Monday, September 30, 2019

Frontline: Camera and Current Affairs Programs

How do the creators of â€Å"Frontline† convey the main issues in the text? The truth in the media is a subjective commodity which is often sensationalized, fabricated and manipulated for a number of reasons. Therefore, realistically the media only represents certain facets of the truth to suit their purpose and context. Rob Sitch’s Frontline is a satirical examination of current affairs programs and explores the media’s selective dissemination of information to construct the desired truth. Though being disturbingly accurate in their sarcastic attack on the deceit and hypocrisy of the media, the producers of Frontline use wit and parody to challenge the reliability of the media and such concepts are explored through a number of film techniques in episodes such as ‘The Siege’ and ‘Add sex and stir’ The commercial nature of the media dictates that the content of the broadcast must rate well and be profitable. The episode ‘The Siege’ exemplifies the commercial nature of current affairs programs and re-emphasizes the media’s potential to regard the truth as a subjective commodity to further gain higher ratings. Frontline seeks little more than authenticity to convince their audience that they are a credible resource. In ‘The Siege’ Rob Sitch blurs the boundary between fiction and reality, through illustrating a story based on a real incident which occurred in 1994 making it harder to discern the truth. Frontline pursues a story about a father who has held his children hostage during a custody battle. This episode exposes the true nature of journalism and the unethical practices that the media undertakes to win the ratings war. Marty ironically says ‘you’ve crossed the line mate’, this pretense of ethics is juxtaposed with ‘you beauty’ when he realizes that it was the Frontline team itself that got through to interviewing the gunman. Marty further sensationalizes and exaggerates the truth by wearing a flak jacket and crouching down to make it appear that he is in a dangerous situation, when in reality he is five kilometers away from the danger zone. Through the use of dialogue ‘How about if I crouch down like this? To make it look like I’m in danger’ Marty illustrates his blatant disregard for the truth thus emphasizing the importance of appearance and ratings over the depiction of the truth within the media. Brooke further epitomizes the media’s motives through the use of incongruity in the dialogue ‘Mrs. Forbes do you have any nine volt batteries? ’ Such dialogue accentuates Brooke’s superficiality as she is not at all concern ed about Mrs. Forbes feelings. The camera close up of Brooke’s exceedingly concerned facial expression when she interviews Mrs. Forbes is juxtaposed with Mrs. Forbes misery and Brooke’s deception when she asks – ‘would you be able to cry again Mrs. Forbes? ’ The on and off camera persona evidently shows that the truth is subverted by the media to construct a desired representation, portraying the truth to be a subjective commodity. The media’s relentless pursuit of higher ratings to ensure commercial success plays a significant role in determining the representation of the truth they present to their audience. The episode ‘Add sex and Stir’ epitomizes the media’s selective dissemination of information to construct a desired truth, thus exemplifying truth to be a subjective commodity. Frontline pursues a story about the unfair dismissal of a sportswoman who is supposedly dropped from the team because she is not gay. Although Brooke acknowledges that the sportswoman was dropped from the team because of poor form, she decides to portray the misleading sex angle of the story in the pursuit for higher ratings to ensure Frontline’s commercial success. Frontline’s clean crisp picture quality, still camera and immaculate sets gives a sense of professional respectability and authority to create a sense of credibility. Rob Sitch employs caricature to emphasize the potential for the media to regard the truth as a subjective commodity to gain more ratings. Sitch satirizes the limited value that the media places on the truth through Brooke’s satirical comment ‘Well there’s a lead story, Stu, lead player dropped due to bad form, out breaking. ’ The truth is further manipulated through filming Brooke’s nods separately and out of context which further amplifies their falsity, emphasizing her lack of integrity. Brooke completely distorts the truth through creating a re-enactment, in which the story is further exaggerated through the steamy atmosphere in the girls change rooms, demonstrating that it is sleaze that sells rather than the truth. The dramatic background music in the re-enactment further satirizes the media’s pursuit for higher ratings, portraying that the media’s ‘essential objective is profit, rather than saving the world’ Chris Masters (ABC correspondent). Through this it is clearly evident that the truth to the media is a subjective commodity that can often be manipulated, fabricated and sensationalized for a number of reasons.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

NUMMI Analysis Essay

The goal of this executive summary is to identify the problems, the major causes, solutions and methods of implementation for the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. better known as NUMMI. NUMMI though specializes in vehicle manufacturing, was having trouble producing small vehicles. NUMMI workforce also had a horrible reputation. NUMMI would like to successfully reinvent its organization culture and produce high quality vehicles. NUMMI solution is to adopt a new production and management systems. To conclude this report, we will justify why adopting new production and management system will benefit NUMMI and help change its organizational culture. Problem Identification In1983 the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., Toyota and GM joint venture experiment in a unlikely collaboration to bring a new fleet of profitable small cars to the United States. This partnership took place in Fremont, California in a factory plant called NUMMI. GM objective was to learn how to make small profitable vehicles and learn Toyota production and Management System. Toyota objective on the other hand wanted to simply begin producing vehicles in the United States. GM already had the infrastructure in place that Toyota needed; this lead to their partnership. The workforce at the original GM Fremont factory was well-known to be the worst in producing low quality vehicles in the GM ecosystem. â€Å"The work force in those days had a horrible reputation, frequently going out on strike (sometimes wildcat strikes), filing grievance after grievance and even sabotaging quality.†(Shook 2010) The objective of NUMMI was to devise a plan to help change the culture of the organization. NUMMI would measure there outcomes by successfully reinventing there organization culture and producing high quality vehicles. This level of achievement allowed NUMMI to go from being GM’s worst factory to later becoming one of its best. NUMMI employees where empowered to be accountable for their selves and build quality vehicles. â€Å"What changed the culture was giving employees the means by which they could successfully do their jobs. It was communicating clearly to employees what their jobs were and providing the training and tools to  enable the m to perform those jobs successfully.† (Shook 2010) GM Fremont plant workforce was once considered one of the company’s worst production facilities. At the time, the plant workforce was producing some of the worst quality vehicles for GM; there level of absenteeism regularly ran over 20%, employees would habitually go on strike and sometime known to sabotaging quality. Without changing employees the once dysfunctional manufacturing plant was transformed into a model facility with a new company culture. By adopting Toyota’s production and management system, NUMMI overcame the many obstacles that once prevented its ability to achieve the objectives above. Causes of the Problem As stated before, GM Fremont factory in 1983 was producing extremely low quality vehicles. To try and correct this problem, GM entered a joint venture with Toyota. Toyota faced many challenges partnering with GM. To begin GM didn’t know how to make small profitable vehicles. GM attempts to create small size vehicles ultimately failed thus why reaching out to Toyota. GM also wanted to reinvent its work force production and management systems. This joint venture would allow GM to learn how to make quality small profitable vehicles and more importantly learn Toyotas production and Management System. GM Fremont was well known for having an unsatisfactory workforce. The employees had a terrible company-employee relationship culture and reputation. Employees were known to habitually go on strike, filing grievances were common, and there were employees to go as far as sabotaging quality. â€Å"Toyota had many concerns about transplanting perhaps the most important aspect of its production system — its way of cultivating employee involvement — into a workplace as poor as Fremont. Toyota wondered how workers with such a bad reputation could support it in building in quality. How would they support the concept and practice of teamwork?† (Shook 2010) The work force culture obviously was not a positive one. Employees had an unfavorable outlook of the employers. Company -employee relationship morale  was low thus affecting the company’s culture. GM Fremont facility was failing, due to the plant lack of company-employee relationship culture, production ineffic iency and management systems. Possible Solutions Changing NUMMI company-employee culture was no easy task. Shook stated it best, â€Å"the way to change culture is not to first change how people think, but instead to start by changing how people behave — what they do. Those of us trying to change our organizations’ culture need to define the things we want to do, the ways we want to behave and want each other to behave, to provide training and then to do what is necessary to reinforce those behaviors. The culture will change as a result.† NUMMI empowered its employees to find and solve daily problems and make justified improvements as they see fit. By doing so NUMMI provided its workforce the necessary means to successfully do their jobs. In the article â€Å"The Stop the Line System† was the primary example of this. Stop the line enabled employees with the obligation to stop the assembly line if and when there was a problem. This in turn reassured employees that the company value their opinions and trust them enough to make pertinent decisions. â€Å"Managers have the responsibility to create a proper climate in which employees can develop to their fullest potential. Failure to provide such a climate would theatrically increase employee frustration and could result in poorer performance, lower job satisfaction, and increased withdrawal from the organization.† (Steers and Porter 1983) â€Å"What changed the culture at NUMMI wasn’t an abstract notion of â€Å"employee involvement† or â€Å"a learning organization† or even â€Å"culture† at all. What changed the culture was giving employees the means by which they could successfully do their jobs. It was communicating clearly to employees what their jobs were and providing the training and tools to enable them to perform those jobs successfully.† (Shook 2010) Secondly, NUMMI provided its work force with a since of membership. Employees desired commitment from their employers. NUMMI did not guarantee life time employment, no employer can guarantee that. Instead NUMMI devised a mutual  trust agreement stating that the last thing it wanted to do was lay of its employees. To reassure employees, â€Å"NUMMI wrote into the contract the commitment that before anyone was laid off certain steps would have been taken, including reducing plant operating hours and cutting management bonuses. Employee motivation comes from assuring membership in the organization, rather than from buying and selling time, whatever the price tag. â€Å"(Shook 2010) To further advance and change the culture of the organization; In the hiring process NUMMI allowed certain floor leaders take part in the hiring of their own team members. This in turn gives employees since of responsibility and authority, thus positively changing the culture dynamics of NUMMI company-employee relationship. These are only some of the reason why Shook suggests how NUMMI culture was changed. Additionally, there are many other possible solutions that can be implemented in order to continue to motivate and change an organization culture. For instance, NUMMI can introduce an employee reward/recognition system. The drive to be rewarded or recognized by ones employer should be ample motivation to keep employees satisfied. The reward system could be broken down between the all-around best and worst performers, reward can be tied to individual performance and provide the lead performing employees with an opportunity for advancement. A disadvantage to the reward system would be convincing the entire workforce to continuously give 100% even though there may be a gap in skills amongst fellow workers. â€Å"The challenge therefore for organization is to develop reward system that are perceived to be fair and equitable and distributing the reward in accordance with employees beliefs about their own value to the organization.† (Ramlall 2004) Another method to having an amazing company-employee culture is by having a good work environment. Employees want to go to work to in an environment with a friendly setting, productivity, promote teamwork, collaboration, are respectful, and encourages an since of inclusiveness. A organization never wants to be in a situation where an employee feels as if there working in a hostile environment. â€Å"The consequences of employees perceiving they are not treated fairly can create a variety of options for employees. These options include the employee reducing their input through directly restricting their work output, attempting to increase their output be seeking salaryincreases, seeking more enjoyable assignments or simply withdrawal from the situation entirely, that is, quit the job and seek employment elsewhere.† (Champagne 1989) Lastly, developing jobs positions that are meaningful and challenging where employee roles and duties are clearly defined will help foster a positive organizational culture. For instance, â€Å"Cirque du Soleil, too, is committed to making jobs challenging and fulfilling. Despite grueling rehearsal and performance schedules, it attracts and retains performers by accommodating their creativity and pushing them to perfect their craft. Its employees also get to say a lot about how performances are staged, and they are allowed to move from show to show to learn new skills.† (Nohria, Groysberg, Lee2008) Solutions and Implementation Due to Toyota production and management systems, NUMMI went from being GM’s worst plant to GM’s best plant in just one year. â€Å"All with the exact same workers, including the old troublemakers. The only thing that changed was the production and management system — and, somehow, the culture.† (Shook 2010) There is no one specific solution for changing an organizations culture. The closet explanation explaining why NUMMI’s culture changed was the adoption of Toyota’s production and management system. Toyota’s system was more robust and organized compared to GM’s system. The workforce embraced Toyota’s system because it yielded them more favorable results and allowed employees to finally feel part of the organization. Toyota’s system offered NUMMI employees the opportunity to find and solve daily problems and make justified improvements as they see fit. By doing so NUMMI provided its workforce the necessary means to successfully do their jobs. Toyota’s system also provided its work force with a since of membership. Employees wanted to be reassured that NUMMI was just as committed to the organization as they were. Other solutions that would keep the work force motivated and change origination culture is an employee reward/ recognition system, a good work environment/culture and developing job positions that are challenging and fulfilling. All of these solutions work hand in hand in order to create a well-balanced origination culture. Furthermore, of the five solutions; I believe the opportunity for NUMMI employees to find and solve daily problems and make justified improvements would be the most important. By doing so NUMMI provided its workforce the necessary means to successfully do their jobs. The case states â€Å"Every person in a supervisory capacity, including hourly team leaders, visited Toyota City for two or more weeks of training at the Takaoka plant. The training included long hours of lectures but, most importantly, practical on-the-job training in which they worked alongside their counterparts to learn what was to be their job back in California. At the end of each training tour, we asked the trainees what they would most want to take back with them to Fremont of all they had seen at Toyota. Their answer was invariably the same: â€Å"The ability to focus on solving problems without pointing fingers and looking to place the blame on someone.† (Shook 2010) This in turn reassured employees that the company value their opinions and trust them enough to make important decisions. The organization allowing employees to solve problems will benefit the company long term in that it will boost workforce morale, employees don’t have to be afraid to solve problems without ramifications and there will be a better form constant communication between employees and managers. Disadvantages for an organization allowing employees to solve problems without managerial supervision can result in damage product, slowdown or stop of assembly line thus resulting in loss of money. Once implemented, the organization needs to ensure that the workforce (including managers) is on board with the changes in order to move forward. To do this, NUMMI must provide new training through workshops and seminars to all employees. After participating in either the workshop or seminars, Humane Resources should devise a form; having all employees sign that form in order to not have any miscommunication down the line. To sustain success, NUMMI should create team building events/demonstration for all employees to constantly remain on the same page. Currently, NUMMI provides its employees with the opportunity to find and solve daily problems and make improvements without fear of anyone pointing fingers. The workforce embraced the system so well that in one years’ time; NUMMI went from being GM’s worst plant to GM’s best. Justification Changing an organization culture is no easy task. When GM and Toyota decided to form there joint venture, no one could have predicted that they would become a success in a year’s time. There was no one specific solution for changing NUMMI organizations culture. The closet explanation explaining why NUMMI’s culture changed was the adoption of Toyota’s production and management system. Toyota management system benefited the organizational cultural in that it allowed NUMMI employees the opportunity to find and solve daily problems and make justified improvements. By doing so NUMMI provided its workforce the necessary means to successfully do their jobs. Toyota’s system also provided its work force with a since of membership. Employees wanted to be reassured that NUMMI was just as committed to the organization as they were. Other solutions that would keep the work force motivated and change origination culture is an employee reward/ recognition system, a good work environment/culture and developing job positions that are challenging and fulfilling. All of these solutions work hand in hand in order to create a well-balanced origination culture. I believe the opportunity for NUMMI employees to find and solve daily problems and make justified improvements is the most important solution. The article stated that of all the solutions; being able to solve problems without anyone looking to place blame on someone† was the most important organizational culture change. Adopting this organizational cultural change benefitted NUMMI in that the company now is GM best vehicle manufacturing plant. References 1. Champagne, P., & McAfee, B. (1989). Motivating strategies for performance and productivity. In A guide to humane resource development. New York: Quorum Books. 2. Ramlall, S. (2004). Motivation Theories and their Implications for Employee Retention within Organizations. Journal of the American Academy of Business, (5), 52-64. 3. Shook, J. (2010). How to Change a Culture: Lessons From NUMMI. MIT Sloan Management Review, 51(2). 4. Steers, R., & Porter, L. (1983). Motivation & Work Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. 5. Nohria, N., Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. (2008). Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model.Harvard Business Review.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

California Oil Spill Sparks State of Emergency Term Paper

California Oil Spill Sparks State of Emergency - Term Paper Example Oil spillages such as the BP Mexico Gulf catastrophe have normally been caused by unpredicted engineering failures. However, most of the failures have been attributed to unethical operations by the management of the responsible companies. Significant amounts of money were spent on disaster mitigation and response including compensations for loss of lives, financing cleanups and reconstruction of the damaged property (On-site clean-up of oil spillage, 2013). That solely focused on the California Oil Spillage that even sparked the State of Emergency. The State government of California parted allocated financial and other resources towards the management of the crisis. The paper explores the dangers posed by the threat and destruction that emanated from its occurrence. Engineering and ethical issues emanating from the disaster are discussed and the actual causes that might have resulted in its occurrence. Besides presenting an evaluation of the issues, the construct of this paper also e xplores the engineering efforts that were applied during the crisis to help prevent and reduce the adverse effects of the California Oil

Friday, September 27, 2019

Creating Successful Ads Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creating Successful Ads - Essay Example In the wake of health concerns over the rising number of children fighting obesity, Meltz (2007), has proposed that it is possible for companies to promote their junk foods but still hold on to the spirit of public health promotion. He explains about a case in a movie, where children are being advised to exercise, however, in a much as this may seem to be a right step, the effect would still die as soon as the hype in the movie dies down. In this case, there is a need for companies to adopt strategies that have lasting impacts on children and other consumers while making their promotions. If children and other consumers can be educated effectively on the dangers of some of their lifestyle and health habits they can make informed choices on the products they purchase in order to maintain their health. Some of the strategies that companies should think about are introducing health programs in schools and learning institutions where they can talk to children and parents about the need t o maintain healthy lifestyles for their children and other people in the society. This will also be an essential point form them to meet their customers and promote their junk foods. In fact, successful products promotion is best done when it involves personal selling and other approaches that involve direct contact between companies and their clients. According to Meltz, involving Shrek on behalf of the government agency in the movie was an important step in helping children understanding the importance of exercises.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The role of technology in EFL classroom Literature review

The role of technology in EFL classroom - Literature review Example The students need interactive tools to learn the language properly so that they can apply the principles and rules correctly. Numerous studies have shown that inclusion of technological tools in learning foreign language can significantly improve the learning of foreign language in general and grammar in particular (Cheng, 2003). In order to find out how technology improves the learning of foreign language, Chatel (2002) carried out direct meetings with eight teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL). His research findings show that proper selection of website and software helps students in selecting in their quest of ESL. The use of technological tools is quite efficient in transferring the real essence of language to the students of all ages. It is important to understand the methodology as a teacher for positively imparting the instructions and grammar tools to the students of EFL. These tools must be grabbed with both hands. Nowadays, there is little problem of tools for learning. The computer has revolutionized the world greatly with all kinds of automation in every niche of life. These tools should be utilized positively as much as possible in every aspect. Similar kind of research was conducted by Lasagabaster and Sierra (2003) who conducted interviews with 59 undergraduate students. The research results showed that the students were quite aided by the uses of Computer Aided Instructions (CAI). They seem to learn the foreign language usage and grammar quite easily once they have interactive tools available to them. The students must have computers with them to enhance their learning ESL. They can download various presentations and other type of interactive tools that enhance their learning capabilities. They will get groomed to the language decorum. Once they start feeling about the language as their own, it will be easy for them to make progress. There are many

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Principles of management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Principles of management - Essay Example In 1948, they reorganized that their business as a hamburger stands using production line principles.   Ray Kroc  joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.[ McDonalds vision is to be the worlds best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. Below is the content of the McDonalds Vision Statement which is detailed with their outlook of the future. This mission is an effective and successful statement which is powerful, compelling, conveying confidence and inspiring views of the future. The importance of these types of statements is not being underestimated but to describe the values, services and vision for the future. McDonalds brand mission is to provide customers with favorite place and way to eat and drink. Their worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy which is referred to as Plan to Win, which center on an exceptional customer experience of People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. They are committed to continuously improving their operations and enhancing their customers experience. The McDonalds headquarters is in the McDonalds Plaza which is located in  Oak Brook at Illinois. Its site is on the former headquarters of Paul Butler the founder of Oak Brook.  McDonalds moved into the Oak Brook facility from an office of the  Chicago Loop  in 1971. McDonalds was involved in a number of  lawsuits  and other legal cases which involved  trademark  disputes. His company had been threatened by many food businesses with legal action unless it drops the Mc or Mac from trading names. . The McDonalds company has defended itself in several cases that involve  workers rights. In 2001, the company was fined  £12,400 by British magistrates for employing illegally and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

IMC Plan-How might IMC be used in an organization looking to raise Essay

IMC Plan-How might IMC be used in an organization looking to raise their profile relating to carbon consciousness among its consumers - Essay Example verall business and if implemented together or individually, these strategies will be very helpful in raising the overall profile of the company relating to carbon consciousness among its consumers. The term Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), refers to a complete and holistic view of the marketing communication. The main aim of this is to provide a consistent message using media. The main idea of this concept is to use a combination of online as well as offline marketing channels and to provide complete marketing communication. The main aim of this study is to provide a complete explanation of the concept of IMC and to also examine the relationship with the promotional mix. The paper also aims at understanding the different advertising media and providing an evaluation of the current trends. Also, in order to be able to portray the skills related to this topic, a company has been chosen based on which a media plan has been developed and designed to meet the needs of the organization. The company chosen for this study is GDS International. The paper will firstly provide an overview of the company and a background of the industry, following which the target audiences will be analyzed. Based on the study, a media plan will be developed for GDS International to help raise the focus relating to carbon consciousness among its consumers. GDS International is a publishing company that specializes in journals on subjects like industrial and business management and caters mainly to markets of Asia Pacific, China, CIS, Eastern Europe, North America and Australia. The company was founded in 1993 and in the current time has over 40 leading titles on a number of different fields. The company was started by Spencer Green the Chairman. The company apart from publishing also organizes a number of events on different fields like business, financial, food, IT service management and telecoms (fixed and mobile) (Monster). The company works on a combination printed

Monday, September 23, 2019

Strategic Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic Marketing - Assignment Example (Zeithaml & Bitner, 2004; Daly, 2004). We Classification of industries or businesses facilitate some generalizations about appropriate marketing strategies for each classified group. The service sector has multiple varieties of businesses ranging from airlines, telecommunications to professional services to even one person businesses such as body masseurs. This multiplicity makes categorizations of services more tedious than physical goods (Samiee, 1999). Lovelock and Yip (1996) classified services into various groups. One important grouping was - People Processing Services: These services necessitate the customer's presence while the service is being provided. Most of such services are aimed or applied to people and so their presence is essential. In order to buy, use and appreciate these services customers must be ready to spend time, co-operating with the service operation (Lovelock, Vandermerwe & Lewis, 1996). Typical examples of such services are medical services, passenger tran sport, hotels, fitness centers and beauticians. It is the marketing of these services which is radically different from marketing of physical products. The focus of this paper is the marketing efforts of one such service viz.Hotel services. We have chosen Marriott Hotel's marketing efforts and examine them for their focus and propriety. The entire paper has theoretical support covering various aspects of service marketing. Peculiarities of Services A service is an activity or benefit that one party can offer to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything.Kotler (2000) demonstrates that in the goods continuum the distinction between products and services is far from clear as one traverses from tangibility to intangibility. The lack of distinction is particularly prominent mid way through this continuum where tangibility and intangibility may gel indistinguishably. However the fact remains that the tangibility dimension of the offering is a critical distinction and can identify a service offering. For instance, in a hotel stay once the stay has been completed nothing tangible is left with customer for preservation except experience, hence hotel stay is a typical person processing service offering. Such an offering may have tangible dimensions to it like the complementary food and products; however it may be seen that most of these are 'consumed' and do not survive the stay. Even if so me tangible offering e.g. souvenirs etc does survive the hotel stay; it does not emanate from the main service but is only incidental to the service offering. On the whole the services retain their intangible and perishable characters in most offerings. Chief characteristics associated with services can be stated as below: Intangibility - Services are not physical. They can neither be possessed nor seen or felt. The tangible indicators of service are few, if any, and they are not good enough indicators to reduce consumer uncertainty. This increases the work of service marketers who must diligently determine how to effectively communicate the service process and the final outcome the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

An investigation into the theory and practice of management skills Essay

An investigation into the theory and practice of management skills development in the hospitality and tourism industries - Essay Example Thankfully my research and academic proficiency led me to applying in Marriot International among other companies for a management trainee post and getting a positive response from the company. Marriot International is the third largest chain of hotels in the world by employees and revenues but what struck me most about the company was that it consistently got selected as one of the five most ethical companies in an annual review carried out by a rating and analysis firm. The company is based in the United States but has a large setup in the United Kingdom and offers a management trainee program or as the company calls it, a leadership development program, in 30 countries of the world. I got selected in this program that goes by the name of Voyage and conveyed my consent for joining appropriately quickly. Now I am an inductee into the program in its UK chapter and it is early days for me as a trainee of event management, a field of profession I chose to enter after long and careful deliberation. I think that the most prominent feature of event management that is not as important in other types of management is time management which I think is one of the best qualities a person can possess. Also if an event and the planning leading up to it are considered a complete project, I shall get more experience of handling whole projects than I would have gotten in any other field of corporate management. Finally, I have taken this route because I would like t o permanently leave the status of employee one day and establish my own company in the event management business. The first skill that I think I will be requiring to acquire to progress on this career path is keeping my fitness level high. By fitness I do also mean personal health care as well. I have honestly concluded from what I have come to know so far about the job of event management for large companies that it is a tenuous job; it is both physically and

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Gloria Steinem Essay Example for Free

Gloria Steinem Essay Gloria Steinem views America as a largely male-dominant culture. In her efforts to speak out and fight against this unbalanced form of society she strongly enforces her views of female anti-submissiveness. Because of the seemingly unfair amount of rights men have deprived American women of, Steinem calls for drastic changes in the way women view themselves and are viewed both in the society and within the home. Steinems biggest problem with our society is the harsh stereotypical views that are laced all throughout the culture. Children are raised with the ideas that men dominate certain areas of life, and women others, and crossing these dividing lines into areas reserved for the other gender is an act seen as both unnatural and taboo. In her essay Life Between the Lines Steinem touches upon the common marital problem of housework. (Steinem, 8) Because of the deeply rooted tradition of females and housework, many women struggle with feelings of helplessness and even embarrassment when trying to get their husbands to help out around the home. In Huston and History, Steinem writes that because of the secondary status women are traditionally seen as having, they are more likely to relate to minorities and those seen as less fortunate. Frederick Douglass recognized this when he stated that the cause of the slave has been peculiarly womens cause. Relating back to the fight to end slavery, which was most enthusiastically fought by the women. The essay Sisterhood presses on this topic as well when it declares that the deep and personal connections among women living under patriarchy often causes them to leap barriers of age, economics, worldly experience, race, [and] culture. (123) Even though society builds many walls between different people, the common goal of subordination remains a very strong uniting factor. Male and female roles in society have always been seen as vastly different. The common childrens poem: What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, And everything nice, Thats what little girls are made of. What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, And puppy dog tails, Thats  what little boys are made of. (internet: http://showcase.netins.net/web/marys/LittleBoys.htm) is a perfect illustration of the generalizations our country has towards the two genders. Steinem suggests in her essay College Reunion that, through education, the boundaries between the two sexes might start to dissolve. Steinem states that Womens colleges have rarely taught us to fight for ourselves, or for other women. (137) Only in teaching women the skills necessary to break down the walls that tradition has built up, and equality and full humanity of women and men is achieved, can true feminism be accomplished. (5) Another major topic illustrated in this book is the authors concern about the sexual relationships between male and female. According the Steinem, our cultures stereotypical views of the sexes often envelopes all aspects of life, bringing male-dominance even into the bedroom. Three essays focusing primarily upon the sexual dominance of men are Erotica vs. Pornography, I was a Playboy Bunny , and If Men Could Menstruate. Erotica vs. Pornography centers on way the American society frequently sees sex. In America, children are raised with images of female sex symbols strewn all across the media which make women vulnerable for the pleasure of men. Steinem attributes the sexual male-supremacy to this trendy media tool. A common quote illustrating this point is sex will sale anything. Because of the steady moral decline in society, sex is also confused with violence and aggression in all forms of popular culture. (239) Pictures of females are seen in every form of media, from the television to the internet to the paper. This imagery drastically influences the way females think of themselves, and are viewed by others. I was a Playboy Bunny speaks of the time in which the author went undercover to become one of the famed Playboy Bunnies. Once within the Playboy realm the glamour and intrigue quickly started to fade. Steinem saw that the bunnies were used in affect as cheap labor to feed the vastly popular Playboy clubs. Working long hours with no or little pay (54), outrageous regulations on hair, heels, clothing, and even the bunny demeanor all added to the unspectacular life of a Bunny. If Men Could Menstruate is a comical look at how the world would be different if it was in fact the male sex who was on a periodic menstrual cycle. Clearly, menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much, and Sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free. (367) Although the essay is an interesting satire on what could be, no real arguments are held or reinforced. It is in affect an amusing look at how the culture might react if men were given the attributes of the weaker sex. Although many of Steinems arguments are well supported and easily seen as valid, they frequently focus on either to broad, or to narrow a topic. Essays like Men and Women Talking express the communication habits between males and females all over the world, from Europe (193), Australia (194), Japan (203), and the U.S. a very large base from which drawing any solid conclusions becomes drastically more difficult. The other extreme argumental stance occurs in being to narrow. Essays like Ruths Song concentrate on a single instance and circumstance. Because of the narrow focal point it is hard to relate a specific example to a larger, more common instance. In Ruths Song Steinem says that the biggest reason that my mother was cared for but not helped for twenty years was the simplest her functioning was not that necessary to the world. (143) Inferring that because her mother was a female, Steinem suggests that her only role in the economy was to produce and care for her offspring, and that because she no longer could do either one, she was not an important member in society. Although her point may be well made, it relates directly to only those females who have, or are directly effected by a mental breakdown. Because of the illness of one woman, it is hard to conclude that the fate of a single person would be the same for everyone else having a similar fortune. Steinems arguments all have the underlying theme of female limitation in a male-dominant society. To combat this she proposes that women learn to stand up for themselves and take action. Only through active change in every individual, can full and complete equilibrium among the sexes take place.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Management and Organizational Theories: Pros and Cons

Management and Organizational Theories: Pros and Cons Task 1 Evaluate the contributions, strengths and weaknesses of the following three major schools of thought in management and organizational theories: (E1 – PC 1.1) Answer: Classical management theory: The classical management theory is a school of thought which management theorists delved into how to find the best possible way for employees to perform their duties. Strengths: Current management and organizational structure can provide many of its roots in the classical management theory. One of the main advantages of the classical management theory was a methodology for how management should work remember. Management principles can be seen as a basis for the current management behavior today, such as use as a power of authority and responsibility. Coined in this period In addition, another advantage of the classical management theory is the focus on the division of labor. By dividing labor tasks would be faster and more efficiently, thereby increasing productivity. Division of labor can be seen in many applications today, ranging from fast food restaurants, big production. In addition, the classical management theory also gave rise to an autocratic style of leadership, allowing employees to take. Direction and command of their managers PRESIDENT CEO MANAGER SUPERVISOR EMPLOYEES WEAKNESSES: The main weakness of the classical management theory arose from its tough, rigid structure. One of the main principles of the classical management theory is to increase productivity and efficiency; however, achieving these goals often came at the expense of creativity and human relations. Oftentimes, employers and theorists would focus on scientific, almost mechanical ways of increasing productivity. For example, managers would use assembly line methods and project management theories that focused on efficient division of tasks. Humanistic Theory: The Humanistic Management Center advocates a paradigm shift away from economistic views on market activities in the direction of a humanistic attitude. To move from criticism of the status quo towards abundant discourse on alternatives we have developed a three stepped approach offering guidance and a broadcaster for reflection on managerial decisions as well as decision making routes. We understand humanistic management on the basis of three interrelated dimensions. STRENGTHS: Its a holistic theory, so it looks the entire whole person. For example most other theories reduce people to components, in order to treat disorders; the humanist theory would state that the answer lies from looking at the entire person. Weaknesses: Lack of empirical evidence, the self-help therapy involved can teach narcissistic tendencies. The disadvantage of the humanist approach becomes all too evident at a humanist funeral. There is absolutely no comfort in the words of the so called service, and absolutely no hope to the relatives and friends of the dead person of the resurrection which Jesus proved and of life after death. References: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080406145409AA9vMr9 Contingency Theory: The contingency school of management can be summarized as an â€Å"it all depends† approach. The appropriate management actions and approaches depend on the situation. Managers with a contingency view use a flexible approach, draw on a variety of theories and experiences, and evaluate many options as they solve problems. STRENGTHS: Leader Identification: Fiedlers model gives organizations a rapid method to identify a particular group of the best. Potential leaders the theory includes a least-loved colleague scale, which helps identifies the management of human relations orientation and task orientation of potential leaders. Leaders with a task orientation are best suited to groups in which they defined tasks with a high level of control and supervision. On the other hand, leaders can a relationship orientation to use to get the job done their interpersonal skills and can deal with complex problems when taking decisions. Flexibility: This theory has been designed as a contingency model and is not intended to describe. All possible situations Because the model is to provide flexible enough to fit all kinds of groups leaders and group relationships. Only the results of example, the margin as a group has a leader with low human relations skills, Fiedlers model still gives management the ability to make an effective group with clearly defined roles and increasing the capacity of the leader to rewards or provide information to punish their subordinates. Prescriptive: This model provides managers create by adapting a number of variables. Instrument for effective groups According to Fiedlers contingency model, there is not just one type of successful leadership style, but each type of leader can thrive in the right group sites. The model provides a number of factors may change management to improve efficiency. Group For example, according to Fiedlers theory but an impersonal task oriented leader can be effective in a group while the group is highly structured and clearly defined roles. Weakness: Leader Position power: Position power is determined at the most basic level of rewards and punishments that the leader has officially at his or her disposal for either reward or punish members of the group based on performance. The more power the leader has, the more favorable the situation. References: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-fiedlers-contingency-model-18368.html Different Organizational Structures: SchoolorganizationalStructure: Company Organizational Structure: The sources of power, influence, and authority within present-day organizations, and explain their impact and effectiveness on organizational structure: Sources are the full utilization of resources in the management. Managers very well how to make use of the person to use and in what area it is perfect. Managers know the second person to lead the charge. Following the organization Compare and contrast the traditional and the current outlook of the following: 1) Delegation.: There are delegates going into the meeting and represent the company in the other meetings that are held throughout the world. The person who talks about the organization and the goals of the organization. 2) Participation:. There is the participation of managers and other employees and the boss. But in some organizations, the boss only participates in decision making. . 3) Decision-making: The boss makes the decision after consultation with all the managers and other employees. Boss gives the right to take part in some cases, the manager decisions. Identify and examine the principles for vertical and horizontal coordination in relation to their past and current relevance to management effectiveness: Determinants of Emergency Management Effectiveness There is a considerable amount of research conducted over the past 30 years that many conditions influence the effectiveness of Lemmas been. Identifies this research will be further described in the following pages, but can be summarized by the model in Figure 3-2. This figure indicates that LEMA effectiveness measured by such organizational outcomes as quality , timeliness and cost of the risk by the community is the most direct consequence of the individual results and the schedule adopted and implemented changes . Results for the individual members of the LEMA and LEMC include job satisfaction, organizational commitment, individual effort and attendance, and organizational citizenship behavior. The planning process includes staffing / equipment, organizational structure, team development environment, situational analysis and strategic choice. In turn, the planning process is determined by the level of community support officers, news media and the public. The planning process is also influenced by risk experience, as measured by direct experience with disasters and vicarious experiences that reveal. Potential impact of future disasters Hazard experience also shows an indirect effect on the planning, through the effects on community support. It is important to recognize that although the model as shown in Figure 3-2 static, that is to say, the arrows starts on the left and finishes on the right side of the figure the actual process is dynamic, because success tends to be a self-amplifying process in which a produce increased levels of indirect experience with disaster demands (through emergency training, drills and exercises) , community support , better staff and organization , and more emergency planning resources . High degree of individual and organizational outcomes Hazard Exposure / Community Vulnerability Numerous studies have shown the level of community adjustment hazard is increased by the experience of disaster impact, especially catastrophic consequences. To the vulnerability of the community to hazards easier to remember and more likely to encourage. Frequent for action, recent and serious consequences In some cases, this leads to the development of a disaster subculture in which residents routine patterns of disaster behavior (Wenger, 1978) to determine. When disasters are rare, long removed in time, or have had minimal disruptive impacts, vulnerability threat likely to elicit little attention households, organizations, or the community as a whole. However, the exposure of the community can be made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹by indirect experience gained by reading or hearing about experiences of other communities with disaster. Salient to environmental hazards These can be obtained through newspaper articles or television accounts or, most powerfully, through first-p erson accounts especially if they come from peers (Liddell, 1994a) . For example, a local fire chief is most likely to be affected by the accounts of their experiences other fire chiefs, a city manager is most likely to be affected by another city manager, and so on . Hazard exposure can also be affected by salient cues such as the daily sight of the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant, the intricate maze of piping at a petrochemical plant, or the placards on railcars and trucks passing through town. Information from hazard and vulnerability analyses can also have an effect on the community, but this pallid statistical information is likely to have less of an effect than the vivid first-person accounts described above (Nesbit Ross, 1980). As will be discussed in the next chapter, Risk Perception and Communication, the psychological impact of hazard/vulnerability analyses can be increased by linking data on hazard exposure to likely personal consequences. Task 2 Compare the relevance and application of the motivation theories to workplace behavior in present-day organizations. Two content schools of thought: 1.)Physiological needs: The most basic level in the hierarchy, the physiological needs, generally corresponds to the unlearned primary needs discussed earlier. The needs of hunger, thirst, sleep, and sex are some examples. According to the theory, once these basic needs are satisfied, they no longer motivate. 2.)Safety needs: This second level of needs is roughly equivalent to the security need. Maslow stressed emotional as well as physical safety. The whole organism may become a safety-seeking mechanism. Two process schools of thought: 1.)Esteem needs: The esteem level represents the higher needs of man. The need for power, Performance and the status can be considered as part of this level. Maslow carefully pointed out that the esteem level includes both self-respect and self-esteem of others. . 2) The need for self-actualization: Maslow important contribution, he portrays this level as the peak of the lower, middle and higher human needs. People who update themselves become complacent and have already realized their potential. Self-Actualization is closely related to the self-concepts. In fact, self-actualization is the motivation of the perception of the reality of the individual self. Evaluate two managerial approaches to motivation below for their distinctive contributions to management in organizations. (E1-PC 2.2) . 1) Pay and performance at work: Managers prepare only the grids and paid to the employee. Managers keep a strict eye on the employees how they work and how they perform. 2) Quality of Work Life Programs:. Managers only environment friendly and have a look at how their employees standard of living. They only tell the job how to improve their work. Skills and communication skills examine the positive or negative implication of management style below in relation to management practice in organizations. (E1-PC 2.3) 1.)Autocratic style: Boss takes the decision without consulting with the other employees and managers whether the decision is right or wrong. 2.)Participative style: Boss takes the decision with consulting with the other employees and managers whether the decision is right or wrong. Examine the job design for Marketing Manager below and answer the following questions. What are the motivational effects in terms of task characteristics and personal and work outcomes of the job design options? As a job manager i will motivate the employees in order to achieve the goal and i will also consult the problems which are faced by the employees and how they can overcome it and what are the solutions. What are the implications of the job design options for management? If a job manager, it is my duty to hire and fire staff, because if after boss Im only looking after the company in the absence of the boss. Moreover, I should be the person in whose area he / she is a perfect fit. Evaluate the social influences on individual work effectiveness and motivation and their implications for group functioning and team work: If the employees are faced with a family problem then it will obviously effect the performance of the employees work, and moreover it is my duty to motivate so that he can produce more results in the future worker and I have the solution for tell which is faced by him in the society. Problem Task 3 1. Describe the distinction between management and leadership roles. Leadership is setting a new direction or vision for a group that they follow, ie: a leader is the spearhead for that new direction. Management controls or directs people / resources in a group according to principles or values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹that have already been established. 2. Explain the impact of management and leadership roles on organizational structure Managers need to fulfill many roles in an organization and how they deal with different situations will depend on their styles of management. A leadership style is a general method of leadership used by a manager. 3. Compare two different leadership styles and identifies and contrasts attributes and skills required for each style evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their significance for effective leadership in organizations. Comparison of Leadership Style  © IANZ | 9735| Demonstrate knowledge of theory in relation to management in organization Page 1 of 11

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Advertising: Information or Manipulation? Essay -- Marketing Business

Advertising: Information or Manipulation? In today’s difficult economy who can afford to spend their hard-earned money carelessly? Americans want good quality and low prices, and businesses that advertise their product make saving money possible. Advertising was created for one reason, so businesses could make known their product (Black, Hashimzade, and Myles). Some consumers may argue that advertising is not informative, but that it is manipulative because some advertisements make false claims. Fortunately, there are regulations and consumer rights that promote truth in advertising. Consumers must embrace their rights to keep advertising the way it is meant to be. Advertising is meant to be informative and not manipulative, and consumers play a great role in promoting truth in advertising. Advertising in America was created when businesses wanted to attract customers by providing information about their product or service (Black, Hashimzade, and Myles). Advertising has been used for many centuries, and was even used during the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Businesses used different advertising techniques such as posters and signs to provide consumers with information about their products, and to persuade them to buy American. Before the war, Americans received their goods on ships from England. The American colonies won the war and became the United States of America. Now it was important for Americans to build a strong American economy (Milton 9). Even today American’s are partial to anything that says, â€Å"Made in America.† The economy thrives because of consumerism, so if advertising brings in more businesses than Americans benefit as well. Americans continue to benefit from the use of product and s... ...dleton, Kent R., Robert Trager, and Bill F. Chamberlain. The Law of Public Communication. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002. 299-341. Print. Milton, Bess. Advertising. New York: Children’s Press, 2004. 9. Print. Mitra, Anu, Mary Anne Raymond, and Christopher D. Hopkins. â€Å"Can Consumers Recognize Misleading Content in a Media Rich Online Environment?.† Psychology & Marketing 25.7 (2008): 655-674. Business Source Complete. ESBCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=13&sid=6735641b-1986-4a51-857c-c7676ec5d556%40sessionmgr12>. NAD Review. The Advertising Industry’s Process of Self-Regulation. Council of Better Business Bureaus. 08 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. . â€Å"The Pepsi Cola Story.† Pepsi. PepsiCo, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Advertising: Information or Manipulation? Essay -- Marketing Business Advertising: Information or Manipulation? In today’s difficult economy who can afford to spend their hard-earned money carelessly? Americans want good quality and low prices, and businesses that advertise their product make saving money possible. Advertising was created for one reason, so businesses could make known their product (Black, Hashimzade, and Myles). Some consumers may argue that advertising is not informative, but that it is manipulative because some advertisements make false claims. Fortunately, there are regulations and consumer rights that promote truth in advertising. Consumers must embrace their rights to keep advertising the way it is meant to be. Advertising is meant to be informative and not manipulative, and consumers play a great role in promoting truth in advertising. Advertising in America was created when businesses wanted to attract customers by providing information about their product or service (Black, Hashimzade, and Myles). Advertising has been used for many centuries, and was even used during the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Businesses used different advertising techniques such as posters and signs to provide consumers with information about their products, and to persuade them to buy American. Before the war, Americans received their goods on ships from England. The American colonies won the war and became the United States of America. Now it was important for Americans to build a strong American economy (Milton 9). Even today American’s are partial to anything that says, â€Å"Made in America.† The economy thrives because of consumerism, so if advertising brings in more businesses than Americans benefit as well. Americans continue to benefit from the use of product and s... ...dleton, Kent R., Robert Trager, and Bill F. Chamberlain. The Law of Public Communication. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002. 299-341. Print. Milton, Bess. Advertising. New York: Children’s Press, 2004. 9. Print. Mitra, Anu, Mary Anne Raymond, and Christopher D. Hopkins. â€Å"Can Consumers Recognize Misleading Content in a Media Rich Online Environment?.† Psychology & Marketing 25.7 (2008): 655-674. Business Source Complete. ESBCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=13&sid=6735641b-1986-4a51-857c-c7676ec5d556%40sessionmgr12>. NAD Review. The Advertising Industry’s Process of Self-Regulation. Council of Better Business Bureaus. 08 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. . â€Å"The Pepsi Cola Story.† Pepsi. PepsiCo, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Controversies Over Technology in Early Childhood Classrooms Essay

Controversies Over Technology in Early Childhood Classrooms The role of technology in early childhood education is a controversial topic to both teachers and parents. The main concerns of both teachers and parents is the potential benefits for young children’s learning and development.. Supporters and non-supporters agree on the importance of young children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Supporters feel children should have the opportunity to use the computer as another tool to aide in and encourage their development. Non-supporters agree the computer may be a useful tool for young children but feel many teachers may not be using the computers in the best way to promote a healthy development in the child. They also contend that introducing the computer takes away from important learning experiences such as play and art (NWREL, 2001). School programs are now working on ways to better integrate computers into the classrooms in order to offer the young children the opportunities to develop the necessary skills to grow as students (Gimbert, 2004). The purpose of this research paper is to examine the controversies that surround technology use in early childhood classrooms. Introducing Technology into the Classroom Properly introducing technology into early childhood classrooms is the first and crucial step in producing a new and useful tool for students to use to enhance their learning. Many researchers do not recommend introducing computers to children young than three because they are not developmentally ready ((Haugland, 2000). It is useful to start off introducing a computer to young children in a group setting because it is general information all children need to know. The teacher may begi... ...about the different ways in which young children experience computers in the classroom setting. It included a study done of kindergarteners from about 22,000 different public and private schools and examined they availability of computers to these children. Romeo, G. (2003). Touching the screen: issues related to the use of touch screen technology in early childhood education. British journal of educational technology, 3, 329-339. In this Journal there was a study performed on early childhood students and their reaction to touch screen computers. The results were more negative rather than positive proving that it was more productive to use the mouse and keyboard for young children. Shade, D. (1999). Integrating technology into the early childhood classroom: the case of literacy learning. Information technology in Childhood Education Annual. 1999, 221-254.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Old Art :: essays research papers

In the 17th century tens of thousands of still lifes were produced - works on canvas, copper and panel - all lovingly painted and eagerly purchased. This summer the celebrated Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will host a remarkable exhibition featuring the finest examples of Dutch still lifes from 1550 to 1720. Some 70 major paintings will travel to Amsterdam from such museums as Te Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musà ©e du Louvre in Paris, the Gemà ¤ldegalerie in Berlin, the Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Together with loans from private collections (e.g. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, the Frits Lugt Collection in Paris and the Michal Hornstein Collection in Montreal) they will provide a splendid overview of this popular genre for the first time. Never before has there been an exhibition which featured all the different types of still life: the colourful flowers, the juicy fruits, the sumptous banquets, the evocative 'breakfast pieces' and breathtaking examples of the illusionistic trompe l'oeil. This unparalleled exhibition presents spectacular works from such artists as Brueghel, Coorte, Rembrandt, Saverij, and Van Huysum. The exhibition is organized by the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. The works of Dutch still-life artists continue to be internationally admired as unrivalled achievements in this genre because of the breath-taking rendering of materials, the subtlety of the compositions and the feats of perspective. Equally admired is the simplicity, though it is often only apparent and is rooted in subtlety. It is remarkable that these magnificent works were generally painted by artists who are not widely known. Who has heard these days of Floris van Dijck? Most people will associate the name Brueghel with Pieter, the 'Peasant Brueghel', rather than with his son Jan, whose flower paintings (cat. 3) make him one of the great masters of the still life. Who has heard of Pieter van Anraadt, the maker of the finest painted clay pipes from Gouda (cat. 46), or of Daniel Seghers, world famous in the 17th century for his matchless flower pieces? The Rijksmuseum highlights these great but little known artists in this special exhibition. The still life in the Netherlands The standard of Dutch still lifes of the 17th century is unparalleled. This special quality, the spell cast by the best still lifes, was achieved not just by a few but by quite a considerable number of artists. Old Art :: essays research papers In the 17th century tens of thousands of still lifes were produced - works on canvas, copper and panel - all lovingly painted and eagerly purchased. This summer the celebrated Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will host a remarkable exhibition featuring the finest examples of Dutch still lifes from 1550 to 1720. Some 70 major paintings will travel to Amsterdam from such museums as Te Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musà ©e du Louvre in Paris, the Gemà ¤ldegalerie in Berlin, the Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Together with loans from private collections (e.g. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, the Frits Lugt Collection in Paris and the Michal Hornstein Collection in Montreal) they will provide a splendid overview of this popular genre for the first time. Never before has there been an exhibition which featured all the different types of still life: the colourful flowers, the juicy fruits, the sumptous banquets, the evocative 'breakfast pieces' and breathtaking examples of the illusionistic trompe l'oeil. This unparalleled exhibition presents spectacular works from such artists as Brueghel, Coorte, Rembrandt, Saverij, and Van Huysum. The exhibition is organized by the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. The works of Dutch still-life artists continue to be internationally admired as unrivalled achievements in this genre because of the breath-taking rendering of materials, the subtlety of the compositions and the feats of perspective. Equally admired is the simplicity, though it is often only apparent and is rooted in subtlety. It is remarkable that these magnificent works were generally painted by artists who are not widely known. Who has heard these days of Floris van Dijck? Most people will associate the name Brueghel with Pieter, the 'Peasant Brueghel', rather than with his son Jan, whose flower paintings (cat. 3) make him one of the great masters of the still life. Who has heard of Pieter van Anraadt, the maker of the finest painted clay pipes from Gouda (cat. 46), or of Daniel Seghers, world famous in the 17th century for his matchless flower pieces? The Rijksmuseum highlights these great but little known artists in this special exhibition. The still life in the Netherlands The standard of Dutch still lifes of the 17th century is unparalleled. This special quality, the spell cast by the best still lifes, was achieved not just by a few but by quite a considerable number of artists.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Debate for the Constitution

When the U. S. constitution was made it there was a long debate over the ratification of the constitution. There were two sides in the debate, the Federalists, who were supporter of the new constitution, and were better, organized than their opponents, and the Federalists had the support of the most respected men in America, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. The other side of the debate was the Antifederalists, who opposed ratification; although they weren’t as organized as the Federalists they did have some dedicated supporters. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U. S. constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government. By 1787, most people were not happy with the articles of confederation. The farmers came to be debtors: and revolts like Shays’ rebellion where happening. The Federalists argued that without a strong central government, more rebellions like Shays’ rebellion would occur. So they looked to the constitution to create a national government capable of maintaining order. According to document 1, in which the Massachusetts sentinel wrote that the United States needed to adopt the constitution to make a more efficient federal government, to help the farmers, and protect the American name and character. Also according to document 3, in which a letter written by George Washington to John Jay, where Washington agreed with Jay that the articles of confederation had to be corrected. Also Washington suggested that America needed a stronger, national government. In the end, the Federalists won but not without strong debates and arguments from the Antifederalists. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U. S. Constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government. The documents supporting my answer were document 1, and document 3.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Analytical essay

According to the article, â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns,† it Is evident that gun control has proven Ineffective when It comes to dissolving the â€Å"love affair† that exists between Americans and their guns (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). This article highlights the Issues that permeate throughout America regarding pro gun groups. Not only Is this article persuasive, it Infuses a degree of rhetorical strategies including logical, as well as emotional appeals to fortify the issue at hand.Various examples, statistics, and sound evidence is brought to the table, adequately arguing ND developing the position that, â€Å"Americans want to keep their guns, no matter how high the price,† (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). Furthermore, the other article, â€Å"Support for Gun Control Legislation,† falls short in strengthening its argument and is not as convincing, in comparison to â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns. † These articles use a n array of rhetorical strategies to convey their arguments, however some strategies prove more successful or useful than others. Exemplification or defining appears in both articles.These rhetorical strategies seem necessary and perhaps essential monuments In each article. They serve to properly support and strengthen the statements of each author. Another rhetorical strategy that Is prominent throughout both articles Is the comparing and contrasting method. TLS strategy allows the reader to introduce the pros and cons concerning their argument while persuading the reader to take a stance or a step in the right direction. Once the comparing and contrasting have been presented and thoroughly examined, the author can then persuade the reader based on said favorable findings.Apart from these rhetorical strategies, classifying and dividing appear in both articles too. This type of strategy divides difficult or overwhelming topics in smaller comprehensible units. Readjusting a broad topi c into smaller subsections lets the writer gain control of the argument and allows the reader to comfortably analyze the material (â€Å"Rhetorical Strategies). This Is particularly true on a subject like gun control In America, a topic In desperate need of dissecting since there is so much history and discourse to address.The first article, â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns,† uses these rhetorical strategies most effectively, as oppose to the article, â€Å"Support for Gun Control Legislation. † The first article appeals to the reader on an emotional level, as well as on a logical level. The author starts off with; â€Å"The love affair goes on, whatever the price. The funerals are over,† (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). This is a powerful and convincing statement because it gets the reader emotionally involved. It conjures up thoughts of death, guns, and their relation to one another. Followed by this emotionally charged tenement, is a series of examp les.This structure holds true to the rhetorical strategy of exemplification. Mentioned are descriptions of young boys as murders and shocking Incidents such as mass shootings and school massacres. These examples are so effective because they emphasize the Idea that Americans are still obsessed with guns regardless of all the harm they can cause. Moreover, the author also gets the reader convinced on a logical level by presenting rather startling but true evidence, like the anti-control slogan, â€Å"guns don't kill people, people kill cause at face value, it is true.With all these historical events and facts, this article becomes very credible and the author builds a very strong argument. The author also uses the rhetorical strategy of compare and contrast to further reinforce the idea that Americans are reluctant to give up their guns. The article mentions the stark contrasts in regards to deaths by handguns in America versus the world. Although the difference in numbers across th e board is shocking, the author follows these statements by, â€Å"most Americans remain unimpressed by such imprisons,† (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). This article is incredibly persuasive and convincing.Such statements leave the reader in disbelief that Americans still â€Å"want to keep their guns, no matter how high the price,† (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). From this article, even though the author introduces both sides of the story, one could presume that gun control may not gain popularity in America. After reading the first article, the second article becomes less convincing. â€Å"Support for Gun Control Legislation,† lacks emotion and depth. The article sets itself up for disaster, cause although it tries to stress how gun legislation is on the brink of undergoing tighter regulations, it fails miserably.The author places too much emphasis on the National Rifle Association (NEAR). The rhetorical strategy of exemplification is pre sent, but glorifies the NEAR, mentioning how â€Å"powerful† and how † successful† the anti-gun control lobby has been, â€Å"in helping to block any meaningful gun control legislation in Congress,†(â€Å"Support for Gun Control Legislation†). This example, followed by facts, is perhaps not the best one for this discussion because it reinforces the strength of the association in America and weakens the argument for better or more effective regulations.However, the article does include examples of small victories nationwide concerning tougher gun restrictions, but these statements would have been more effective if they were mentioned earlier. These successes lose their credibility as they are undermined when compared and contrasted to the NEAR. The author is very disorganized; his attempts at using classifying and dividing to strengthen his argument do not help him to properly compose his thoughts. The author Jumps from he NEAR, to a series of events, to politicians and lastly lawsuits.This overwhelms the reader because the flow is too Jumbled, for this reason this article becomes ineffective and too complicated to properly make sense of. Lastly, the article that gave me the best answer was â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns. † This article was emotionally charged and logically composed. The author included numerous rhetorical strategies to reinforce his rather shocking stance that Americans love their guns and that those guns are here to stay. The authors use of visual descriptions, incidents, and statistics were all appropriate examples used to establish and display the ideas effectively.The composition of the article flows really well, a lot of information is presented but also condensed, mentioning only what is vital to the argument. The author is direct and to the point and the author does not deviate from the main argument, constantly coming back and endorsing his/her opinion. The author mentions, â€Å"many Americans have already come to the remarkable conclusion that the best route to a safer America is a better-armed America,† (â€Å"Leaders: America and Guns†). The author is constantly on point with his/her information.

Kant and the Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics

According to Kant metaphysics is the â€Å"occupation of reason with itself†. In more concrete terms, it is the mind making logical connections between a priori concepts and coming to an objective truth thereby, without reference to experience.[1] The question posed by him in the Prolegomena is whether such an objective truth is at all possible. The conclusion derived in the end is that there is indeed such an objective truth, which is effected through pure reason. But equally important in the assertion is that such metaphysics is beyond human understanding.The title â€Å"Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics† suggests that Kant does indeed anticipate an irrefutable metaphysics to be in the grasp of men in the future, but he never makes such a claim in the text itself. The thing that Kant aimed for was clarity in the field of metaphysical endeavor, and this is the ‘future metaphysics’. ‘Future’ can be interpreted in two ways here. First in the sense already suggested, so that metaphysical thinking is founded on a scientific basis, in which the terms and strategies it employs are well defined. But it can also be hinting at transcendental possibility, that by which all contradictions are resolved through â€Å"pure reason†.Scientific clarity is the aim, and thus Kant justifies the labor involved in Critique Of Pure Reason (1781), of which the Prolegomena was a sequel meant to make more accessible. He is at pains to point out that there is a moral obligation involved here. People cannot surrender themselves to unreason, because reason is the very make-up of the human, so postulates Kant. The suggestion that reason be abandoned was made by David Hume, who had spelt out a comprehensive theory of empirical skepticism.All our knowledge is through sense perceptions, therefore are entirely subjective, and cannot be tied into an absolute whole through the application of reason. It is merely by the means of custom that we ac quire a coherent worldview, he maintained.[2] Kant saw this as a capitulation to unreason. It was not just Hume’s personal viewpoint that mattered. It was indeed a wider crisis in metaphysics that he was addressing.When Newton’s physics could not be subsumed under any metaphysics, this engendered an intellectual confusion, and Hume’s solution was that metaphysics be abandoned as impossible. Kant enjoined that it is impossible to abandon metaphysics, for man reasons by necessity. Instead of finality we must aim for metaphysical clarity, and this is absolutely contingent upon us, indeed a moral obligation. He made what seem to be boastful claims about the crucial importance of the Critique in the history of metaphysics, but a closer examination will show that it is not from conceit, but rather from moral outrage.The true nature of metaphysics is laid out with scientific clarity in the Critique and the Prolegomena, and this is the essence that Kant wants to convey, not the final outcome. He takes Hume to task in the very opening of the Critique:  Although all our knowledge begins with experience, it does not follow that it arises entirely from experience. For it is quite possible that our empirical knowledge is a compound of that which we receive through impressions and that which our own faculty of knowing (incited by impressions) supplies from itself.[3]When considering sensual perception he first makes the distinction between a priori and a posteriori, the first suggesting an innate facility of the mind, and the second is a facility borne after the event. The second distinction is between analytical and synthetic propositions. In an analytic proposition the predicate is contained within the subject, such as â€Å"the flamingo is a bird†. In a synthetic proposition the predicate adds something new to the subject, such as â€Å"the flamingo is pink†. The pinkness is not in the definition of flamingo, but rather has to be got from observation, and therefore it is also a posteriori.Synthetic a posteriori propositions are employed in the field of natural science. On the other hand all mathematical truths are innate, i.e. we ascertain their truth before sensory perception. They are also synthetic: when we say â€Å"3+4=7†, then ‘7’ is a new concept, not contained in either ‘3’ of ‘4’. Mathematics holds the key to metaphysics, according to Kant. It demonstrates that synthetic a priori propositions are possible, which is contrary to normal expectation. We feel that whatever is innate is necessarily analytical. We are what we are, separated from the objective natural world beyond us. Against this instinctive point of view, Kant contended that we are not passive observers of an external world separated from us, but that with our innate faculties we â€Å"synthesize† our own subjective reality.The first stage of this synthesis is when we intuit objects in our perception. â€Å"Things in themselves† can never appear to us; we only have subjective sensory data to work with. It is a meaningless jumble of light, sound, touch, taste and smell, but then our faculty of sensibility intervenes and creates order out of this chaos. This faculty is synthetic a priori, and makes use of pure intuitions. Space is one such pure intuition. Newton had maintained that space is an external, absolute and inviolable reality. Kant counters that, no, space is pure intuition. Time is another such.Through the faculties of sensibility we come to make a judgment of perception. Thus far it is an entirely subjective viewpoint, with no objective framework to relate to that would link our views with those of others. This is the function of our judgment of experience. It too is synthetic a priori, and links the objects of perception into a rational order that facilitates understanding. This is done through pure concepts of understanding, and causation is one of t hem. Through this faculty we know that one event is cause to another, and thus wise we have come across Hume’s impasse, where he could find no rational construct that could link a effect to a cause when confined to empirical sense data.[4] â€Å"Cause and effect† is thus a concept of human understanding. Such understanding is composed of components that are a priori and synthetic, and it is meant to make the world intelligible to us.Just because the world is made intelligible, it does not imply that we do not meet contradiction. When we think we do so discursively, i.e. we think by making propositions in terms of subjects and predicates. But each subject we introduce is the predicate of another subject in an infinite chain. Because the absolute subject is beyond our grasp, discursive reason naturally leads to fallacies. In fact each truthful proposition will be found to have an equally valid refutation, which together are described as pairs of antimonies. Kant cites fo ur cosmological antimonies, one of which places infinite space against a limited one. He goes on to show that there is no contradiction in essence. As originating in the judgment of perception space does indeed have a beginning. But as regards human understanding space is necessarily infinite. The conflict arises from metaphysics failing to distinguish the noumenal (thing in itself) from the phenomenal (as appears to human understanding).Thus far does metaphysics gain clarity, but not finality. The human mind cannot help ponder on the questions of metaphysics, but it must come to terms with the fact that it is ‘bounded’. Human understanding is meant to make the outer world intelligible, and thus proves inadequate when the focus is redirected to the inner essence of the mind, which is the object that metaphysics must study. But the overriding lesson of metaphysics is that pure reason subsumes all. One must not despair of human reason, for one must know that it originates in pure reason and is overcome by it in the end.Subservience to pure reason is indeed a moral obligation. Other than clarity in metaphysics, which is not suitable for all, Kant advanced his categorical imperative: â€Å"I ought never to act except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law.†[5] We cannot help noticing that this is only a rewording of the golden rule of Christianity: â€Å"Do unto others as you would they should do unto you.†[6] Thus through clarity in metaphysics Kant can be said to have arrived at religious doctrine too.ReferencesHume, David. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. Eric Steinberg. Boston: Hackett Publishing, 1993.Jeffrey, David L. A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature.  Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1992.Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. Werner S. Pluhar. Ed. Eric Watkins. Boston: Hackett Publishing Company, 1999.Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Ed. Mary Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.Kant, Immanuel. Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2005.[1] Immanuel Kant, Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2005, p. 92.[2] David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Ed. Eric Steinberg, Boston: Hackett Publishing, 1993, p. 29.[3] Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. Werner S. Pluhar, Ed. Eric Watkins, Boston: Hackett Publishing Company, 1999, p. 1. [4] Hume, Enquiry, p. 49. [5] Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Ed. Mary Gregor, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, p. 16. [6] David L. Jeffrey, A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature,  Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1992, p. 314.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Conclusion Families Essay

Families are viewed differently by various people in the world. Some individuals have cherished this institution. And others have not. Origins of the family article try as much to discuss what a family is and its origins. The traffic in women is an article that describes who is a woman and for many centuries what treatment women have gone through socially and mentally. This paper will give a detailed account of each of the article and lastly it will compare and contrast the contents of the two articles. Origins of the family Different views are expressed about a family around the world whereby it has been discovered that people share common backgrounds even though extremely far apart. The most primitive people in the world including the original American Indians have their way to describe what a family is. The American Indians were the first group that was studied so that an overview or a general idea about a family was created even though the studies have been extended to many other regions around the world, there where many other observations that were carried out or taken into consideration. One of the main issues that passively describe a family is the system of name calling or relations in the extended family. For instance, cousins never called each other cousins but brothers and sisters. Young people who grow in that setting have no questions to ask but the join the system and that kind of trend has been very natural with and for them. This kind of phenomenon was first noticed in the New York state among the few remaining Indian American tribe Iroquois by name and the Seneca tribesmen and women adopted it. Wonders did not cease there, some indigenous tribes in India where also practicing the same. This kind of naming and relating is known as consanguinity. Families are not only found to exist in man but animals and birds as well. This is the reason why animals are found in herds or groups. Animals exhibit a unique behavior that exhibited by man or birds. For instance during the mating period of these animals is the most tempting moments that may destroy or temporarily relinquish the family relations. The males fight to retain supremacy over one another and during this period it is rare to notice animals walking or doing things in a group as usual. This behavior has been related to the living animals that are close to human i. e. primates which now have human like characteristics. Apes also fight while mating whereby males seriously engage in fights to gain and maintain supremacy over the others; this is the time group work or family relating ties temporarily wane. What does this tell us about human family? The human family is different from any kind of animals or birds or primates because members of a family do anything out of reasoning and nothing else. But it is the great quest for knowledge that leads to many discoveries. For example birds practice monogamy form of families and while observing them these birds fly in pairs. People also practice monogamy but some practice polyandry and polygamy. Polyandry is a practice where a woman is married to many husbands and it is not done secretly but it is well known and polygamy is when a man is having many women, it is not a secret. This switches the topic to sexuality and family. Sex life is a must do thing to sustain and ensure continuity of any family lineages. All peoples in the world this fact and even the most primitive people know that for the continuity of the family system sex has to be practiced. Nevertheless, it is interesting that many of these people in the world where research has been conducted, they in a way respected the institution of marriage and more so sex whereby they never treated women as commodities of sex even though polygamy was practiced. They had special times of the month or year when they practiced sex and theirs was not for pleasure but procreation. People like the Savages were believed to be very harsh and took women as tools for and of sexual intercourse to give birth to as many children as possible but this was not the case. Marriage was a respected institution where a man and a woman possessed one another. There was no jealousy and instances of men sharing women and women sharing men unless otherwise in some primitive communities where some sexual related activities occurred. Like in some communities it was a taboo to engage in sex with someone outside with members who were perceived to enemies and it could be rather better with a close family member that that perceived enemy. However in some communities it was not a taboo for brothers and sisters to have sexual intercourse. In some communities or family groups of the ancient Greece, sexual intercourse was not prohibited among brothers and sisters because this was one an assured way of multiplying quickly and another reason was not to endanger the security of fellow countrymen by marrying from outside but with time this practice came to a halt. One interesting trend of families that have been found in t world is where men marry many wives and naturally if a visitor comes by and he takes a night in that homestead, the visitor will be offered one of the wives to entertain for the long he will stay around no matter the visitor is known or not known to the family and this means even any strangers enjoyed that right. In a research that was conducted in Australia, there is a sub-tribe that practices a peculiar tradition that all women in another sub tribe known to them are naturally wives to men in their tribe and it does not matter whether you have married one woman from that sub tribe but all the others by default they are wives. Sex among sub tribe members is strictly forbidden. The trend of a man being entertained sexually far away while sojourning is or was a practice by the aborigines in Australia. In the world today the family trends are still intriguing for example some indigenous tribes are taking deliberate measures to sustain or maintain their people who are being swallowed up by wider communities especially the settlers until they resort to conducting marriages among themselves that are among sisters and brothers. It is not their fault because since time immemorial the practices took place even in ancient Biblical times. Through a man God trusted in the town called Sodom and Gomorrah that was Lot, slept with her daughters after their mum had perished in the inferno and their was no righteous man who could have married them by then. Regardless it was their father they managed to bore children and the family of the generation continuity was established. Who know these things may be going on without the knowledge of other people or the family members themselves. More other family customs are like the ones that are yet conducted by people all over the world, for instance, the American Indians of California have had festivals where tribes come together purposely for a promiscuous sexual intercourse. This kind of tradition is also in and practiced in Australia. In Australia some older men and magicians exploit wives in their community and monopolize many of the women for themselves. These kinds of practices have been witnessed in Hos, Santals, etc of India and others in many parts of Africa. In many other places like the continent of South America, some communities in India, young girls enjoy sex until the get married. Families have gone through many different stages as the issue of polygamy is a hot debate whether it should be allowed or not. Some have preferred a simple family that is monogamy. Many practices of sex are not the things that should be taken for granted as diseases are popping up that are incurable and therefore families must be protected through all means. For instance many have accepted monogamy because this is the only form of or type family that better ideals are practiced. For instance there is an assurance of save sex and true expression of love among family members more especially husband and wife. Traffic in Women Traffic in women starts with the origins of women oppression and social discrimination and the discussion of this will light to the trend of fighting for the rights of women. Further excavation of the truth may measure whether the fight for equality will bear fruit from men and among women because for a long time women have been perceived as their own enemies. After doing a round of history on women and the cause of their discrimination and yet the have comparatively done excellent work in family circles from raising children and working tirelessly to sustain their families. One main issue is the analysis of the cause of this oppression or discrimination against women, and then it will be easier to change and achieve a society of equality. There have been situations where men were degraded like the slavery debacle, this affected women even ten times more than men. They suffered double tragedy as sex slaves and plantation slaves. They suffered physically, socially and emotionally. Marxist theory argues that women are not suffering as they work, they are as a reserve force for labor and their low wages is a way capitalists get surplus. But the Marxist theory only handles matters pertaining to labor which truly is not oppression. Marxist theory is the best way to describe the usefulness of women in societies around the world, so an analysis of suffering women using Marxist theory is very wrong. Maybe his (Marx) statement was or is misinterpreted to portray a tendency that women are suffering when they earning whichever meager resources to sustain their families. Unfortunately there are societies who use this excuse to oppress women. Examples have been given that some societies portray women as sex objects and nothing else. The Amazon region and New Guinea highlands are the examples in the world where women are simply known as sex objects and they are gang raped by marauding men. On the other hand, the origin of the tendency that women are home keepers is not known but is assumed that when Marxist theory came into use men were really wanted to work, the hard labor that required the enduring energy at home hence many a times women were left at home to take care of the families. The interpretation came to be precisely referred to as historical and moral element that it is a necessity for any worker to be married or have wife. The tendency of women kept at home for child rearing and general home keeping gave birth to a belief that women can not inherit property, serve God and lead. Capitalism bred this clear cut difference of masculinity and femininity. Some quarters up to date believe that sex oppression is part of capitalism as a social form. Due to social activities and the changes that come with it, human sex and gender have also as well changed over time. Women are expected to reproduce but it wise to differentiate between economic systems and sexual systems to avoid a scenario where women are assumed to be for only reproduction and nothing else. Great changes have been noticed in many societies where women have been opportunities to lead in various activities that have been traditionally meant for men. Therefore, it is consequently wrong to use capitalism to assume that women are meant to sexually reproduce and not economically reproduce. All in all kinship plays an extremely important role in any society and therefore kinship will place us and social researchers in a point where every will understand social obligations that are directly associated with men, women and then both of them. Kinship as many anthropologists may say and believe is system of categories and statuses which contradict the actual genetic relationships. A good precedent is where women or a woman is married to another woman and the marrying takes the responsibilities of a husband by paying dowry and bringing up the children. This practice is rife in many societies almost in very continent. Thus, it is not wrong to quip that kinship defines all social activities in a given society, be it economical, sexual or social activities. Kinship enjoys the status and statutes of the principle of anthropology but there are many underlying things that should be looked into and some of which are controversial like close family intermarriages, for example a cousin marrying a cousin. But it should be born in mind that kinship systems differ from one another in culture which includes taboos and marriage. In all endeavors of kinship, marriage is one of the issues that seem to be treated with respect even though there are those primitive societies and not all of the that still use the excuse of kinship to undermine family values. These societies that treat marriage as special they call it a gift and this a very positive sign in a way that nobody will be foolish enough to destroy the gift that has been bestowed upon him. Now, this is the most important part of kinship or the positive role that kinship plays in a society. Through the exchange of the gift family ties get stronger, solidarity and trust is established, in this case the women given away in marriage is more a gift than a man. Interestingly some people have claimed that this is a commercial venture because dowry exchanges hands. The result of a gift in form of a woman is more profound and appreciated than other gift transactions because the relationship that is established is not just one of reciprocity but one of kinship. And this is a strong message of a society to other people who mistaken women to be sex slaves and child bearing machines. The exchange of partners also establishes their descendants related by blood. Two people may exchange gifts and quarrel or fight but in for intermarriage connects them in a permanent way. In some communities or societies gifts giving through marriage are not as simple as it may sound. For some people the exchange of gifts in form of women sound commercial and they term it as a transaction of giving and taking making a woman who is given away as a conduit of relationships but which is true. In such occasions, oppression of women is not expected and the rate of exploitation is minimal. The term traffic in women can be clearly defined at this point. Very apart from the normal and culturally accepted gift in form of a woman, some societies give women away for just the exchange of favors during famine, war and even some are sent away as a tribute. Then complexities start arising at this point because women are treated like commodities just given at will and at a price. In history this has happened and it differs from one cultural group or culture to another. At this very point some anthropologists argue that the issue of women trafficking came with the advent of culture meaning that culture explosion let to the exchanging and or trafficking of women. To a wider extent this was and is not true. The exchange of women in some societies it is intended for the well being of the community and for proper procreation. However some communities or greedy individuals capitalize in the venture to traffic women for economical or material gain. These women end up being mistreated and are used as sex tools to enrich the buyers or traffickers. There must be a clear cut distinction between those ones given as gifts in marriage and those other ones given away or trafficked to enrich unscrupulous individuals. That is why somewhere in this paper it is noted that some people envy the occasion when women are given as gifts and they feel it should be a commercial venture instead. But the genuine exchange of women in marriage is regarded as a fundamental principle of kinship. This ends up in an organized relationship of gender and sex. However, it does not oppress the women or degrade them. The analysis of a social system that touches sensitive issues like sex and gender generates very hot debates and this is the time when differing opinion are heard and some are very sentimental in nature. This is the time when kinship and its principles are put into temptations and negative scrutiny. Comparisons of the two topics The main objective of this paper as it was clearly stated in the introduction part of it was to compare and contrast the two issues or items i. e. the origins of the family and the traffic in women. It is of the essence to first have elaborated points in each item so that a few things are mentioned or the comparisons are done in form of a summary under this topic. First and foremost, the items have elaborated about family while the item ‘origins of family‘ concentrates on the family relationships and the close knit ties and cousins do not regard and call each other cousins but brothers. This piece of item has also highlighted the important role women play is society and the many dangers and challenges the face in their daily operations and life. The other item ‘traffic in women’ elaborates more on the treatment of family members especially women. It has highlighted the same occurrences in women of many societies around the world. This item on its part has elaborated on the trafficking of women for commercial reasons hence a disgrace to the society but in the way round, there is a good show on the value of women as they are exchanged as gifts in marriage which portray the importance of women in the society. But the item continues to analyze the repercussions of the exchanging a woman as a gift and the repercussion is some people in society have extended this to trafficking women for their personal gain. In both pieces of items the comparisons and contrasts do not adventure outside the family circles even though they both talk about communities or societies around the world. They have featured and analyzed about the indigenous societies or communities among them the native red Indians in the United States, the aborigines in Australia, some primitive tribes in New Guinea and many others. Women are given more attention by both items because of the mistreatment they faced and they are facing so that this studies that were and are conducted will offer solutions to the many demeaning or dignifying problems women face. Last but not least, sex is discussed by both stories but the first story which deals with the origins of a family deeply discusses sex which is viewed as evil and the way women have been misused, while the story or item two that deals with traffic in women depicts how women have been sold for sex purposes and it is becoming a culture. The main theme of the two pieces of stories is family values which encompasses many other sub themes that are clearly depicted here. Some of the sub themes are sex, family ties, kinship or family relationships and women responsibilities. Conclusion Families have been raised and nurtured for as many years as the age of the universe and societies have done their part in raising and teaching families their values but of all that women have played a very extremely important role. Women are the cornerstones of families and through these two items this has been strongly confirmed. Therefore the statement that they are cornerstones of families must not be controversial. However, it is sad that those women have been abused and degraded by in and by all means in our society. Society means the world in this case.