Saturday, August 31, 2019

Project Cycle Essay

In this essay, I will outline the TRADITIONAL PROJRCT CYCLE, Macarthur’s PROJECT SEQUENCE MODEL and the PARTICIPATORY PROJECT MANAGEMENT CYCLE by giving their main features and general principles. There after I will discuss which one of them is the best suited to ensure learning takes place and those projects planning are improved. First we need to understand what project cycle is. The planning and managing of the project indicate the cyclic process of the project (Conyers and Hills 1985: 73-61) which opposes Katz’s (1975) ideology of a spiral process. Here in the project cycle, the planning consists of a number of linking phases which exist depending on one another. The project cycle has different phases during its cycle process, namely being phase1: Decision to engage in planning and the creation of an organization  framework. Phase2: The identification of planning objectives and targets. Phase3: Data collection and processing. Phase4: Identifying alternatives courses of action. Phase5: Appraisal plans and projects Phase6: Implementation and lastly Phase7: Monitoring and evaluation. Though the initial decision to engage in Planning and creation of an organizational framework is stated as phase 1, according to Conyers and Hills, phase 1 is placed at the outer edge of the cycle planning process because this decision is only made once in each country and does not form part of a regular cycle. This step is there to ensure the availability of the necessary human and financial resources to carry out the planning and implementation effectively. The identification of planning objectives and targets which is phase2. This phase is often regarded as political therefore the decision is taken by government leaders. It is stated by (Conyers and Hills: 1984) that during this phase, general rules are laid down to show the course of the country’s development and the set of principles or ideas used as a basis for one’s decisions within which development planners can formulate more specific objectives. These general rules are usually sketched in a broad description and indicate medium-term and long-term priorities. Another phase included in the traditional project cycle is Phase3: Data collection and processing. This phase is regarded as the important phase in the development planning of any country. The availability of information is absolutely essential for determining the nature and scope of development problems and resulting in designing alternative course of action to relieve or solving problems. Stated by (Conyers a nd Hills: 1984) The following phase is Phase4: Identifying alternative courses of action. Here is where time is given to identify and specifying alternative courses of action which may be adopted to solve development problems and achieve objectives. These identified courses of action may take form of either a written planning document or a series of projects. Said by (Conyers and Hills: 1984) Phase5: Appraising plans and projects is the phase during which stated by Conyers and Hills that different proposed alternatives are  weighted one another and appraised or assessed the value or quality of their nature. The advantages and disadvantages of alternative courses of action are decided firmly and submitted to those who will ultimately choose between the alternatives. Implementation is Phase 6, though the implementation of plans and projects is part of the project cycle, it is not considered to be part of the planning process mainly because the professional planners are not directly involved the implementation of plans, stated by (Conyers and Hills: 1984). This part is left to the technicians and administrative staff. This does not mean that the planners are free to ignore the implementation process. The implementation phase can not proceed without the other phase of planning or the other cycle and during this period it is actually the development planner’s job to consider how the plans is to be operationalised. The last phase of the traditional project cycle stated by (Conyers and Hills: 1984) is Phase7: Monitoring and evaluation. What is monitored ad evaluated here is the implementation of the planning. The monitoring and evaluation are undertaken on a continuous basis and not only once, making it part of the implementation process. This phase is intended to establish what takes place during the implementation phase, to determine to what extent objective has been realized, and lastly to formulate the lessons learnt from the experience of the implementation and to solve problems as they arise. This step is said to be the last step of the process, but the actual fact is that the process starts all over again. There is another form of project planning called the Macarthur’ project sequence. This project is a somewhat an opposite of the traditional project cycle. The difference between the project plans will be visible during my description of Macarthur’ project sequence. The Macarthur’ project sequence demonstrates how much more it is complex to plan a project than Conyers and Hills portray it to be. Even though that’s the case, their cycle is said it does give good idea of the main phases or stages of project planning (Macarthur 1994a: 137) Here in Macarthur’s project sequence diagram, he demonstrates how his model  is an improvement and more realistic reflection of reality than the simplified academic model. The Macarthur’s project sequence model has three phases which also within it consists of stages or events in the life of the project (Macarthur 1994a: 137) The first phase is the Pre-Investment, where the project is still a set of ideas and proposals. The second phase is the investment Phase, here is where the financial commitment has been made and the fixed productive assets are obtained (Macarthur 1994a:137). He proceed by saying the third phase is the Operation Phase, where the created investments are used to generate the output whose availability in the economy is the main justification of the project (Macarthur 1994a:137) Macarthur does not allow to be the fourth phase in the diagram (even though he admits it would make sense to do so) consisting of box 18-21, but he thinks this will make the diagram too complex. He also did not include the eight possible sources of project ideas (which are listed above box 1) as part of the project sequence because he feels that they form part of outside project activities such as broader policy formulation and the government activities and planning (Macarthur 1994a:137) (Macarthur 1994a:137) also stated that his diagram differs from the Conyers and Hills cycle because it has ‘’exit’’ routes where are alluded as ‘’abandonment’’. This allows a project to continue from one step to the next when it fails. He also says that this allows projects to enter at places other that the identification stage. Allowance of more entrances enables projects to be pat of larger programs rather than being just a mere stand-alone project. It allows the proposals to be ‘’sent back’’ for reconsideration or refinement of the first phase which is the Pre-Investment Phase didn’t go well. Macarthur lastly explains the last Phase 3 which is the Operations Phase. He states that this is where the improvements on the other project cycle diagram are presented since they make no mansion of this phase in their diagram. Box16 of Macarthur’s diagram (which is the transmission to normal  administration) reflects the importance of this phase. He says this part indicates the point at which a new project stops to have a special identity as a unique or different set of activities and becomes part of the responsibility of a section in the organization that is responsible for the operation of productive facilities (Macarthur 1994a: 137) In Macarthur (1994a:137) sequence diagram, evaluation immediately takes place after implementation of the project in order to reflect on the experiences during implementation and to take note of any lessons learnt in order to feed these back into similar project that may be undertaken later (Box 18) The aim of the evaluation that takes place after years of the operation has been done is to make more proper assessment of the rates of return received on the money initially invested in the project (Macarthur 1994a: 147-148) Both Macarthur (1994) sequence planning and Conyers and Hills cyclic planning show a blueprint approach are inflexible and difficult to change. The projects are systematically and carefully planned in advance and implemented strictly according to the formulated plan. Their design is to the provision of a large physical infrastructure like industrial projects. The infrastructure that regard is easy to obtain in which to the base the project. The Macarthur (1994a: 137) sequence and Conyers and Hills cycle project plans got criticized by Rondinelli (1983) in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Rondinelli (1983: viii) says that the problems that come with a strict blueprint approach can be minimized by using â€Å"Adaptive approach that relies on adjustive and strategic planning, on administrative procedures that facilitate innovation, responsiveness and experimentation on decision making processes that join learning with action†. An adaptive approach is also known as the learning process planning mode. It provides for successive stages of EXPERIMENTATION, PILOT, and DEMONTRATION AND REPLICATION OR PRODUCTION. The important statement in this approach is that there is little certainty about which technique will work in the long  term for a particular country (Rondinelli 1983: viii). Selected techniques are applied and exposed to regular field tests, after which activities are designed in accordance with what was learnt in the field. The outcome is that project planning is made more flexible by modifying and adapting project as more knowledge is obtained about environment. One of the statements about learning process approach is that there should be continual communication between project planners, implementers and the inhabitants of the area affected by the project (Korten 1980: 480-511), (Sweets and Weisel 1979: 127-130). Long (2001: 64-79) also supported this by explaining why participation is so important on development effort. He stated that poor people know their economic and social problems best and have insights and ideas about what could be done to solve them. Lane (2005) also supported Rondinelli (1983) criticism by making a critique of his own of various planning Models among which is the blueprint approach like those discussed previously. Lane (2005) stated that there are more flexible approaches like SYNOPTIC APPROACH which he feels allows for what he calls â€Å"tokenistic† participation. He also mentioned other flexible planning approaches such as â€Å"mixed planning†, â€Å"incrementalism† as well as approaches like â€Å"transitive† planning and communication theories. Lane (2007: 296) argues that â€Å"whereas participation was previously viewed as a decision making adjust, all schools of contemporary era view participation as a basic and important element of planning and decision making. Even though the traditional project cycle of Conyers and Hills was criticized by other models. It has an advantage of providing for a number of phases designed in such a way as to link the formulation of basic policy guidelines to specific projects and programs; this ensures that the lessons learnt from the implementation of each phase will be in corporate into the next cycle. Because in this cyclic project planning the process usually starts all over again after the last phase which is phase 7, it gives the planners an opportunity to learn from the lessons of the past. The Macarthur (1994a:  137) project planning sequence has its advantage of having the allowance of â€Å"exit† route, which is referred to as â€Å"Abandonment†. When a project fails to continue from one stage to the next. Another advantage of Macarthur’s sequence is that it allows for â€Å"projects to enter at places other than the identification stage (1994a: 138). He also adds that by allow ing for more entrance, enables Macarthur to make provision of other projects that may be part of a larger programs, rather than mere stand alone projects. Thirdly project proposals can be â€Å"sent back† for reconsideration or refinement. The participatory project management cycle’s adoptive approach has its own advantage of consisting of continuous cycle of action, reflection and adaptation, which Den Heyer (2002: 525) refers as â€Å"learning loops†. Even though all three of the project planning models has advantages, there are some disadvantages that come with them that make them to be not applicable for use in some project planning. The disadvantage of traditional cyclic model as pointed by Macarthur (1994a: 135) is that Conyers and Hills traditional cyclic model omits certain key moments in the life of a project, which means that we do not really get an adequate description of all the actual phases or stages through which large projects in particular, move. Macarthur’s (1994) project sequence also has its disadvantage. It is criticized by Rondinelli (1983: viii) and Lane (2005) that the sequence is a blueprint approach, and blueprint approaches are too strict and inflexible. Which they feel blueprint approaches don’t allow for participation. Long   (2001: 74) also agrees with this critique that blueprint approaches do not allow participation and flexibility needed to carry out the project.  As much as participation approach has a lot to criticize on other approaches, it also has its disadvantage, which is by the point of view of (Lane 2007: 296) is that participation is a remedy for the inadequacies or weakness of the more rigid blueprint approaches. In my opinion, I think the participatory approach is the best approach that ensures that learning during implementation takes place because it is flexible and includes the techniques use in both the cyclic and the sequential approaches. It does not  only accommodate infr astructural projects but also the people centered projects that will benefit the people. Just like the Tanzania Participatory Poverty Assessment project. Where PPA was designed to complete a natural Human Resource Development (HRD) survey on 1993 by focusing on gathering information on poverty as defined by local people in their own terms (Moriiti and Crawford 2009: 296). BIBLIOGRAPHY. Biggs & Smith; Hart, Burgess, Beukes & Hart; Lane.2009. Only study guide for DVA2602.Pretoria: University of South Africa PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES AS INSTITUTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT: a reader, 2009: contributed by Muriithi and Crawford. Pretoria: University of South Africa.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Summary: The Native Son

The Native Son is a novel by Richard Wright, which is set in southern part of Chicago in the 1930’s. The novel, which was divided into three books, Fear, Flight, and Fate, is basically a story of 22-year old Bigger Thomas, an African-American, and his struggles living an impoverished life of crime The scene opens with Bigger being awakened by the screams of his sister, Vera and mother. He saw that the cause of the commotion was a big rat. He and his brother, Buddy, drove the rodent into a corner, but the rat retaliates and wounds Bigger. Ultimately, Bigger kills the rat with a heavy iron skilled Bigger's wanted to become an aviator but is instead given a job for a white millionaire-philanthropist named Henry Dalton. During this time, his mother warns him to forget his criminal habits, lest he end up in prison and also tells him to go out and get a job if he â€Å"had any manhood in him.† Although he sincerely cares about his family, Bigger knows that he will never have a big time job that will enable him to support his family Despite his mother’s warning, Bigger meets his gang and they hatch a plan to rob Blum's Deli. However, he is actually afraid to commit robbery and he tells this to his friend Gus, who in turn calls Bigger’s bluff. This angered Bigger and he attempted to stab his would-be friend but gets up being kicked out of the gang. He then prepares for the interview with Mr. Dalton. Although Bigger doesn’t really want to take the job, he is amazed by the massive wealth of his potential employer so he decides to proceed. However, he fails to answer clearly at the interview and frightened by some of the house’s furniture as well as Mr. Dalton’s blind wife, his maid Peggy and daughter Mary. Bigger remembers seeing Mary in a newsreel which showed that she was Communist sympathizer along with her boyfriend, Jan Elrone, who is a communist herself.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Natural Selection Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Natural Selection - Lab Report Example eby the trait of interest has an optimum value, and finally, Disruptive curve in which organisms that have the largest and the smallest values of any given trait boots of highest fitness value and conversely, organism that have intermediate values are disadvantaged. Considering the above stated facts, it is seen that in the long term, Directional selection results to generation of the new type of species from the existing species. This is unlike stabilizing in which the given specie maintains its existing type without any variation over the long period of time. It has been found that stabilizing selection results in the refinement of the existing specie type. On the other hand, disruptive selection facilitates favouritisms of given individuals of a given phenotype (Williams). This experiment’s main objective is the comparison on how the population size varies in different generations depending on different environmental conditions, determination of the effect of different predator types on the population of prey, and the gaining of graphing and interpretation knowledge. In this habitat, the number of Clothespin is increasing linearly while knives and spoons are decreasing as the generation changes. However, number of spoons decreases from first generation to second generation, then it starts increasing. In this habitat, the number of S. pea preys decreases tremendously in all the generation. The number of White and pinto decreases from first generation to second generation and starts increasing from generation 2 to generation 3 The number of Forks and clothespin in this habitat is almost constant. The change in the number of spoons increases tremendously from generation 1 to generation 2 and decreases from generation 2 to generation 3 As the Number of predators increases, the number of preys decreases. This is due to the fact that an increase in the number of predators results into more preys being eaten and as a result, their (prey) number decreases. Also,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

To what extent should companies go with business bluffing in order to Essay

To what extent should companies go with business bluffing in order to maximize profit - Essay Example In the present age, when the people have become very conscious regarding the environmental issues and the health and safety aspects of business, businessmen are exposed to a lot of challenges. The rise in level of social consciousness comes as a potential threat to the profitability of businesses because the two are on the two extremes of the seesaw. The profitability increases when the standards of ethics are not complied with and vice versa. Businessmen frequently make use of bluffing to maximize their profits. Bluffing in business is essentially a strategy of the like which is used in games like poker. The game strategy has no reflection in the bluffer’s morality. When a businessman respects truth, he/she essentially considers it â€Å"the basis of private morality† (Carr). A businessman deserves respect for respecting the truth. Bluffing has become an essential component of many kinds of businesses. For example, in court, when a lawyer fights a case for a client, his/her job is to prove that he/she is not guilty regardless of what the truth is, and this is fully understood by the judge and everyone who is involved in the jury down the line. It is commonly said that the court is blind, which means that a judge can not take a decision if he/she believes one of the parties is right unless that party provides the judge with sufficient evidence against the criminal party. This is perfectly consistent with Henry Taylor’s statement, â€Å"falsehood ceases to be falsehood when it is understood on all sides that the truth is not expected to be spoken† (Carr). This description of bluffing is as valid for business as it is for poker . Corporate executives can not make independent decisions. Their actions are guided by the instructions of the top management. However, in addition to being an employee, a corporate executive is just as human as his/her manager. The corporate executive thinks from his/her own mind and is fully capable of analyzing the quality of decision enforced by the manager. Quite often, a corporate executive may not approve of the decision of the top management, but there is nothing he/she can do about it because if he/she attempts to, he/she will risk the job. Therefore, most corporate executives tend to remain silent rather than giving voice to their conflicting views, and this, for many, is the strategy of survival in the workplace. In this way, business ethics resemble the game ethics both of which are totally different from the ethics of religion. Businessmen generally maintain self constructed standards of ethics and tend to comply with them. As long as they are doing good on certain scal es of ethics that they value the most, they are happy that they are conducting the business ethically and their conscience is fully satisfied. The Democrat, Omar Burleson from Texas expressed his views about his own business practice in these words: I can tell you that we pride ourselves on our ethics. In thirty years not one customer has ever questioned my word or asked to check our figures. We're loyal to our customers and fair to our suppliers. I regard my handshake on a deal as a contract. I've never entered into price-fixing schemes with my competitors. I've never allowed my salesmen to spread injurious rumors about other companies. Our union contract is the best in our industry. And, if I do say so myself, our ethical standards are of the highest! (Burleson cited in Carr). In fact, the difference arises from the disparity of perceptions about the ethical standards of the businessmen and those of the stakeholders. When a businessman says that his ways are ethical, it most often means that he/she complies with the ethics of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Cross cultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cross cultural management - Essay Example Limited cultural training barred most interactions. Though, participating parties rated this handy experiment as a major embodiment of their education. Introduction Virtual teams are turning into a standard element of worldwide business affiliations. The globalization of affiliations and technological advancements ensue into driving this virtual team notion that may continue to augment and develop into the predictable future. Virtual groups vary from face groups. One key difference is that they are thoroughly geographically placed, a fact that forces individuals to aim at overcoming time, affiliation boundaries and time (Ahuja, Galletta, and Carley, 2003). Moreover, communication is continually identified as the key to fruitful virtual teams. Therefore, communication and its several elements are a prime focus of this study. Virtual workgroups can typically be acknowledged by their traits. Virtual teams are a functional team that is inter-reliant in work management, having displayed e quality in responsibility for upshots and universally managing relations across affiliation boundaries. ... Additionally, virtual teams provide the opportunity to form culturally, assorted solutions; enhances creativity and a strong sense of unity among the involved team players. This can also encourage a firm acceptance of new notions, offering a competitive merit for international affiliations. Other merits are cost savings related to lodging and travel, time separation which makes the project to be active and access to most of the influential people in the affiliation joining deliberations at a pantry cost (Furnham, 2000). The demerits of virtual teams are that they often lean to utilise a more time-consuming deliberation process. When misunderstandings and poor communication occur, conflicts may arise among working teams. The time and geographical distance zones between team members may make a resolution of these constraints harder (Zakaria, Amelinckx and Wilemon, 2004). Cultural constraints of notably diverse nations may aggravate the drawbacks. Communication and trust One of the most pertinent keys to affluence with regard to communication is complete trust among teams and their members. Team associates ought to feel liberated to assert their viewpoints with no fear of critics. This constraint can be more complicated if team affiliates have hardly met each other or know pantry regarding their workmates (Warkentin et al, 2002). The swift trust phenomenon postulates that team players import anticipations of trust from common settings. In virtual teams, there is overtly meagre time to reserve and develop any mode of individual relationships. Workforces are constantly selected for virtual teams based on a sundry knowhow set, with pantry or no considerable attention given to a past record of working closely together (Oertig,

Monday, August 26, 2019

Pensions as an important financial instruments Essay

Pensions as an important financial instruments - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper are pensions as an important financial instruments that provide economic security to employees once they retire. A pension is a fixed payment that the beneficiary receives on a monthly basis once they reach retirement age. The use of pension plans by corporations became a mainstream practice in corporate America after World War II. In the United States pension plans have become more important than ever particularly for younger people due to the fact that the social security system is not going to be able to help younger adults. The most likely outcome is that generation X will not receive a social security check 30 years from now. Defined contribution plans must be disclosed in the financial statements of an organization. The things that must be reported in the financial statements in regards to pensions include the existence of the plan, the employee groups covered, the basis for determining contributions, and any significant matters affecting comp arability from period to period. The accounting treatment for defined benefit plans is a bit more complex. It is imperative that corporations make pension contributions that are sufficient to cover the benefits that are promised by the plan. Due to the fluctuating nature of the stock market, which is an investment mechanism used by pension managers to obtain a greater return for the beneficiaries, on many occasions pension funds are underfunded. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 stipulated that all corporate pension funds must be fully funded by the year 2013. Pension fund accounting requires the use of actuarial tools to estimate the future value of pension benefits. Two benefit approaches that can be used by accountants are accumulated benefits approach and years of service approach. The difference between the two methods is that one estimates annual pension cost and liability based on existing salary levels, while the other is based on the estimated final pay at retirement. The liability for pension benefits under the accumulated benefits approach is called accumulated benefits obligation, while the liability computed under the benefits/years of service approach is called projected benefit obligation (Clark & Cathey, 2011). The proliferation of the use of pension plans occurred after World War II. The accounting profession immediately took notice of the tendency. In 1956 the Committee on Accounting Procedures released Accounting Bulleting No. 47, Accounting for Costs of Pension Plans. ARB-47 required disclosure of unfunded vested benefits on the balance sheet (Duangplov & Pence, 2007). Pension funds were considered a legal liability after the inception of APB No. 8 in 1966. APB No. 8 also discusses the different components of pension costs. The three components of pension costs are normal costs, past service costs, and prior service costs. The underfunded pension cost became a liability in the balance

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Diamond Wipes International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diamond Wipes International - Essay Example The company has an annual revenue of around fifteen million dollars and employs over 100 people now. Yen had no former experience as a business owner or as a manager but she managed to pursue her enterprise to come to the top. Diamond Wipes International was featured in Fortune Small Business as well as other prestigious business avenues. The journey has not always been smooth for Eve Yen given she had little management and business experience when she started out (Longnecker, Petty and Palich). This case study will look into various choices made by Eve Yen in context of her company’s management and business choices to decipher their success. Recommendations will be provided for areas where improvements could be done. What leadership style did Eve Yen use with her employees? Describe her actions that support your choice. Eve Yen can be seen largely as a democratic and an affiliative leader in most of her actions. Eve’s respect for other people’s opinions especial ly her employees opinions before making large decisions reflects that she acts as a democratic leader. In addition, Eve’s close relationship to her employees and her sensitivity towards her employees shows that she is an affiliative leader (Longnecker, Petty and Palich). What aspects of Eve’s leadership approach directly or indirectly affected the problems that developed? Clearly explain the connections between Eve’s behaviors and the resulting problems. A business leader must wear many hats at the same time in terms of being a leader. Among other leadership styles, the leader must be authoritative where required. This does not mean that the leader must be authoritative at all times but it does indicate that the leader must act authoritatively where he feels it is required. The lack of management experience meant that Eve Yen acted too personally with her employees in terms of leadership style. This meant that employees saw her as a weak character whose instruct ions and set objectives could be ignored (Lerner). In addition, Eve’s lack of character judgment meant that she hired the wrong people for the right positions. As a consequence of this bad decision making, the company lost money as the newly hired people failed to perform their duties as per the settled objectives and provided instructions. Another major shortcoming on the part of Eve Yen as a leader was her lack of consideration for short term and long term objectives. A good leader must have the ability to stand above everyone else and see beyond the horizon. Only this can allow a business leader to guide his team in the right direction. However, Even Yen failed to look beyond everyone else and faced numerous challenges as her organization was expanding. Being a leader, Eve Yen should have speculated what was required to expand especially for a rapidly expanding company like Diamond Wipes International. Explain why entrepreneurs in general have difficulty being effective or ganizational managers. How does Eve Yen reflect these characteristics? As mentioned before, an entrepreneur must wear many different hats at the same time in order to be an effective leader. Most entrepreneurs wear one leadership style that suits them and then try to make employees attune themselves to that leadership style. However, individuals working for an organization differ in their thinking and approach to work. The business leader must be ready to deal with differentiated individuals by being a wholesome leader for all employees. In order to deal with this dilemma, the business leader has to be prepared to work as a dynamic leader who keeps shifting his leadership style as the situation requires of him. Ineffective organiza

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Qualitative methods produce useful but unreliable research. Discuss Essay

Qualitative methods produce useful but unreliable research. Discuss - Essay Example y, the issues and subjects that may be influenced by the emotion and feelings of the masses are generally more suitable for qualitative research methodologies. It is therefore surprising that even though, both the types of researches have their own specific relevance, qualitative research methodology sometimes seems to become less reliable, especially in terms of its validation by a small number of data as compared to the quantitative research which is backed by a large ‘number’. Qualitative research is a very important tool for evaluating trends and behavioural pattern of the people who are in a position to influence a set of defined parameters or vice versa. It is also a very means to analyse how the changes occur in our social lives and how and what the factors that affect our decisions are. It is especially true in the case of gauging trends in consumer behaviour or trying to evaluate public leaning to a political ideology or a burning political issue. It is the reason that social scientists use this methodology to go deeper into the emotional psyche of the public’s moods and attitude and thus try to identify the root cause for their current trends. Consequently, the numbers become irrelevant for the researchers and the emotions and feelings that dictate the attitudes and views of the public becomes primary criteria to the final selection of the research methodology. Hence main features and methodologies of the qualitative research would be discus sed in detail so that we can come to some concrete decision regarding the usefulness and reliability of the qualitative methods. The qualitative research is based on ‘grounded theory’ where the qualitative analysis of the data is used for generating theories that reflect the realities of life. Social scientists are therefore more inclined to use this type of research so that social changes and real life situations could be predicted with relative accuracy at unpredictable and unexpected circumstances. The

Family or Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family or Art - Essay Example The law and politics, human emotions, failings and desires, as well as survival and reproductive success in the biological sense all contribute to the notion of ‘family’ as we know it today. There are also fine and subtle variations determined by location (and dislocation, such as is caused by migration), race, religion, and a host of other complications devised, and brought about unwittingly, by humankind. In this family portrait the most important aspects are composition and palette. Prominence is given to the pet in the foreground. The color scheme also shows that the bespectacled boy, drawn in red, seems to have preference over the shadowy presence of sister, mom and dad. All are unsmiling: this could have a number of reasons. Is the pet being given away? Is the boy in trouble? Are boy and dog ganging up on the rest of the family? The three heads in the background could be snipped off at the corner, leaving boy and dog, who occupy most of the frame. This possibility gives this family a fault-line. All is not as happy as it looks on first look. The monotone color choice for this picture is deceptive, suggesting less happiness and unity than is visible on closer inspection. A mother and daughter are occupied in a yoga exercise that unites them in shape, concentration and harmony. They are almost one shape, so they make a family: they are dressed similarly, and only a singular purpose could keep a person in that pose. They both want to do this very much. They like to be together: are all families like this? This picture looks old-fashioned, like a woodcut, but its premise is contemporary. A single mother can bring up her daughter alone and they can enjoy harmony. The Gravenor family looks very correct, contained and harmonious, thanks to the artist’s composition and choices of color. Father, mother and two daughters? Or father, wife, daughter and grandmother? From this

Friday, August 23, 2019

Analysis Of Business Environment For Coca-Cola Company Research Paper

Analysis Of Business Environment For Coca-Cola Company - Research Paper Example The company can minimize weaknesses and fight threats to improve financial and training systems and undertake staff motivational initiatives to minimize risks associated with new markets and increase competitive advantage as well as constantly build expertise in the firm to minimize chances of the firm undertaking risky business internationally such as the experiences seen during the global financial crisis. Also, technological advancements in the industry may be useful to increase competition. Using SWOT analysis, the company should be able to focus on its strengths, curtail threats, and take the utmost possible gain of opportunities available, and trigger aggressive strategy formulation. The firm has a better understanding of its competitors which can provide insights to craft a coherent and successful competitive position. To maintain and/or increase customer loyalty, the company should employ strategies that jealously guard its existing market share and also explore ways of expan ding the customer base to grow revenue and increase business performance. Product differentiation based on customer segments is one of the strategies the company can use. The company should also explore the strengths and limitations of its competitors by interrogating the soft spots of alternative products to strengthen its products. Other strategies may include going an extra mile to know its customers better, meet and exceed customer expectations, increase value derived by customers from its products.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Concepts of Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Concepts of Race and Ethnicity Essay Define the following terms. You may use definitions from the class readings, or from outside sources. If your definitions are from outside sources, cite the source(s) using APA style with in-text citations and a reference list. |Term |Definition | |Ethnicity |a shared cultural heritage, which typically involves common | | |ancestors, language, and religion | |Race |is a socially constructed category of people who share biologi-| | |cally transmitted traits that members of a society define as | | |important. | |Xenophobia |. The fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. | |Segregation |the physical and social separation of categories of people. | |Assimilation |the process by which minorities gradually adopt cultural | | |patterns from the dominant majority population. | |Pluralism | a state in which people of all racial and ethnic categories | | |have about the same overall social standing | |White privilege | | |Colonialism | | |Racial profiling |in which police or others in power consider race or ethnicity | | |to be, by itself, a sign of probable guilt— illustrates the | | |operation of institutional racism. | Part II: Short Answer Using your course materials, answer the following questions in about 200 words each. Use your own words. Define de facto segregation and de jure segregation, and give an example of each. Which are we most likely to see today? Why? What conclusion do Crutchfeld, Fernandez, and Martinez (2010) come to regarding the presence of bias in the criminal justice system? How has bias in the system changed over time? Give examples of how an individual’s race or ethnicity might impact their experience as a suspect, a perpetrator, and a victim of crime. Describe anti-Chinese immigration sentiment in the 19th century. Compare this to anti-immigration perspectives today. How are they similar? How are they different? Part III: Personal Reflection sing as many words as you consider necessary. Consider the racial and ethnic groups that you belong to. Do you feel that you are knowledgable about the history of those groups? Now consider groups you do not belong to. Is there a group you would like to learn more about? |Worksheet 2 | PAGE 1 | |ETH/125 Version 7 | |. |Worksheet 2 | PAGE 1 | |ETH/125 Version 7 | |.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Keynesian Neoclassical Synthesis Economics Essay

The Keynesian Neoclassical Synthesis Economics Essay Introduction Economics A study which involve the understanding on how well a countrys economy on a Macro scale whereby it look at the GDP, national output, inflation rate and unemployment. The other side will be the Micro scale of the economy, which is the study of the composition of output such as the supply and demand for individual goods and services, how they are traded in markets and patterns of their relative prices. The beginning of economics started in year 1776 from Adam Smith, the first economist, which he came out with a theory Classical Economics follow by Keynesian Economics created by John Maynard Keynes as he put forward a book The general Theory of Employment, interest and Money, Published in 1936 in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s. (Skousen 2007, 3-9) Neoclassical synthesis was then created by John Hicks 1937 (on his IS/LM Curve) However, it was only popularize by Paul Samuelson (1948) with his textbook Economics which Paul Samuelson (Economist 2011). Which make him awarded the second Nobel Prize for Economics in 1970. However, this model falls out of favor in the 1960s. This paper will be explaining in depth on the KNS model on it strength and weakness, follow by a critical analysis on this model. What make this model failed in the 1960s and what aspects have remained in the current model of the Keynesian Neoclassical Synthesis. Keynesian Neoclassical Synthesis As we know this theory basically come from John hicks on his IS/LM curve on his article in the 1937 and popularize by Paul Samuelson with his famous textbook Economics in 1948. The Keynesian Neoclassical Synthesis is created after the World War II as the war had is the roots cause of the financial and economics to collapse. The Great Depression in the post 1930 was the result after the World War II. The Keynesian approach to the macroeconomics in the neoclassical theory and the importance of a mixed economy was stressed in John Maynard Keynes Book: The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. He believes that having a balance between both micro and macro can provide a balance to the system. Beside that the Keynesian approach to the macroeconomics into the neoclassical theory had also help most part in the western world to regain supreme. Keynesian neoclassical Synthesis major idea was to have government management to be involved in order to control recessions or economics depressions. The model believes that government intervention could be the most effective at time of economic depression under the private sector of the economy. For example at time of low demand or high unemployment, they believe that government management could help the economy to stimulate in boosting employment and control inflation. Hence, to reduce unemployment and control inflation is the key objective under the KNS model. The model believe the by government increase their spending can be seen as a reduction in the interest rates and an investment infrastructure to be the most effect role of the government in order to boost the economy when it is on the down side. The theory also believes that by government involvement could create an economics positive feedback cycle. For example government investment would create employment as more workers are required, more workers mean more income and more income increases the spending, which also increase production and with more production needed, unemployment will decrease and more jobs available so on and so forth. However, Keynesian agreed that government involvement is required to achieve in reducing unemployment and also control inflation. There are numbers of economists who are concerned with the KNS model, namely the effectives of the market mechanism in generating stable full employment equilibrium without the involvement of the government. This is still in the debate between economists. Main feature of the KNS Model Upon the born of KNS model, the model itself have a couple of important features and point which this model explained. The points will be explained in the below paragraph. Money one of the most important factors among the economy. Keynesian believe that money is not neutral as compared to the thinking under the classical theory where it believe the money does not impact consumer behavior, employment and output. Money is treated as endogenous. (Gail M. Hoyt 2012, 642) However, under the classical model it argue that money is neutral where people only hold money for transactions motive and if they are not doing any transactions the money will then be use for investment with the assumption that a rational person would not hold money if they are not using them for transactions or investment purposes. (Net 2009 2011) The question is how true this is? Under the KNS model is disagree with the classical model where people do keep their money and not spending them all way under several reasons: Uncertainly for the future, interest rates, liquidity and animal spirits. These factor will then be explained in the below paragraph. Why the model falls out of favor in 1960s? 500 800 What aspects have survived in contemporary model? 300 Summary 300 words

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Representation Of Gender In Media Media Essay

Representation Of Gender In Media Media Essay Media plays a great role in changing the world by affecting the way people perceive different aspects of our lives. People tend to believe what they continuously see, and with time they take it as the normal way of life, the way things should be. It is important to ensure that what the media shows or the message it delivers, whether directly or indirectly, is appropriate. The message should reflect the positive side of the societys expectations because with time, whatever is in the media today will start playing in real life. Most scholars have shown that in media, there is a way that each gender is represented, based on the stereotypical nature that the society has classified males and females. Males are strong, tough and powerful, both intellectually and physically as expected by the society and represented by media. Males should dominate and conquer everything and come out victorious. Females on the other hard are supposed to be soft, emotional and caring as well as supportive to those around them as well as their male counterparts. They are to subordinate men and work toward supporting them and making their life comfortable. In gender matters, the role that media has played in influencing peoples perception of the differences between male and female and expectations of each gender is big. The media has shown that women as the weaker ones, whose role is not major unlike the male gender who are strong and fearless and are depicted as the stronger sex. In employment, most employees in the media such as radio and TV are male with the females occupying a lesser percentage. The job roles that women get in the media industry are most of the time junior and offering support. It is rare to find women occupy leadership or senior positions which most are occupied by their male counterparts. In media training colleges, the number of females is slightly above that of males. This notwithstanding, in the job market there are about a third of employees who are females, showing that there is a great gender based bias while recruiting which favors males. This creates an impression that women should not be working. The con tent is another area. Most TV programs or films for example, will have men as the dominant characters and females only as supporting cast with minor roles. In most of the cases, men end up victorious in their leading roles in the productions. The costs of productions of movies with male characters as the leading actor have a higher production budget than those with a female. There is evidence that the more expensive films to produce are more successful and so this favors the male-acted movies more. The role of women as depicted by media is that they are more valuable in their youth and how they exhibit their beauty and sexuality. In media production, whether television programs, film or music videos, females are presented in a demeaning manner from their dressing, roles and character. They show only their sexuality as their greatest asset and potential they have. This makes them, and even men feel that women cannot exhibit their own potential in the job markets or other fields. It d enies them a chance to compete with men, and make them think they can only rely on their sexuality. The type of movies or programs that female actors lead in are the drama and romantic ones while males are involved in action parked productions which show their aggressive nature. This therefore labels females as the soft ones, while the men as the tough ones. Men have left behind women even in the sad event of death; womens deaths rarely get to the obituaries column yet they are as many as men are. In advertisement, women presentation is that of homemakers expected to know the requirement of housekeeping and family. For instance, in an advertisement for a household item such as tissue paper or cooking fat, there is likelihood of a female being questioned or asked to make a statement as an authority. She will not be an authority because she is an experts in use of the respective items but because they are household items, and she is expected to be a homemaker or know how to take care of the home. On the other hand, when advertising a distinguished career or occupation of a high office, it is likely to have a man, which creates in the mind of a girl that she cannot achieve much out there, she is destined to the kitchen. Such bias in packaging media information and presenting the female gender less capable than the males does not help in empowering females. News content does not help matters either. Women are only a focus on a few matters unlike men who dominate business, political and various other news items. This negatively makes girls believe men are the only ones who can make news. This also shows that men occupy those positions of power; making the females doubt their chances and the males think the positions only belong to them. Social media has uplifted the presence of women in media as they are able to relate well and are more active of such sites. Their voices are growing and reaching more people, both males and females. There is however, the problem of gender biasness where some male chauvinists have brought some online campaigns based on female stereotypes which is trying to demean women and bring them in bad light. The media owners and producers should be mindful of the image portrayed in the media as it will either encourage girls and women to play their rightful roles in the society as well empowered and capable individuals or conform to the stereotypes and message that the media portrays. Men will also be in a position to treat women better if there is general message across the media that is empowering women. The message should not be in the content of the news only but also on the representation in the media such as the employees in the whole wide journalism industry. As the society dictates, media often present women as part of a team in their work and thoughts. They take a passive rather than an active role and even as victims in whatever happens in the society. The society expects women to be beautiful but weak and the value of their sexuality enhanced but in a very narrow and stereotypical way. They treated as emotional instead of intellectual and people who create relationships in order to survive instead of being independent. The society castigates those who tend to be independent or exhibit their worth in other areas, and see them as deviant or dangerous for not meeting the societys expectations. O the other hand, the society expects men to be more rigid and strong, both physically and intellectually, and this is how the media present them. They are expected to show power and be independent in their thought and even in their actions and dont rely on others. These media representations serve to paint the society in its real form, and so the media has to conform to ensue the audience identify with them. This may sometimes not be planned but due to how the society is. Such representations make the media seem credible and the male chauvinists have their ego maintained, but at the expense of females who fail to get the right motivation to exploit the full potential in them. With the changing society however, there is a tendency of both men and women finding it hard to live to those expectation of the society due to more empowerment and education on the part of the females on their worth other than the societys expectations of femininity. More female leaders are coming up and this is changing the way they view life with such role models. The toughness of masculinity is also reducing and even the modest of the males such as grooming which was previously considered a feminine thing is now being adapted by males; with even product in the market for them.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Sparta :: essays research papers

In the 7th Century BC a new era of warfare strategy evolved. Before this new strategy, foot soldiers (known as hoplites) engaged in battle in the form of one mob for each army which on the command of their generals runs at each other and proceeds to hack blindly at the enemy with little to no direction other then to kill the enemy in front of them. This proved to be very messy and the tide of battle depended mostly on emotion and size of an army. In the name of strategy and organization, the phalanx was developed. A phalanx is simply defined as a line formation with its width significantly larger then its depth. The depth of the phalanx is a variable which some suggest was decided by the army itself rather then by the leaders of the army. The smallest depth appears to have been that of one man deep. However this was a unique occurrence which is widely believed to be fictitious. The largest depth is that of 120 men deep which was fielded at one time by the Macedonians. On average, the depth of the phalanx appears to be about eight men deep. During the time of Alexander the Great, the phalanx was believed to be eight men deep, but some argue that it evolved into a sixteen man deep phalanx. The Spartans purposely varied the depth of their phalanx so to confuse the enemy about the number of soldiers fielded. The phalanx proved to be a very valuable weapon for the military at that time. Armies which did not adapt to the phalanx formation were quickly slaughtered. The use of the phalanx allowed the Greeks to win the Persian Wars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many historians believe that the development of the phalanx led directly to social changes occurring throughout Greece during the time of the phalanx's implementation. The phalanx formation allowed men to participate in the military who otherwise could not have because a much smaller investment in weapons and armor was needed to participate in the phalanx. The combined increase in the number of those participating in the army and the increase in importance of the common foot soldier lead to the common man being increasingly treated better by the ruling classes. Eventually this may have led to the invention of democracy. The most noticeable difference between ancient Greek and modern warfare is the amount of "intelligence" information. Today our military maneuvers are almost exclusively reliant on information we get from satellites, scouts, or spies in the opposition. The ancient Greeks totally ignored this area of military strategy. Countless tales of armies meeting each other by chance or armies passing within miles of each other

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Consequences of Steroids in Sports Essay examples -- Sports Atheletes

Consequences of Steroids in Sports Every year high school, college, and professional athletes try to get just ?a little bigger,a little stronger,? and to increase the amount of weights they lift by, ?just a few pounds.? To achieve these goals athletes often turn to anabolic steroids to aid them in achieving their goals. Anabolic steroids are a quick, but dangerous way to increase muscle mass, and they can carry many risks including some life threatening side affects. Years after taking steroids athletes can live to have serious heart problems, sterility, or possibly not even live, all because of foolish decisions they made in the past. These potentially fatal drugs are not widely known by young athletes at all, because they don?t know about the risks that can go along with them. In school, every student is taught about marijuana, cocaine,heroin, sex, liquor, and all those other health risks, but they?re never taught about ?roids? or ?juice.? (slang words for steroids) That should be changed, because it is known that s tudent athletes often use steroids, not knowing the risks. Many times they take the risk because they hear about professional athletes taking steroids. But, despite their widespread use in sports, steroids can have more negative than positive effects on athletes of all types. Steroids are chemical substances that can be made naturally by the body or produced synthetically. There are many different types of steroids that are used for different things other than just athletes enhancing muscles. For example, there are types of steroids that can be used by women as birth control pills, and other types that are used for menopause treatment. The abuse of steroids is almost always found to be in the case of athletes, and that is the focus of this paper. ?All anabolic steroids are synthetic compounds whose molecular structure is similar to that of the natural male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone affects development of the male body in two important ways: it has an anabolic effect - i ncreases growth, especially of muscular and skeletal tissue - And an androgenic effect - increased development of male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are constructed stythetically in such a way that they maximize the anabolic effect of testosterone while minimizing the androgenic effect.? The way that steroids work can easily be interpreted by a foo... ...d possibly sterility. Think of the body as an outlet, and the steroids are plugs. It is the steroids job to make sure that everything gets energy and runs smoothly. When working with the right amount of plugs, the steroids are usually successful. However, when extra plugs are forced to go into the same socket, the power can go out. The effect that the plugs were originally supposed to achieve are now backwards. Similarly, when steroids appear naturally in the body, they do their job well, but when foreign steroids are introduced into the body, destructive ends usually follow. We see from this example of steroid abuse that if normal function progresses to an extreme shape, healthy functioning becomes a disease. Works Cited University of Florida( 2004) Benefits of Strength Training. Retrieved April 9, 2005, from http://www.recsports.hhp.ufl.edu/fitness/strength/benefits.htm Goldstein, Joshua (2001) War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa. Cambridge University Press. Keteyian, Dr. Steven(2000, October 10). Exercise Boosts Mental, Physical Health. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from http://psycport.com/news/2000/10/10/DTNS/000-0286-Keyword.Missing.html

Adam De La Halle And Ars Antiqua Time Period :: essays research papers

Adam De La Halle and Ars Antiqua Time Period Life Summary Adam de la Halle is often referred to as the greatest of the long succession of post Medieval musicians. He was a poet, musician and innovator of the earliest French theater. He became famous for his use of polyphony and his theatrical productions. Adam originally trained for the clergy (the people of the church). Marriage interfered with his musical career; but with the help of some noble benefactors he was able to pursue musical studies at the University of Paris. The remainder of his life was spent in service of noble patrons. His Music Adam de la Halle was of French origins. All of his lyrics were written in French. Much of his early music was monophonic which shortly after became homophonic and then transformed into polyphonic. Much of his polyphonic work was set for 3 voices or instruments. If a piece of music is monophonic, then it has only a melody line and no harmony. Much of the medieval music was monophonic. If the music is homophonic then there is only one melody line, but it may be played by two or more instruments. Many of the songs that were originally monophonic were easily transformed into homophonic by add extra voices or instruments. Polyphonic is the type of music we hear today. Polyphonic is when there is a melody line accompanied by harmony. A considerable amount of Adam de la Halle's polyphonic work was designed for plays. One of Adam's manuscripts contains the oldest known existence of the sharp sign. In 1872 his music was officially published. Ars Antiqua Time Period Ars Antiqua is Medieval Latin for "ancient art". Ars Antiqua was the period of musical activity in 13th century France. The music was characterized by the increasing sophistication of counterpoint (the art of combining simultaneous voice parts). Modern music historians classify the whole 13th century as Ars Antiqua where as older historians classified only the later half of the 13th century as Ars Antiqua. This was the time period when music started to become more formal. In this time period, musical plays were just becoming popular and in 1283 one of the first operas was performed. Most of the music of the Ars Antiqua time period is anonymous. Two important figures stand out among the anonymity. PÃ ©rotin, who became famous in the late 12th century, composed the earliest known music for four voices. Franco of Cologne, who flourished in the middle of the 13th century, was a theorist who organized a new, more precise system of rhythmic notation, the direct ancestor

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Prototype

Prototype Theory Rosch (1976) has proposed an alternative to the view that concepts are com ¬posed from sets of features which necessarily and sufficiently define instances of a concept. Rosch proposes that concepts are best viewed as prototypes: a ‘bird’ is not best defined by reference to a set of features that refer to such matters as wings, warm-bloodedness, and egg-laying characteristics, but rather by reference to typical instances, so that a ‘prototypical bird’ is something more like a robin than it is like a toucan, penguin, ostrich, or even eagle.This is the theory of prototypes. As we saw in the preceding section, individuals do have ideas of typical instances of colors, and these ideas are remarkably similar among vari ¬ous cultural groups. Such similarity in views, however, is found not only in reference to birds and colors.A variety of experiments has shown that people do in fact classify quite consistently objects of various kinds according to what they regard as being typical instances; for example, (1) furniture, so that, whereas a chair is a typical item of furniture, an ashtray is not; (2) fruit, so that, whereas apples and plums are typical, coconuts and olives are not; and (3) clothing, so that, whereas coats and trousers are typical items, things like bracelets and purses are not (Clark and Clark, 1977, p. 64). The remarkably uniform behavior that people exhibit in such tasks cannot be accounted for by a theory which says that concepts are formed from sets of defining features. Such a theory fails to explain why some instances are consistently held to be more typical or central than others when all exhibit the same set of defining features. Hudson (1996, pp. 75-8) believes that prototype theory has much to offer sociolinguists.He believes it leads to an easier account of how people learn to use language, particularly linguistic concepts, from the kinds of instances they come across. He says (p. 77) that: a prot otype-based concept can be learned on the basis of a very small number of instances– perhaps a single one– and without any kind of formal definition, whereas a feature-based definition would be very much harder to learn since a much larger number of cases, plus a number of non-cases, would be needed before the learner could work out which features were necessary nd which were not. Moreover, such a view allows for a more flexible approach to understanding how people actually use language. In that usage certain concepts are necessarily ‘fuzzy,’ as the theory predicts they will be, but that very fuzziness allows speakers to use language creatively. According to Hudson, prototype theory may even be applied to the social situations in which speech occurs.He suggests that, when we hear a new lin ¬guistic item, we associate with it who typically seems to use it and what, appar ¬ently, is the typical occasion of its use. Again, we need very few instances †” even possibly just a single one — to be able to do this. Of course, if the particular instance is atypical and we fail to recognize this fact, we could be in for some discomfort at a later time when we treat it as typical. Prototype theory, then, offers us a possible way of looking not only at how concepts may be formed, i. . , at the cognitive dimensions of linguistic behavior but also at how we achieve our social competence in the use of language. We judge circumstances as being typically this or typically that, and we place people in the same way. We then tailor our language to fit, making it appropriate to the situation and the participants as we view these. (Wardhaugh, Ronald. 1998. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd ed. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. pp. 232-233. )

Friday, August 16, 2019

Humor in Stephen Crane’s “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” Essay

Stephen Crane’s short story â€Å"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky† is considered by many to be a masterpiece. One writer even called it â€Å"the greatest story ever written.† One of the reasons the story is so good is that Crane uses humor to make some serious points about people in general and the Old West in particular. In the first part of the story, Crane portrays Jack Potter and his new wife as humorous characters. Not only are they awkward with each other, but they are also completely out of place in the fancy railroad car that is taking them to the Yellow Sky. Crane makes us see them through the eyes of the condescending porter and the other passengers, who keep giving the couple â€Å"stares or derisive enjoyment†. Jack’s fear about how the people of Yellow Sky will react to his marriage is also amusing because we would expect a town marshal to be brave, not afraid of the people he is paid to protect. Part II presents another comical situation- a lone drunk is able to scare a whole town just because Jack Potter is away. This situation is especially funny because of an ironic contrast that the reader already knows about. The man the townspeople are depending on to protect them is the same man we have just learned is afraid to tell them he is married. Part II also includes the comical character of the unsuspecting traveling salesman, whose increasingly agitated questions about Scratchy Wilson set the state for the confrontation the reader knows will occur. Crane is in effect setting us up for the â€Å"punch line† of his story. First we hear about the raging, fearsome drunk who is terrorizing the town- and then we see him. In Part III we get a close look at this Scratchy Wilson, whom we are supposedly prepared for. At first glance, he does behave like a typical Wild West villain. However, we soon learn details about him that make him seem ridiculous. For one thing, he wears a shirt made by women in New York City and boots favored by little boys in New England, hardly the outfit we would expect an authentic Western villain to wear. In fact, these details are the reader’s first hint of what will develop as Crane’s major theme: that the West is no longer a terribly wild place. The lengths Scratchy goes to in order to frighten a dog also show him to be a bit ludicrous as a bad guy.  Scratchy may roar and bellow â€Å"terrible invitations† to fight, but Crane lets us know exactly how terrifying he really is: â€Å"The calm adobe preserved their demeanor at the passing of this small thing in the middle of the street.† In Part IV, Crane finally brings his two major characters together for a showdown that is comical because it disappoints our expectations. Facing Scratchy down without a gun, Potter proves to be just as brace as we have been led to believe, but as a villain, Scratchy turns out to be pretty easily subdued. Presented with the news of Potter’s marriage, he loses all his menace and sadly walks away. Ironically, he is defeated not by brute force or sheer courage but instead by â€Å"a foreign condition† that he does not understand. His world is suddenly turned upside down by Potter’s news. Ferocious, gun-toting drunks and the courageous town marshals who fight them are not supposed to have wives. Once the bride comes to Yellow Sky, the rules of the game are so different that Scratchy no longer knows how to play. According to one critic, Donald B. Gibson, the point of Crane’s story is that by the late 1800’s, the Wild West was dead, even though some people living there did not realize it. While Jack Potter has taken a big step toward adjusting to the changed world he lives in, Scratchy is simply befuddled by it. Gibson’s interpretation makes sense and it gets at the heart of the humor in Crane’s story. However, one cannot help but suspect that Crane is doing more than simply mocking the conventions of the Western. That would make his story a funny parody, but certainly not a masterpiece. Crane is also showing us what happens to a society in transition, a culture whose values are in a state of flux. A â€Å"simple child of the earlier plains†, Scratchy Wilson is an anachronism, a man who finds himself out of place historically. Luckily, he has the good grade and good sense to realize his predicament and walk away from what he cannot understand. But who knows- perhaps some day he’ll find himself a bride and bring her back to Yellow Sky.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Hawthorne Studies

This essay will review the writings of â€Å"Hawthorne, the myth of the docile worker, and class bias in psychology† an article by D. Bramel and R. Friend. It will then go on to further critique academic articles that both support and disagree with the primary source and demonstrate how the Hawthorne studies have influenced contemporary organizations. The Hawthorne experimental studies conducted at the Western Electric Company Works has attracted considerable amounts of sharp critical scrutiny; it has practically â€Å"become an intellectual battle† (Miner, J. 006. p. 68) as it has been interpreted in various ways. The studies basically concluded that social and psychological factors are responsible for workers productivity and job satisfaction. Many psychologists, sociologist and critics attack the research procedures and criticize the analyses of the data and their conclusions. Bramel and Friend (1981) are a classic example of those exact critics who consider the Hawt horne studies to be contradictive, distorted and overall undeserving of receiving recognition and respect for their research.Bramel and Friend’s main aim in the article however is to â€Å"show not simply that Mayo’s conclusions were unrealistic and politically reactionary† but to alternatively demonstrate that there is â€Å"bias at the level of interpretation of the available data† (p. 868) and how this had a negative influence in effecting the results, due to the assumption that their workers can be manipulated and fooled with ease (p. 869). There are many other critics that strongly support the views and opinions presented by Bramel and Friend in regards to the Hawthorne studies and how they consider the research to be insufficient and misleading.The article â€Å"Shining New Light on the Hawthorne Illumination Experiments† by M. Kawa, M. French, and A. Hedge (2011) reinforces the arguments that feature in Bramel and Friend’s work. Like them they agree that the studies performed at the Western Company Works provided inconsistent evidence and that all experiments conducted including the results were seriously flawed. Basically they conclude that the inadequacies in the experimental designs tell an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate story and show the inconsistent associations between working conditions and productivity. p. 546) The article â€Å"Questioning the Hawthorne effect† shares the exact same views that were established in â€Å"Hawthorne the myth of the docile worker†. It argues that the data collected from the experiments had never been analyzed rigorously, no systematic evidence was implemented and the inconsistent ways in which the experiments were executed has lead to a misleading interpretation of what happened. (â€Å"Questioning the Hawthorne Effect†, 2009, p. 74)Another article that strongly disapproves of the Hawthorne studies is A. Carey’s article â€Å"The Hawthorne Studies: a Radical Criticism†. In Carey’s (1967) opinion the research conducted is nearly absent of scientific merit and the conclusions drawn are supported by so little evidence that it’s basically inappropriate that the studies have gained a respected place within scientific discipline and have held this place for so long. (p. 403) However Carey does believe the importance of the studies is actually declining.In his opinion later studies are struggling to display any â€Å"reliable relationship between the social satisfaction of industrial workers and their work performance†(p. 403). Carey criticizes Mayo’s approach, research and assumptions and claims that his reports are completely bias and invalid. He states that the â€Å"Statistical analysis of the relevant data did not show any conclusive evidence in favor of the first hypothesis† (p. 405) which makes it extremely difficult to develop a correct conclusion.Although there are critics th at attack the Hawthorne studies and downplay the work of Mayo and Roethlisberger there is also many others that completely support the research conducted and believe it has been of crucial importance and consider it to be a â€Å"major intellectual building block of organizational behavior† (Miner, J. 2006. p. 68. ) A. Brannigan and W. Zwerman’s (2001) article â€Å"the Real Hawthorne Effect† completely disagrees with the arguments that were presented by Bramel and Friend. Their article in contrast strongly supports the Hawthorne studies and emphasizes just how valuable they.Brannigan and Zwerman actually view the studies as being â€Å"the single most important investigation of the human dimensions of industrial relations in the early 20th century† (Brannigan, A. Zwerman, W. 2001. p. 55). They recognize the fact that the Hawthorne studies have received harsh critical disapproval over the decades due to potential flaws in the research and experiments cond ucted. However Brannigan and Zwerman are able to look past that and purely see the innovative ideas that grew around these studies.They express that â€Å"the main idea should not be undermined by these shortcomings† and that sometimes the actual idea itself is more meaningful then the evidence on which it is based. (p. 59). B. Reiger’s article â€Å"Lessons in Productivity and People† also disagrees with the negative statements that are directed towards the Hawthorne studies. Reiger’s article aims to show how the studies executed had an enormous influence in the way managers and supervisors now interact with their employees.Which in result has positively affected worker productivity, Due to implementing a less mechanical view and paying more attention to the human influences within the workplace. Not only does Reiger (1995) view the studies as being critical to the positive change in the company and employee relationships but they also â€Å"provided so me clear insights into industrial operations and psychology, personal management, organizational development and human resources† (p. 58).Overall his intention is to show how the studies contributed to the improvement in manager and employee relationships by providing the employees with respect, attention and recognition will then in turn increase their productivity and efficiency. C. Hall (1984) further backs up the views of Reiger in his article â€Å"Hawthorne Effects- Still a Potent Supervisory Tool†. Although the experiments were conducted decades ago Hall still believes that they still have practical value today. (p. 6).Hall concludes that employees respond with greater job efficiency when they sense that they are being observed or â€Å"regarded as important valued members of an organization† ( p. 6) and that The behavioral approach can positively affect performance, group dynamics, encourage cooperation and overall increase work satisfaction. The Hawthorn e Studies and the behavioral approach has played a major role in shaping todays organizations, from the way manager interact with their employees, the way they use open communication and the way they design motivating jobs we are able to detect elements of the behavioral approach (Robbins, S. Bergman, R.Stagg, I. Coulter, M. 2012. p. 54) Telstra’s call centers are a classic example of a contemporary organization that has been influenced by the Hawthorne effect and the behavioral approach. Within the center they have managers, supervisors and team leaders that create a working environment that aims to provide a premium employee experience. More specifically their job entails implementing and executing programs, supervising and motivating their workers to ensure that they are effectively completing their tasks and meeting objectives and to basically respect and pay attention to their staff in order to establish good relations and co operation.The efficient supervision that take s place within the factories has definitely been influenced by the Hawthorne studies. They have recognized through the Hawthorne studies that subtly observing the workers and making them feel like a valuable member of the company keeps them motivated which in result maximizes employee productivity. The Hawthorne studies has played a fundamental role in the progression of organizational behavior and influenced the positive change in the relationship between managers and their employees.Although there have been flaws and inconsistencies in the ideas, research and conclusions that were developed they are still extremely influential. The results emphasized the value of group dynamics, interaction and applying a humanistic management approach. These factors overall are a crucial force of producing greater effectiveness and productivity in employees. Although there are critics that have attempted to crush the importance of the Hawthorne studies through their harsh criticisms it still has done little to shake the essential validity and influence of the research. (Miner, J. 2006. p. 67) References Bramel, D. & Friend, R. 1981). Hawthorne, the Myth of the Docile Worker, and Class Bias in Psychology. American Psychologist. 36,8,867-878. Brannigan, A. & Zwerman, W. (2001). The real â€Å"Hawthorne Effect†. Society, 38(2), 55-60. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 65713065). Carey,A. (1967). The Hawthorne Studies: A Radical Criticism. AmericaSociologyReview, 32,3,401-416. Finance and Economics: Light Work; Questioning the Hawthorne Effect. (2009, June). The economist. 391(8634),74. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL (Document ID: 1740340161) Hall, C. (1984). Hawthorne Effects- Still a potent supervisory tool. Supervision, 46 (10), 6.Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 1322247). Izawa, M. French, M. Hedge, A. (2011). Shining new light on the Hawthorne Illumination experiment. Human Factors, 53,528. Retrieved from Academic Research Library. (Do cument ID: 2532057371). Miner, J. (2006) Organization Behavior 3: Historical Origins, Theoretical Foundations and the Future. America: ME Sharpe. Reiger, B. (1995). Lessons in productivity and people. Training and development, 49 (10), 56. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 7011573). Robbins, S. Bergman, R. Stagg, I. Coulter, M. (2012) Management: 6th Edition. Sydney: Pearson Australia Group.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Architectural Intervention in the Historic City of Panipat

ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION IN THE HISTORIC CITY OF PANIPATKey words: Panipat, War commemoration, Tourism, Heritage, DevelopmentIntroductionPanipat has ever been a landmark metropolis with its history dating back from the Mahabharata epoch. The metropolis has seen an tremendous alteration from the yesteryear to the present, from a decisive battleground which changed the history of Hindustan to a busy industrial Centre. The purpose of this paper is to measure the function architecture plays in the individuality devising of a metropolis keeping the relationship between the yesteryear and the present. This paper tries to find the possibilities of developing ‘phoenix tourism’ in the signifier of a war commemoration in Panipat to reconstruct the bing commemorations and the add-on a new signifier of touristry apart from the Highway and the Pilgrim touristry. Phoenix touristry as a term coined by Lynch ( 2007 ) is a new sort of touristry related to decease but stressing more on lifting from the ashes. Similar is a vision of constructing a new individuality for Panipat by conveying back the fring history of the topographic point. To understand this it is really of import to understand the bing built signifiers in the metropolis, to unify the bing landforms into one alone individuality. PANIPAT, THE GATEWAY TO INDIA Panipat, a metropolis known as the ‘CITY OF HANDLOOM’ in present twenty-four hours enjoys the pride of witnessing the three celebrated decisive conflicts of Panipat in the old ages 1526, 1556 and 1761 which changed the whole history of India. The metropolis was one time called the ‘gateway to India’ for its geographical location and closeness to Delhi, ( the so capital of India ) has now turned into a major industrial town in Haryana. It is located on the National Highway No. 1 ( Grand Trunk Road ) , one of the oldest main roads of India doing the metropolis connected to Delhi and Amritsar ( Town and state Planning Dept. , 2006 ) . The expansive bole route extends from the Bengal to Kabul doing it a major path linking the state with the Afghans doing the metropolis a gateway to India. This path has bought Babur to Hindustan, Ahmed Shah Abidali and many more Afghan encroachers and swayers. Panipat is located 90 kilometers from New Delhi. Harmonizing to the National capital part program, Panipat is seen as a regional Centre in Haryana sub- part of National Capital Region which brings the demand to escalate development in the metropolis ( Town and state Planning Dept. , 2006 ) .Sr. no.Land usageArea within municipal bounds ( in hour angle. )Area within extended municipal bounds ( in hour angle. )Area within controlled country ( in hour angle. )Entire country ( in hour angle. )% age of entire country1Residential4003002282298242.532Commercial11550972623.753Industrial2622931135169024.104Conveyance and communicating42–4755177.375Public public-service corporations44–1732173.106Public and semi public10581802934.187Open infinites88–4855738.188Particular zone––4774776.80Entire105665153047011100.00Beginning: Town and state planning section, Haryana Govt. Figure 1. Proposed land uses for 2021 As seen in figure 1, a major portion of the metropolis land is under the industrial sector while presently the metropolis holds about negligible land in the Open, Public and semi- public infinites. the industrial sector presently is scattered among the commercial and the residential sectors deteriorating the populating status of the people. The metropolis has seen growing in population chiefly during the clip of divider and besides between 1991- 2001. In the period of 1991- 2001, the metropolis has seen a growing of 89.35 % i.e. from 1,90,000 to 3,62,047, this happened due to the slack in the market and closing of certain Spinning Millss ( Town and Country Planning Dept. , 2006 ) . With this the metropolis hold the bulk of the population i.e. 41 % working in the industrial sector. Panipat is an industrial town of International degrees due to its export of handlooms ( Town and Country Planning Dept. , 2006 ) . A metropolis with international delegates frequently tends to ask for people to the metropolis. This makes it of import to construct an individuality for the metropolis which can keep the international criterions. Panipat being a battleground in the yesteryear has witnessed constructions build by the imperiums who took portion in the war. The first conflict of Panipat between Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi bought the Mughals to India every bit good their manner of architecture. A symbol of their manner here being the Kabuli Mosque construct by Babur to tag his triumph. Panipat has seen batch of deceases during these conflicts. Empires had lost many of its heroism soldiers as good some outstanding leaders. The defeated ground forces, to mark the decease of their leaders and soldiers built graves or commemorations in their recollection. Ibrahim Lodhi, the last Sultan of the Lodhi dynasty was killed in the battleground which can be witnessed with his grave physique by this followings. During the 2nd conflict of Panipat, when the commanding officer in head was killed by the head of Akbar, his followings construct his grave at the topographic point where he took his last breath. The 3rd conflict of Panipa t was the autumn of a major imperium of India, the Marathas, which made it easy for the British to capture India. This conflict lasted for three months and over 70,000 Mahrattas were killed. The commanding officer in head of the ground forces, Sadashiv Bhau was killed while contending the conflict. It is said that the topographic point where Bhau died, a tree came up with black Mangifera indicas, giving the memorial the name of ‘kala amb’ . The topographic point of the tree now holds an obelisk to tag the 3rd conflict of Panipat ( asi ) . Haryana in the present twenty-four hours besides is a province dedicated to the Indian Army Force, the province despite holding merely 2 % of the Indian population contributes to 10 % of the officers in the ground forces ( Times of India ) . These sites give the metropolis its alone individuality of diverseness in the architectural manners every bit good as the builders of these sites. These sites have besides helped maintain the history of the metropolis integral. But, now in the current scenario none of these sites are maintained and their being is acquiring neglected. To maintain the history of the metropolis alive the authorities along with the archeological section has built a conflict museum in the metropolis which once more turned out to be a letdown in the touristry sector with no care and carelessness by the people. This leads us to a inquiry on how to develop the metropolis to do it utile every bit good as bring back its individuality? Restoring THE History The historic sites showcases the heritage values such as societal. Historical and architectural. They non merely go an individuality of the topographic point but besides the people associated with the topographic point. When a heritage site becomes the portion of a metropolis, it becomes vn more indispensable to continue the site as it is someplace responsible for the growing of the metropolis. For illustration, the ruddy garrison in New Delhi, was built by Shah Jahan as his capital, the topographic point where the major determinations sing the state were made. The site is presently a major landmark and acts as a major tourer finish and during particular events like Independence Day and Dusserah, the gardens of the castle are really much used. As Daniel Libeskind told of a â€Å"need to defy the erasure of history, the demand to react to history, the demand to open the hereafter: that is, to define the unseeable on the footing of the visible† ( Libeskind, 1999:127 ) . In the present century, these heritage sites are given major importance as they are possible of advancing heritage touristry which in bend attracts more developers. But non all built signifiers of the yesteryear are restored depending on its importance and the strength of the built signifiers. In a conference held by the UNESCO World Heritage Centres at Vienna in 2005 shows the debated on the function of modern-day architecture in today’s historic urban landscape where the ‘historic urban landscape’ was defined to travel beyond the impressions of historic Centres, ensembles and milieus but besides to include the bordered territorial and landscape context. It should be composed of character- specifying elements: land usage and forms, spacial administration, ocular relationships and all elements of the proficient substructure. During the conference, three major attacks were made in the direction of the Historic metropoliss i.e. by giving importance to the landscape, touristry development and presenting modern-day architecture to heighten the historic importance of the site ( Van Oers ) . Panipat seems to be a disconnected landscape, where all historical and ideological interruptions are seeable in discontinuity. To unify the disconnected landscape to a alone individuality, the signifier and design is ever debated. There is ever a battle over facade architecture, historic justness, and trial brings a argument about the map of public, societal and cultural infinites in a post- industrialist metropolis ( Heidenreich. L ) . The argument over the merger of modern and traditional has been predominating in many iconic built signifiers. A similar illustration can be seen in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan which was a memorial with the idea to take the visitants counter- chronologically from the hereafter to the yesteryear ( Cho. H ) . The landscape was built for the planetary peace which bought the argument that if modernism is showcased, it would stand for an flight for the troubled universe while the turning involvement in traditional elements echoed a recoverin g self- assurance and the reclamation of chauvinistic sentiments. To get the better of this argument, architect Kenzo Tange adopted a modernist manner engagement with the influence from the traditional art and civilization which helped him interrupt with the nation’s imperial yesteryear and besides address the international architecture community ( Cho. H ) . But for constructing a Contemporary built signifier in a historic site demands to keep the design quality and character of the infinite. This can be done with the aid of perspective planning tools like tallness limitations, envelop restrictions, stuff limitations etc. ( Macdonald, 2011 ) . Charles Jencks negotiations about iconic edifices as the cultural look of dynamic metropoliss which gives an individuality to a metropolis like the Sydney opera house does to Sydney ( Jenks, 2005 ) . But the presence of an iconic edifice is ever debated in a historic built environment where an iconic edifice can take away the individua lity of the historic site every bit good on the other manus can be a necessary add-on to a more traditional reinforced environment. Sometimes it is of import to hold the combination of historic beds and parts that contribute to the significance ( Macdonald, 2011 ) of the metropolis as a whole.WAR MEMORIAL IN PANIPATPanipat, as seen has historic sites related to wars. These sites are scattered all over the metropolis cut downing the strong image of the topographic point. As seen earlier, a conflict museum was built to demo the history of the topographic point but it turned out to be a failure. The ground of the failure is simple, people couldn’t relate themselves to the topographic point and give them the sense of belonging. This brings a demand of a topographic point which can be related to people and more used by people. The part of Haryana skidders can be seen at the Rezang La base on balls in Jammu and Kashmir where out of the 114 soldiers commemorated, 109 were from Harya na ( Hindustan Time, 2012 ) . With every soldier’s decease, a whole household is affected. A female parent loses her immature boy, a adult females becomes a widow, and many childs lose their male parent. Government gives compensation to the households for their loss they bear for the national security, but is this sufficiency for the household to get the better of their loss? War commemoration is a topographic point to toast the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the state and besides to retrieve their heroism and triumphs. A topographic point to experience proud of the young person. A war commemoration non merely would move like an iconic building/ landscape but would besides complement to the history of the topographic point. At regular times each twelvemonth, activities such as memorial walks, artistic shows, community events, re-enactments and both little and big formal commemorative ceremonials are conducted to retrieve the war across the universe. In add-on to the war commemorations, many of the battlegrounds offer picturesque scenery and leisure activities such as basking nutrient ( Winter, 2012 ) . This sort of tourism/ trial is been given many names likebequest touristry, genealogical touristry, dark touristry( attention should be taken in attaching the term ‘dark tourism’ to all signifiers of battlefield touristry ) ,thanatourismetc. These sort of touristry attempts to link us with the past. War commemorations, the general term for infinites to retrieve the war are built holding assorted ideas in head. The grounds can be personal, political, peace-making, provoking, tourer based, etc. the historian find an event to retrieve, a politician happen it as a testimonial to the solider, an a rmy officer might happen it arousing to work even harder, or possibly he might even believe of the loss he/ she had to take for a triumph, hence, he must be looking for peace at that place. As Scheff ( 2007 ) observed in the Arlington War Memorial, California, when a individual enduring from the similar loss as their meet, they get an chance to show their emotion to a similar individual assisting them ‘move on’ with their lives and removes the agonies from them. ‘The sing to commemorations and the creative activity of new rites might be a measure off from war towards peace’ ( Scheff ) . In the present twenty-four hours where people live in atomic households, and migrate from one topographic point to another, brings the inability to mourn doing it more hard to people to come out of their heartaches. Discussion Haryana being a province with many war widows faces the emotional agony to them and their households. Many of these even immature to get down a life all over once more, but largely they are surrounded by the lesions of the yesteryear which disables them to travel frontward in life. A few commemorations are built in the state to mark the soldiers near the war sites, but these battlegrounds are by and large far off from the abodes of the households affected disenabling them to see the site to their desires. A memorial in common for the lost soldiers in the several provinces would assist convey a common platform for the people of mourn and retrieve their beloved departed. MentionsCho, H. ( 2012 ) Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the Making of Nipponese Postwar Architecture: ( 66:1 )Journal of Architectural Educationpp. 72-83Archaeological section of India, Chandigarh CircleHaryana Government, Town and Country Planning Department ( 2006 ) No. CCP ( NCR ) /FDP/PN/PCA/2006/3936.Haryana touristry Development Authority [ online ] haryanatourism.gov.inLynch, P & A ; Causeric, S. ( 2007 ) The Significance of Dark Tourism in the Procedure of Tourism Development after a Long Term Political Conflict: An Issue of Northern Ireland.ASA Conference 2007: Thinking Through Tourism, London Metropolitan University, London.Macdonald, S ( 2011 ) Contemporary Architecture in Historic Urban Environment: ( 26,2 )the GCI Newsletter. [ Online ] URL: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.getty.eduSura, A. ( 2014 ) Haryana adds more musculus to Indian Army, leaves Punjab buttocks.The Times of India[ Online ] 14ThursdayJune. Available from: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com [ accesse d on: 18ThursdayAugust, 2014 ]Schoff, J. , ( 2007 ) Response to a War Memorial: ( 1,1 )Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology.pp. 58-71Van Oers R.. Towards new international guidelines for the preservation of historic urban landscapes ( HUL ) s. City & A ; Time 3 ( 3 ) : 3. [ Online ] URL: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ct.ceci-br.orgWinter, C. , ( 2012 ) memorialization of the Great War on the Somme: researching personal connexions: ( 10,3 )Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. pp. 248-263.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Assess competing theories of the causes of financial crisis against Essay - 1

Assess competing theories of the causes of financial crisis against evidence from one of the countries impacted by the Asian financial crisis - Essay Example One of the theories established by Corsetti et al (1999) attribute the contagion effect in the Asian economies implying that the economies geographically located adjacent to each other normally follow the other countries in the region for the rise and fall in their economies. Alon and Kellerman (1999) substantiate this theory in that they state that the crisis was a reminiscent of the ‘Domino Theory’ of 1960’s. There are other view points attributing different reasons for the financial crisis in Asian economies. This paper analyzes the competing theories that examine the causes of the Asian financial crisis in the light of several theoretical models established by research studies on the crisis and its causes. Before discussing the causes and effects of the Asian financial crisis, it is important to study the background for the evolution of the financial crisis in the Asian economies. The default of a large amount of debts by Hanob Steel Corporation of South Korea started off the financial crisis in the region. This default by the steel major was followed by many business failures in the country. (Amitava Chatterji 2003) Following this there was an uneasy feeling for the speculators about the economic and political developments in the region. Hence in May 1997 they initiated heavy capital outflows from Thailand putting the baht – the currency of Thailand under pressure. Though there were assurances from the Thai government that there would be no devaluation of baht, Bank of Thailand in July 1997 announced the free float of baht which virtually devalued the currency by 20 percent. (Amitava Chatterji 2003) This had triggered the suspicion in the minds of the investors on the Asian regional capital and currency markets and the investor confidence suffered a marked deterioration. Following the act of Thailand, countries like Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore allowed free float of their respective currencies and the values of all