President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Achievements

This Article talks about our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Achievements which she did in her regime. Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s achievements about the economy, I am thankful for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s achievements for creating a flawless and awesome job for building and creating for giving employment to millions of people who were jobless In the Philippines, and also thanking her for creating a lot of public schools for a lot of people who cannot afford education, students or young people who cannot afford to go to school because of financial problem.I thought that our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is not great because our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cheated in the election against Fernando Poe Junior. She also cheated in the election by seeking the help from Garcy. Our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is getting money from the government that we were all even trying to pay our taxes for a good econo my even though that our parents were all having a hard time earning such money to pay the tax, but she just stole it from us like it was hers, and that made me realize how pathetic she was.But then her achievements all together are fantastic, like building bridges for a better transportation, building schools for educational purposes, for building the Light Railway Transmit also known as LRT and for helping the flood victims in the Ondoy incident, and also giving respect to our navy, marine soldiers that were killed in Mindanao because of the terrorists. According to her she had made the economy grow about 3. % which is true, in fact we can all feel this growth, by seeing the technology we have now, like high- tech gadgets and a more growing technology, I can say that we have indeed grew economically because of our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo works. Maybe if she did not corrupt or stole money, no one would hate her and with her achievements she will be loved by the Fili pino people all across the country.If she did not corrupt she would make a fine president for the Philippines, or stole money or cheat because we could see from all of her achievements that she is a potential president. And I myself as a student is thanking her from my heart because of our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo always declared that the classes are suspended!!! That made me has an easy school life and a happy school life that I could enjoy with fully with my friends.Our current elected president of the republic of the Philippines which is President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior is indeed not a corrupted president. As time passes by we can see that there has not made any corrupt movements from our President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior, he fulfills his promises that he made in the election like, not being a corrupt president, not cheating and a lot more.He even made a lot of improvement in our country like, making the cri me rates go down, making the economic growth improve even more but as what our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that she even had a better percentage of growth than our President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior had made, the reason why the Filipinos elected him because he had a potential in making the Philippines into a better country by being a better president than the past presidents that took the throne in the Philippines.President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior, has a little bit of a minor problem even if he does not corrupt from us he himself does not move to fix some problems throughout our country like what former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has said that he loves cars, and guns too much that he is not paying attention to the government at all.And also from the videos that I watched that he is not giving the land to the farmers in hacienda Luicita, that was already distributed by former President Gloria Macapagal Ar royo but now our current President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior is trying to collect the land or getting the lands that were distributed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.I don’t know which president is better than the other because the two of them are both amazing in doing their part but is also amazing in corrupting or not moving or doing anything for the economy, I am a student so I may not know all of the things happening in the Republic but a lot of people say that our former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is so corrupt that she should be in prison or jailed for life.That is why the Department of Justice is preventing her from leaving the country, named Philippines because she might escape and not come back and it could shame the Philippines. As for our current President Benigno â€Å"Noynoy† Cojuanco Aquino Junior I think I will just believe in him and try to look forward in the future that he tries to make for all of us citize ns, which is what I could do as a student.

Custom as a Source of Law

Abstract The following article tries to establish the fact that the Customs are the most important source of law. It defines customs and gives information about its types and what are the requisite of a valid custom, how are they recognized and why are they recognized? In ancient days the customary laws were the only laws as they were practiced by the people. With the passage of time and modernization of society the customary laws are seen as orthodox laws and are fast receding to the statutory laws, but still the laws that are passed by the parliament has its root in the customary laws |Page Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1958646 Custom occupies an important role in regulation of human conduct in almost all the societies. In fact it is one of the oldest sources of law making, though only a few people are likely to concur with the classical Greek poet Pindar’s maxim, â€Å"Custom is the king of all†. A custom may be defined as a continuing cours e of conduct which by the acquiescence of express approval of the community observing it, has come to be regarded as fixing the norm of conduct for members of society 1.At its inception the English common law derived all its rules from a single source. Sir Carleten Kemp Allen notes 2 ‘ Blackstones â€Å" general customs† and â€Å"customs of the realm† are those fundamental principles in legal relationship which for the most part are not to be found in any express formulation, but are assumed to be inherent in our social arrangements. These are, in short, the common law itself ’. Salmond is of the opinion that custom embodies those principles which are acknowledged and approved, not by the power of the state but by the public opinion of the society at large.Thus he states ‘custom is the embodiment of those principles which have commanded themselves to the national conscience as principles of â€Å"justice† and â€Å"public utility’ 3. Jhon Austin was of the view that no folkway regardless of the fact how respected it is or how much is it followed can influence the law. He was of the view that only those conventions and folkways recognized by the sovereign through some judicial act or legislative disposition might be certified as a customary source of law. Kinds of Custom: 1. Conventional customIt is an established practice whose authority is conditional based on its acceptance and incorporation between the parties bound by it. When two parties enter into a contract generally all the terms of the contract are not set expressly and a large part of it is implied. The intention of the parties entering into an agreement can be gathered by the customary law prevalent at that time The convention custom has three stages of development. In the first stage it should have attained the status of usage. In the second stage it gets recognition through some judicial decision, and presumes the form of a precedent.After this it i s finally accepted as a statutory law. 1 Dias & Hughes: Jurisprudence,(1957) p. 34 2 Allen C. K. : Law in the making 3 Fitzgerald P. J. : Salmond on jurisprudence 2|Page Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1958646 The first section of the Indian contract act, 1872 recognizes the customs that are prevalent in the trade Legal Custom These are those which are operative per se as binding rules of law independent of any agreement between the parties. These, are of two types: 3 †¢ Local CustomHalsbury’s defined local custom as â€Å" a particular rule that has existed actually or presumptively from time immemorial and has obtained the force of law in a particular locality although contrary to or not consistent with the common law of the realm. † 4 So it can be said that a local custom prevails in a small locality. Bigamy in India is allowed in some tribal parts on account of the local custom prevalent at those places. †¢ General Custom A general custom prevails throughout the country and is the main source of the common law of the country.The custom of prohibiting the remarriage of widow in most of the communities of India, before its abolition was a general custom in the country. A general custom is prevalent is usually practiced by all the people living in the country, and is practiced throughout the land. There were many customs but it is not necessary that all are the customs are accepted. For the customs to be accepted as a valid customs it should have some requisite characteristics: 1. Reasonableness A custom must be reasonable.It must be understood that the authority of any custom is never absolute, but it is authoritative provided it confers to the norms of justice and public utility. A custom shall not be valid if it is repugnant to right and reason and is like to do more mischief than good if enforced. The true rule seems to be not that a custom to be admitted if reasonable but that it will be admitted unless it is unreasonable. The custom of recognizing the channel of the river or the stream as the boundary between two villages irrespective of the change in the path cannot be said as unreasonable and hence it was held as a valid custom 5. Halsbury: Laws of England, Vol. X. p. 2 5 Ram Dhan Lal v. Radhey Shyam, 1951 SCR 370 3|Page 2. Consistency A custom to be valid must be in conformity with statutory law. In other words it must not be against any act of Parliament. A custom should necessarily yield where it is against any law, but in many cases there can be some exception to the law or some modifications can be made to it due to any custom. 3. Compulsory observance A custom to be legally recognized as a valid custom must be observed as a right.It means the custom should be followed by all concerned without the use of force. It must be regarded not only an optional rule but as an obligatory rule or binding rule of conduct. If a custom is left to the choice of the individuals, then it is not a costmary law. If the observance of a custom is suspended for certain time than it is assumed that the custom was never in existence 6. 4. Continuity and immemorial Antiquity A custom to be valid should have been in existence from time immemorial.To quote Blackstone â€Å"A custom in order to be legal and binding, must have been used so long that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, if anyone can show the beginning of it, it is no good custom† 7 English law has made an arbitrary limit to the legal memory. It has been fixed as 1189 A. D. – the year of accession of King Richard 1 to the throne which means, if any custom has its roots back to 1189 AD or backwards would be regarded as a valid custom. This time limit was applied in the case of Simpsons v. Wells 8. However in India the limit of 1189 A. D. is not valid 9.In India no definite year has been laid down to determine the antiquity of a custom. It need not to be beyond human memory 10. 5. Certainty Not o nly a custom should be practiced from time immemorial but, it should also be observed continuously and uninterruptedly with certainty. A custom cannot said to be valid from time immemorial unless its certainty and continuity is proved beyond doubt. Theories regarding transformation of custom into law Customary law has not only been established by legislatures or professionally trained judges, but it has come into existence because of popular acceptance and practice.There are two popular theories in this regard (1) Historical theory and, (2) Analytical theory 6. Hamperton v. Hono, (1876) 24 WR 603 7. Blackstone: Commentaries, p. 76 8. (1872) 7 QB 214 9. Gokul Chandra v. Praveen Kumari, AIR 1952 SC 926 10. Mst. Subbhani v. Nawab, ILR 1947 PC 21 4|Page 1. Historical Theory The main components of the historical theory school, namely, Savigny, Blackstone and Henry Maine have suggested that law has its existence because of the common consciousness of the people and the customary observanc e is not the cause of law but the evidence of its existence.Savigny observed, ‘customary laws completely modify or repeal a statute; it may create a new law and substitute it for statutory rule which it has abolished’. Maine regarded custom as ‘formal source of law’. James Carter also supports historical view and is of the opinion that ‘What has governed the conduct of men from the beginning of time will continue to govern to the end of time. Human nature is not likely to undergo radical change and law will forever continue to be custom’11. Criticism Dr.Allen points out that all the customs cannot be contributed to the common consciousness of the people. For instance, a ruling class quite often imposes custom on the governed. It does so for its own interests rather than the interest of the people. The customs in India such as untouchability cannot be contributed to any kind of common consciousness. Therefore any custom cannot be a source of law it should not be again public sentiments. 2. Analytical Theory The main supporter of analytical theory is John Austin who regarded custom as a historical material source.He points out that custom derives its binding force not from its own nature but by state legislation. It means custom becomes a law when it is adopted by an act of parliament or its validity has been established by any judicial decision. He further states that custom only has persuasive value. Customary practices have to be recognized by court before it can become law. Being of persuasive nature it is recognized as historical material source of law. Austin thus concludes that â€Å"Customary law is nothing but judicial law founded upon anterior system. 2† Criticism Dr. Allen has criticized Austinian theory of customary law and pointed out that the fallacy of the Austinian doctrine is in supporting that custom is not law until it has been so pronounced by a court. He observed that the truth is exactly the rev erse of it. According to him, ‘custom is firstly and essentially a law. Custom is enforced by courts because it is already a law, it does not become a law only on enforcement of court. 13’ 11 Carter James: Law, its Origin, Growth & Function, p. 20 12 Austin: Province of Jurisprudence, (1945) p. 165 13 Allen C. K. : Law in the making, pp 84 5|Page CONCLUSION Of all the various sources of law The Customary Laws are definitely the most significant source of law. In the ancient days in the absence of any legislative laws the customary laws were only the prevalent law. These are very important as these are already followed by the people and it is the very reason why many of the customary laws are even recognized today. These customary laws had the approval of the public opinion.There is no doubt that with the development of the judicial process and with the modernization of the society, the importance of custom is receding. When states came into existence they immediately ga ve recognition to the customs prevailing at that time and thus they were recognized as valid laws. But with time customary laws have receded to the statutory laws. The laws relating to sale of goods, inheritance of property, succession, property, contract, sale of goods etc. have all evolved from the customary laws. The codified Hindu laws are nothing but the codification of the prevalent customary laws with some exceptions.It would be wrong on the part of any one to say that the customary laws need recognition from the court. The customary laws are always recognized since they are always in practice. Most of the customary laws that were just in nature and were good for the society have been recognized by the parliament or the court. These laws can be sometimes invalidated if it appears that these are against the public policy and justice. One of the most important reasons why the customs are important source of law is that it that it is highly practiced in the society.So, if any ne w law is made that is contrary to the practiced customs and traditions, will not be accepted by the society. This may lead to chaos and anarchy in the society. So any law that is passed takes into consideration the customs and traditions prevalent in the society at that time. The state by its legislation only validates the existing customs. It may in some exceptional cases also modify or nullify some of the customs if it is for the welfare of most of the people of the society. So in this way the state makes laws mainly based on the customs that are good for the society 6|Page

Discuss the Character and Functions of Sandra Essay

â€Å"Beautiful Thing† is set in London this is used to illustrate what Sandra’s character is like. Sandra Gangle is a tough middle class woman, who lives in a tidy council flat in South London. Sandra is house proud she likes everything in it to be nice looking. An example of this is the hanging baskets hanging on the wall out side her house. Sandra also looks after her self we can tell this by the Body Shop products on the floor. Sandra has many roles in this play, which include being mother, neighbour, barmaid, single parent, workingwoman and a girlfriend. Sandra is a survivor in the sense that she is bringing up a son all on her own and she has to pay for every thing her self. â€Å"When I had three pee in my purse I went robbing for that boy† This Indicates Sandra’s loyalty towards to her son, and how much she cares for him and tries to provide for him. An alternative example of how deprived Sandra was that â€Å"I couldn’t afford a cot† This proves that however much Sandra tried and robbed she still couldn’t afford the basics. Sandra is also very abusive, using foul language to insult people. A good example of Sandra’s abusive language is the first word of the play, which is â€Å"SLAG.† This shows a major part of Sandra’s character and is used to set the scene for the rest of the story. Although Sandra uses foul language she prevents Jamie using it by saying â€Å"Language, Jamie!† when he tells Leah â€Å"I don’t need fuckin’ ‘elp.† This is because it is disrespectful to use to bad language and she wants to bring him up to the best of her ability. Foul language is mainly used to add tension to the story. Sandra character is harsh in the way that she talks to people. This can be demonstrated by the way she talks to Leah on several occasions â€Å"Face facts Leah, no bugger wants you† and â€Å"shut up† By saying this Sandra is being tactless and insensitive towards Leah’s feelings. Sandra is most thoughtless towards Leah. Sandra is also harsh in the way she describes Steve’s father â€Å"We all know his dad leathers him, I’m only having a laugh.† This is used to demonstrate how heartless and insensitive Sandra really is. Steve’s father was very aggressive towards him on numerous occasions. He punches him for know reason and even threw him out once for burning the toast. One time when Steve was thrown out he went round to see Sandra to explain what had happened to him. The type of caring person that Sandra is she took him in. After listening to Steve she told him he could stay the night. Then said this to Steve’s dad â€Å"Your little Steven’s round at our place tonight. I’ve every mind to report you.† This shows the sensitive and caring side that Sandra has. Among all Sandra’s responsibilities she tries her best to monitor Jamie’s progress at school. Sandra makes sure of this by the phrase â€Å"I shall be checking your homework when I get in.† This is to ensure he is doing well. Sandra is also very unreliable like when she is supposed to check Jamie’s homework she doesn’t even though she promises too do so. Telling Jamie â€Å"Ooh, Sod that, I’m knackered† gives a mixed impression that she is trying her best to provide money but is short of time due to working, and this is why she is tired. Another shocking point is that Sandra is incredibly judgemental. Coming to negative conclusions without thinking about the consequences and affects that it has on other people. Sandra proves her character is judgemental by telling Leah â€Å"A Leopard never changes its spots and a slapper never changes her knickers.† An alternative example of Sandra being judgmental is when she tells Jamie â€Å"I want you inside. She’s a bad influence.† Both these quotes prove how Sandra is quick to form an unpleasant opinion of someone. Additionally Sandra is also extremely boastful and is keen to tell others about her achievements. Bragging to a group of friends telling them â€Å"I won that hanging basket in the south east Thames barmaid at the year awards.† Sandra is proving that she is significantly more than an average barmaid the proof of this was winning the award.

The Origins of American Exceptionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Origins of American Exceptionalism - Essay Example There are a number of arguments that have been developed that aims at explaining the history of the exceptionalism in America (Holland 53). Hector, a renowned historian, claims that the idea of exceptionalism in America did not occur because of power that America had. According to his view, America started from a very humble background. He claimed the history of America is very ironic as compared to that of the Europe. He claims that America had no great lords who possess everything, no great manufacturers employing thousands, and no great refinements of luxury. Principally, according to Hector, America did not had the kind of power it possess in the present time. However, because of its spirit of industry and work, America began to expand and grow economically, socially and other aspects of life began improving. According to hector, the phenomenon of exceptionalism came about due to the ability of America to accept the emigrants from other countries. Their elusively commercial habit s seem to divert the pursuit of science, proximity to Europe, literature, and arts, which allows them to neglect these pursuit without even relapsing into barbarism. American education, wants, and everything about him unites in drawing the native of the United States earthward. Farming was the initial economic activity that enabled most of the Americans to develop (Holland 63). Franklin is another great historian who made great effort towards finding out the source or history of exceptionalism. Most of his arguments were because the increase in the population of America is one of the main reasons making an American exceptionalism. He attributed the concept of exceptionalism to the fact that plenty of cheap land encourages people to have children and hence enhances the population of people. Franklin summarizes his argument by concluding that employment and better crop production techniques were some of the main factors that made America reach the current level (Ignatieff 13). He furt her states that there were extra foods that could b used to feed Americans and hence resulting in a strong nation that can rely on its own. Idea of diversification is also another element of exceptionalism. Franklin argues that prospect of good subsistence is another factor that played a role in making America an exceptional state as far as power is concerned. It is clear that most of the arguments made by Franklin are inclined to the means of earning a living. This means that the ability to provide for the children and the family is directly proportional to the power of the America. This is justified by the quote he made that state that America would not improve unless the new comers are more industrious and have mid frugality than the native. This statement means the main source of power in America is the hard work and industrious nature of the American. Unlike Hector, Franklin believed that increase in population compounded by hard work is the main source of exceptionalism (Holla nd 53). Drummer, another historian claims that the principle of exceptionalism can be traced back to the time of charter colonies. the reason why drummer fought for the charter colonies to remain is the fact that this colonies were from New England, which despite the fact that it didn’t produce sugar, it helps other islands that do, and without their assistance they could not make it to produce sufficient quantities and cheap enough to answer the markets in Europe. They was

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

International business - Essay Example This report aims at discussing why certain overseas businesses have a decentralized operations systems while the other follows a more centralized form. There have been several debates and discussions on this topic and the reasons why companies choose different forms of organisational structures in different places. To understand this better it is essential to firstly understand the meaning of decentralised and centralised forms of organisational operations. This will lead various factors that allow companies to choose the different style and also how the two differ in the case of different companies. There have been numerous debates and discussions in regards to the definition of ‘Decentralization’, and in a number of events this term has been mixed with ‘devolution’ or ‘delegation’. In the case of multi national companies and their operations, decentralization can be taken to mean the decision making rights or responsibilities, i.e. away from the centre and spread out across the various locations. Decentralization of a business operation simply means that the operation of every location is separate and based on the needs of the particular location. Here the main managers and heads of the company for each location are held responsible for the strategies, plans and operations of the particular location. In simpler terms the process of decentralization involves the decision making process and authority of the firm to a larger number of actors rather than a limited few in the central office. Operations in these kinds of companies are decentralized and the management for each area is different. Hence a decentralized management allows the company to perform better in the various regions and ensure that the company works in accordance with the region, culture, values and ethics. Also if the operations are tailor made for the

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Management - Essay Example For example, I need to be able to manage emotions well so that my moods will not hinder me from accomplishing the tasks at hand because I would still be able to think clearly and perform well if I have my emotions under control. In addition, I also need to realize that I need to motivate myself in pursuing long-term goals even when I face obstacles or failures. Most importantly, since a manager deals with a wide range of people and personalities all the time, I need to know how much I need to improve in terms of my social skills and empathy for others. This can guarantee that I am able to achieve the goals of the organization and maintain emotionally satisfied colleagues at the same time. In the emotional intelligence assessment, my friend gave me a lower score in terms of my emotion management skills. This means that I do not quite manage my emotions as well as I thought I do. This also indicates that I am a lot more transparent when it comes to showing my emotions. In my social ski lls, my friend gave me a higher score than what I gave myself. It suggests that while I do not have that much confidence in my social skills, I actually am able to do quite well in this aspect based on my friend’s assessment. ... My high score on the test for tolerance of ambiguity indicates that I pay more attention to information, interpret more cues, and cope more effectively with change, stress, and conflict. Furthermore, I am quite capable of making non-programmed decisions when the situation calls for it. Most likely, I am more comfortable with the analytic management style wherein I tend to wait for complete information before deciding to act on a situation. I am also not readily threatened by management situations that are ambiguous, incomplete, unstructured, and changing. When these situations arise, my high tolerance of ambiguity indicates that I will not have difficulty coping with them. My high tolerance of ambiguity also indicates that I am cognitively complex and thus can be a better transmitter of information and more adaptive and flexible than those who are less cognitively complex. In terms of my Locus of Control score, it was able to closely capture my self-perception in this area, that is, my low score reflected the fact that I exhibit internal locus of control and tend to attribute the success or failure of my endeavors on my own actions. Having an internal locus of control, I tend to engage in activities that will improve the current situation. Personally, I work hard to develop my knowledge, skills and abilities. In addition, I am very inquisitive, and try to figure out why things turned out the way they did. As a manager, I would most likely tend to have a participative management style such that I will be quite hands-on in managing the organization or department that I am in. My internal locus of control would put emphasis on striving for achievement, and I would most likely take note of information that I can use to create

Financial management and risk analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial management and risk analysis - Essay Example The new assembly cell requires three cell programmer/operators recruited at a salary of  £20,000 per year each. The cell robots are expected to last for 5 years, after which they can be sold off for an estimated price of  £1,000 each. The company’s cost of capital is currently 10%. This is a two-option financial investment appraisal case which compares the cost of operating an existing sub-assembly line with the cost of a new automated assembly cell. Both options incur costs we could compare to find out which option results in lower expenses over the next five years. Any savings will increase profits, which we can then transform into additional value that would benefit our shareholders. We utilised common investment criteria to analyse this project, and considered other factors that may affect its financial viability. We included our suggested solutions and potential effects on the final decision through a sensitivity analysis, which takes into account: 1. The cost of replacing our eight fitters and with three skilled operators. We included the effect of granting separation pay to each displaced operator and made a recommendation on how much we could afford to pay. The key insight to our problem is to match the cash flows for both options. Option 1 is our existing sub-assembly line, whilst Option 2 would be our proposed investment in new automated machines. Each option has a cash outflow over the next five years. Whilst Option 1 would not require a large cash outflow now, it has the same level of cash flows we are currently spending to maintain the line. In contrast, Option 2 demands a large cash outflow now, but this would result in lower cash flows over the next five years. We compared both cash flow forecasts and arrived at a net cash flow, which is the amount of working capital we would save from the lower cash requirements of Option 2. A basic assumption is that the sub-assembly line’s productivity would be constant, and that

Assessment and Practice of Mental Health care needs Essay

Assessment and Practice of Mental Health care needs - Essay Example OBJECTIVES: To explore the associative structure between a screening test for dementia, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and a neuropsychological battery for the detection of dementia, the Mental Deterioration Battery (MDB). DESIGN: A retrospective analysis. SETTING: Psychology unit of a general hospital in Rome, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred consecutive outpatients and inpatients referred to our hospital on the basis of suspected cognitive impairment and evaluated between January 1999 and March 2000. MEASUREMENTS: MMSE and MDB. RESULTS: Of the 300 subjects evaluated by the MMSE score, 142 (47.3%) were considered to be cognitively healthy, and 116 (38.7%) were mildly and 42 (14.0%) moderately impaired. Factor analysis of MDB extracted three factors able to account for 75% of the total variance: a visuospatial factor, verbal memory ability, and a language skill. Using MMSE as an independent variable, a linear regression model could account for the visuospatial and langua ge factors and a cubic regression model for the verbal memory factor. Within the normal MMSE boundaries (24-30), a dramatic decrease of verbal memory could be documented, whereas the slope is less steep in the mild impairment group (16-23). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate the presence of a warning range within the normal MMSE interval. Thus, the traditional MMSE cutoff values may not be appropriate in detecting early phases of dementia. When patients score about 27 on MMSE, it should be of interest to check whether they fail only on long-term memory tests, because this could be a first signal of a preclinical condition heralding clear dementia (e.g., mild cognitive impairment).Mini-Mental State Examination and Mental Deterioration Battery: analysis of the relationship and clinical

Boston University as One of the Institutions of Higher Learning Essay

Boston University as One of the Institutions of Higher Learning - Essay Example Since I was young, I had been yearning to join a medical school which will enable me to achieve my long-term goal. Boston University is one of the institutions of higher learning with a very good medical school. Therefore, joining this institution will provide me with an opportunity to interact with sharp minds and people whom we share the same dreams. In addition, the institution has invested heavily in research materials. Medical courses require extensive reading and research. Therefore, the university has the best platform to enable the students to carry out their researches. Moreover, it is well known for being the best university when it comes to the sciences. This is because it has well-equipped science laboratories, libraries, and other important facilities to support science courses. The school is also known for having highly qualified lecturers who are able to get the best out of the students. Therefore, being in this institution will be a rare opportunity to be taught and s upervised by the best minds that we have in the country. The location of the university meets my personal plans. The university is located in the city and near my house. This will lower my cost of being in the institution (Kydd 34). Besides the location, the university offers the best academic and consultations services that help the student to choose the right classes that ensure that they succeed in the medical school. Therefore, I am looking forward towards joining the alumni of this renowned institution who are known for their remarkable contribution towards making the society a better place to live in.

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example Issues of diversity have gained prominence and they have been forecast to become very important in the future; this is because of the increase in diversity in different demographics across many countries. Many organizations have realized the importance diversity, they are considering different options that will make such workplaces to be all-inclusive, and this is because diversity can bring positive results in terms of productivity and competition. Effective management of people encompass implies proper management of diversity and correct valuation of the same. Understanding the concept of diversity People in a group can choose to identify and categorize themselves using factors, which seem similar or different to them, and thus the term diversity becomes a very subjective intonation. Mazur (2010) defines diversity to be those features, which differentiate one category of people from another, and these features are based on two different dimensions, which are identified as either pr imary or secondary. Primary dimensions of diversity implies those that people identify with and include primal influences such as disability, gender, race, sexual orientation, age or ethnicity. These primal influences have been found to have a lot of influence on the different categories in not only the workplace but to the whole society. Secondary dimensions on the other hand, are not very discernible and the influence they exert in the workplace is variable, and only relevant to the extent of personal identity. They may include such factors such as family status, educational background, geographic location, work experience, role in the organization, style of work, religion, income, style of communication and first language (Mazur, 2010). The latter dimension has been found to have a lot of impact in an individual’s self-esteem and personal definition and realization. The concept of diversity is not limited to these examples above; it manifests itself differently to a given environment. Arredondo (2004) includes language, culture and social class to the first dimension, the primary dimension while he adds healthcare beliefs and leisure benefits to the secondary proportions. Other writers have further added the third category of dimension to the first two dimensions, the tertiary dimension (Bolton, 2007). This has frequently been identified as the central feature of an individual’s identity and it is at the base of the surface. It is the most important, because if it is uncovered it can propel both the individual and the organizations to higher echelons. Understanding cultural diversity in the workplace Cultural diversity in the workplace is the situation where people with diverse behaviors and worldviews come as one in the workplace. The depiction of people, in one social system who are a distinct group with diverse associations of cultural importance aptly summarizes the definition of cultural diversity. Empirical studies and analysis on cultur al diversity in the workplaces with emphasis on the value of such diversity have revealed that effectiveness is always realized. Consequently, empirical studies that have focused their research on such issues as social identity and other self-categorization concepts have revealed that

Thermography detection on the fatigue damage of the specimen alloy Essay

Thermography detection on the fatigue damage of the specimen alloy - Essay Example Fatigue occurs when a material is subjected to periodic stress which is below its tensile breaking or yield stress but which is enough to cause permanent damage. The formal definition of fatigue as given by Wikipedia (n.d.1) is: [F]atigue is the progressive, localized, and permanent structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic or fluctuating strains at nominal stresses that have maximum values less than (often much less than) the static yield strength of the material. It is because fatigue happens so quietly and insidiously that makes it very dangerous even resulting in loss of life. Sadananda et al (2003) assert that "Fatigue is the principal cause of premature failure of engineering components". Many structures such as aeroplanes, oil rigs and bridges, to name just a few, are exposed to fluctuating stresses. The engineering approach falls into two broad categories of dealing with stress induced fatigue. The first part is prediction of the lifetime of a material under stress. This model will provide recommendations on how frequently materials have to be replaced. The second approach is to predict how far a crack can grow before failure happens. Detection and prediction of failure of cracks can mean the difference between life and death of users of these facilities. "The basic method o S-N Curves "The basic method of presenting engineering fatigue data is by means of the S-N curve, a plot of stress S against the number of cycles to failure N." ( Key to Steel, n.d.) The S-N curves enable prediction of how long a material will last in terms of cycles of loading. Figure 1. A S-N Plot for an aluminum alloy (Kelly, 1997) Kelly (1997) explains that cracks go through three stages of formation, propagation and failure. Stress Intensity factor K "Stress Intensity, K, is a parameter that amplifies the magnitude of the applied stress that includes the geometrical parameter Y (load type)" (Wikepedia, n.d.2). This factor measures the degree to which stress is magnified around a crack. The loading around a crack falls into three modes I, II and III. Figure 2. Three loading modes (Key to Steel, n.d.) The three modes are: Mode 1: opening or tensile mode (the crack faces are pulled apart) Mode 2: sliding or in-plane shear (the crack surfaces slide over each other) Mode 3: tearing or anti-plane shear (the crack surfaces move parallel to the leading edge of the crack and relative to each other) (Key to Steel, n.d.) The most common mode is mode I and this is what is used in most calculations. The intensity factor, K, determines the rate at which a crack will propagate and hence the lifetime of the material. The mathematical relationship is defined by Callister (1994, cited by Kelly(1997)) as: This equation relates the rate of growth of a crack to the change in intensity factor K. In this equation A and m are dependent on the materials and da is the change in crack length while dN is the change in number of stress cycles. The change in K is defined by: Where Kmax and Kmin are the maximum and minimum intensity factors respectively, Y is a constant dependent geometry of the material and is the applied stress on the material. When this equation is re-arranged and integrated it becomes: This equation gives Nf, the estimated number of cycles before

New Challenges for Africa and the Islamic World Essay Example for Free

New Challenges for Africa and the Islamic World Essay * Songhai flourished during the 1400s and 1500s, with an empire stretching 1500 miles east to west. (from Gao to the Niger River) a. Timbuktu * Timbuktu became a major center for trans-Saharan trade. Large supplies of gold, ivory, and slaves were sent abroad. * Timbuktu was a major center of Islamic scholarship, in particular because of the Islamic University of Sankore. * Civil war over succession weakened the empire which was then destroyed by Moroccan forces. B. Other West African States * The small Sudanic kingdoms that formed after the fall of Songhai were parts of a closely linked commercial network. * For example, the Dyula moved goods by donkey and canoe, dominating the regional trade. * A few non-Muslim states, including those of the Guinea Coast, had a matrilineal social structure. a. The Kanem-Bornu Kingdom * The Islamic kingdom of Kanem-Bornu prospered from trans-Saharan trade and reached its height under king Idrus Aloma. a. The Hausa and the Trans-Saharan Trade * The Hausa had trade-oriented states in modern-day Chad, eastern Niger, and Nigeria where cotton cloth and leatherwork were manufactured for export. * Islam became dominant, but women continued to play vital social and political roles. b. Trade on the Guinea Coast * A few non-Muslim states, including those of the Guinea Coast and Volta River basin, had a matrilineal social structure, and prospered from mining and trading in gold to the north. c. Europeans in West Africa * Portuguese encountered such large trading centers as the one at Guinala, (Guinea Bissau), where 12,000 men and women met weekly to trade. C. Bantu Trading Cities and Kingdoms (East) * Bantu settlers and Arab immigrants formed the Swahili culture. * The Swahili city-states grew wealthy by trading in African goods to peoples from around the Indian Ocean. a. Trade on the East African Coast * Swahili city-states were parts of the great trading network generally dominated by seafaring Arabs and Indian Muslims. d. The Shona and the Ganda * The Shona exported gold and ivory through the city of Sofala to the Middle East and India. * The Ganda people established the kingdom of Buganda west of Lake Victoria and Buganda dominated the region by the 1700s. e. The Kingdom of Kongo * In the Congo River basin, the Bantu kingdom of Kongo became one of the first great African states to be visited by European explorers. * The kingdoms of Luba and Lunda resisted European power into the nineteenth century. f. The Xhosa and the Zulu * The Xhosa and Zulu were the main Bantu-speaking groups to migrate into southern Africa. D. Africa in the Hemispheric System * Sub-Saharan Africans lacked interregional connections. * Sub-Saharan African was cut off from European and Asian trade. * Marginally fertile soils, scarce exploitable minerals, and few good harbors impeded development in Sub-Saharan Africa. a. Africa the Unknown * West and East Africa supplied gold, ivory, and other commodities to the Middle East and Europe for centuries. * The remaining Amharic Christians in modern-day Ethiopia were surrounded by Muslims and essentially cut off from contact with Europe. g. The Opening of Africa * Europeans set out to penetrate â€Å"Darkest Africa† with the â€Å"light† of the West, while also looking for direct routes to Asian spices and silk. * Africans were shocked and dismayed upon first sighting Europeans. h. The Beginning of the African Slave Trade * Europeans looked for slaves after setting up in the Americas. * Slavery had a long tradition in Africa, which involved Muslim traders. * Europeans already had enslaved their own peoples, though not with a racialized reason. II. EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM AND THE TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE * Racism developed from early exploitative relationships forged by Portuguese and Dutch adventurers along the two coasts of Africa and in its southern reaches. A. The Portuguese and African Encounters * By the late 1400s the Portuguese had colonized the Cape Verde Islands and the nearby coastal region of Guinea-Bissau. * They also established a long relationship of cooperation with the prosperous Kongo kingdom of south central Africa and sent Catholic missionaries. a. Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco de Gama * In 1487 Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean. Vasco da Gama established relations with East African Swahili trading cities. * In India, European goods could not compete with more valuable and finer products from India, China, Indonesia, and Persia. Da Gama had finally located the sea route to the east. * The Portuguese set up a network of trading bases around the Indian Ocean, and tried to limit the activity of their Arab, Ottoman, Persian, and Indian rivals. i. The Portuguese and the Kongo * The Christian King Alfonso I, a Portuguese ally, controlled the Kongo and attempted to emulate Portugal by expansion and modernization. * Slavery soured Portuguese-Kongolese relations. j. Queen Nzinga and African Resistance * After Alfonso’s death, the Portuguese conquered Kongo and Ndongo. Kongolese and Ndongo warriors were no match for Portuguese armies. Queen Nzinga of Ndongo strongly resisted the Portuguese. * Kongolese Christian kings appealed to the Pope to halt the slave raids. The Kongolese kings allied with the Dutch to curb Portuguese influence. Kongo endured civil wars, which led to the capture of more slaves. * Portuguese forces occupied several major Swahili trading cities. They eventually controlled several trading ports from the Persian Gulf to China. They used brutal methods to achieve their ends. k. The Decline of Portuguese Influence * Portuguese influence waned on the East Coast of Africa by the 17th century after they destroyed much of the trade by dissuading merchants to venture to the cities they nominally controlled. * In the late 1600s, Arabs from Oman pushed the Portuguese out. E. New Challenges for the Shona States and Ethiopia (East) * The Portuguese controlled the lower Zambezi Valley in order to dominate the gold trade. * They also moved up the Zambezi River and ended up controlling the largest Shona state of Monomotopa. * They also settled coastal Mozambique and mixed culturally, often through intermarriage. a. Ethiopian Civil War * The Portuguese forces assisted Ethiopians against their Muslim neighbors. * Jesuit missionaries converted Ethiopian king to Catholicism. * Attempts to change the Ethiopian Church did not succeed, and the missionaries and other Portuguese were expelled. F. South Africa and Dutch Colonization * Dutch settlers in Cape Town traded with the Khoikhoi, but then seized their land. They enslaved or killed all the Khoikhoi living near the Cape, then imposed white rule over Africans. * Slaves were imported from Madagascar, Mozambique, and Indonesia. * As the economy developed, Africans and Asians outnumbered whites. a. The Boers and â€Å"trekking† * Some Dutch settlers, or Boers, moved eastward to escape governmental control and look for new land to settle. * The Boers tried to take over Xhosa and Zulu lands. G. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade * Europeans enslaved Africans to fulfill their labor needs in the Americas on plantations and in mines. * Physical differences established racial basis of trans-Atlantic slavery. a. The Slave Trade Expands * West Africa was fragmented, which made it vulnerable to slave trading. The Europeans established trading forts from Senegal to Angola. * The Europeans traded cotton goods, guns, iron, rum, and tobacco for slaves. The Europeans often cooperated with local African chiefs to obtain slaves. * The exact number of enslaved Africans is uncertain, but it probably totaled 25 to 30 million individuals. The trans-Atlantic slave trade reached its peak between 1700 and 1800. l. Horrors of the Middle Passage * Slaves were branded, chained together, and packed into overcrowded slave ships. * Many slaves committed suicide before reaching the Americas, so slavers installed nets along the sides of slave ships to catch jumpers. There were also many attempted mutinies en route. * The majority of slaves were sold to plantations without regard to personal ties. m. Rationalizing the Slave Trade * Europeans justified slavery by claiming that Africans were inherently inferior. * Some Westerners argued that slavery benefited Africans by exposing them to Western culture, values, and religion. H. The Slave Trade and African Societies * Some coastal regions of West and Central Africa succumbed to chronic raiding, kidnapping, and warfare. * Some societies were particularly destabilized when huge numbers were enslaved. * Out of these patterns of human enslavement emerged the Atlantic System. a. The Impact of the Slave Trade on Africa * Some African societies prospered by selling neighboring peoples into slavery. The kings of Benin obtained firearms by trading cotton textiles, pepper, ivory, and beads, and prohibited the sale of male slaves. * States such as Dahomey prospered by cooperating with the slave traders. Coastal regions from Senegambia down to Angola suffered the most (ex. family damage.) * The trans-Atlantic slave trade created economic imbalances that hindered the evolution of local industries, though African societies arguably benefited from the introduction of peanuts and corn. n. Early Imperialism and Colonialism in Africa * Europeans practiced imperialism and colonialism in Africa. * The scramble for Africa intensified with industrialization in Europe. Western industrialization helped end the slave trade, but accelerated the need for African natural resources.

Merger And Acquisition Joint Ventures

Merger And Acquisition Joint Ventures Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) are becoming a strategy of choice for organizations attempting to maintain a competitive advantage. This paper reviews related literature to identify some underlying issues related to the success rate of MAs. It also discusses critical issues of joint ventures and also the problems and benefits of them. In addition, there has been an increased focus on the use of inter-firm relationships or strategic alliances in todays business. This paper also argues the factors which lead to successful strategic alliances. When firms are dealing with negative earnings and/or economic downturns, operational restructuring and consolidation are initiated as a rescue tool. Some firms recover, while the others fail to survive. Restructring and consolidation are the next issues which discuss generally. Introduction and Background Mergers and Acquisitions Acquisitions and mergers are a national as well as global trend. They occur everywhere in organizations, administrative units and businesses in all industries and of all sizes. Many people are at stake and a great deal of money as well (Balle, N. 2008). Mergers and acquisitions are becoming an increasingly popular strategic option for organizations (McEntire and Bentley, 1996). In fact, recent stimates indicate that the annual price tag of mergers and acquisitions consummated in the USA exceeds $1 trillion (Stanwick, 2000). Mergers are commonly characterized as the consolidation of two organizations into a single organization. Acquisitions, by contrast, are commonly characterized as the purchase of one organization from another where the buyer or acquirer maintains control (Borys and Jemison, 1989). Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) have been a very popular strategic maneuver for global businesses, attaining growth, diversification, or profitability (Fowler and Schmidt, 1988). In fact, the merger mania that started in the 1980s, continued throughout the 1990s and is still vigorous (Houghton et al., 2003). MAs are nothing but extreme forms of organizational change, and change is often perceived by employees as threatening, due to their feeling of vulnerability and fear of losing security (Saunders and Thronhill, 2003). Under these circumstances, they have become increasingly important in helping to redefine employment relationships (Anderson and Schalk, 1998; Cartwright and Cooper, 1993; Guest, 1998; Herriot and Pemberton, 1995, 1996; Hiltrop, 1995; McLean Parks and Kidder, 1994; Turnley et al., 2003). Joint Ventures Joint ventures (JVs) occur when two or more legally separate bodies form a jointly owned entity in which they invest and engage in various decision making activities (Geringer, 1988; 1991). A joint venture may be termed International (IJV) where at least one of the parties (or parents) is based outside the country where the venture is taking place or if the joint venture is being administered on a wide level in more than one country (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). JVs are now seen in terms of weaponry employed by companies within the context of their business networks to facilitate competition in relation to firms core markets and technologies (Beamish and Banks, 1987; Harrigan, 1987; Buckley and Casson, 1996); they are thus of vital strategic importance for international business and their significance is growing. It has been argued that various features of culture might affect the development of joint ventures. In their article Swierczek and Hirsch (1994) concluded that it is important that future partners understand the impact of differences in culture before they begin to joint venture. They added that JVs are often characterized by problems of misunderstanding and limited effectiveness because of the lack of compatibility of the cultures represented in the joint ventures. Similarly Beamish and Inkpen (1995) found that MNEs could benefit equally well from local market knowledge which their partners could provide. They also stated that the life cycles of many manufacturing subsidiaries are short because the MNE is unable to understand the knowledge of local culture, economy and politics. Strategic Alliances A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more partners to share knowledge or resources which could be beneficial to all parties involved. Strategic alliances can be as simple as two companies sharing their technological and/or marketing resources. In contrast, they can be highly complex, involving several companies, located in different countries. These firms may in turn be linked with other organizations in separate alliances. The result is a maze of intertwined companies which may be competing with each other in several product areas. (Niren M. Vyas, William L. Shelburn and Dennis C. Rogers 1999). A few years ago strategic alliances were perceived as an option reserved only for corporate giants. Today, however, for many companies, a go-it-alone strategy no longer seems to be a viable alternative. As a result of the maturation of several trends of the 1980s intensified foreign competition, shortened product cycles, soaring capital investment costs, and the evergrowing demand for new technologies alliances are becoming an attractive strategy for the future (Niren M. Vyas, William L. Shelburn and Dennis C. Rogers 1999). Restructuring and Consolidation It is rare to find a single product company. Most have diversified their interests into related or unrelated areas. Some companies are known as restructuring companies, The latter acquire other companies essentially for the purpose of reorganizationing or streamlining and selling them off subsequently to other owners at a profit. Restructuring companies also have the function of aiding the process of restructuring an industry (Proctor, T. 2001). Operational restructuring involves making decisions about appropriate workforce size and skill requirements, plant capacity and location, functions consolidation, and possible shifts in production focus. More specifically, operational restructuring can be considered a program: that is planned and controlled by management, and materially changes either: the scope of a business undertaken by an enterprise; or the manner in which the business is conducted (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Focusing is on operational restructurings for two primary reasons. First, such events often affect a companys business strategies, operations, organizational functions, and existing management structures. Second, operational restructurings entail controversial corporate accounting practices of restructuring charges (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Corporate consolidation is a topic of active debate among academics and practitioneres alike. Academic reserches emphasis the importance role corporate consolidation play in disciplining under-performing management and imposing operating efficiences (Healy 1992; Jarrel et al., 1988), practitioners view it as a tool of market share expansion and an effective response to a plethora of competitive challenges (Read, 1999; Howell, 2002). In its most visible form, M As, corporate consolidation is a sizable business run in Europe by established national players operating, increasingly, on a cross-border basis (Berg, 2002). Merger and Acquisitions Several researchers have suggested that in most cases MAs fail to meet initial financial expectations (i.e. Bruner and Spekman, 1998; Haveman, 1992; Very and Schweiger, 2001; Zollo, 2003). Back in the 1980s, Lubatkin insisted that although MAs had been a very important and popular means for executing organizational strategies, less than 20 percent actually achieved its expected financial or strategic objectives. Almost a decade later, Cartwright and Cooper (1992) quoted nearly 40 per cent failure rates for change efforts and a few years later, 1996, nearly 50 percent of MAs failure rate to achieve initial objectives. Along the same lines, Weber (1996) found that 35 per cent of those MAs that fail in their first three years of life are a result of poor employee relations. Over the years, several researchers have raised that percent again, advocating that more than two-thirds of MAs fail to create meaningful shareholder value (Ashkenas et al., 1998; Carr et al., 2004; Marks and Mirvis, 1998). As for the main reasons for such failure rates, there is a dispute among researchers. Existing literature has identified among the main reasons for not fulfilling initial goals both hard and soft factors. Specifically, there are researchers suggesting that paying the wrong price, buying for the wrong reason, selecting the wrong partner, and buying at the wrong time are some of the most prominent ones (i.e. Armenakis, 1999; Haleblian, 1999). However, others insist that underestimation of depth of the problems related to the human factor during a M or A condemns the projects success, and thus, more attention has to be given on employees needs (i.e. Bijlsma-Frankema, 2001; De Cock and Rickards, 1996; Houghton et al., 2003; Lesowitz and Knauff, 2003; Seibert, 1995; Stahl et al., 2003). Focus on value creation, not just integration Many companies organize their post-merger integration activities on a functional basis rather than a value-added basis. While many functional activities must be consolidated (such as bringing databases together and rationalizing policies, procedures and IT systems), not all integration activities yield equal benefits. Blindly and aggressively integrating various functions and businesses without regard to a value-creating hierarchy can actually destroy value (Chanmugam, Shill, Mann, Ficery and Pursche, 2005). Use culture as a value-creation tool The most successful acquirers of the future will see culture as a tool in three ways. First, they will look at cultural differences during the target identification and bidding phases, assess the potential impact of those differences, and incorporate their analysis into the valuation and bid. Second, they will try to avoid the pitfalls common during pre- and post-merger planning, and actively incorporate the elements of each companys culture that best support the desired combination. Finally, they will proactively use culture to create value through the use of high-visibility retention, promotion, termination and structural organizational design decisions (Chanmugam, Shill, Mann, Ficery and Pursche, 2005). Joint Ventures Critical Issues for IJVs An IJV is defined as an equity sharing arrangement in which a foreign corporation and a local firm (either private or government owned) pool their resources, sharing risks and operational control to operate an independent business unit on a continuous basis for profit and/or to attain some strategic objective (Geringer and Hebert, 1991). Broadly viewed, the IJV market entry mode represents two opposing trends. First, judged by the number of entries, it is becoming increasingly popular as a mode of market entry and expansion (Makino and Beamish, 1998; Vanhonacker and Pan, 1997). In recent years an increasing number of global corporations have become involved in IJVs at home and overseas, covering many sectors, industries, and product groups (Griffith, Zeybek and OBrien, 2001). The second issue relates to the fragile nature of IJVs, and it has been repeatedly argued that the failure rate or instability rate of IJVs is above thirty percent, and it is often markedly higher compared to other alternative forms of market entry and operation (Makino and Beamish, 1998). Gomes-Casseres (1989) offered two explanations for reasons of instability in any JV, arguing that the partners simply made a mistake; forming a JV when it may not have been the best thing to do, or they joined up with the wrong partner. Further, that their ini tial decision was right, but conditions changed so that the JV was no longer useful (Cullen, Johnson, and Sakano, 1995). Problems with Joint Ventures Some of the main problems with Joint Ventures include: Significant differences in the major goals of the parties, Details of the joint venture contract, The foreign corporations global integration and the local partners national orientation, Differences between the partners concerning marketing, Desire for control, Transfer pricing conflicts, Conflict over decision making, managerial processes and style (Julian and OCass, 2003). Benefits of Joint Ventures Joint ventures provide companies with the opportunity to obtain new capacity and expertise. They allow companies to enter into related businesses or new geographic markets or obtain new technological knowledge. Joint ventures have a relatively short life span (5-7 years) and therefore do not represent a long-term commitment. In the era of divesture and consolidation, they offer a creative way for companies to exit from non-core businesses (companies can gradually separate a business from the rest of the organization, and ultimately, sell it to the other parent company (appr. 80% of all joint ventures end in a sale by one partner to the other) (Trafford and Proctor 2006). Succe of a Joint Venture success of a joint venture may be influenced by five important characteristics. These characteristics are illustrated as building blocks in a model which Trafford and Proctor(2006), have termed the COPED model. COPED Model (Trafford and Proctor, 2006) Communication Many business alliances fail to meet expectations because little attention is given to nurturing the close working relationships and interpersonal connections that unite the partnering organisations (Weitz and Jap, 1995). An awareness of communication processes is essential within alliances if maximum efforts are to be coordinated and directed towards the success of strategic alliances. Ineffective communication can reduce the effectiveness of a strategic alliance and thus lead to conflict between partners (Jain, 1987). There is an assumption that organisations will function better if communication is open, if relationships are based on mutual understanding and trust, if relationships are co-operative rather than competitive, if people work together in teams, and if decisions are reached in a participative way. These conditions, however, are not observed in many organisational situations. Main barriers to communication concern are power differences; gender differences; physical surroundings; language; and cultural diversity (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Openness Trust is considered a prerequisite for alliance success (Byrne, 1993) and lack of trust is a major reason for alliance failures (Peng and Shenkar, 2002). There is evidence to point to the fact that strategic alliances may be unstable and their success rate poor (Gant, 1995). Partner firms need to manage this risk adequately by understanding the conjoint roles of trust and control. The establishment of a new relationship between members of the organisation at all levels a relationship based on trust is an issue that is becoming increasingly important to organisations (Handy, 1995). Planning Many strategic alliances lack alliance strategies. A coherent alliance strategy has four elements: (1) a business strategy to shape the logic and design of the alliance; (2) a dynamic view to guide the management and evolution of the alliance; (3) a portfolio approach to enable co-ordination among the alliance to enhance flexibility; and (4) an internal infrastructure that supports and strives to maximise the value of external collaboration (Gomes-Casseres, 2000). When managed well, the above elements can create tremendous value. At the wrong time and when managed poorly, they can be costly distractions (Gomes-Casseres, 2000). According to Hill and Jones (2001), the strategic planning process can be broken down into five main steps: (1) mission and objectives; (2) environmental scanning; (3) strategy formation; (4) strategy implementation; and (5) evaluation and control. Ethos Ethos is the characteristic spirit or attitudes of a community, or people (Webster, 1992). It comes very much to the fore in strategic alliances when the co-operating firms continue to be independent organisations and a new situation appears in which an interaction is established between two firms with different organisational cultures. This usually implies different leadership styles and different objectives, which may lead to lack of trust between the parties and to conflicts which may arise when the time comes to make decisions (Buono, 1991). Similarly, cultural conflicts are more common in joint ventures, where a closer contact between the partners is required, than in contractual alliances (Schultz, 1998). Direction The public sector is under pressure to improve service delivery and cooperate more effectively (Cabinet Office, 2003). There is a growing demand for leaders able to carry out these tasks, and to see through fundamental processes of change. The appointment, monitoring, reward and accountability structures and processes all play some part in inhibiting and/or encouraging certain forms of leadership which give the correct direction. Strategic Alliances Parkhe (1993) defined a strategic alliance as a: relatively enduring interfirm co-operative agreement, involving flows and linkages that use resources and/or governance structures from autonomous organizations, for the joint accomplishment of individual goals linked to the corporate mission of each sponsoring firm. Following from this definition, it can be seen that an alliance must be a formal part of business strategy (Johnson, 1999), meaning that an agreement between two partners must be formalised into a contract, as opposed to a handshake deal or a verbal agreement. Second, alliances must be mutually beneficial; that is, they must result in a win-win situation. Koza and Lewin (1998) argued that one of the many reasons that strategic alliances were formed was to seek out new knowledge by acquiring new technology and skills. In this type of alliance they argued that the partners would seek to reduce information asymmetry between the partners. This may involve the standardization of service delivery of production processes, joint strategic planning, sharing of databases and knowledge transfer through staff exchanges. A second and related motivation for forming an alliance was to explore for new market opportunities. This involved innovation, basic research, invention, risk taking, building new capabilities, entering new lines of business, and investments in the firms absorptive capacity. Barriers to successful Strategic Alliances Barriers to successful strategic alliances must also be recognized. The three major barriers are: (1) Failure to understand and adapt to new style of management. The adaptation of a new style of management requires a change in corporate culture which must be initiated and nurtured from the top. (2) Failure to learn and understand the cultural differences. Not only do the cultural differences exist among international firms seeking alliances, but corporate cultures may be different among firms from the same country. Flexibility and learning are the greatest tools in overcoming this barrier. (3) Lack of iron-clad commitment to succeed. Individuals who negotiated or implemented the initial alliance agreement may change due to promotions, transfers, retirement, or terminations. Continuity of total commitment for the alliance is needed at all levels in the organization without which the alliance will fail to reach its full potential (Vyas, Shelburn and Rogers, 1995). Importance of Knowledge in Strategic Alliances Inter-firm cooperative initiatives are one of the precious ways for firms to identify, transfer and internalize external knowledge. Koguts review of literature addressing joint ventures found that one of the firms main motivations for entering into collaborative agreements was to transfer organizational knowledge (Kogut, 1988). Berg and Friedman, in a study of over 300 JVs at the 2-digit SIC level showed that in many cases, joint ventures did not in fact enhance the market power of the parent firm, but rather functioned as a means of knowledge acquisition (Berg and Friedman, 1981). Thus the issues of knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and learning have attracted researchers and have been examined several times in academic research and management consulting applied studies. Restructuring and Consolidation Why and how to Restructure an Ailing Business A number of typical situations that a firm with declining performance may encounter and could cause this firm to go through an operational restructuring are stated in this section. -Needs for operational restructuring The decision to restructure is driven by a number of considerations. At times, restructuring is in response to significant sea changes in the business environment while in other cases it is done to address poor operating/stock performance. Both internal (e.g. financial distress) and external (e.g. recessions) economic and financial conditions can drive the decision to restructure. Additionally, votes of no confidence in management will likely lead to corporate restructuring (Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). -Typical activities of operational restructuring and consolidation Restructuring and consolidation efforts can take on a couple of forms. Often times management takes steps to contain costs, but in at other times drastic changes such as a refocusing of business direction occurs. For a firm that incurs losses, cost control is often the first step to return to profitability. Slashing labor costs, production costs, selling and administrative expenses, RD expenditures, and financing costs are common measures of corporate restructurings (Denis and Kruse, 2000). Downsizing and employee layoffs are the restructuring actions that are typically taken to cope with poor operating performance, especially within contracting economies(Lin and Lee and Gibbs, 2007). Other Issues Operational restructuring and consolidation has been considered as one important turnaround strategy for a firm in a bad situation, especially during an economic recession. Lin and Lee and Gibbs (2007), stated that delisting risk increases when firms undertake repetitive restructurings, massive workforce reduction, and large-scale asset downsizing. Moreover, firms with high levels of debt and failure to cut costs and/or narrowing its focus on core competencies are also more likely to delist. Conclusion As more and more companies opt to supplement organic growth with mergers and acquisitions, the earlier stages of MA transactions are becoming relatively mature, commoditized processes. According to Galpin and Herndon (2008), in order to build replicable MA integration, MA integration must be managed as an end-to-end business process. MA integration is a competency set with specific skills that must be built throughout the organization. The organizations MA integration process and capabilities must be in place before the train leaves the station that is, before the deal gets done. The organizations MA integration process must be continually improved by learning from previous mistakes and successes. The researches indicate the existence of five helpful characteristics identified under the heading of Communication, Openness, Planning, Ethos and Direction, which may be present in a successful partnership (joint) venture. The COPED model, is for building more comprehensive and productive relationships between public sector organisations and private sector companies which lead them to a successful joint venture. Strategic alliances are in the age of business without boundaries. A strategic objective aimed at expanding the competitive knowledge resource, and clearly there are special skills in bringing these arrangements to fruition. Professional managers recognize that in the age of business without boundaries it is essential that they provide learning opportunities and the necessary knowledge that will enable their employees to effectively and securely collaborate internally and externally. So there is a need for knowledge and learning regarding to strategicalliances (Dealtry, 2008). Operational restructuring has been considered as one important turnaround strategy for a firm in a bad situation, especially during an economic recession. Moreover, firms with high levels of debt and failure to cut costs and/or narrowing its focus on core competencies are also more likely to delist. So considering and learning about restructuring and consolidation is another important isuue to take account for managers.

LEADING CHANGE: Analysing The Change Agents Role

LEADING CHANGE: Analysing The Change Agents Role This essay focuses on introducing change in the organization. It looks into the change agents role; the positives and negatives on the personal front. It also critically analyses how much power lies in the hands of the senior management in implementing change in an organization. A case study has been incorporated into the report to understand how managers implement changes or imbibe them into the organization in real life. CHANGE AGENT According to the Oxford Dictionary, Change is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to make or become differentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Recently, multinational corporations (MNCs) have been facing a lot of changes in their strategic direction as well as their day to day activities. (Stone, 2008) Generally, corporations have experienced a lot of resistance to change from their employees. In order to ensure that the change is incorporated smoothly into the organization, the recognition of a Change Agents role becomes essential. A change agent, by definition is, A person who acts as a catalyst for change. (Stone, 2008) There is a deep connection between leading and changing the organization. As Ahn rightly put it; The avoidance of change has been described as the opposite of leadership. (Jick et al, 2003) Leadership involves motivating a group of people and aligning their interests towards a common goal in the aim of achieving it. Change agents could be anyone in the organization who is the driving force behind the change. For Instance, the CEO of the company would be recognized as a change agent on several occasions or a consultant may be hired; who acts as the agent as well. (Jick et al, 2003). The change agents competitive advantage lies at his/her ability to act in response to the change. There are three general types of responses one can expect from a change agent. (Ulrich et al, 1997) Initiative Changes, whereby the change agent responds by bringing into the organization; new procedures or projects. This is basically done at the strategic level. The second type of response is Process Change. This occurs more at the operational level; where the change agent focuses on how the task is being carried out; and whether the work can be simplified or distributed; based on the organizational structure. The last type of response is the Cultural Change. It transforms the organizations way of thinking. (Ulrich et al, 1997) POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF A CHANGE AGENTS JOB Change agents are most susceptible to change themselves. (Jick et al, 2003) The agents go through a variety of positive and negative emotions and issues while dealing with implementing change in the organization. Firstly, the most obvious issue change agents face will be the resistance to change by the employees. This occurs irrespective of how well/not the agent handles his job. Someone, somewhere, at some point in time during the implementation will have a thought process which does not align to that of the others. This leads us to the secondary issue, which is frustration. In case the change introduced by the agent backfires, he would be the first person the organization will blame. The agent would feel isolated and might even get de-motivated at the thought that the plan he introduced did not work out. (Jick et al, 2003) Though the negative issues do seem to give an impression that the change agents job is always dreary, its often counteracted by positive challenges and emotions. The adrenaline rush of having transformed an organization successfully because of that change is a huge plus point. Change cannot be decided by one person; hence requiring the agent to involve himself in a lot of interaction with his employees by which new relationships develop. Often, when the agents look in retrospect, they find that they have gone a long way, and the factor of self fulfillment shows up. With every step, the agents would have utilized their strengths, opportunities and overcome their weaknesses and threats. (Jick et al, 2003) POWER AND CHANGE Power is defined as; The ability to influence various outcomes. (Bowditch and Buono, 2005: 195). This statement makes it clearer there is a close relationship between power and change in the organization. French and Raven (1959) came with a power base table which can be applied to change management. (Graetz et al 2002: 242-3) This basically deals with power and change in terms of top down approach. There are five types of powers of which one or two of them might lie with the management responsible for the change. Reward Power, whereby the managers reward the employees for their co-operation; Coercive Power, which means the employees get punished for non compliance; Referent Power, where personal relationships are used against them to follow the change; Expert Power, where specialist knowledge is required to understand the change procedures and reason for attempting them. The last power is the Legitimate Power, where change is decided by the senior staff and seems necessary for success. (Jick et al, 2003) This approach lays emphasis on implementation, and is a lot faster. The major disadvantage here is that resistance will arise from employees and middle level managers. Organizations generally rely on internal managers or external consultants to introduce change. Consultants are preferred since they have a neutral attitude towards the situation; and may be a lot more skilled and knowledgeable in the area. It would be a good idea to combine both of them i.e.; have internal managers as well as external consultants. (Stone, 2008) In contrast to the French and Raven power base, another strategy might be to hand over the power to the employees. This is the bottom up approach. While it encourages employee participation and reduces uncertainty on their part; it is very time consuming. (Stone, 2008) CASE STUDY Dennis Hightower was Disneys newly elected vice president for Europe. He was required to develop a different business strategy that was something totally different than what had been done in the past. He was given a time limit of three months. Walt Disney started off as a small company in the entertainment industry and emerged as one of the top most in recent times. They reported overall revenue of $3 billion dollars. A particular division in the company; Disney Consumer Products (DCP) reported $167 million of division revenue. Soon after, this division was involved in international licensing. The market was very diverse with complex environments. Hightower had formulated a certain strategy in mind. This report focuses more on the way he implemented it across the organization. He followed the Squeaky Wheelchair Theory; which meant he got involved into the situation only when there was a problem. Rather than ordering his team members on how its done; he persuaded them to see the logic and how each of their contributions added value to it. Loyalty was a key factor in his method. He trusted his team enough to let them make their own decisions to a great extent. This helped him ensure he had his teams support and all their goals were on the same track. Disney underwent a radical change, where fundamental changes were produced in the organization. Its generally more threatening than an incremental change. (Where the changes involved are on a small scale; for example, modifications in the day to day operations, etc.) This change was planned as well; which meant the change was implemented in an organized manner by the change agent. In essence, Hightower was the change agent; who tackled the above stated issue in a way which led to higher profits for the company. (Jick et al, 2003) CONCLUSION A change agent is thus very important in the introduction, leading and managing the change in the organization. Its very important to find the right person at the right time as it can make or break the situation. Positive and negative issues occur in every job and the change agent is no exception. Its important for the change agent to take up challenges such as resistance and try and make them work in his/her favor. The relationship between power and change is debatable, but finally, what counts is what exact change the organization is planning to undertake; if its a situation which is of strategic importance, its better for the top management to decide. The case study showed us one of the real life examples of change management.

The Role of Propaganda in China Gate, The Green Berets, and Rambo: First Blood, Part Two :: Movie Film Essays

The Role of Propaganda in China Gate, The Green Berets, and Rambo: First Blood, Part Two â€Å"Film has established itself as a major medium by which our culture reflects and shapes its reality† (Taylor 186). Nowhere is Bruce Taylor’s statement made more clear than in movies about the Vietnam War. While some films, like Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, illustrate how horrible the army can be, other Vietnam War films glorify the armed services and American superiority in an attempt to alleviate the public’s fears that the war was a negative undertaking. China Gate (1957), The Green Berets (1968), and Rambo: First Blood, Part Two (1985) all glorify Americans at war. As Leo Cawley claims in his essay, â€Å"The War about the War: Vietnam Films and American Myth,† they sought to show that â€Å"the Americans are the good guys, the Viet Cong are the bad guys, and the peasants are the frightened townsfolk who need protection and rule of law† (74). The characters in these films have no ambiguity to them, but rather just the opposite : they are either paradigms of goodness or pillars of evil. By analyzing these one-dimensional characterizations, we are clearly able to see the propaganda in these films. Propaganda in films did not begin with the sending of U.S. troops to Vietnam. As the French were slowly losing the battle in Southeast Asia in the 1950s and the United States was consequently taking over monetary as well as human forces there, an explanation was necessary for the American people. Samuel Fuller’s China Gate was made to offer just that. Filmed when the U.S. was already active in Vietnam but not yet involved in an outright war, the movie, which has â€Å"a rather clear political intent,† attempts to, as David E. Whillock says, â€Å"produce a positive image of involvement in Southeast Asia to the American public† (305). The film seeks to influence American audiences against the Communists and to show the public that Americans are just trying to help the poor South Vietnamese. Made at a time when the Red Scare was at its height, China Gate is an obvious representation of the fear of Communism in that era. In fact, at the time the film was ma de, there were over two hundred suspected Communists blacklisted by the Hollywood studios themselves (Belton 242). This attitude comes through in the film right from the beginning with a voice-over that Rick Berg, in his essay â€Å"Losing Vietnam: Covering the War in an Age of Technology,† calls a â€Å"political endorsement disguised as a history lesson† (53).

born on the 4th of july Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Born on the Fourth of July† This book was incredible! In all truth this was the first book I have ever read cover to cover. The book, by Ron Kovic, as compared to the film, by Oliver Stone, had some impressive similarities. Both the book and the film did a great job of portraying Ron’s childhood in Massapequa, Long Island. From the little league games to playing war in the woods, leading charges and setting ambushes. This was especially well done in the movie, and exactly as I pictured them while reading the book. The time that he spent in Mexico was well defined in the book as well as in the film. While there were many similarities, what I feel is more important is to focus on the differences. There were countless small differences in the film as compared to the book, things such as shuffling the order in which chapters appeared in the film. For example, the beginning of the film took a different path than the beginning of the book. In the book the first chapter set the tone for the rest of the book, describing the firefight and all that had gone wrong, Burning into your mind the thought of Ron Kovic lying on the ground bleeding, paralyzed, screaming for help and hearing people get shot all around him. The beginning of the film is a different story all together. It gives you hope, it lulls you into believing that this is a happy story, the kind where everything always works out in the end. It is not until after the entire buildup of the character, after you feel as if you know him, that you see this scene. The accidental killing of the civilians, the baby, the killing of the corporal, all these things happen before you find out that this soldier, this Marine, will come hom e paralyzed. The film makes it a point to show that there was an on-going, pseudo romance between Ron and Joan Marfe. The two of them kissing on his birthday, Ron running to the prom and showing up soaking wet, asking her for a dance. Finding her after the war and going to a protest with her. None of these things were anywhere in the book, in fact the book only mentioned her once, and in that mentioning Ron said that he was always too nervous to ask her for a date. The film completely leaves out Ron’s marriage to Helen and his entire time in California. As for the reasons that Ron joined the Marine core there were some interesting and important differences. The film leads you to belie... ...girl whom he has known since first grade. The book mentions a girl like this, once, but she has a different name, and Ron doesn’t ever talk to her. Also, the entire prom scene seemed to be made up to aid in the progression of the love story, sounds like dramatic license or artistic freedom to me. There were quite a few other books mentioned in â€Å"History by Hollywood†, but I felt that they were all portrayed and critiqued fairly. I found it reassuring that Toplin was more concerned about educating the reader that movies were a good thing for history, while they are not always completely accurate, they do expand the minds of the people viewing them. If it was not for â€Å"Pearl Harbor† or â€Å"Saving Private Ryan†, an entire generation could have forgotten about World War II. I would even go as far as to say that in 50 years there will be a movie such as â€Å"Pearl Harbor† about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Movies are an important part of our lives, they can be used as a teaching tool, or as a means of remembrance, but they will always be used. I just hope that the people watching them don’t take them as fact, but take them as a basis to learn more about what really happened.

3 Poems

Republic of the Philippines Tarlac State University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Villa Lucinda Campus, Tarlac City 73 Poems (A Stylistic Analysis) In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements In the course EM9 Introduction to Stylistics Submitted to: Mr. Christopher Ronn Q. Pagco Instructor [1] (listen) this a dog barks and how crazily houses eyes people smiles [5] faces streets steeples are eagerly tumbl ing through wonder ful sunlight [10] – look – selves,stir:writhe o-p-e-n-i-n-g are(leaves;flowers)dreams ,come quickly come [15] run run with me now jump shout(laugh dance cry sing)for it's Spring [20] irrevocably; and in earth sky trees :every where a miracle arrives [25] (yes) you and I may not hurry it with a thousand poems my darling [30] but nobody will stop it With All The Policemen In The World (E. E. Cummings, 73 Poems) Introduction Stylistic is very different from studying literature. That is why it is really difficult to do a stylistic analysis than to do a literary an alysis. Because when doing a literary analysis, you just focus on the elements of the story and the theory being used. It is totally different when doing a Stylistic analysis, which you should always be based on facts. That is why doing a stylistic analysis is really factual and complicated. In doing a stylistic analysis, we try to explain how the words in the text create feelings and meanings. I will be analyzing the 73 poems of E. E. Cummings. I will show you the stylistic features of the poem. Edward Estlin Cummings was born October 14, 1894 in the town of Cambridge Massachusetts. His father, and most constant source of awe, Edward Cummings, was a professor of Sociology and Political Science at Harvard University. In 1900, Edward left Harvard to become the ordained minister of the South Congregational Church, in Boston. As a child, E. E. attended Cambridge public schools and lived during the summer with his family in their summer home in Silver Lake, New Hampshire. E. E. loved his childhood in Cambridge so much that he was inspired to write disputably his most famous poem, â€Å"In Just-â€Å". Not so much in, â€Å"In Just-† but Cummings took his father's pastoral background and used it to preach in many of his other poems. In â€Å"you shall above all things be glad and young,† Cummings preaches to the reader in verse telling them to love with naivete and innocence, rather than listen to the world and depend on their mind. Attending Harvard, Cummings studied Greek and other languages. In college, Cummings was introduced to the writing and artistry of Ezra Pound, who was a large influence on E. E. and many other artists in his time. After graduation, Cummings volunteered for the Norton-Haries Ambulance Corps. En-route to France, Cummings met another recruit, William Slater Brown. The two became close friends, and as Brown was arrested for writing incriminating letters home, Cummings refused to separate from his friend and the two were sent to the La Ferte Mace concentration camp. The two friends were finally freed, only due to the persuasion of Cummings' father. E. E. Cummings experimented with poetic form and language to create a distinct personal style. A Cummings poem is spare and precise, employing a few key words eccentrically placed on the page. Some of these words were invented by Cummings, often by combining two common words into a new synthesis. He also revised grammatical and linguistic rules to suit his own purposes, using such words as â€Å"if,† â€Å"am,† and â€Å"because† as nouns, for example, or assigning his own private meanings to words. Despite their nontraditional form, Cummings' poems came to be popular with many readers. Stylistic Analysis Before I start the analysis itself, let me tell first my initial interpretation of the poem. This is my general interpretation of the poem. 73 poems is a book which is a collection of poems by E. E. Cummings. It has 73 pages and each poem does not have any title. The poem that I will be doing a stylistic analysis is found on page 63. The fact the E. E. Cummings did not make or put a title in each poem gives the reader the permission to give their own title. So for reference, I will use the word ‘Spring’ as a title. Since, it is the first word in the poem written in capital letter. Cummings’ poems are difficult to interpret because they contain striking irregularities. Many of E. E. Cummings poems that I have read appear to all the joy and new things it brings in life but other works symbolizes negativity to mankind. ‘Spring’ is a reference for a new life. It is a beginning. I have related it in the life of everyone. After the winter which can be a symbol of problems and struggles, we people are happy in the fact that spring is coming which can be a symbol that every problem has its ending and solution. When you are somehow forgetting God and not putting Him in the center of your life, it is like everything is wrong. But when you put Him in the center of your life, everything seems alright. When everything goes wrong just keep your faith. You will feel blessed and at ease at all times. And this new life with the Lord is ‘Spring’. I came up with this interpretation by merely looking at the words and by reading beyond the lines. Linguistic Stylistic Features I easily noticed that the poem consists of many nouns and verbs. NOUNSMAIN VERBSADJECTIVESADVERBS doglistenwonderfulcrazily housesbarkseasily yestumblingquickly peoplelookirrevocably smilesstir faceswrithe streetsopening steeplescome (2x) sunlightrun (2x) leavesjump flowersshout dreamslaugh earthdance skycry treessing miracleis poemsarrives policemenhurry worldstop 192114 The nouns are mostly concrete and only two are abstract (dreams and miracle). Nouns that are related to nature are dog, leaves, flowers, earth, sky, trees, miracle and world. Nouns that are related to human are houses, eyes, people, smiles, faces, streets, steeples, dreams, poems and policemen. There are no neologisms and no morphological deviation which Cummings is fond of using. It makes use of directive verbs which addresses to another person such as (listen, look, come (2x), run (2x), jump, shout, laugh, dance, cry and sing). The most striking aspect of deviation in ‘ Spring’ is the constant use of lower case letters instead of capital letters which is known as the graphological deviation. It is very typical of Cummings’ poems so I will no longer give significance to it. Cummings’ desire is to break the normal convention. The effect of graphological deviation is to foreground the words which are written in capital letters. Since ‘Spring’ is the first word which is written in capital letter, I can say that it plays a big role in the meaning of the poem. Some of the words are really written in a strange manner. In lines 7 and 8, Cummings divides the word tumbling so that the progressive morpheme –ing appears on a separate line. In these lines, the verb appears to tumble from one line to the next. I think it is a way for us to understand the action being done as an important concept in the poem. In lines 8 and 9, the word wonderful runs across the morphemes (wonder and ful). I can interpret it in two ways, the noun wonder and the adjective wonderful. There is astrong element of foregrounding in the last stanza (With All The Policemen In The World) since the words start in capital letters which make it stand out. There is also lack of phonological parallelism, obvious lack of punctuation and it follows the grammatical ordering which follows the rules of syntax. Perhaps, Policemen is used because they are the stereotype example of powerful people. There is also the second pronoun (you) in line 26 and it has an addressee referred to ‘my darling’ in line 29. Suggesting that there is a romantic relationship between the speaker and whomever he is referring or addressing to. Semantic Deviation In lines 12 and 13, (o-p-e-n-i-n-g/are(leaves;flowers)dreams). In line 13, leaves and flowers mean that they are physically opening. Dreams cannot actually open. It breaks the rule of subject-verb-object. It will be more appropriate to say the leaves and flowers are opening. It makes me arrive to the interpretation that the poet’s dreams are opening metaphorically. In line 2 (this a dog barks). The possible explanation of this is that this is used to show that the speaker is referring to a specific dog, but a is used to show that the speaker is not sure of the dog’s name. Grammatical Deviation Cummings used much punctuation where it would not be necessary. Example is in lines 12 and 13 (o-p-e-n-i-n-g/are(leaves;flowers)dreams). This phrase is being bracketed where punctuations are not needed. In lines 3 to 6 (how crazily houses/eyes people smiles/faces streets/ steeples are eagerly) and in line 22 (earth sky trees) groups of nouns are often run together without punctuation. Cummings split the progressive participle ‘opening’ into its component letters (o-p-e-n-i-n-g). The hyphens are used to express that opening of Spring is a long, drown out process and slow. The following line (are(leaves;flowers)dreams) contains no spaces between words and punctuation marks. Dynamic verbs such as in line 10 (-look-) which comes with hyphens on both sides, the initial verb in line 14 (,come quickly come) which starts with a comma and in line 11 (selves,stir:writhe) which is connected by a colon and lack of space which makes them foregrounded. Actions are foregrounded in different ways. In line 15 (run run) I noticed that there is repetition of words. In lines 16, 17 and 18 (with me now/jump shout(laugh dance cry sing)for) the verbs occur in unpunctuated list. Tense Most of the verbs are in present tense. The simple present tense are barks (line 2), is (line 9) and arrives (line 24). There are present progressive verbs such as are eagerly/tumbling (lines 6, 7 and 8) and o-p-e-n-i-n-g/are (lines 12 and 13). There are also progressive present participles (tumbling and opening) indicates the ongoing nature of action. There are also four adverbs of manner which convey sense of speed (quickly), excitement (crazily, eagerly) and inevitability (irrevocably). Sound Patterns I found the repetition of particular sound which is in the phonological order. There is a degree of phonological parallelism in each stanza except the last two stanza. There are 3 repetitions of vowel sounds. how crazily houses (line 3) eyes people smiles (line 4) steeples are eagerly (line 6) †¦wonderful sunlight (lines 8 and 9) , come quickly come (line 14) sing) for it’s Spring (line 19) Conclusion The effect of foregrounding is to make it unusually easy for us to understand the poem. Actually after doing the stylistic analysis of the poem, I never thought that the real meaning of the poem is very superficial because on my interpretation is something that is not explicitly shown. And knowing E. E. Cummings’ of poems most of them or maybe a lot of them entails deeper meaning which you as a reader should really think of the possible interpretation of the poem. And ‘Spring’ is an exception to that. Now that I have analyzed the poem stylistically, I am in the position to give the meaning of the poem. ‘Spring’ is an active and dynamic poem since most of the words express movements and it involves senses. The poem is to be address to a lover that nobody can stop the love that he feels for the love if his life. It is also to acknowledge the inevitability of the natural world. With All The Policemen In The World expresses that nothing or nobody is able to stop the progression of Spring or the poet’s love to his addressee. Reflection Essay â€Å"Am I able to do it? † that is the question that really tickled my mind and bothered me a lot. Stylistic analysis is a new endeavor for me. It is very far different from doing a literary analysis and critizing a literary piece which I am comfortable and confident in doing. When I am doing the analysis itself, I can say that the feeling is really vague. It is like I am on something and I do not know where and what to do. I do not know how to start. But as I am on the process of doing the stylistic analysis, I felt a part of me feeling fulfillment. The most important thing that I have learned in doing the stylistic analysis is discipline as how foregrounding is the corner stone of stylistics. Because I believe that discipline is the corner stone for you to achieve something that you want. Discipline comes from the heart. I know that this is the reason behind why I was able to do my stylistic analysis. I have the heart and the passion in doing this. Patience is also a virtue that I have developed. Because doing a stylistic analysis is a long process. It does not stop on finding and noticing the foregrounded parts of the poem. You have to prove and say your piece of why and how that part of the poem is foregrounded. You have to go back to the lines on the poem many times. You have also to devote your time in analyzing the poem because you are basing your works on facts and not by merely looking the words on the poem. At first, I admit that I will be having a hard time doing it. But as I go through the process and making the first move, I found myself having fun and enjoying what am I doing. Doing a stylistic analysis is something that we should not be afraid of. In fact, it is an easy thing to do as long as you are guided with the correct steps to follow in doing the analysis. As I did the analysis of the poem, I found myself proud. Proud in the fact that, I finished my analysis with my own blood and sweat. It made me somehow feel that I am a certified sylistician even though it was only my first time to do a stylistic analysis. Upon finishing my analysis, I have reflected that stylistic analysis is like life. It is like the authors of poems. They write poems using their own perspective and style because that is what they like. Nobody is dictating them to do so. Another thing is that doing a stylistic analysis is a process. In this way, life also follows a certain process. A good example of this is that, when you want to achieve something, start from the basic step before you can go to a more difficult one, life is really a process, you cannot get want you want with just a blink of an eye. It is something that we should always work for. The stylistic analysis helped me in many ways. Not only on the virtues that I have developed, the discipline but also the academic value it taught me. It made me see the world of literature vividly. I can say that literature is really an interesting work of art. References: http://www. lancs. ac. uk/fass/projects/stylistics/sa1/example. htm http://famouspoetsandpoems. com/poets/e__e__cummings