Religion and Terrorism

Terrorism has long plagued the existence of peace and security in society, where secular groups have resorted to violence against non-combatant targets in order to influence the policies of a governmental or nongovernmental organisation. The concept of terrorism, whilst elusive and vague in definition has been categorised into various forms of terrorism, these being dissident, state-sponsored, and religious terrorism to name a few.This paper will argue that the most dangerous form of terrorism is religious terrorism. To deliver an effective argument this paper has been divided into three sections; the first will argue that the most dangerous form of terrorism is religious terrorism by examining what it is, how it is dangerous, and why it is more dangerous than other forms of terrorism.Secondly, this paper will argue that the most dangerous proponent of religious terrorism is the organisation of the Taliban, to support this claim; an analysis of the group will be given, including back ground information, information on the Taliban’s policies and recent activities, and the threat this groups poses on the international community. Lastly, this paper will analyse and critique the current governmental policies combating terrorism, and will then provide policy recommendations which could be implemented by governments, militaries or NGO’s.The justification for this paper is simply that the validation of religious terrorism as the most dangerous form of terrorism will allow for effective international coordination towards combating terrorism. Various parameters of study were encountered in the process of this paper as there is much contention on which is the most dangerous form of terrorism, which gave way to biased opinions and misleading quotations regarding factual information on various organisations implementing terrorist tactics, namely the Taliban.Although the concept of terrorism has no definition which is universally agreed upon, the notion of reli gious terrorism has been defined by Bruce Hoffman (1999), where religious terrorism must have three factors; â€Å"the perpetrators must use religious scripture to justify their violent acts or gains recruits; clerical figures must be involved in leadership roles; and apocalyptic images of destruction are seen by the perpetrators as necessary†.Religious terrorism has arguably been an ongoing occurrence in contentious religious areas for centuries, where religious groups have resorted to violence against non-combatants in order to combat real or perceived threats to their own ideology (Alexander, 1994). Debate on the original terrorist aside, terrorism is quite a modern concept stemming from the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror prompted by Maxmilien Robespierre who targeted the â€Å"enemies of liberty† indiscriminately in the ideology of the â€Å"greater good† (Cooper, 2004).Religious terrorism is thought to be caused by the misinterpretation (or funda mentalist belief) of religious scripture, however the belief in religious scripture is not the problem; it is only when these fundamentalist individuals act on their beliefs through violent means and justify their actions using religious scripture that we encounter the potential threat of terrorist tactics (Mendelsohn, 2009). Furthermore, this fundamentalist behaviour is only worsened when a threat to the religious ideology is perceived (Mendelsohn, 2009).Religious terrorism is reasonably widespread throughout the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, predictably this may be due to the religious zeal in these regions (Alexander, 1994). A United Nations report (August, 2010) showed that 76% of all casualties (in the first six months) in Afghanistan and Pakistan were attributed to the actions of the Taliban and their associate organisations, showing the danger associated with religious terrorism.Although religious terrorism has â€Å"become the predominant model for political violence in the modern world† (Martin, p 171, 2010) it is still not the only medium for extremist violence, as nationalism and ideology still remain strong motivators for radical violence (Martin, 2010). However, religious terrorism still remains a more dangerous form of terrorism when compared to other forms, such as state-sponsored or dissident terrorism. The factors which make this form of terrorism dangerous is the potentially apocalyptic ideology of religion, and furthermore the promise of an ethereal paradise awaiting those who follow this faith completely.This factor seems to provide a motivation arguably more influential towards violent behaviour then other forms of terrorism. Bruce Hoffman (p 92, 1998) stated that â€Å"it is perhaps not surprising that religion should become a far more popular motivation for terrorism in the post-Cold War era as old ideologies lie discredited by the collapse of the Soviet Union and communist ideology, while the promise of munificent benefits fr om the liberal-democratic, capitalist state†¦ fails to materialise in many countries throughout the world†. A stronger motivation for terrorism signifies that more violent activity, and at a higher requency, is to be expected from religious terrorism than state-sponsored or dissident terrorism. In recent times, the frequency, scale of violence, and global reach of religious terrorism has been increasing, while at the same time a decrease in secular, non-religious terrorism has been occurring (Martin, 2010). The fact that religious terrorism provides a stronger motivation is more widespread, causes more casualties than any other form of terrorism, and is increasing in frequency, scale of violence, and global reach, is reason enough to argue that religious terrorism is the most dangerous form of terrorism.Evidence of religious terrorism may be seen in the various attacks conducted on non-combatants throughout 2011. For example, on the 13th of May 2011, two suicide bombers w ere responsible for 80 deaths in Shabqadar, Pakistan, the attacks were claimed by the Taliban and were labelled a response to the death of Osama bin Laden on the 3rd of May 2011 (The Guardian, 13/5/11). Another example may be seen in the terrorist attacks in Somalia on the 4th of October 2011, claiming over 70 lives and injuring many more, the Islamic militant terrorist group Al-Shabaab soon claimed responsibility for the attack.The attacks categorised as religious terrorism predominately occur throughout the Middle-East and Southeast Asia, with the most contentious areas being Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (Mendelsohn, 2009). To examine Pakistan individually, this region has become a trouble-spot for terrorism resulting in a largely contentious area. The terrorism occurring in Pakistan is predominately religious, resulting in over 350000 Pakistani civilians killed as of 2010 (New York Review of Books, 2011).Pakistan has a long history involving religious conflict, and although m any attempts have been made by the Pakistani government to resolve these conflicts, there is no sign of the conflict coming to an end. The fact that Pakistan is not an overly wealthy nation has contributed to the effectiveness of religious terrorist recruiting, as when individuals have nothing to lose they invest in religious ideology (Mendelsohn, 2009). Although there are many religiously based terrorist organisations, the Taliban is arguably the most dangerous proponent of religious terrorism.It is important to understand the origins, policies, methods, and other information on the organisation before effective policies can be implemented to combat the Taliban’s terrorist tactics. The Taliban is an Islamist militant organisation which has had rule of the majority of Afghanistan from September 1996, however the Taliban-formed state called the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ only gained political recognition as a state from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (Mo ckaitis, 2007).However, the attacks on the USA on the 11th of September 2001 saw the Taliban overthrown during the conflict in Afghanistan. The Taliban regrouped and drafted an insurgency movement to oppose the newly formed ‘Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’, and to achieve their motives the use of guerrilla and terrorist tactics were applied (Mockaitis, 2007). Whilst in power the Taliban enforced an extremely strict interpretation of their holy scripture, becoming notorious in the international community for the poor treatment of women (Mockaitis, 2007).This fundamental following of Holy Scripture and Islam law has seen the Taliban use Holy Scripture to justify their violent actions. Whilst not much is known about the leader of the Taliban, Mohammed Omar, a 25 million dollar reward has been issued by the US department of defence for his capture. The policies of the Taliban were initially to disarm Afghanistan, end the lawlessness and heavily enforce the Islamic or Shari a law on the entirety of Afghanistan (Mendelsohn, 2009).The Taliban have been relatively successful in bringing law and order to around 85% of the country in their control, mainly by disarming or conscripting the tribes of Afghanistan (Mockaitis, 2007). Some of the Taliban’s relentless policies and unyielding nature on issues such as the treatment of Osama bin Laden have isolated them internationally resulting in non-recognition by the United Nations regarding their legitimacy, and the imposition of political sanctions aimed at denying the Taliban any funding or aid (Mendelsohn, 2009).As of yet, the Taliban have failed to develop any plan or policy to revive the state of Afghanistan should they retake political control. The methods or tactics utilised by Taliban forces has predominately been a guerrilla struggle against Western forces, however the use of terrorism has brought much notoriety to the organisation itself. However the question of funding is important, how does the Taliban receive its funding? Twelve percent of Afghanistan lives off the opium trade, which constitutes 30 percent of its gross domestic product (Schmidt, 2010).Whilst the Taliban gain finance through the sale of opium and poppy, the decrease in production of poppy would not work against the Taliban, through simple economics this organisation is able to manipulate opium prices which have seen a downward spiral over the past 5 years due to an over-supply of poppy and opium (Schmidt, 2010). Estimations show that the Taliban has stockpiled over eight thousand tonnes of opium in the event poppy production is eradicated by the US government.However the eradication of poppy in Afghanistan would for a short term aid the Taliban as prices would increase exponentially in the face of low supplies, simple economics being exploited by the Taliban (Schmidt, 2010), (UN World Drug Report, 2009). A report given in 2006 analysing the Taliban likened the organisation to a starfish (decentralised org anisation) as opposed to a spider organisation (centralised) (Brafman, Beckstrom, 2006). â€Å"The spider and the starfish both appear to have a number of legs coming out of one body, but that is where the similarity ends.In the case of the spider, what you see is a clear â€Å"head’s head and a leg’s leg. † However, a starfish is entirely different from a spider because the head is not even in charge of anything. In fact, a starfish does not even have a head. If a starfish is cut in half, it does not die. Instead, what you get are two starfish. The long-armed Linckia starfish can even replicate itself from just one piece of an arm. Unlike the spider, having no brain to give the affirmative on anything, the starfish functions as a decentralized network. (Schmidt, p 72, 2010). A table from this report gives a description of the comparison: (See below) The events which occurred on the 8th of August 1998 are evidence to show the danger and lethality of the Taliban and its policies. On the 24th of May 1997 the Taliban occupied the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif and on the 8th of August 1998 were responsible for an attack which killed over 8000 people of different nationalities including Uzbekistani, and Shiite Iranian (Kelling, Saludin, Von-Feigenblatt, Alis, Shuib, 2010).In this attack the Taliban also attacked the consulate of Iran killing 10 Iranian diplomats, which incidentally generated Iran’s opposition on the political legitimacy of the Taliban (Kelling, Saludin, Von-Feigenblatt, Alis, Shuib, 2010). The Taliban has taken responsibility for countless attacks on both combatant and non-combatant targets, with no signs of a decrease in the frequency of attacks; the Taliban is an extremely dangerous advocate of religious terrorism.The failure of allied forces to subdue the Taliban as of yet has left Afghanistan coloured with destruction, death and poverty. An article in the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences accused the US of â€Å"ignoring the hope and prospect of Afghanistan†, by being oblivious and promoting victory over the Taliban in order to justify the war on Afghanistan (Kelling, Saludin, Von-Feigenblatt, Alis, Shuib, 2010).The US policy to use military power against the Taliban and other terror organisations has made it more difficult to find a conclusive solution to the violence in Afghanistan; additionally the weakness of the United States’ new government in Afghanistan failed to bring stability and therefore enhanced the terrorism from the Taliban (Kelling, Saludin, Von-Feigenblatt, Alis, Shuib, 2010). The question left is how we stop the terrorism?Through government, military and NGO policy development, political, management, financial and administrative â€Å"mechanisms† arranged to reach explicit goals. This paper will therefore examine various responses to terrorism, and the policies put in place by major international actors. After September 2001, t he member of the Security Council (UN) adopted a set of comprehensive measures to combat terrorism; they did so under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, thereby making all decisions compulsory for all members (Boulden, Weiss, 2004).Two resolutions were particularly important, these being â€Å"Resolution 1368 of September 12†, which legitimised all military action against a terrorist organisation; and â€Å"Resolution 1373 of September 28 2001† which broadened the scope of international responses (Boulden, Weiss, 2004). Resolution 1373 stated that â€Å"all states should prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, as well as criminalize the willful provision or collection of funds for such acts†.The purpose of this resolution was to minimize the financing of terrorism and to encourage member states to deny safe haven to known terrorists, assist states in need of anti-terrorism measures, and to accelerate the exchange of information regarding terrorist activity; i n other words this resolution deeply encouraged international cooperation in combating terrorism. While the resolve of the Security Council (UN) is to be commended, four problems are still to be addressed.First, although member states of the UN agree on the importance of combating terrorism, member states continue to have different views on the precise nature of these threats, and different opinions on the appropriate responses to these threats (Boulden, Weiss, 2004). The US should take responsibility and forge a consensus on the nature of the terrorist threat and what an appropriate response would be.If the US takes consideration of other states and develops a genuine international response effort, then this should convince other states that the US is not only concerned for itself but for the international community as a whole (Boulden, Weiss, 2004). Secondly, the long term implications for the Security Council’s resolution regarding the legitimization of force against terro rist organizations are problematic. Permission to use military force without a proper criteria for reason has been seen as handing a â€Å"blank check† to the USA.Although the US argues preemptive action and covert military action is necessary to combat terrorism, the absence of an international agreement on a definition for terrorism can lead to the possibility of abuse of this â€Å"blank check† (Boulden, Weiss, 2004). To solve this issue, the UN should engage member states in a discussion to answer the important questions, â€Å"when are terrorist acts the equivalent of armed attacks? †, â€Å"Do imminent threats of attack always justify a military response? † (Boulden, Weiss, 2004).Third, the issue of finance always seems to plague attempts at combating terrorism. The implementation of the UN’s counterterrorist measures will therefore continue to be difficult unless financial assonance is given by member states. A solution to this problem would be the investment of funds into the Counter-terrorism committee (CTC), this committee would thereby invest funding into state counter terrorism agencies who lack the financial capacity to effectively fight terrorism (Boulden, Weiss, 2004).Fourth, the war against terrorism has been labeled as the â€Å"long war†, and it is true that the effort against terrorism will take time and finance, however there must also be an effort against the root causes of terrorism; poverty, disease, social disorder, unstable governments, etc (Boulden, Weiss, 2004). The UN has a promising track record when dealing with these problems, therefore the investment into social development programs will allow for significant advancements in the effort against terrorism (Boulden, Weiss, 2004).This paper will now offer a list of policy recommendations. In order to combat terrorism effectively, Thomas Mockaitis (2007) suggests there should be elements of four broad tasks present. 1. Anti-terrorism to prote ct military forces, installations and personnel and to assist member nataions in protecting their citizens and infrastructure from terrorist attack. 2. Consequence management to aide member states in mitigating the effects of an actual terrorist attack. 3. Counterterrorism to take offensive action against terrorist organizations, personnel and facilities. 4.Military cooperation with civilian institutions, government and private, to defend against terrorism. Evidently this system of counter-terrorism has been drafted as a military doctrine labeled the NATO Concept, which provides an excellent framework for organizing an effective response against terrorism (Mockaitis, 2007). Below is a chart which illustrates the three core measures of combating terrorism. ‘Consequence management’ refers to the measures taken by local, state, and national departments to prepare for and if necessary respond to a terrorist attack (Mockaitis, 2007). Counterterrorism’ and ‘Antit errorism’ is the offensive military enforcement of operations against terrorists (organisations, networks, and individuals), and the economic, social, and diplomatic measures to combat the root causes of terrorism (poverty, civil unrest, etc) (Mockaitis, 2007). All three tasks require effective cooperation and rely on the intelligence which lies at the centre of the three and helps organise the effort (Mockaitis, 2007). This paper has argued that the most dangerous form of terrorism is religious terrorism.In order to deliver an effective argument, this paper was divided into three sections; first, it was argued that religious terrorism is the most dangerous form of terrorism by examining defining it, examining how it is dangerous, and discussing why it is more dangerous than other forms of terrorism. Secondly, this paper argued that the most dangerous proponent of terrorism is the organisation of the Taliban, supporting this claim was an analysis of the group, giving backgrou nd information, information on the Taliban’s policies and recent activities, and the threat this organisation poses on the international community.Lastly this paper analysed and critiqued the anti-terrorism policy of the UN, and provided policy recommendations for all member states to implement, namely the policies currently implemented by NATO forces. This paper was written in order to legitimise religious terrorism as the most dangerous form of terrorism, thereby allowing for more effective international cooperation towards combating terrorism. This paper can therefore conclude that the most dangerous form of terrorism is Religious Terrorism. References: Alexander, Y. (1994).Middle east terrorism: Current Threats and Future Prospects. International library of Terrorism. England: Dartmouth Publishing Co. Brafman, O. , & Beckstrom, R. (2006). The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. New York: Penguin Group Hoffman, B. (1998). Inside terr orism. New York: Columbia University Press. Kelling, M. , Saludin, M. , Von-Feigenblatt, O. F. , Alis, M. , &Shuib, M. (2010). Taliban: How it Emerged and why the U. S and Pakistan Failed? International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Martin, G. (2010).Understanding terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues. (3rd Ed). UK: Sage Publications Mendelsohn, B. (2009). Combating Jihadism. London: University of Chicago Press. Mockaitis, T. (2007). The â€Å"new† terrorism: Myths and Reality. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. Schmidt, F. (2010). From Islamic warriors to drug lords: The evolution of the Taliban Insurgency. Mediterranean Quarterly, 21(2), 61-1. doi: 10. 1215/10474552-2010-005 The Guardian. (May 13, 2011). Pakistan suicide bomb kills 80 as Taliban seeks revenge for Bin Laden. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://www. uardian. co. uk/world/2011/may/13/suicide-bombing-revenge-osama The New York Review of Books. (2011). Why they get Pakistan wrong. Retrieved from http://www. nybooks. com/articles/archives/2011/sep/29/why-they-get-pakistan-wrong/ United Nations. (August, 2010). Afghan civilian casualties rise 31 per cent in first six months of 2010. Retrieved from http://unama. unmissions. org/Default. aspx? tabid=1741&ctl=Details&mid=1882&ItemID=9955 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2009). World Drug Report. Received from www. unodc. org/unodc/data-and-analysis/WDR. html

The Success or Failure of Baz Luhrmann’s Movie, The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby attempts to recreate the novel, but fails miserably. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is very different in meaning from Luhrmann’s filmic adaptation. The film, unlike the novel, makes Gatsby seem like a fool in love, and fails to show the idealism behind Gatsby’s dream. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby attempts to recreate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s themes, but ends up failing miserably. The film tried to juggle too many themes at once, rather than focusing a couple crucial ones throughout the movie. The film was unable to convey the failure of the â€Å"American Dream† that Fitzgerald so aptly analyzed throughout his novel. Fitzgerald, unlike Luhrmann, was able to make the reader see that Gatsby’s vision (all of his wealth and grandeur had a purpose: to win over Daisy), which parallels the â€Å"American Dream† that many people strive for. The impossibility of this dream is keyed in on through the dialogue between Nick and Gatsby during Luhrmann’s film, but it does not even come close to achieving the same effect that Fitzgerald did in his novel. Luhrmann focuses on how Gatsby’s hope and determination to repeat the past in this one scene, but fails to tie this in throughout the movie. This important theme is forgotten by the end of the film because of how gaudily the film is stylized. The film may have accurately portrayed the imagery of the extravagant parties that Fitzgerald vividly described, but the glitzy diversions detract from the central themes. The disjointedness of the film, as a result of these distractions, cause the viewer to forget the content of the film. Luhrmann’s attention to the visual and musical aspects of the film prevented the film from exploring the themes that Fitzgerald was able to do by ensuring that the imagery served a greater purpose (not just to become a box office success in Luhrmann’s case). Also, the changes to Nick’s character are significant as it shifts the focus from Gatsby to Nick. Fitzgerald purposefully leaves Nick’s life ambiguous, but Luhrmann attempts to give Nick’s departure from the East an edge by turning him into a drunkard. By doing this, Luhrmann emphasizes the excesses of the time, and ends up

Job Satisfaction Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 16500 words

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Mulvey's Analysis of Visual Structure Extended to Consider Racial Essay

Mulvey's Analysis of Visual Structure Extended to Consider Racial Difference - Essay Example Her work was inspired by theories presented by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan (Mulvey 836). She incorporated their theories as â€Å"political weapons† (Mulvey 833) into her own work. Based on these concepts, she contended that conventional Hollywood cinema place the viewer in a masculine subject situation; and women are depicted as mere objects of admiration. Traditional Hollywood cinema fostered spectators to relate to the hero, evidently a man. She states (Mulvey 837): â€Å"In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leit-motif of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to striptease, from Ziegfeld to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire. Mainstream film neatly combined spectacle and narrative.† On the other hand, Mulvey states that wom en were â€Å"to-be-looked-at-ness† (Mulvey 837). She conceived two primary roles in which males construed female characters during this era. These were â€Å"voyeuristic† and â€Å"fetishist†. ... In addition, that she had not borne in mind that the impact of a feminist role might be different on bisexual or heterosexual spectators. Moreover, she failed to account for media audience researches related to fans and their interface with celebrities. Mulvey wrote in rebuttal that the purpose of her writing was to provoke though and present novel notions instead of a logical academic work. However, her views were slightly modified on some issues as demonstrated in her subsequent article â€Å"Afterthoughts on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema†. Generally, the portrayal of blacks in Hollywood cinema and their categorical absence in films leads to condemnation by spectators. Normally, black spectators avoid identifying themselves with depicted characters and even oppose the convincing elements of films. Most articles such as Mulvey’s ‘Imaginary Signifier by Christian Metz’, ‘Difference’ by Stephen Heath and the like revolved around issues of gendered viewership. Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott have presented an attention-grabbing analysis of the personification of blacks in Hollywood in their article titled â€Å"How the Movies Made a President† (Dargis and Scott). They illustrate the development of characters assigned to blacks during the previous decades â€Å"from the ghetto to the boardroom, from supporting roles in kitchens, liveries, and social-problem movies to the rarefied summit of the Hollywood A-list†. This draws attention towards the crucial resemblance between how blacks are allotted stereotypical and relegated roles and how women encountered similar derogatory treatment. Although, the stereotyping in characters is different for the two groups; but primarily it represents the

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A critique of leadership and team management style in the light of Vip Essay

A critique of leadership and team management style in the light of Vip model and other current theories - Essay Example Few decades back, dynamics of a household were rigidly defined as father entrusted with the role of a bread winner, and the mother assigned to be the housekeeper. It was, most assuredly, regarded a woman’s duty to ensure that her husband and children were well taken care of. However, the shifting social, economical, and financial conditions, along with the increasing cost of living, has vastly evolved the thinking process, and has resulted, in many families, both parents working for livelihood. In addition, the deteriorating family structure, increasing poverty, and decreasing sense of security, has also resulted in children, from an early age, suffering from confidence and self-esteem issues. The severity of this situation can be realized from the fact that between years 2004 and 2008, eight hundred new children centers were inaugurated in UK and thirty percent of them were opened in extremely disadvantaged communities (Siraj-Blatchford and Manni 2007).This highlights the sig nificant role played by the nurseries and other early year’s centers in the support and growth of their respective communities. If a center succeeds in providing a safe, secure, and a neutral learning environment to its children, it not only provides peace of mind to parents, but most importantly leaves an indelible mark on children’s lives, and molds them to become better individuals. As the beginning proverb hints, taking proper care of a child requires a collective effort, which can only be possible with appropriate leadership and guidance. Therefore, to run a successful early year’s center, a manager is required to have certain specific attributes. My interview was based on three themes, which were Vision, Implementation/Operational, and People Manager/Team Management Skills of the managing practitioner. These themes were based on the â€Å"VIP Model,† which was proposed by Mark Hollingworth (2003, p. 34). According to Hollingworth, a true leader is i n fact a ‘VIP,’ which stands for ‘Visionary, Implementer, and a People Manager’. These three primary leadership traits, in the light of other theories as well, will be mostly explored in this portfolio. Various other themes, such as handling parent-staff interactions, curriculum setting, goals of the center, etc. were also considered, but after careful consideration, it was deduced that Hollingworth’s three categories encompasses majority of the themes. For example, parent-staff meetings is a part of ‘people manager’ category, curriculum setting falls in the ‘implementation’, and goal setting is definitely an element of the ‘vision.’ As shown in Appendix A, The format adopted for the interview was semi-structured, consisting of mostly open ended questions. The justification of using this format was to get a deep insight into the mind of interviewee, and to judge his leadership style according to VIP model and ot her contemporary management theories. In addition, the interview was designed and conducted with the intention of â€Å"establishment of rapport, identification of follow-up questions, and avoidance of leading questions’ (Partington 2001, p. 4). The conversation was carried out with utmost neutrality, empathy, and without any judgmental and sarcastic connotations. On the whole, the interview was primarily structured to find out if Mr. John Smith, our interviewee, has characteristics of becoming a VIP. It should be noted that, due to confidentiality, the real names of our interviewee and care center are not revealed in this report. The significance of having a ‘

Globalization in Transition Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalization in Transition - Research Paper Example It is in the interest of the welfare of humankind to allow a new system to emerge. What has happened about globalization so far, challenges the imagination of all concerned. It is impossible to predetermine or predict the outcomes and the shape of things to come. Human intervention and creativity have reached new zeniths and the developments that have taken place in various segments of globalization do not fall within the definitions of Capitalism, Communism, Socialism or Theocracy. Spread of democracy in the hardcore communist countries, which resulted in liberalization of trade relations, is also an important factor in hastening up the process of globalization. Narrow perspectives of nationalism have failed to check the economic reforms that are part of the process that accelerates the pace of development. The discussion is no more about whether there should be reforms to facilitate the march of globalization; it is about the strategy to implement reforms. The importance of transit ion economics is an accepted fact. The tug of war of votaries of globalization and the local manufacturing and local food markets will continue and the ultimate gainer is the consumer, as he has the choice. Globalization—its reach Is it possible to reconstitute local manufacturing and local food markets, or has globalization ultimately made this impossible? A straight forward answer to this question is impossibility. It is an admitted fact that the narrow domestic walls have crumbled. Firstly, let us try to understand the institution of market. The complex market institutions cannot develop in a theoretical or laboratory setting and then transplant them to economy. For the markets, transition to the ground realities is a complicated exercise. Institutions will take a long time to reshape and attain perfection. Globalization has challenged and will continue to challenge many of the old social and economic norms. Many such norms will die and many will need complete rejuvenation . Getting the reforms off from the national to the international ground calls for tough choices. One has to be realistic about the possible achievements, while giving up the existing set up in favor of the new one. Advantage Globalization Countries need an active domestic agenda and remain ready to follow the path of economic reforms well in time, to challenge the environment of integrated world economy. The domestic front needs to develop the fine sense of anticipation to capture the gains of globalization. Globalization is multi-dimensional. Global trade volumes are on the increase for more than one reason. Every country would like to take advantage of the technological breakthroughs and no one minds from which country it originates. Technological innovations have boosted immensely the quality of life in many countries of the world, but at the same time this has benefited the rich section of the society and the poor have no means to share the benefits. Volatile capital markets do not go well with the economy of the developing countries. The experts in the field of economics and commerce are not sure about the contribution of trade to the superior growth performance of the votaries who followed globalization. A country opens up trade channels and many domestic policy changes go in tandem with it. So it is difficult to assess the contribution

The Sins of the Father Read this poem and develope it into a short Essay

The Sins of the Father Read this poem and develope it into a short story keeping the authors original style and tone - Essay Example Having encountered much detached in my life, it prompted be enlivened, therefore I needed to have this piece. It is a short story being made with sadness, and a cheerful bob back. The finish of this story has an exceptionally pleasant turn too. After my father’s heart condition being uncovered, the fragile circumstance begins to unfold at the start of the ballad. My father had two unfolded stories. Firstly, he shows some kindness condition and furthermore he has no truth about his spouses passing. He just figures out with the assistance of her sister who dependably let him know. It is expressed in the lyric that she was told "in broken sentences" as presented in sins of their fathers. This is the point at which reality divulges out. Josephine, his sister had a harsh time in letting her know sister of her spouses demise. This vivid portrayal makes somebody feel that this is the means by which it happened with his spouse. Perhaps it could have been the genuine instance of what truly happened or possibly the sonnet was having a great written work and one might be discover with that filling. After this, the sonnet goes out to depict a sudden upheaval of misery; it was then trailed by quiet as she slipped away to her room. His suddenness of his spouse passing was portrayed by the hush in the room since this had found her napping. It was easy to depict how a "huge euphoria held her", it likewise depicts the delight as practically being controlled. This is intended to depicting the mind-boggling feeling of joy that was clearing over her. For a minute, he chose to be himself and ricochets once more (in any event incidentally). It is clear that my father is self-control because of the courageous look in his eyes despite the suffering and pain he is undergoing. It all implied that he had won the long gone battles. Besides, the fights with

EXPLICATION OF A SONG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

EXPLICATION OF A SONG - Essay Example It was sung by â€Å"The Beatles† for their album â€Å"Help† in 1965. Since then, the song has achieved milestones over the years. It is a melancholy about a broken love relationship sung by a single member of â€Å"The Beatles†. The story symbolizes the yesterday for the happy days of the past when there used to be joys all around. The basic theme of the song is the message which tells never to lose your love and try to maintain it for the whole of your life. It is love that beautifies the life and nothing else. When there remains no love, one earnestly waits and desires for it to come back. But that never happens as the time once gone never returns. The small lyrical ballad is outstanding in the sense that it narrates the whole story from the very beginning to the end. It has the memories of the golden days, of the separation and the longings for the days to return. The song is complete in nature to the extent that it covers the whole of turns and twists a lov e-story brings with it. The song begins with the title word, â€Å"yesterday†. The poet starts to tell the story of his failure. He tells the reader that there was a time when everything went right for him. There was beauty and love. Life was magnificent. He adds: â€Å"all my troubles seemed so far away† informing the audience that his life had no miseries, sorrows and concerns. What he had to care for was the sweet moments he could enjoy with his girl-friend. Life was no more than a story of the dreamland where all the demands were accord approval. But he knows nothing what happened to his life? The charm of life then was get up from the deep sleep. The troubles which he bade â€Å"good bye† had arrived again. They had the intentions to live there forever: â€Å"now it looks as though they are here to stay†. But as is the nature of love and the story with every lover, hope plays its role does not letting the lover leave its rope; just stick to it. He be lieves in the honesty of the â€Å"yesterday† in the words: â€Å"oh, I believe in yesterday†. The way the â€Å"yesterday† is appealed here is heart-touching. It looks like he is negotiating with the yesterday to persuade her to bring the gone glory to his life once again. Then comes the part of the story where the poet tells us the situation at the present. He tells: â€Å"suddenly, I am not half the man I used to be†. The poet shows us the ruins of his dream valley in the words that he is no more the perfect person. He is living with a broken heart. He sees no attraction in life any more. He convinces us that life comes from inside and it does not matter what looks outside. A man hit at heart can never be taken as alive though walking like a live man. He goes further explaining that: â€Å"there’s a shadow hanging over me†. The darkness prevails over him. He sees no light to proceed in the course of life. Something ugly like shadow has ta ken possession of him. He is not able to see beyond that shadow and for him; the world is a place of anxiety. The poet goes further and complains against the instability of the world and all that is inside it including humans. He weeps that the routine of life did not give him enough time to get to the taste of joys to his full. It was so much a short time for the enjoyment of his love. The troubles were in a very much hurry as to replace the pleasures. The poet’s desire for the â€Å"yesterday†

A House to Remember Essay Example for Free

A House to Remember Essay I have moved in and out of many houses throughout the years, but none of them were as important to me as the house in which I grew up. I must admit that this house, although enormous, was neither the nicest nor the most comfortable house, yet my nostalgic nature has propelled me to treasure that house above all others. Having parted it for almost ten years, some details of the house are out of my grasp. The memory of the house now stands as a symbol of my childhood. It is the only place that I remember nothing but pure happiness, suffused with youthful innocence and carefree laughter that would never fade. The front yard of the house was a vacant space with a large concrete sink conspicuously imposed in one corner. Grandma used to stand upon the red brick pavement in front of this sink every morning; cleaning vegetables for meals, washing clothes from the day before, or scrubbing pots and bowls in soapy water. When grandma was doing her chores at the sink, I would stagger into the yard with my little green wooden chair dragging behind, set it a few feet from grandma, sit down and watch her hands maneuver among the items with fascinated eyes. Every now and then, along the clanks of hardware, some bubbles struggled free of gravity and rose into the air. That was when I would routinely utter an excited yelp and kick back my chair to chase the bubbles, which reflected sunlight more colorfully than crystal balls in the cheerful crisp mornings. If I were lucky, grandma would give me a little basin with water and a few drops of dish soap in which to play with. The procedure was always the same: I lowered my face almost to the surface of the water, intently stared at the spreading yellow solution without a blink, as if to hurry the process. As soon as the solution faded into the water, I shoved my hands into the basin and gave the water a fanatic stir, laughing,  panting, as shiny bubbles magically foamed in the entire basin. Most of the time, I could scoop up the bubbles with both hands and blow at them as hard as I could. The aftermath was predictable, bubbles were everywhere: in the air, on the ground and over my face. At this point, grandma would turn around to look at me with feigned solemnity. After helping me wipe soap away from my face, she retreated into the house to prepare lunch, while I sat alone in the yard, watching bubbles pop in a hurried manner. The refreshing lemony scent of the soap lingered in the air long after the bubbles were gone. Around noon, the hunger pain in my stomach and the delicious smell of food from kitchen attracted each other like opposite sides of a magnet. Without knowing, I was already tripping over the tall threshold that led to the living room. The living room was the dominant structure of this ancient house. It was profusely furnished with mahogany antiques that had carvings of dragons, phoenixes and other traditional Chinese symbols on it signifying its venerable history. The room itself was equally old; the whitewash on the walls was starting to peel, the red paint on the wooden doors appeared rather flaky. I would usually stop at the giant gate of the living room to peel off a few flakes of paint from its already-marred surface. But the need to go to the kitchen appeared more urgent to me at that moment. The kitchen was a moderately sized cubicle positioned at the rear of the living room. Squares of tidy white tiles covered its lower half of walls and floor. The kitchen counter and the stoves were lined up against the inner side of the wall. It seemed to me that grandma always had something cooking on the stoves, thus constantly diffusing the house with a faint yet pleasant aroma. The counter was home to a large collection of kitchen utensils; from plain enamel bowls to elegant porcelain plates, from iron woks to stainless steel pots, all of which had found their righteous place on the counter and lined up haughtily. The most repulsive piece was the pressure cooker, but for some reason grandma loved to use it. I remember countless times when I watched in awe at this strange apparatus restlessly ejecting streams of white vapor from a revolving black knob, while making incessant hissing sounds, loud and repelling, as if foretelling some imminent danger. Lunch was held at the little round table placed in the center of the kitchen. Usually, grandma would be at the table as I entered the room, kitting, strings of wool ascending tirelessly out of a basket near her feet as she skillfully transformed them into garments. While I climbed into a chair next to her, she would lay down her needlework atop the colorful balls of wool and start transporting plates of food to the table under my anticipatory watch. As soon as my bowl of rice arrived, I would launch a ravenous attack into the foods; chopsticks clicked hungrily amongst the different dishes as I mounted palatable delicacies on top of my steamed rice. In contrast, grandma ate her meal with suaveness; she had told me rules like dont eat with your mouth open dont make noises when you eat, but they were luckily never enforced (at least not then). Slow down, she would say benignly, watching me munch on my mouthful. I would mumble something in reply, but kept on devouring my favorites. Despite all these, my avarice still had its payback on me, I was never able to finish all the foods I hoarded in my bowl, thus by the end of each meal, I could find myself begging for grandmas pardon. Im so full. I whined, meanwhile searching for traces of relent on grandmas face. You shouldnt waste food, the farmers worked hard for those. Grandma said sternly. I wont next time, I promise. Alright then, just go take your nap. Upon the hearing of this acquittal, I slipped out of my customized tall chair at once and started to scurry to the master bedroom, which was located on the left side of the living room, a few feet from the dinning table. Once inside the bedroom, I immediately approached the main attraction an old 18-inch colored TV that was placed on a tarnished cabinet. With great eagerness, I reached my arms upward and stretched my body to its fullest extent; my fingertips fumbled among a row of smooth buttons. Finally, I felt  the round indent I was looking for and pressed it laboriously. Loud voices from the TV suddenly filled the entire room; I slouched heavily into grandmas oversized bed with relief and gasped for air, as if I had finished racing with a neighboring kid. But a minute later, I was already comfortably reclining against the bedrail and enjoying the exuberant cartoons. I would stare for a long time at this little black box with uttermost attention until sleepiness prevailed. The images were no more than blobs of colors and the voices were reduced into a vague humming sound as I slowly drifted into a deep sleep. When I woke up again, the fierce afternoon sunlight has softened into a tinge of warm orange. I could hear noises in the living room as my parents and grandpa returned from work. With a sudden jolt, I swung myself out of bed and wobbled hastily into the living room. There, everyone was already seated around the large dining table. Still a bit hazy from sleep, I found myself a spot between my parents, snuggled against them obsequiously in order to receive trinkets they have brought me. Dinner soon ensued; I played with my new toys heartily as the adults chatted and joked, occasionally laughing along with them at some jokes that I could not then comprehend. Congenial happiness was written on everyones face, which shined brightly under the white florescent light The house has vanished among the tides of citys reconstruction, but the reminiscence I have of it will never fade. I envisioned my mind as a vast coastal beach; passing time would hide pieces of my memories like fine sands over beautiful shell. Although they can be temporarily out of my reach, I knew they were out there, somewhere hidden, and waiting for a tide to reveal them to their righteous owner.

Importance of Communication in Human Resources

Importance of Communication in Human Resources Critically analyse the importance of effective communication skills in relation to the practice of Human Resource Management. In a workplace increasingly swirling with change, where the people part of the equation is increasingly critical to organizational success, getting communication right could be the defining factor in gaining competitive advantage. The importance of human capital: the idea that people are increasingly the only asset that differentiates one organization from another; puts human resource management (HRM) squarely at the forefront of the rapid change toward an information based economy. People need to know what’s in it for them and HR program components hold the answers. The best designed benefits package or most elegant compensation design will fail if no one fully understands and appreciates it. Thus, no other function could benefit from effective communication skills more than human resources. Broadly speaking, effective communication is â€Å"leader-driven and attempts to help people understand the market forces that shape the actions and strategy of the business.† (D’Aprix, 1996) This means that communication planning should incorporate how to drive employee behaviour to fulfil business outcomes, not simply the tactics and channels used to disperse information to a workforce. The result for business, and hence HRM, has been the challenge of getting the right people in the right place doing the right work in the right way. It may sound simple but is complicated by the simultaneous demographic changes challenging the working world. The population is aging with more employees wanting to stay put for longer at one end of the spectrum, while at the other end younger workers are moving more often. However, 75 percent of the jobs available are in the information, technology and service sectors, areas which traditionally skew toward younger applicants. Amid this ch ange, HR and other managers are faced with rallying their people around a set of common goals aimed at winning in the marketplace, and building such affiliation by negotiation among various employee groups is no easy task. Indeed, effective negotiation skills involve not only getting your message across to another person, but learning how to read what the other person is saying to you. This means not only listening to other people’s words, but also learning to interpret their body language. It also means learning to communicate without pre-empting other people or making them defensive. (Griffin, 1998) Studies on audiences’ reactions to speeches show that a speaker’s persuasive powers come from not just what is said but the way the speaker looks and sounds. Since the nonverbal cues you project are as powerful as the verbal ones, first, determine what it is you want the person you’re communicating with to do, then select an appropriate combination of words and body language to convey your message in order to communicate effectively and influence them in negotiations. The ultimate goal is to include others in the communication process without coming across as threatening, in or der to minimise conflict and stress, which are both increasingly critical problems in the modern workplace (Sanchez and Dempsey, 2002) Management style is the key to effective communication skills, and thus managers need to establish a style that makes them feel comfortable, in order to avoid stress for both themselves and their staff. For example, some managers may be comfortable getting personal with employees; while others may not and thus should not. Whatever style managers do adopt, in order to be effective they must be sure to use it consistently with all employees, as the biggest source of anxiety for both managers and employees is unclear or inconsistent instructions (Griffin, 1998). Also, to improve the handling of discipline and grievances, managers should be accessible and available when employees seek them out, to avoid grievances or problems escalating. To handle and prevent grievances, managers should be generous with as much positive feedback as possible, and include helpful criticism which focuses on the results of employees’ work. Listening to complaints without being defensive, and sympathiz ing with people so that they know they’re getting through, are also critical skills for handling grievances, which can otherwise spread and harm morale and productivity (HR Briefing, 2000). However, whilst conflict is often viewed as a problem to be avoided, conflict is also an opportunity to improve communications, build teamwork and relationships, and learn about the wants and needs of others. When conflicts arise, they don’t have to be immediately resolved, and often an attempt to do so results in cutting off communication. Indeed, in most instances it’s better for HR managers to act on conflict when they have more information, instead of approaching the problem at a time when tempers are likely to flare. Even in situations where a serious confrontation is unavoidable, and could result in a resignation or serious industrial unrest, managers can ease the tension by making sure to give themselves time to carefully formulate a response. In conclusion, the key to a beneficial HR and internal communication relationship is cooperation and mutual respect instead of competition, conflict, or worse, indifference. Communication cannot be an afterthought relegated to the bottom level of HRM considerations, and restricted to writing e-mails and conducting formal appraisals By recognising the importance of effective communication, HRM can deliver more effective services and ensure accomplishment of its people mission with communication being the critical success factor. In contrast, if HRM fails to develop its communication skills to a truly effective level it risks failing to fulfil its mission of developing, retaining and rewarding the talent necessary for a business to succeed. In extreme examples, ineffective communication can even create problems itself, especially in times of change or uncertainty, when clear, consistent communication is vital to maintaining employee and managerial morale and productivity. References D’Aprix, R. (1996) Communicating for Change: Connecting the Workplace With the Marketplace. Jossey-Bass. Griffin, J. (1998) How To Say It At Work. Prentice Hall Direct. HR Briefing (2000) Wrong words and moves create conflict. Aspen; 1st July 2000, p. 7. Sanchez, P. and Dempsey, T. (2002) Communication the critical success factor. Strategic HR Review; Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 24