped to develop a strong emotional feeling in audience, once again related to King’s desire of emotive purpose. The speech started with a historical fact that the Emancipation Proclamation â€Å"came as the great beacon light of hope for millions of Negro slaves†¦ but 100 years later the Negro still is not free. † Through this neutral tone, King implied that his people had been cheated by the great democratic nation, and such statements could let part of the audience to ponder if they were the ones responsible for the mistake, and consequently, they would start to feel regretful and change their attitude for racial equality. One example of negative tone is found in a metaphoric sentence: â€Å"America has give the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked â€Å"Insufficient Funds†¦ † in which King expressed his view on the situation of freedom, and implied his audience to take immediate actions to stop this ridiculous deed. And later on, he switched to a more positive tone: â€Å"I say to you, my friends†¦ † here, he was approaching his audience in a more friendly way, and this relates back to the sensitivity for audience: to evoke a sense of compassion in the audience. For these reasons, King’s use of tone was effective in leading his audience to favor his point of view, and to strengthen sensitivity toward audience. In conclusion, with a careful sensitivity toward audience, extraordinary language and an adequate tone, Dr. Martin Luther King was able to emotionally affect his audience, and ultimately to persuade them to follow the path to freedom. (Brian, 1985) It was once said that the future is like a locked door and that education is the key to open a new world of possibilities. Dr. King was a firm believer in education for the youth of America. He encouraged all children in his neighborhood to go to school and college. He also donated money to extremely poor families to keep their children in school. At any rate, Dr. King basically believed that a stronger America relied on a more intelligent America. Dr. King voiced his ideas and stood up for what he believed in like no other person has done before. During the 1960’s when society was living out a lie with segregation, Dr. King was like a booming voice of truth. Above all else, he suffered personal damage to his home as well as threats made to his family for his actions during the civil rights movement. However, Dr. King pushed on insisting that one-day people will realize that what they are doing is wrong and that he would be there protesting segregation until they did so. This beacon in the night kept his promise to convey his infuriation for segregation until the late 1960’s in which he was assassinated for nothing more than his personal beliefs. Without a doubt, if Dr. King were alive today the world would be a safer place for everyone. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential man of the 20th century. He believed in equality for all in a time when America was separated like day and night. Also, he supported education, which in his eyes, served as the backbone of the betterment of society and the foundation for the future. However, the trait that most remember him for was his ability to voice his opinion like no other person has ever done before. References Brian M. Kane, â€Å"The Influence of Boston Personalism on the Thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. † (Boston University, 1985) Clayborne Carson , et al. , 1991; â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. as Scholar: A Reexamination of His Theological Writings,† Journal of American History 78:1 :95 Garth Baker-Fletcher: 1993, Somebodyness: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Theory of Dignity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press) Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1986; â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. Borrows a Revolution: Argument, Audience, and Implications of a Secondhand Universe,† College English 48:2: 249-65 John J. Ansbro, Martin Luther King, Jr. : The Making of a Mind ( Maryknoll, N. Y. : Orbis Books, 1982).

How and Why did Islam spread so quickly Essay

In 610 C.E., a local merchant named Muhammad completely changed all of Middle East through the religion of Islam. He fled to Mecca, in a cave where he was given the words of Allah and by this, introducing the religion. Overtime, the religion continued to attract new followers, which leads to question- how and why did Islam spread so quickly? Three of the reasons to how this happened were due to trade, the message passed on from God and the conquest of land. All of Islam Empire, including the Byzantine Empire and Persian Empire had set up trade routes throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Everyone came to Mecca to trade since it was wealthy and very important at this time. Through trading, this brought inventions and ideas. People from different cultures came to trade and got ideas of the Islam religion, then spreading it to their people because they liked the idea that it was one God and how the way of life was under this religion. Muslim merchants would travel to the trading destinations, which would allow exposure to the religion within other countries as well. Other trade routes led to the Silk Road to China and India, East Africa and Spain. These countries would then, most likely, have converted to Islam. Overall, trading played a huge role in the spreading of Islam. In addition to how Islam spread quickly was through the message of God. In the Qur’an, it shows the expectancies for what Muslims would have to follow by. One of the verse states, â€Å"But the believers who do good works, both men and women, shall enter Paradise. They shall not suffer the least injustice.† (4:124 Doc B) This means if you do the right things, then you would be granted. Another verse states, â€Å"Permission to take up arms is hereby given to those who are attacked, because they have been wronged. God has no power to grant them victory.† (22:39 Doc B) Meaning, you cannot fight unless attacked first. Along with the expectancies, you have to follow the practices of the Five Pillars of Islam. Including, confession of faith, prayers 5 times per day (facing Mecca), charity to the needy, fasting during the month-long Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one’s  lifetime, also known as the Hajj. In The Ordinances of Government, caliphs have to follow the duties. One of the duties was, â€Å"to maintain the religion according to established principles and the consensus of the first generation of Muslims.† (Doc E) These messages of God have helped to unify Muslim beliefs and practices and spreading many inventions and ideas throughout the world due to Islam. The last reason to how Islam spread quickly was through conquest. From 622-750 C.E., after Muhammad’s death, all of the Arabian Peninsula, China, India, Middle East, and Africa were under Muslim control. This was ruled by the next four caliphs, and were known as the â€Å"rightly-guided† and their rule as a caliphate. Relating back to verse 22.39 where it states that Muslims are not allowed to fight until attacked, this shows that they followed the Qur’an while conquering these lands. The reason why Arabs were able to conquer much of Persia and parts of Byzantine was because Muslim armies were too strong and The Persian and Byzantine armies were weak after years of fighting. Overtime, many cultures that were introduced to the Muslim Empire converted to Islam because of Islam’s message of equality and hope of salvation that they would receive by becoming Muslims. Many cultures have gotten ideas of the religion of Islam through different reasons. Three of which were due to trade, the message of God, and the conquering of lands. Through trade, his followers passed on the ideas to other different cultures. The messages of God were how much of an impact it made on the people to convert to Islam. And lastly, conquest- this shows that they conquered the lands even by following the guidance of religion. Although Muhammad’s death left his people hanging, the message that he left behind from God has made such a huge impact to the world, mostly Muslims.

How Poverty in Zimbabwe Has Changed over Time? Essay

Poverty can be understood as the inability to meet a variety of basic needs and entitlements, through a lack of income, access to resources or empowerment. Poverty at a national scale is complex and is caused by an array of factors including many generated within the country but also others that are caused by external factors (figure 1). I will examine the internal and external causes of poverty in the landlocked Southern Africa state of Zimbabwe (figure 3). In the last century Zimbabwe has experienced massive economic and social change. Once Africa’s 2nd biggest economy, it is now ranked 15th(figure 3). Overall Zimbabwe ranks 173rd in the world in terms of HDI (Human Development Index), 153rd in the world for GDP and ranked 5th in the world for the lowest life expectancy[1], indicating significant poverty especially when compared to the relative developmental success of other southern Africa states (figure 5). When considering levels of development, countries can be placed on Rostow Stages of Economic Development[2], the majority of countries move up the stages from experiencing economic growth. However Zimbabwe has slipped back down the Stages of Development; early 1970 it was experiencing ‘take off’ & ‘acceleration’ however in recent years it is now at ‘pre-development’ (see figure 4), a ‘step back’ in economic growth development. An external cause of poverty in Zimbabwe is the geographic position. They are a landlocked country; they have no access to the seas for trading, limited border crossings and they are dependent on other countries for trade (figure 6). This leads to huge transport costs and inadequate infrastructure, on average a country which is landlocked experiences 60% less volume of trade plus it limits their economic growth and this external factor is a major cause of poverty[4]. Also, Zimbabwe has experienced severe drought in the past few years, it only has 8.32%[5] arable land and climate change is threatening to lessen their available land further. Arguably, these effects are already being observed in regions of Zimbabwe as the physical climate of the country has changed largely over the last three decades with the worst drought being experienced in 1991. However in recent years failure of the 2004-2008 rains reduced crop production by an estimated 95%, this has impacted heavily on Zimbabwe’s productivity, reducing both commercial trade to earn income and subsistence poverty. In years of severe drought the GDP growth was negative indicating a shrinking economy (figure 8), such unreliability of production limits their growth (figure 5). The unreliability of their economy stems from the external factors which also lead to national scale poverty through a lack of income, and an inability to meet basic food security needs which Maslow includes at the very base of his Hierarchy Of Needs (appendix 2), therefore pushing huge sections of society into poverty. Despite this geographical and climate disadvantage, I feel that poverty in Zimbabwe was serverly exacerbated as a result of political policy, this internal factor has had greater effect on the extent and depth of poverty experienced. In 2000 Robert Mugabe seized thousands of white-owned farms in an ongoing and violent campaign to reclaim what they say was stolen by settlers[6]. The land reform had a massive impact on Zimbabwe’s food production; in 2005 they were ranked 177th out of 182 compared to South Africa (Zimbabwe neighbouring country) who are 82nd (figure 3). This portrays a massive problem as South Africa share the same climate and land features but are completely in the opposite spectrum in terms of food production. The land reform in 2000 led to the breaking up of farms, two thirds of the farms were given to ordinary people on low-incomes. The remaining one-third included civil servants (16.5%), former workers on white-owned farms (6.7%), business people (4.8%) and members of the security services (3.7%)[7] (figure 6). Arguably, these effects have been caused due to the loss of the commercial white farmers, they knew how to produce high yields along with the high quality and most importantly they knew how to add value to their goods. I believe the impact of the land reforms is evident in the food crisis 2007-08 due to the land seizures, in some areas crop production reduced by 95%. Not only did Zimbabwe lose a large section of its agriculture sector, it diminished its community cohesion and provision of services throughout communities across the country (appendix 1). It lost its community support network and witnessed a mass exodus of its economically active society, causing intellectuals to le ave the country causing brain a drain and further undermining income earning potential. The land reform campaign in 2000 was also thought to have contributed to the AIDS epidemic; over 33% of the population are HIV positive (3rd largest in the world). As farming communities were disrupted, the economy deteriorated and many doctors left the country causing reduced access to healthcare. Many farmers were forced to move to different areas and in some cases families were separated, this resulted in sexual networks developing and an increase in the risk of HIV transmission. In 2009 the HIV prevalence in adults aged 15-49 was 14.3% causing the most economically active age group to have limited income earning opportunity as illness made work more difficult to continue causing income poverty (appendix 1).This is compared to South Africa where 15-49 prevalence was only 7% in 2009. Foreign companies are also reticent to invest in a country with such an unreliable workforce, again causing GDP limitations and national level poverty. But internally controlled land reforms would never have been needed but for the external factor of the apartheid regime established by Ian Smith who was president of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) from 1964. Britain who had colonised parts of central Africa, wanted to keep hold of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) because it was known as the bread basket of Africa, they believed it had great potential[8]. However Ian Smith declared independence under white minority rule, sparking international outrage and economic sanctions. Additionally he completely radicalised the farming community when he introduced apartheid. He evicted the numerous black farmers and put the fewer white famers in control of the huge hectares of land because they were commercial farmers and knew how to produce high quality and high yields[9]. This led to a division between poor blacks and wealthy white people causing inequality and an increase in relative poverty. This eventually led to civil war and resulting in Ian Smith being over thrown by the British Government in 1979; Robert Mugabe was elected as the new prime minster in 1980. His chaotic attempt to eradicate the apartheid regime ultimately ended up in a land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000 and caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. The economy of the Zimbabwe shrunk by 154.4 (figure 8). Although it could be argued that this is an internal factor as governance is part of the domestic jurisdiction of the country meaning that changes and alterations to policy and leadership should be internally controlled, in the case of Zimbabwe, these factors cannot be separated. Governance in Zimbabwe was controlled externally via colonial rule, and even after the decline of colonialism, for a significant period, the leader of Zimbabwe was externally decided and was the case of the appointment of Mugabe. It is undeniable that the internal governance of the country under Mugabe has been of paramount importance with regard to affecting poverty in Zimbabwe on a national scale such as failure to act despite everything going wrong, for denial of HIV, and ignoring of land reforms impacts on productivity, lack of free speech so intellectuals leave causing brain drain. His reign can be summarised as; life expectancy in fell from 62 years in 1990 to 36 in 2006[10]. He has been accused of policy myopia many times. From all the information and statistics described in this report it can be concluded that internal factors have had the most devastating effect on Zimbabwe as a whole, such as the land reforms which led to a spiral of decline for the country, especially as it could have been avoided. The devastation of the land reforms is still being felt in certain parts of Zimbabwe today; the loss of intellectual people will be the hardest to recover from for Zimbabwe. They are the group of people what will promote economic growth and re-stabilise the economy. They attract investment from Trans National Companies for their knowledge and their enterprise; they act as a multiplier effect for an economy. However this will take generations to re build. External factors of poverty such as their geographic location and climate have had impacts such as restricting them in trade and production. But comparison with neighbouring countries such as South Africa indicates they significantly outperform Zimbabwe. This leads us to believe internal factors have had a great impact on causing poverty in Zimbabwe (figure 4). However, as has been shown it is impossible to separate internal and external factors completely as they feed into one another. A challenging collection of external factors such as climate, location and in particular colonial legacy under Ian Smith, created a situation where poverty was a real danger. However post-colonial, strong and positive governance could have reduced poverty. Unfortunately in Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s regime exacerbated the poverty situation. Once in poverty, you’re in a vicious cycle of decline (poverty trap[11]). The poverty you’re in prevents you from getting out, it counteracts you from taking positive actions[12]. As a result of high unemployment figures and a spiral of decline for the economy, those who had been educated left the country in hope for a prosperous future. This can be referred to as the ‘brain drain’[13]. ———————– [1] Zimbabwe facts https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html [2] http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0097893.html [3] http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_NAM.html [4] http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ces/journal/v45/n4/full/8100031a.html [5] http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Zimbabwe/Climate [6] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14113618 [7] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11764004 [8] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14113618 [9] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15919538 [10] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/opinion/23iht-edmugabe.1.19632133.html [11] http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/poverty/measuring_poverty.htm [12] http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/documents/BPEAEndingAfricasPovertyTrapFINAL.pdf [13] http://www.globalissues.org/article/599/brain-drain-of-workers-from-poor-to-rich-countries

Corporate NGO Partnerships In Developing Countries Essay

Corporate NGO Partnerships In Developing Countries - Essay Example This number in India counts even more which is around 1-2 million and in Russia it is around 277000 (NGO, n.d.). With increasing globalization leading to cross border trade activities and with more and more organizations from one nation venturing in another country Corporate Social Responsibility has become very important for every organization to sustain in long run. Restructuring of the society with efforts being made for the welfare of the state has led to massive growth of NGO s in Western countries. Another reason which has enhanced the rapidity of the growth in NGOs is that the different international bodies in recent times including the World trade Organization were mainly focused on the enrichment of the capitalist society. So it has become utterly essential for the growth of organizations which focus on human causes and developmental issues relating to the general society at large with primary focus on humanitarian activities. One exclusive example focusing on humanitarian a ctivity is â€Å"World Social Forum† which directly opposes the â€Å"World Economic Forum† and mainly controls welfare of the poor and in one sense it is regarded as an aristocratic mode of politics. The paper analyzes whether corporate-NGO partnerships have helped in promoting sustainability in developing nations. History and Growth of NGO Rugendyke (2007), Clark (2003), Teegen (2003) observe that there was huge suport for the movement concerned with the growth of NGO campaign in the Western World in the past. All big personalities, students, model or people from any other profession had a great deal of support for a popular campaign named as â€Å"Make Poverty History†. There had been a great deal of publicity regarding the cause. As per the author in recent times when... This report stresses that all organizations are meant for creating something; for achieving some purpose. In a commercial organization the producers remain under direct manager’s control. In an organization the buyer receives ownership for the payment being made and thereby the relationship between organization and client ends. But the producer is entirely different from the client. This report makes a conclusion that thus from the above discussion on the corporate-NGO partnership it can be said that the NGOs should be given enough space to work. This is because the NGOs have their innovative work culture which is at variance with the traditional working methods. This helps the NGOs to develop policies as per the needs of the society and as per the problem at large afflicting a particular segment. The NGOs work hard and develop new policies meant for the welfare of the society. So it is highly important that the NGOs work out more solutions, go for tie ups with corporate and t hus using their expertise as well as generating the funds needed for the projects to be successful. Moreover they should avoid the words of the critic and work on their own set of standards and rules provided these rules are not against the society. This will help develop NGO activities in the long run and will help increase the number of NGO organizations across the globe which will bring about transformation especially in the less developing nations.

Wage Differential between the Sexes Research Paper - 1

Wage Differential between the Sexes - Research Paper Example Total experience was obtained by adding ‘months since hire’ and ‘previous Experience’ This study utilized secondary sources for data collection. The use of secondary data is useful because it is cost-efficient and saves time for the independent researcher (Glaser, 1963; Hyman, 1978; Hayashi, 2000). The independent researcher has limited financial resources because he or she works alone. Such researchers are usually professionals who attempt to research some significant social problem on a part-time basis. A two-step attempt was made to discover if the income of professional females increases at the same rate as that of males with comparable education as the experience increase. During the first step, the existence and strength of a relationship between salary and experience for male and female professionals with a given university degree in a specific job were researched using correlational methodology. During the second step, a comparison was made between the incomes of males and females with the same experience. Attainment of an educational degree was held constant for each given professional position. The correlational research method was selected as the primary methodology because of its ability to discover relationships among logical variables (Wooldridge, 2008). It appears that there is a lack of congruence in the literature in establishing an association between the level of income, experience, and gender, and also a lack of significant research efforts towards establishing a link between income and experience by gender identification, therefore, the hypothesis was stated as a null hypothesis (Albrect et al., 2003; Atkinson et al., 2003; Blau et al., 2006).

EU law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

EU law - Essay Example All of these rights were previously established in the EC Treaty. Also relevant in relation to citizens’ rights is article of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, which binds the institutions, bodies and the Member States when they implement EU law. This paper examines the effects of Lisbon treaty. An overview of other treaties Before the signing the Lisbon treaty, the European Union entered into different treaties that lead to the Lisbon one. This section outlines these treaties. The European Coal and Steel Community treaty (ECSC) (Treaty of Paris): this treaty was signed in 1951 in Paris creating regional institutions meant to manage trade of coal and steel. Members who signed this treat included France, Italy, West Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (Chalmers, 2006). European Economic Community (EEC) Treaty (treaty of Rome): This was signed in 1957 by the same countries that formed treaty of Paris. On the same day, another treaty European Atomic Energy Comm unity (the EURATOM Treaty), was signed by the six countries. Other important treaties that followed included. European Communities (the Merger Treaty of 1965): This treaty merged the three previous treaties (ECSC, EURATOM and EEC) to create the European Communities, as known as the community Market, which was signed in 1967 (Chalmers, 2006). Upon the signing of this treaty, key institutions of the European Union were formed; this included the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Court of Justice. Single European Act: this important treaty was reached in 1987, which amended the previous three founding treaties, thus creating an â€Å"internal market† for member states; the market was implemented in 1992. The goals of this treaty included forming a single currency and creating a free market. The Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty): this was reached in 1992 but was enforced in 1993, creating the European Union, whic h was based on the European Communities. This particularly treat founded a â€Å"three pillar† system. The last treaty signed before the Lisbon treaty was the Treaty of Amsterdam, signed in 1997 that was enforced in 1999.this treaty amended and also renumbered the European Union and the European Community (Chalmers, 2006). Lisbon Treaty: provisions on Democratic Principles Democratic principles provided in the Lisbon Treaty fundamentally purposed to enhance the democratic authority of the Union in the Preamble. These new reforms mainly strengthened the role of the European Parliament, country parliaments, as well as providing for citizen’s initiatives, with an aim of increasing democratic legitimacy of the European Union. The Treaties contained provisions focused at cementing democracy in its representatives as well as their participatory dimensions by founding new participatory mechanisms, like the European citizens’ initiative, and new guides of communication and information with the European civil society. The European Parliament (EP): The Lisbon Treaty moved one step ahead in regard to the idea of representation by establishing that the European Parliament should be composed of representatives of the Union’s citizens, appointed for five years through direct universal suffrage in a free and fair secret election. According to these regulations, the European Council had to determine through accord, on the initiative of its Parliament, future composition of the latter