Rationalism in Philosophical Traditions

Rationalism in Philosophical Traditions Rationalism is the philosophical stance according to which reason is the ultimate source of human knowledge. It stands in contrast to  empiricism, according to which the senses suffice in justifying knowledge. In one form or another, rationalism features in most philosophical traditions. In the Western tradition, it boasts a long and distinguished list of followers, including Plato, Descartes, and Kant. Rationalism continues to be a major philosophical approach to decision-making today. Descartes Case for Rationalism How do we come to know objects - through the senses or through reason? According to  Descartes,  the latter option is the correct one. As an example of Descartes approach to rationalism, consider polygons (i.e. closed, plane figures in geometry). How do we know that something is a triangle as opposed to a square? The senses may seem to play a key role in our understanding: we see that a figure has three sides or four sides. But now consider two polygons - one with a  thousand sides and the other with a thousand and one sides. Which is which? In order to distinguish between the two, it will be necessary to count the sides - using reason to tell them apart.For Descartes, reason is involved in all of our knowledge. This is because our understanding of objects is nuanced by reason. For example, how do you know that the person in the mirror is, in fact, yourself? How does each of us recognize the purpose or significance of objects such as pots, guns, or fences? How do we distinguish one similar object from another? Reason alone can explain such puzzles. Using Rationalism as a Tool for Understanding Ourselves in the World Since the justification of knowledge occupies a central role in philosophical theorizing, it is typical to sort out philosophers on the basis of their stance with respect to the rationalist vs. empiricist debate. Rationalism indeed characterizes a wide range of philosophical topics. How do we know who and what  we are?  Ã‚  Rationalists typically claim that the self is known through a rational intuition, which is irreducible to any sensorial perception of ourselves; empiricists, on the other hand, reply that the unity of the self is illusory.  What is the nature of cause and effect? Rationalists claim that causal links are known through reason. The empiricists response is that it is only because of habit that we come to be convinced that, say, fire is hot.How do we know which actions are ethically correct?   Kant argued that the ethical worth of an action can be understood only from a rational perspective; ethical evaluation is a rational game in which one or more rational agents envisage their actions under hypothetical conditions.   Of course, in a practical sense, it is almost impossible to separate rationalism from empiricism. We cannot make rational decisions without the information provided to us through our senses, nor can we make empirical decisions without considering their rational implications.

Sex Education in schools essays

Sex Education in schools essays The good news is that the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is the lowest its been since the early 70's, primarily due to teens increased and improved use of birth control. The bad news is that one million U.S. teens still get pregnant each year, and 78 percent of those pregnancies are unintended. The fact is that most young people in the United States begin having sex in their teens and they need honest and straightforward information about sex in order to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy. Obvious, right? Well apparently not to President Bush, who asked Congress for a 33% increase in funding for abstinence-only sex education, which would forbid teachers to talk about how contraception works or where to get it. Abstinence-only programs keep teens in the dark about sex; they have not been proven to delay or reduce sexual activity; and they fail to provide accurate information about preventing pregnancy and disease. Comprehensive sexuality education, on the other hand, teaches that sexuality is healthy, normal part of human being. It teaches students about the advantages of abstinence, while also giving them the realistic information they need about the prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Studies show that balanced programs that promote both abstinence and safer sex are most effective and allow young people to make responsible choices. In California, teen birth rate has dropped more than 40 percent over the last decade. The credit goes to a state-sponsored program that provides information on sexual abstinence and birth control. Teen birth rate has fallen from 11th nationwide in 1991 to 21st in 2002, according to the California Wellness Foundation. California is the only state that refuses to accept federal sex-education money, which requires public schools to teach only sexual abstinence and avoid providing information on contraception ...

Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Marketing - Essay Example For marketers operating in a business-to-business environment, this means merging product use and industry sector segmentation with other facets that are associated with purchasing decisions. These can include factors such as the criteria for procurement, and decision motivations that will determine the out-sized purchases made by the organization. For example, the trend towards more use of subcontractors generates market for those suppliers. However, the retailers require a strategic marketing vision in order to make out or perceive these new markets before their business rivals also identify them and take the opportunity (Manning and Reece, 2003). Consumer marketers have to consider the use of demographic and geographic segmentation; along with psychographic segmentation such as attitudes, values, consumer lifestyles, and the motivation for product usage. For example, the aging population segment generates an increased demand for a wide range of goods. It also forms market niches t hat are big enough to make marketing as well as product development a worthwhile endeavor. These same factors can also contribute to the decrease in demand for other items. Occasionally, rather than increase sales or advertising efforts, it is more advisable to desert a declining market. Without strategic marketing tactics, an organization can actually waste valuable assets or miss a rare opportunity to take advantage of prevailing favourable conditions. The strategic marketing plan procedure usually has three stages. These are segmenting the market, profiling the market segments, and the creation of a market segment marketing strategy. Creating Value to Customers in Strategic Marketing The value in a manufactured product is usually defined by the reaction of customers to it. It is essentially a matter of the customer’s perception. If the product is perceived by the consumer as possessing value then that discernment will lead to a procurement. Customer value may also develop from having employed the product over and over again with pleasing results. Customer value in its most fundamental form refers to the difference between the price of a product and the benefit the customer gets from the product. Today's customers are much more informed as a result of the easily available modes of electronic communication that are available (Cravens and Piercy, 2008). As such, they usually purchase the goods that they sense are worth the cost required to attain them. Customers usually know precisely what they want to buy and will not waste time with low value products. It is important for marketers to have products that can be considered as unique. This is something that can make the product be viewed as being of utmost value, resulting in a higher price being appropriate. In their mission to communicate information to consumers pertaining to products, sales professionals frequently oversell and fail to notice the consumers’ real needs. Consequently, the produc t presented is of hardly any value to consumers. The greatest challenge that marketing professionals have to confront today is rising beyond the ordinary noise level, getting access to their targeted market, and eventually buying influence. Qualified leads are just harder to come by in today’s market which is saturated with the pitches of dedicated marketers. The convergence of rich media, digital graphics, direct response tools, email,

Labour market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Labour market - Essay Example Labour market flexibility refers to the ability and the willingness of labour to respond to changes in the market condition, including changes in the demand for work force and the wage rate. The labour market flexibility is an imperative aspect of how labour markets adjusts to supply and demand, it is therefore has a key role to the supply side of the macroeconomics. A flexible labour market is when firms are under fewer regulations concerning the labour force and therefore, can set their own wages, change their work hours and fire employees (Michie & Sheehan 2003, P.131). In contrast, a labour market with low flexibility is bound by some rules and regulations such as requirements from trade unions and minimum wage restrictions. It is good to note that, labour market institutions were seen to block the clear functions of the market by weakening the demand for work force, thus making it not attractive to hire workers by pushing up the wage or by distorting the labour supply, leading t o impairing the equilibrium of market function mechanism (Benner 2003, P.629). The most distinction of labour market flexibility is based on strategies companies use, and they can be grouped into four: External numerical flexibility, it refers to the number of workers from the external market or the adjustments of labour intake. It can be achieved by employing workers temporarily or on fixed contracts, therefore, the employer can hire and fire employees according to the company’s needs, by following the protection legislation. Internal numerical flexibility, it is achieved by adjusting schedules or working hours of workers employed in the firm. It includes part time, overtime and shifts. Functional flexibility, it is where the employees can be transferred to different tasks within the company, it mostly deals with organization of operations in a firm. Financial flexibility, it is where there are differences

Difference Between Leadership and Management Essay Example for Free

Difference Between Leadership and Management Essay What is leadership? What is management? Leadership and management are two words that are considered synonymous but describe two distinct concepts. Both are needed in a successful organization. Leadership and management together will build and maintain a successful organization. Interest in leadership in the American culture increased in the early twentieth century and continues to development in context. Behavioral theories evolved to today’s transformational leadership and visionary leadership. All the theories are attempting to identify leadership traits and behaviors. Leadership Term Paper: Excerpt If the role of situations is vital in matters of self-control, how much more significant must it be in connection with social control and leadership. If character varies from situation to situation, then it is fair to assume that leadership likewise varies. Consistency of behavior is doubtless a leadership trait, but behavior may vary according to situations, even on the part of any person. A person may be generally consistent in some situations and inconsistent in others. It is apparently necessary, therefore, to study situations in relation to personality reactions in order to account for ability, or for failure, to lead. Leadership Term Papers: Excerpt Situational leadership often explains leadership unevenness. A person may use leadership technique in a situation for which it is not intended with the result that it does not work well, or it fails. Every after dinner speaker has told more than one joke which he thought appropriate but which fell flat, because there were situational factors that the speaker did not suspect. Whenever a situation contains factors that a leader does not take into consideration, his leadership is endangered. A wise leader knows his situations, or else his leadership displays much unevenness. Leadership Research Paper: Excerpt The situational nature of leadership explains why a leader sometimes seems to contradict himself and to act like a hypocrite even though he loathes hypocrisy. It often happens, as any leader in an administrative position can testify, that a person may act sincerely and honestly in each of two different situations and find that he has contradicted himself, simply because the two situations are contradictory in certain particulars. Loyalty in one situation may contradict loyalty in another. A leader who desires to please is especially subject to this dilemma. Leadership vs. Management There are several distinctions between thoughts of management and leadership; some of the key points are discussed below. I believe that effective management ceases to reach its potential without respected leadership. Although leadership and management are necessary ingredients to creating actualized organizations. 1.Management implements the structures and tasks to create a holistic team of productive employees, while leadership sets the vision and creates an atmosphere where the teams commit to the mission and are encouraged to reach their potential. Management is more of a hands-on approach to ensure leaderships vision and strategy is in congruence with the companies operations. One of the goals of management is to ensure the organization effectively deploys of resources. One of the major goals of leadership is to assist customers and employees to understand the values and mission of the organization while having the responsibility of ensuring those constituencies are committed to the organizations value offering. I feel that leadership responsibility is to identify what the change initiatives need to be in conjunction with employees, customers and suppliers while managements responsibility is to ensure effective implementation of those initiatives. According to Senge; profound change initiatives invariability lead people to a heightened sense of meaning and aspiration. Leadership has the responsibility to ensure the opportunity for meaning and aspiration occur within the organization, great leaders strive to continually inspire such. Management has the opportunity to see to it that meaning and aspiration is actually being achieved while leadership creates the atmosphere for it to thrive. 1.Management challenges the vision of the company, which was created by leadership as to ensure the desired results are being achieved, while leadership identifies continual opportunities for a greater vision. According to Nonaka (quoted from Dance of Change), â€Å"A company is not a machine but a living organism. Much like an individual, it can have a collective sense of identity and shared purpose†¦ a shared understanding of what the company stands for†. Leadership must create opportunities for that shared vision and collective sense of identity to emerge. Leadership can inspire this to happen through management developing initiatives within cross-department relationship building and teamwork building. Management has the responsibility to ensure this takes place while leadership sets the strategy and places the goals high on the corporate agenda. Leadership sets the priorities, while management gets the priorities done. Among many other tasks, Leadership has the responsibility to: 1.Develop an overall strategic vision for the organization or team 2.In conjunction with the organization, drive the desired results 3.Enable an atmosphere which encourages cross-functional teamwork 4.Be in-touch with the organization at all levels 5.Asks the high-level questions and ensures the answers are understood by all in the organization 6.Encourages the organization to explore alternatives and better ways of doing business 7.Assists the organization to see the big picture In contrast among other tasks, management has the following responsibilities: 1.Management includes the actual coordination of processes and work-flows 2.Includes the process of evaluating resources, assessment and measurement of various pieces throughout the organizations 3.Management includes ensuring that all feedback, comments, and innovative change initiative ideas are brought to the forefront of the decision making process 4.Seeks to make the planning process a more successful endeavor 5.Helps to implement the answers to the big questions into best practices for the organization The Role of Leadership in Strategy The role of leadership in strategy includes many facets some that are tangible and some that are not. For example the role of leadership in strategy is to determine what the big picture is and to ensure the organization has a plan for discovering those answers to the big questions. I believe the role of leadership in developing strategy is to create many areas of possibility for the organization and to create an atmosphere where employees feel committed to creating those possibilities. The example provided by Senge about what was happening in South Africa in the early 1990s is a great one. Leadership of South Africa was trying to develop a set of alternative stories about what might happen in South Africa. They came together and developed several stories and tried to examine what the country will look like in the future. Leadership in fact, was trying to shape and define the story and to have this story be as positive as possible for the country. I believe the same high-level story development is the main responsibility of leadership in strategy for an organization at all levels. The role is for the leadership to define how they want the company to interact in the world and to develop a story that is much bigger than the organization. This story must be believed by all participants in the organization and must be walked the talk by leadership. For example the role of leadership in defining one of the key tenants for Whole Foods is â€Å"We Sell the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Products Available†. The role of leadership in developing this strategy is key to the companies fundamental belief system, and many of the employees and customers are committed to this strategy. The role of leadership is to create the vision and ensure it is in real congruence with the organizational realty. How is leadership critical to realizing strategy? I believe without leadership, strategy cannot be truly realized for a sustainable period. For example if there lacks a person or people who rise above and create the vision and see to it, that it is a manifestation throughout the organization, the strategy will be lost at sea. The waves of business cycles and changing resources will ensure the strategy is tossed and turned and will not go on a path toward true-fulfillment of the highest levels of success. Leadership sets the stage for strategy by asking the core questions, shaping the vision, and allowing for an atmosphere, which encourages the awareness and commitment to the strategy. Leadership is critical: 1.It creates a vessel for continuous improvement and adaptation of strategy 1.Ensures the proper questions are asked and answered 2.Creates an atmosphere for growth and change 3.Demonstrates effective behavior 4.Tries to get the highest potential out of resources 5.Creates the strategic vision 6.Brings together key aspects of the strategy The world we live in is changing at an alarming rate as a result of all the new discoveries that have been made over the years. These new discoveries have been aided by the availability of better learning facilities and equipment. These were not available in the early days. As scientists continue to discover and invent new equipment, the world is adapting them and incorporating them in the societies. As a result, the world we are living in is heavily dependent on inventions and machines to carry out tasks. Moreover, as a result of the advanced technology, people are getting more intelligent hence they are able carry out more researches of their own as well as make their own new inventions. In the medical world this has eased management as well as other treatment methods such as surgery.

The Civil Rights Movement: The Struggle Continues Essay -- Racism, Civ

Civil rights are the rights to personal liberty and are provided by the law. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights promises everybody civil rights. But many people, including lots of black people, have been denied their civil rights. Black people, and also some white people who help them, have struggled for these rights for a long time. Many people have helped and many kinds of groups have been formed to help win equal rights for everyone. Things are a lot better used to be, but the struggle is not over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon after the Declaration of Independence was signed there were groups that tried to end slavery. They were in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland, and Connecticut. It took a long time to win freedom for slaves. Lots of slaves were taken to freedom in the North on the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is the name of the system that slaves traveled in secret from one place to another. They usually hid during the day and traveled at nighttime. Some slaves even fought to be free. Nat Turner was a preacher that led a slave revolt in Virginia in 1831. But they all ended up being executed..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed slaves in the Confederate states. But it did not guarantee anyone an education, a job, or a place to live. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution made slavery illegal. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments were passed later, and they were supposed to give blacks all their civil rights, especially the right to vote.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Reconstruction period was 1865 – 1877. During this time many black people had important government jobs. Louisiana, South Carolina, and Mississippi had black lieutenant governors, and Mississippi’s speaker of the house was black. The superintendent of public education in Florida was black. The South had 22 black representatives in Congress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White Southerners who hated blacks started the Ku Klux Klan in 1866. It was also called the KKK. They tried to stop black people from voting and having other civil rights. They would wear white sheets and masks with pointed hoods. They would beat up blacks and public officials. They would burn crosses by the houses of people they wanted to scare. The KKK was declared illegal in 1... ... bad that they boycotted all the buses in Montgomery. They lost so much money that the law was changed so blacks cold sit anywhere just like whites. During the boycott was when Dr. martin Luther King Jr. became an important black leader. He didn’t believe in using violence. He received the Nobel Peace Prize. But in 1968 he was assassinated and there were riots in 50 states because the blacks were so angry and frustrated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From that time until now there have been new laws passed and things have gotten better. But even now blacks and other minorities are involved in the civil rights movement. Lots of like Spanish Americans, Jews, Orientals, Native Americans, immigrants, homosexuals and others are involved now. The leaders, black and white, sometimes don’t agree on how to win civil rights. Most people are working peacefully, but others, that are called militants, think peace hasn’t worked and that violence is necessary. Many people think that blacks still do not receive fair treatment from authorities like the police. Even now the civil rights movement is still working for equal rights for all like we were promised in the Declaration of Independence.

Quality revolution Essay

Managers involved in helping their organizations improve quality are frequently puzzled over which approach to use. Some organizations adopt an eclectic approach using components of the three philosophies and combining what they consider to be the best from the best. Other organizations select the Crosby, Deming, or Juran approach and remain loyal to it; all their education, training, and implementation efforts reflect support for that one approach. There are organizations that switch in midstream (e.g., begin with Crosby, move to Juran, and then move to Deming). These organizations expect dramatic improvements in a short period of time and their obsession with immediate results forces them to try different approaches on a trial-and-error basis, without thought to a long-term strategy. The key to successful implementation of quality principles and methods is tied to leadership. In fact, lack of management and leadership commitment is considered by Crosby to be the number one cause of quality improvement failure. According to Juran, every successful quality revolution has included the active participation of upper management. There are no exceptions. Deming agrees. He says the transformation is top management’s job and it cannot be delegated. Quality is not a quick fix to address management problems. It is not a program, but a transformation. As part of this effort, top managers must recognize the need for assessment, strategic planning, and the development of a long-term, integrated organization-wide approach. Leadership is needed to establish policies defining the positions the organization will take in regard to quality Leadership is also needed to cultivate a customer orientation and provide all employees with ongoing education and training. These arguments notwithstanding, success or failure will rest upon the correct assessment of how to achieve customer-defined quality criteria and the kind of leadership required to get the organization mobilized in the most cost-acceptable way. â€Å"The approaches of Crosby, Deming, and Juran do not represent â€Å"programs† in the usual sense of the word, but they do not have starting and ending dates.† â€Å"The key successful implementation of quality principles and methods is tied to leadership. â€Å"

To what extent was Lenin crucial to the Bolshevik

To what extent was Lenin crucial to the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917? On 24th October 1917 the Lenin and the Bolsheviks led a revolution in Russia. The Bolshevik Red Guards led a revolution against the Provisional Government by seizing control of stations, telephone exchanges, post offices, the national bank and the Winter Palace in Petrograd. Now Lenin set about creating the world's first communist state. Although he was a strong influence, he was not solely responsible for the outbreak of revolution.There are other important causes of the Bolshevik seizure of ower, such as the weakness of the Provisional government and Kerenskys mistakes. Also other important factor was the actions of Trotsky and the timing and luck of the Bolsheviks. However, Lenin was, toa large extent, crucial to the Bolshevik seizure of power because he presented his April thesis, which gave the people of Russia an awakening to the communist aim. Lenin was important to the Bolshevik seizure of pow er as he was able to manipulate public opinion using slogans and propaganda.This was also shown early in the year, before Lenin's return to Russia from Switzerland. The Bolsheviks in Russia had printed in ‘Pravda' (their newspaper) that their members and followers should support the Provisional Government, and also that they had given serious thought to the idea of combining with the Mensheviks. This was all very contrary to what Lenin wrote in his ‘April Theses' which clearly laid out his views and beliefs on the subject. A key point of his ‘April Theses' was â€Å"No Support for the Provisional Government†, yet without him his party were proposing just that.Lenin as an individual was able to force the Bolsheviks to follow his beliefs nd goals and without him they may never have chosen this course of action at all. Through his April thesis, particularly the slogans â€Å"Peace, Bread, Land† and â€Å"All Power to the Soviets†, he was able to h arness the support of the Russian people. These slogans appealed to the majority, the peasants and the workers. The support of the people was an extremely important factor, as this is the support which determined that there would be little resistance to the Bolshevik revolution.This shows Lenin's importance in the occurrence of the October Revolution. Lenin's character as an individual was a vital reason to the success of the Bolsheviks. Prior to the February Revolution, the Bolshevik party was not the most powerful. Lenin was strong, determined and dedicated to the revolution. His speeches were inspiring. The â€Å"April Theses† forced through key policy decisions. Lenin rewrote Marx's ideas, he believed the Bourgeois revolution can be followed immediately by a socialist revolution. Which was different to the Bolshevik views but after he presented his ideas he won over the Bolsheviks.Lenin's leadership, and his usage and manipulation of events taking place in Russia after hi s return, facilitated their ability to seize control. The failure of the Provisional government was also a key reason why the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. In February, the constitutional monarchy reluctantly granted in 1905 by the Tsar collapsed following riots over food shortages and the continuing slaughter of Russian soldiers in the World War l. Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and a provisional government came into power I . existed to till the void ot ower in the chaos of rioting and the Bolsheviks did not accept any part in it. Disassociating himself and the party from the Provisional Government was to prove a wise decision by Lenin. Despite early acceptance of the Provisional Government by the people, it soon lost popularity in the face of Russia's continuing presence in the war and loss of life. They also became unpopular when took the peasants land This made Russia a fertile ground for Bolshevik revolutionary ideas. The Bolsheviks came to power at an espe cially volatile time in Russian history – the ProvisionalGovernment was weak-willed, disorganized, and ripe for Bolshevik insurrection. Kerenskys mistakes, as a leading member of the Provisional Government, were also a important reason in the Bolsheviks seizure of power. He served as Minister of War under Prince Lvov before becoming leader of the Provisional Government in July 1917. Kerensky, as a Menshevik, was a moderate socialist who saw a need to work with the Liberals in order to bring about change. He was a superb speaker but he struggled to remain in control of events during the summer of 1917: the June offensive.His attempt to revitalise the Russian army against Germany failed and the confusion caused by his role in the Kornilov Affair greatly undermined his position. General Lavr Kornilov replaced the commander-in-chief, Brusilov, after the failed June Offensive. A myth that was present in 1917 was that Kornilov planned a coup d' ©tat against the provisional govern ment. When Kornilov ordered troops into Petrograd, not on the bases of this myth but as he was concerned of a left-wing radical plot against the government, Kerensky panicked fearing a military takeover.Kerensky arrested Kornilov, who was innocent and loyal, and armed groups of workers, many Bolsheviks. This was a vital for the Bolsheviks, and their future success in seizing power, because they are now seen as defenders and their numbers increased. They were also still armed from the Kornilov affair. Kerensky and the Provisional government were now completely undermined. Trotsky and the timing of the uprising are also a key reason by the Bolsheviks were able to seize power in October 1917. The Bolsheviks claimed they were acting on behalf of the Soviet who were in oalition with the Provisional government.Although Kerensky was aware the Bolsheviks were planning some kind of takeover, he did not take any pivotal action. The takeover was organised and almost bloodless. The planning of the takeover was the responsibility of Trotsky, a leading Social democrat who had Joined the Bolsheviks in May. This was a plan of Lenin's, as he hoped it would hide the Bolshevik involvement. The planning was handed over to the military revolutionary committee of the Petrograd Soviet, who Trotsky was chairman. Trotsky was responsible for the akeover being carried out smoothly and efficiently.Trotsky played an important role in organising the Bolshevik seizure of power. In conclusion, toa large extent Lenin was crucial to the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917. Lenin was a brilliant leader – a professional revolutionary who was ruthless, a brilliant speaker, a good planner with ONE aim: to overthrow the government. The Bolsheviks were well-led. Lenin used both the war and the failure of the Provisional government to his advantage by saying how he would stop the war and take over from the ProvisionalGovernment who didn't seem to be listening to the people. His strong p ersonality and ty to communicate well witn the people gave the Bolsheviks many supporters in the revolution and so ultimately gave them the upper hand against the Provisional Government. Lenin changed the Marx theory, by skipping capitalism – Marxist Leninism, therefore Communism was now seen as conceivable. The Bolshevik party was the only party that opposed the Provisional government, as the provisional government was unpopular, the Bolsheviks once again gained a lot of support.

Comparison Between Kes and Billy Elliot Essays

Comparison Between Kes and Billy Elliot Essays Comparison Between Kes and Billy Elliot Essay Comparison Between Kes and Billy Elliot Essay Both films central ideas are based around the theme of hardship in the North during the late 20th century (1950-1990). Both directors have chosen to specifically highlight the lack of opportunity there is for someone to excel and have a job that matches their talents. Both boys find something that they are passionate about but it is extremely hard for them to break out from the norm of after finishing school (at a considerably much younger age than we would finish) was being sent off to the mines. It is interesting to note that even though the films span the gap between Yorkshire in the late 1960s to around 1984-85, the way the people live their lives and their standards of living seem not to have changed very much at all. Apart from the addition of very few cars, the houses and livelihoods of the people appear almost exactly the same.British New Wave Cinema was concerned with the realism of the situation in the North and directors such as Ken Loach (Kes) tried to make this very obvi ous in his film. The work of directors working in the British New Wave era drew attention to the reality of life for the working classes, especially in the North of England, giving rise to the expression, Its grim up north. This particular type of drama, centred around class and the nitty-gritty of day-to-day life, was also known as the kitchen sink drama. This kitchen-sink drama is especially obvious in Kes because the style and cinematography of the film is very natural and realistic. In fact, Ken Loach used hardly any professional actors but instead hired relatively unknown and sometimes just people from the surrounding area with no acting experience in the film. The style of the filming is also very real, containing relatively few obviously symbolistic sections and having minimal editing but instead long drawn out shots without cuts to a different perspective. This added to the sense of reality and made the film seem almost too simple as if you were seeing it through someones ey es and not through multiple cameras.Both Billy Casper and Billy Elliot are similar characters. They both seem to wear virtually the same clothes everyday, consisting of a school uniform and their recreation clothes. These clothes get worn and worn again no matter what the boys have been doing in them. They also seem to only just fit both the Billys. This is probably to suggest that they cannot afford and new clothes. They do not wear any brand names also implicating their poor financial status. Another similarity between the boys is their broken household. Caspers father is not talked about or featured at all, meaning his mother and the two boys have to sustain themselves. As we see, this is the root of Billys thieving and the reason for his having to take on a paper round. It also explains why it is so important for him to be employed and why he may have to accept his fate of having to work in the mines. This is also the case in Elliots household. During the course of the film we h ear quite a lot about the death of Billys mother and how this has affected the family.However, as a difference to Kes, the film focuses much more on how the death of this figure in their lives affects them emotionally, as appose to the neutral feeling Kes gives about the absence of Caspers father. One might guess that this has been done to conform to the types of film being made at the time. Audiences in the 1990s and 2000s needed a character to sympathize with and this addition of feeling, empathy or emotion into Billy Elliot gives the audience this. It means that Billy Elliot cannot really be classed as a British New Wave film because the film has been romanticised to a certain extent and therefore has moved away from the harsh reality of films like Kes and Billy Liar (1963) which truly have their roots in British New Wave.Another similarity between Kes and Billy Elliot is the storylines of the two films. Both the Billys find something they are truly passionate about, a rare occur rence in a society with little scope for experimenting, and follow whatever this obsession passion is about. For both boys their hobby is rather like a release from the monotony of the life they had known and this makes them want to continue their hobby purely for the need of change and excitement in their lives. This is wonderfully represented in the British New Wave genre. Because the genre typically focuses on the nitty-gritty of day-to-day life the audience are given an insight into this monotonous existence and so when the characters find their passion, want them to continue and be successful because they can sympathize with the needs of the character.Nevertheless the outcomes of the two plots are very different. In Kes, there is not a happy ending. This fits perfectly into the ideals of British New Wave cinema. It is real-life and in real life there are no happy endings. Moreover, we are not told the end of Caspers story, and the film ends in an almost finished manner, the aud ience left to speculate what kind of life Billy will go on to lead. Unfortunately, the audience assumes from what they know of the opportunity for differentiation in his culture, that he has eventually to face up to his fears and work down the mines. Interestingly, this suspicion of Caspers fate is possibly even confirmed by the film Billy Elliot, in that standards of living and the general kind of lives Northern people are able to lead have hardly changed at all after more than 15 years. On the other hand, we do get to find out what happens to Billy after his journey to discovery in dance. The end sequence pictures the happy romanticised ending that a modern audience expects (and unfortunately usually gets). This again goes against the ideas of British New Wave cinema.DIFFERENCES:One of the major differences between Kes and Billy Elliot is the representation of the conflict between social classes. In Billy Elliot the dance teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson is portrayed as being from a slight ly more upper class circle than Billy. This can be seen in the area that she lives in. when both Billy and his dad go to see her separately the differences between their two homes and neighbourhoods are glaringly obvious. Even more so, the divide between social classes being portrayed here is shown when Mrs. Wilkinson appears to be completely alienated, nervous and scared when visiting Billy in his tough, dog-eats-dog world.One of the central ideas of British new wave cinema is giving a voice to the working class. Britain today is still a society in many ways defined by class, but in the 1950s divisions were far more rigid as can be seen in the large division between Mrs. Wilkinsons and Billys world. The new wave films and the sources that inspired them gave a voice to a working-class that was for the first time gaining some economic power. In Billy Elliot, the point that had been trying to be made in British new wave cinema of the 50s and 60s was being reiterated and applied to the new generation. The director of Billy Elliot maybe wanted to prove that even though economy had moved on leaps and bounds for the southern population, it was still unmoving up in the north. The director gave these people a voice in Billy Elliot.Kes hardly shows the distinction between the classes at all, only touches on it with the inclusion of characters such as the careers advisor and the friendly teacher (who can be identified as higher class by the ownership of a car). However, the conflict and stark differences between these classes are not explored in this film. This was the case in many new wave films. Interestingly, only Room at the Top (d. Jack Clayton, 1958) and Look Back in Anger (d. Tony Richardson, 1959) look directly at conflict between working-class and middle-class characters. The later films concentrate on conflicts within the working-class contrasting rough (the very poor, unskilled, criminal and hedonistic represented by characters like Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (d. Karel Reisz, 1960) and Colin Smith and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, d. Richardson, 1962) with respectable (skilled, aspirational, educated and moral such as the heroes of John Schlesingers films: Vic Brown in A Kind of Loving (1962) and the life that Billy Fisher in Billy Liar (1963) appears to lead).

Horde, Trooper, and Towards

Horde, Trooper, and Towards Horde, Trooper, and Towards Horde, Trooper, and Towards By Maeve Maddox Some usage errors are so widespread that readers begin to wonder if they’re mistaken about the correct form. horde/hoard A reader came across the phrase â€Å"hoards of databases† used to mean â€Å"many databases.† He thought the usage was incorrect, but as the usage was printed in â€Å"a best selling book from quite a famous publisher,† he doubted his own judgment: â€Å"My question is: is the incorrect usage becoming acceptable nowadays?† No, horde and hoard still have different meanings. The context calls for â€Å"hordes of databases† because the meaning is â€Å"a vast number.† The earliest use of horde was to refer to a large number of tribal people, but now it is used to refer to things as well as people. The noun spelled hoard means â€Å"an accumulation of something of value that has been hidden or put aside until wanted.† In early use, hoard meant anything hidden, like treasure. Beowulf’s dragon sleeps on a hoard. See â€Å"Hordes of People Shouldn’t Hoard.† trooper/trouper Another reader questions the following headline in her local newspaper: Three-year-old Martinsburg girl battling leukemia a real trooper Asks the reader, Shouldn’t that be ‘trouper’? Yes, it should. A troupe is a performing group, like a ballet troupe or an acting troupe. The word trooper refers to military or paramilitary personnel. Although one does expect troopers to be tough and hardworking, trouper is the word that is used with the meaning â€Å"a brave, hardworking, persistent, dedicated person.† See †Trooper or Trouper?† toward/towards Finally, a reader is puzzled by an interview with an American speaker who was present when the bombs went off at the 2013 Boston Marathon: He keeps saying towards, for example, â€Å"Several people have asked me why I ran towards the smoke.† The usual take on the difference between toward and towards is that toward is American usage and towards is British usage. Fowler called towards the preferred usage and toward either â€Å"literary or provincial.† I usually write towards, but dutifully remove the s when revising. I suspect that other American speakers do also. The American AP Stylebook states flatly, â€Å"toward: not towards.† The Chicago Manual of Style adds a note about other directional words: The same is true for other directional words, such as upward, downward, forward, and backward, as well as afterward. The use of afterwards and backwards as adverbs is neither rare nor incorrect. But for the sake of consistency, it is better to stay with the simpler form. If you are writing for an American publication, go with toward. See †Running Toward the House or Towards the House?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk†Mankind vs. Humankind

Key Developments within the Global Airline Industry Essay

Key Developments within the Global Airline Industry - Essay Example The researcher states that the growth of the airline industry is averaged at 5 percent annually through the estimates have changed due to changing economic conditions and differences in air travel safety across continents. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry experienced a $ 4 billion decline in profitability in 2011. Surprisingly, analysts point that global air travel passengers will hit a mark of 3.5 billion passengers annually in2015 which is a 30 percent increase from the current figures. IATA clarifies that increase in global fuel costs will impact negatively on the profitability of many airlines since it is estimated that global airlines will experience about $ 1.6 billion fuel cost increases. Accordingly, fuel costs account for about 35 percent of airline costs currently, up from 15 percent in 2000. Numerous uncertainties such as the recent global financial crisis and global terrorism have negatively affected the profitability of the in dustry. The developments have led to shifts in t global air travel services provision as major global players have intensified competition in the new centers of production. Additionally, the emergence of new international financial hubs such as China has led to movements of major airlines from their home markets to new high growth markets. Transnational corporations like the World Trade Bank and International Monetary Fund have facilitated globalization through the elimination of barriers in trade and investment flows among the nations. There are numerous factors affect the competitiveness of the airline in the domestic market. Some factors include the level of technological innovation, the influencing factor creation, and organization of the airline. According to Porter’s diamond model, the structure of the industry, the rivalry of the firms, the factor conditions, demand in the market and supportive industries are the important internal factors that determine the success of the firm in the domestic or national market.

How the revolution affect the cultural and human relationship Essay

How the revolution affect the cultural and human relationship - Essay Example This was initiated in between 1966-1976 by Mao Zedong the chairman of the Communist Party of China at the time. The movement had significant influence on the people of China an estimated a quarter of the entire humanity today socially and also economically. In Liangs autobiography the revolution affected his family and his adequate access to education in their hometown of Changsha as a result its turbulent political campaigns. The effects of the revolution are seen in the entire life of Liang Heng starting from his family break up, being sent to the countryside for "re-education and later on as Liang works as a factory worker (Liang, 1983). Despite the revolution starting as a political campaign in the Peoples Republic of China, the revolution had immense effect on the cultural and human relationships with the people of China as Liang Heng writes in his book "Son of the Revolution" (Liang, H. 1983). Among the effects on the cultural relationships is seen in the education system. The revolution affected the intellect in the society as they were the ones running the central government operations at all levels of administration. Liangs father and mother had attained a high school education by this time. The revolution saw many young and energetic Chinese make an effort to attain higher education to be considered for better employment including Liangs himself. The cultural relationship between education and revisionist was changed during the revolution. Many saw higher education later on as a gateway to satisfactory job and decent housing (Jiang, 2007). The revolution affected the human relationship within many Chinese families including Liangs family. During the Hundred Flower Campaign Liang Hengs mother was sent away for labor reform as it was called during the time of the revolution (Liang, 1983). This was mainly due to Liang Hengs comment. This brought about the first division of