Julius Caesar Editorial

On the day of March 15th, Rome lost an important civilian whose name was Julius Caesar. A group of conspirators lead by Cassius and Brutus planned Caesar’s killing for the good of Rome. They lead him into the capitol while Caesar was completely oblivious to what was going on. The men were discussing if Caesar would bring back Publius Cimber when Caesar became king. Caesar refused since his decisions weren’t easy to sway. This and all the hate they had build before drew the men to stab Caesar to death. The first being Casca and lastly Brutus while Caesar said the famous word â€Å"Et tu, Brute?† before dying.The conspirators then bathed their arms in Caesar’s blood and ran through the streets of Rome celebrating their victory. But was this act victorious? Some people would disagree with the conspirators; they believe Caesar was a good and loyal man to Rome and that they failed him by killing him. They believe someone who was that great could not be forgotte n easily or could have become the person the conspirators said he would. Which is why after his death there was a scandal in the streets. We can see this when plebeian said after Antony spoke greatly of Caesar â€Å"Marked ye his words?He would not take the crown. Therefore ’tis certain he was not ambitious. † Others believed that this ambition was dangerous; it would drive Caesar into a bad ruler, which was not in the interest of Rome. Therefore Brutus was better for the crown since he saved them from Caesar. Brutus said â€Å"not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. † Which people truly believed and hail Brutus for doing such honorable thing â€Å"Caesar’s better parts. Shall be crowned in Brutus! † What do I think? I believe Caesar’s death was unjust! No men should be penalized for something he will do.No one really this if these assumptions would have come true. So why pay the price when you have done something wrong? Ca esar possessed more good things about himself than bad, and Rome should focus on the facts of the good things he has done instead of the possibility of â€Å"too much ambition†. I believe Brutus and the conspirators say that what they did was honorable and for the good of everyone when really it was to satisfy themselves. Caesar never offended one of them personally; they kept feeding themselves on negatives ideas of Caesar that drove them to his assassination.Caesar was a good man and even if he had many flaws he is human, and all humans have a right to live! Especially, all humans have a chance to live if they have not done anything wrong. Antony shared these ideas when he said â€Å"Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man†¦I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? Caesar shou ld not have died like that and should have had a chance to prove them wrong.

The Savage Beast†Man’s Inherent Primitivism as Shown in Lord of the Flies

Ray Penman Oct 3, 2010 The Savage Beast— Man’s Inherent Primitivism as Shown in Lord of the Flies A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to give a more vivid picture of his descent.Lord of the Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt seaman in purgatory. The novel is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the boys lose all sen se of home and civilization. â€Å"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. (Golding, Ch 5) When the confusion finally leads to a manhunt, the reader realizes that despite the strong sense of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth throughout their lives, the boys have backpedalled and shown the underlying savage side existent in all humans The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature inherent in man: if a group of well-conditioned school boys can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under the pressures of trying to maintain world relations.Lord of the Flies’ apprehension of evil is such that it touches the nerve of contemporary horror as no English novel of its time has done; it takes us, through symbolism, into a world of active, proliferating evil which is seen, one feels, as the natural condition of man and which is bound to remind the reader of the vilest manifestations of Nazi regression. In the novel, Simon is a peaceful lad who tries to show the boys that there is no monster on the island except the fears that the boys have. Simon tries to state the truth: â€Å"Maybe there is a beast†¦What I mean is†¦ maybe it's only us. † (Golding, Ch 5) When he makes this revelation, he is ridiculed. This is an uncanny parallel to the misunderstanding that Christ had to deal with throughout his life. Later in the story, the savage hunters are chasing a pig. Once they kill the pig, they put its head on a stick and Simon experiences an epiphany. As Simon rushes to the campfire to tell the boys of his discovery, he is hit in the side with a spear, his prophecy rejected and the word he wished to spread ignored.Simon falls to the ground dead and is described as beautiful and pure. The description of his death, the manner in which he died, and the cause for which he died ar e remarkably similar to the circumstances of Christ's life and ultimate demise. The major difference is that Christ died on the cross, while Simon was speared. However, a reader familiar with the Bible recalls that Christ was stabbed in the side with a spear before his crucifixion. When Piggy, the largest advocate of the law, is killed near the end of the book, the conch is broken.Until that point, the conch had been a way to control and pacify the crowd— only someone holding the conch may speak. When Jack and the boys have had enough of Ralph’s laws, the boys kill Piggy and shatter the conch. The law ceases to exist, though when the boys are rescued, the â€Å"game† ends and they are once again just bedraggled boys smeared in mud and blood on the shore. William Golding discusses man's capacity for fear and cowardice. In the novel, the boys on the island first encounter a natural fear of being stranded on an uncharted island without the counsel of adults.Once th e boys begin to organize and begin to feel more adult-like themselves, the fear of monsters takes over. It is understandable that boys ranging in ages from toddlers to young teenagers would have fears of monsters, especially when it is taken into consideration that the children are stranded on the island. The author wishes to show, however, that fear is an emotion that is instinctive and active in humans from the very beginnings of their lives.This revelation uncovers another weakness in man, supporting the idea or belief that man is pathetic and savage at the very core of his existence. Throughout the novel, there is a struggle for power between two groups. This struggle illustrates man's fear of losing control, which is another example of his selfishness and weakness. The fear of monsters is natural; the fear of losing power is inherited. The author uses these vices to prove the point that any type of uncontrolled fear contributes to man's instability and will ultimately lead to h is demise spiritually and perhaps even physically.The author chooses to use an island as the setting for the majority of the story. The island is an important symbol in Lord of the Flies. It suggests the isolation of man in a frightening and mysterious cosmos. The island in the novel is an actual island, but it’s more than just that. It is a microcosm of life itself, the adult world, and the human struggle with his own loneliness. Man grows more savage at heart as he evolves because of his cowardice and his quest for power.The novel proves this by throwing together opposing forces into a situation that dowses them with power struggles and frightening situations. By comparing mankind in general to Biblical characters in similar scenarios, the novel provides images of the darker side of man. This darker side of man's nature inevitably wins and man is proven to be a pathetic race that refuses to accept responsibility for its shortcomings.Bibliography: Golding, William. Lord of t he Flies. 1952. 13. 3 (1952): 1-248. Print.

Egypt & Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia was a continent in Africa. It’s between the Persian Gulf and the Medertian Sea, surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Egypt is also a continent in Africa it is near the Nile River. Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of geography because Egypt’s geography had Mesoamerica the Tigris, and Euphrates rivers and the Nile River, as well as annual Nile flooding. On the other hand Mesopotamia’s geography had Mesopotamia the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and river valleys. Mesopotamia was a region of the Middle East, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that today are a part of Iraq.The Greek word meso meaning â€Å"between† and potams meaning â€Å"river†, also known as the Fertile Crescent. This area was home to numerous things. Civilizations, plus revolutionized agriculture, city planning, and written alphabet. Egypt was a narrow strip of land along the Nile River. Each year the Nile River would floods leaving behind a fertile fringe of soil. They called it â€Å"the black land† and the deserts all around the Nile were called â€Å"the red land†. Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of cities and states since Egypt had Babylon, Assyrian, and Nubian Kingdom of Ta-sati Persian rue in Egypt pharaoh.And Mesopotamia’s cities and states had Tikal, Sumer, Ur Nubian kingdom of Kush, roman conquest, and Nobel sudden. Mesopotamia was established by the Sumerians by the middle of the 4th millennium B. C. Egypt was founded around 3000 B. C. E when Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt combined into one whole kingdom. Egypt’s history is divided into three parts. Old kingdoms, middle kingdoms, and new kingdoms. During each of these periods’ different dynasties of pharos ruled. Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of interaction and exchange because Egypt had grounds, watermelon, donkeys, and cattle.Mesopotamia had commerce, culture, flower, barley, gourds, watermelo ns, donkeys, and cattle. Mesopotamia is in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. It is referred to as modern day Iraq and parts of Syrian, Iraq, and turkey. It’s also known as the cradle of civilization. Many things were invited in Mesopotamia like writing, the wheel, the first laws, the first library, the first cities and much more. Also it’s important because they were not divided in politics or religion. They also believed in their own gods and followed directions of their pharaoh.Egypt and Mesopotamia have a few things in common and some things they have nothing in common. A few things they have in common are they both have a large river system, the Nile river runs through Egypt and the Tigris and Euphrates river runs between Mesopotamia. They also have flooding, hot, and sunny climate. They both have their own alphabet, Egyptians use hieroglyphics and Mesopotamians use cuneiform. Some things the two don’t have in common are tools, diff erent languages, and believed in different things. Egypt & Mesopotamia Mesopotamia was a continent in Africa. It’s between the Persian Gulf and the Medertian Sea, surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Egypt is also a continent in Africa it is near the Nile River.Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of geography because Egypt’s geography had Mesoamerica the Tigris, and Euphrates rivers and the Nile River, as well as annual Nile flooding. On the other hand Mesopotamia’s geography had Mesopotamia the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and river valleys.Mesopotamia was a region of the Middle East, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that today are a part of Iraq. The Greek word meso meaning â€Å"between† and potams meaning â€Å"river†, also known as the Fertile Crescent. This area was home to numerous things. Civilizations, plus revolutionized agriculture, city planning, and written alphabet. Egypt was a narrow strip of land along the Nile River.Each year the Nile River would floods leaving behind a fertile fringe of soil. They called it â€Å"the black land† and the deserts all around the Nile were called â€Å"the red land†. Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of cities and states since Egypt had Babylon, Assyrian, and Nubian Kingdom of Ta-sati Persian rue in Egypt pharaoh. And Mesopotamia’s cities and states had Tikal, Sumer, Ur Nubian kingdom of Kush, roman conquest, and Nobel sudden.Mesopotamia was established by the Sumerians by the middle of the 4th millennium B.C. Egypt was founded around 3000 B.C.E when Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt combined into one whole kingdom. Egypt’s history is divided into three parts. Old kingdoms, middle kingdoms, and new kingdoms. During each of these periods’ different dynasties of pharos ruled.Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in terms of interaction and exchange because Egypt had grounds, watermelon, donkeys, and cattle. Mesopotamia had commerce, culture, flower, barley, gourds, watermelons, d onkeys, and cattle.Mesopotamia is in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East.  It is referred to as modern day Iraq and parts of Syrian, Iraq, and turkey. It’s also known as the cradle of civilization. Many things were invited in Mesopotamia like writing, the wheel, the first laws, the first library, the first cities and much more. Also it’s important because they were not divided in politics or religion. They also believed in their own gods and followed directions of their pharaoh.Egypt and Mesopotamia have a few things in common and some things they have nothing in common. A few things they have in common are they both have a large river system, the Nile river runs through Egypt and the Tigris and Euphrates river runs between Mesopotamia. They also have flooding, hot, and sunny climate. They both have their own alphabet, Egyptians use hieroglyphics and Mesopotamians use cuneiform. Some things the two don’t have in common are tools, differe nt languages, and believed in different things.

Thomas & Ely's Three Paradigm in The State of Diversity Within The Essay

Thomas & Ely's Three Paradigm in The State of Diversity Within The Organization - Essay Example The CEO, Prince (Paine et al., 2008) has been able to turnaround the prospects of the company by ensuring a culture of shared responsibility. He has been not only been able to exploit the tenets of the diverse workforce but it has been aligned to work in tandem with work perspective vis-a-vis its long term and short term goals. The paradigm, connecting diversity to work perspectives broadly refers to the way cultural differences are incorporated within the business strategies to enhance productivity and business outcome. In the current environment of rapid globalization, managing diversity is one of the most critical elements of success. Citigroup has expanded its business across the globe and to maintain a competitive advantage within the industry, managing diversity has become the need of the hour. It, therefore, exploits socio-cultural paradigms of the region to improve its business outcome, both within the US and also in its offshore business. It promotes a better understanding o f cross-cultural understanding to resolve workplace conflicts. At the same time, it takes cognizance of cultural differences and exploits human competency for optimal performance. The other two paradigms: The discrimination and fairness paradigm; and the access and legitimacy paradigm, are not relevant in the case of Citigroup. The first paradigm ensures that diversity is included in the workforce.

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR - Assignment Example This is the stance of management ever since. Any marketing plan should begin with consumer and satisfying its wants because that is the only justification for the existence of a store, the Electro store for that matter. Electro Store should be able to understand the consumer’s needs, wants, desires, preferences, beliefs and other odd behaviors in order to win the customer. It is therefore the responsibility of Electro store to learn as much as possible these factors of potential customers. There are sociological factors that influence household purchasing decisions; these are cohesion, adaptability and communication. Cohesion is defined as the emotional bonding between family members. It measures how close to each other feel on an emotional level. It reflects a sense of connectedness to or separateness to other family members. Buying decisions are greatly influenced by the member of the family. There is no question that the bulk of household purchases are made by women, but major decisions like buying a car, appliances, or real property are jointly done by the husband and wife, and sometimes with consultation with children. A joint decision only shows cohesiveness of the family. Therefore when the buying decision is done the family as a group – the role of the marketers is to target the family through their marketing campaigns. Adaptability is described as the ability of the family to change its power, role, relationships, and relationship rules in response to situational and developmental stress. The degree of adaptability shows how well a family can meet the challenges presented by the situation. These challenges can come from reference groups that have the potentials of influencing behavior. Reference groups are groups of individuals that one interacts often. Examples are friends, family relatives, and co-workers. They have the potentials of influencing behavior. For example, if the product is visible like car, shoes or

International Education Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Education - Research Proposal Example Countries which have the English speaking base, such as UK, USA and Australia are the most preferred destinations to get exposed to western education. When international students are accepted into the educational institution, the environment in the institution should be conducive to effective teaching learning process. There is a lot of impact on the domestic students and the learning environment caused by the international students and vice versa The policy makers, educational administrators, teachers, students and the community at large should know the impact of the international students in the learning environment. When international students are accepted in schools and universities the management of the institution should be prepared to provide the most congenial learning environment. The management should commit physical resources to provide the infrastructure which will benefit the learning process. But in many cases, the facilities and state of art infrastructure alone do not make help in facilitating the teaching learning process when international students become part of the classroom environment. The management should be flexible enough to adapt its policies to make both the international and domestic students work together. In this current research, an attempt is made to explore the impact of the international students on the learning environment and the study tries to highlight the role of leadership of the institution on the international students. ... SCOPE OF THE STUDY There are a number of studies which show the advantages of accepting international students. The main advantage is the opportunity to understand different cultures and different perspectives. For domestic students, the opportunity to share their educational experience with international students enriches their learning experience and broadens their outlook on life. Indeed, it has been found that domestic students recognize the personal and career benefits of having a network of colleagues from different countries (Pittaway, et al, 1998). Indeed, as Anyanwu (2004) succinctly opine, "The presence of international students on university campuses provides a unique social forum for enhancing all students' understanding and appreciation of the richness of other cultures". But on the other hand there are also some factors that have to be taken into account before international students are admitted into an educational institution. Paul Barron (2004), in his study it found that there was a feeling of unfairness amongst domestic students and that somehow, international students were perceived as more valuable. This unfair perception is perhaps the most potentially dangerous and universities need address this issue through effective communication with domestic students, a more clear admissions process and a more focused emphasis on the importance of domestic students to the institution. This researcher considers that a more effective and blatant drive to determine domestic students' thoughts and feelings on this issue might be an effective first step in eradicating this perception. The study mentioned here is only highlights only one of the many factors that determine the achievement of the learning objectives when

The primate pattern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The primate pattern - Essay Example There are various hypotheses that attempt to explicate the original evolutionary divergence of the privates but the three hypotheses are the main in the evolutionary process. The Arboreal Hypothesis was advanced by the Elliot Smith and was later supported by Wood Jones. The Elliot Smith hypothesized that the ancient primates were terrestrial animals that at the end came to dwell in arboreal habitant because of the selective pressure divergent from their original terrestrial way of life (Srivastava 18). In the arboreal environments, the primate vision and the sense of touch became greater senses compared to the sense of smell that led to developing new methods of adaptation essential in the arboreal settings. The functional arboreal hypothesis lacked supportive and clear evidence to explain how primate adapted their terrestrial style into the arboreal environment; therefore, criticism led to evolution of other alternative hypotheses. Cartmill introduced alternative hypothesis called Visual Predation that would explicate the progression of primates. He demonstrated that the morphological pattern of the primates do not indicate arboreal adaption as shown by Smith, rather adaptation to feeding mode to bushy forest in the ground where they hunted for fruits and insects. Therefore, it is clear that little primitive, mainly insectivorous and ancient primate were capable to reach for the branches using their prehensile limbs and catch prey with a forelimb while judging the way with close-set eyes (Ravosa and Dagosto 12). Consequently, it is comprehensible from that ancient primate relied deeply on the sense of vision that why the theory is known as visual predation hypothesis. Similar to the first hypothesis, the Cartmill hypothesis was criticized because it was yet to be proven and the primate pre-adapted for the arboreal living. However, it is harmless to point out that the arboreal and visual predations are not mutu ally exclusive

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism Essay

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism - Essay Example According to Confucius, a superior human being listens to the critique with an evaluative attitude and does not turn a deaf ear to something that does not sound pleasing. Superior human beings search for truth and do what is proper in a particular situation at hand. Superior human beings make unbiased decisions and accordingly, do not have anything to expect from others. This is the reason why they always remain satisfied. â€Å"The superior man wouldn't recommend or promote a person based only on his words, nor would he ignore a man's words because of his behavior†. They do not get involved in controversies against other people and remain calm and quiet. Confucius held the opinion that individual’s inability to perceive and handle the reality is the fundamental cause of social disorder. Quite often, people call one another with wrong names. When things are not called by their proper names, this promotes social disorder. In Confucianism, a superior human being is the one who calls things by their proper names because calling things by incorrect names does not let the language remain consistent with the truth. This keeps the affairs from being carried on to success. When this happens, music and other proprieties can not flourish which in turn makes the punishments awarded improperly. As a result of this, people become troubled and can not work. Thus, a superior human being necessarily calls things by their proper names and makes sure that his speech is carried out appropriately.

The Role of Non-Executive Directors for the Best Work of Corporation Essay

The Role of Non-Executive Directors for the Best Work of Corporation - Essay Example This paper illustrates that corporate governance is mainly concentrated on the problem of a safety mechanism which ensures the interests of shareholders and the interests of the directors managing the company are aligned and observed. In fact, it deals with the ways in which suppliers of finance to the corporations assure themselves of getting a return on their investment. The governance problem arises when managers’ or directors’ interests of maximizing their own wealth, power and prestige and shareholders’ interests of increasing the value shareholders’ equity collide. This misalignment of interests was addressed by the agency theory developed in the West. The theory assumes that interests of managers and principles or owners are not aligned because of the separation of ownership and control and the only mechanism to safeguard shareholder’s interests is to implement appropriate governance structures. The agency problem in the United States and the United Kingdom is between the management/board and outside diverse shareholders while in continental Europe and Japan and East Asian markets with their concentrated ownership structure the main conflict is between the major owners/directors and minority shareholders. Corporate scandals such as notorious Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Polly Peck, HIH Insurance, and OneTel suggested the need for changes in corporate governance regulations all over the world. As trust towards company insiders as well as to auditors, analysts or regulators was shattered, governments started to think over regulations which would prevent such unfair practices. As the board of directors represents the interests of shareholders and controls\supervises the management, its effective functioning is a strong corporate governance mechanism.  

Global Sourcing Challenge Case Questions Essay Example for Free

Global Sourcing Challenge Case Questions Essay 1. Marianna Barner should decline the invitation for IKEA to have a representative appear on the upcoming forecast of the German video program. The producers of the documentary invited them to take part in a live discussion during the airing, and while this offer does sound beneficial for IKEA to educate the public and the producers of the current efforts taken to fight child labor, it would not be in their best interest. This is attributed to the fact that the producers refuse to let IKEA preview the video beforehand and that they are aware that the producers â€Å"planned to take a confrontational and aggressive approach† directly aimed at them. As a result, there is a very high possibility that the representative would then be blindsided with questions and then IKEA’s message of their efforts would not be portrayed accurately. Instead, IKEA should respond to the allegations by releasing their own statement allowing them to explain their efforts once they have had the opportunity to review all evidence and verify the credibility. 2. In regards to the supply contract that IKEA has with Rangan Exports, it would be best if Barner terminates the contract, should sufficient evidence prove that they do indeed use child labor. They stress the importance of taking responsibility for their suppliers, and in the IWAY (IKEA Code of Conduct), it clearly states that they do not accept Child Labourm, otherwise their contract will be terminated. The well-regarded company (Rangan) had signed an addendum that explicitly forbids the use of child labor, so it is important that IKEA upholds their standards and codes in order to maintain a fair position with their other suppliers. It would also be wise for her to then issue a statement or press release about the severed ties with the company, stating the reasons for the decision and maintaining integrity by upholding their own policies regarding child labor, so that the public and other suppliers see that they won’t tolerate unethical behavior or violations to their contra ct. 3. It is suggested that IKEA stays in India and continue operations. The long-term strategy that Barner should take regarding continued operations includes maintaining their code of conduct to uphold their image of being responsible for their suppliers and the environment, while also contributing to an improved quality of life for those in India.

Sender and Receiver Communication

Sender and Receiver Communication Communication is a procedure which includes sender and receiver to convey a message. Effective communications skills are the skills we assume every worker picks up along the way. The type of communication that we use at home, friends and other normal places which is known as slang can never be used at workplace. Sometimes people may get dismissed because of using such sort of language. To get success at work we need know what sort of communications skill we should at work. Communication is a process in which message is send by a sender to a receiver. The message could be simple information and it can be verbal or non- verbal. This includes determining the meaning that the sender intends to express the other person. The person (listener) receives the message through both verbal chatting and non verbal gestures. The receiver interprets the meaning of the message. To follow on to the message receiver uses education, attitudes, experience and emotions. Effective communication is communication which exists between two persons and the receiver interprets the same way as the sender intended it. Communication is essential for achieving managerial and organizational effectiveness. Without communication, employees will not be able to aware of what their co-workers are doing, will not have any idea about what their goal are, and will not be able to assess their performance. In absence of channels of communication, supervisors will not be able to give instruction to their subordinates and management will not receive the information it requires to develop plans and take decision. Good communication always helps employees become more involve in their work and helps them to develop a better understanding of their jobs. Clear, precise and timely communication of information also prevents the occurrence of organizational problems. Effective communication is essential for achieving organizational goals, but ensuring such communication has been a major problem for most organization. Although the word communication is often used, there has been no consensus among communication experts regarding the definition of communication. In general, communication may be defined as the process by which the information is exchanged between individuals. There are many components to communication. Consider verbal communication skills, listening skills, written memorandums/email, telephone skills and non-verbal communication. Also, reflect upon all the people we communicate to: subordinates, peers, supervisors, customers, and groups of people. In addition, ponder some of the reasons, why we communicate: to get and give information, to discipline subordinates, to make assignments, and so on. We already know that communication is a big part of our daily existence. Even when we dont want to communicate, the very actions we take not to communicate such as being quiet in meetings, avoiding people, declining to respond to emails or give feedback, communicate something about us. In a survey of 480 companies and organizations conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers and published in the Wall Street Journal, effective communication ability ranked first among the desirable personal qualities of future employees. Reference: December 29, 1998. Wall Street Journal, Work Week, p. A1. In a national survey of 1000 human resource managers, oral communication skills are identified as valuable for both obtaining employment and successful job performance. Reference: Winsor, et al., 1997    In yet another survey, executives in Fortune 500 companies indicate that college students need better communication skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and with people from diverse backgrounds (Association Trends, 1997). The point of these examples is that honing your communication skills should be a priority for you as you seek to advance in the workplace. Although many articles and books have dealt with interpersonal and organizational communication, most of them are not based on systematic research findings. However, the Real Managers Study (conducted by Fed Luthan, Richard M. Hodgetts and Stuart A.Rosenkrantz) is based on original research in communication. The researches observe managers at work in various organizational setting and also studies the self reports submitted by them to understand the process of communication in organization. They developed the managerial communication model to explain the different style of communication used by the managers and to provide a framework for understanding how managers communicate in organization. In formal organizations, the design of communication channels is based on the assumption that all the divisions and departments are self contained and do not facilitate communication among employees at the same level. This poses the serious problem when circumstances demand such communication. If an individual wants to convey some message to an individual from another department, the message has to be passed up to the highest managerial level and then down to the individual. The reply from that individual is also received in a similar way, leading to huge delays. Chester Barnard felt that communication played an important role in shaping organizations. According to him, Communication forms one of the three primary elements of an organization, the common goals and willingness to serve customers beings the other two elements. Communication links the number of the members of an organization with organizations goal and facilitates and enhances cooperative action among the individual and department of the organization. Communication whether written or oral, helps an organization attain its goals, but it can also give rise to problems. For instance, if a particular message is misinterpreted, an inappropriate decision may be taken. This decision may be taken. This decision may result in losses to the organization in long-run. Barnard related communication to the concept of authority. According to him, for authority to be delegated from a manager to sub ordinate, all communication originating from the manager must be clearly understood by the subordinate. He believed that a manager should try to understand the meaning of the message before communicating it to his subordinates. Barnards indentifies seven communication factors that helps establish and maintain objectives authority in an organization. The member of an organization should be aware of all the available channels of communication. Every member of organization must have access to specific formal channel of communication. Communication with an organization must follow the shortest and most direct path. All communication should involve the use of entire, formal line of communication. Competent persons should serve an s communication centers. There should be no interruption in the time of communication during the functioning of an organization, and All communication should be authenticated. Managers share the responsibility in communicating effectively with the individual employees themselves. The manager is 100% responsible for communicating effectively with their employees. This includes establishing an open and trusting climate for communication, as well as demonstrating good communication techniques to their employees. The employee is 100% responsible for taking advantage of the climate for communication to express what is important and relevant. For example, it is expected that a manager will ask are there any questions? after giving an employee an assignment, but it is also expected that an employee will say, I have a question, if one should occur to the employee, without waiting for the manager to ask.   The following communication is useful for organizational communication. Non verbal communication Downwards communication Upward communication Lateral communication Interactive communication Barriers to Effective Communication A number of obstacles may occur on the way of the receiver to understand the message. These interruptions could lead to barriers to communications. The reason could be anything listener doesnt under the language or sometimes it may convey the wrong meaning. Some of the barriers are discussed below. Language: An organization has different kind of people from different cultures. In such cases language is one of the important factors for communication towards different cultural people. So inability to understand the language from either even one side of communication could lead to barrier. Even when sender uses unsuitable words while describing, it may increase misunderstanding between sender and listener. Physical barriers: Physical barriers are one of the major barriers of effective communication in the workplace. This could be background noises and disturbances in the environment. For example roadwork, loud music, some family functions going on around etc. Emotional barriers: Emotion could be one of the barriers to effective communication. Men are a social animal we all know about that statement and emotions play an important role in social life. It could be any personal or professional. It includes frustration, anger and fear. In such cases it may lead to trouble listening to others. Attitudinal barriers: Attitude problem is big problem that we face everywhere now. The personal attitudes of the employees which may be dissatisfaction in workplace such as wages or the placement and comparing themselves to others could be the reason of attitudinal barriers. Bibliography: Aamodt, Michael G. And Bobbiel L. Raynes. Human Relations in business: developing Interpersonal and Leadership skills. USA: Wadsworth, a division of Thomas Learning Inc, 2001. Bartol, Kathryn M. And David C Martin. Management. 3rd Edition. USA: Irwin McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Manoeuvre Warfare Applicability In Mountains And Developed Terrain Philosophy Essay

Manoeuvre Warfare Applicability In Mountains And Developed Terrain Philosophy Essay 1. Nothing has decided the fate of nations and people as war has- cultures and civilisations have vanished, the people absorbed by the victorious armies. War fare is thus the ultimate survival of the fittest environment, and the evolution of war fare within the environment has occurred through an almost unconscious, Darwinian, process of natural selection It is therefore imperative that a nations armed forces match this evolution process. In order to achieve this they must embrace the latest technology and constantly endeavour to redefine and upgrade their strategy, doctrines and war fighting philosophy. 2. 2100 years of recorded history of warfare has led to the emergence of two distinct styles of warfare Attrition warfare and Manoeuvre warfare. The simplest comparison between the two is that the former is akin to arm wrestling where the basic reliance is on strength or force on force with limited application on targeting the mind through speed and agility, while the latter is akin to Judo or Taekwondo where the main thrust is on speed and agility to target the opponents mind and limited emphasis is on strength per se. In fact, the strength of the opponent is rendered ineffective and is utilized to defeat him. 3. Indian army executed the most brilliant campaign based on manoeuvre warfare the Bangladesh War 1971 wherein Bangladesh was liberated at a relatively low cost and the Pakistan Army largely intact was defeated and 93.000 prisoners were captured. By manoeuvre in time and space, the enemy mind was paralysed into inaction. The Bangladesh campaign is taught in foreign countries as the most complete campaign based on manoeuvre warfare. Yet it is an irony that our Army is just loosely following manoeuvre, in both theory as well as practice, for decades now. 4. Military theorists state that it normally takes a 50 years cycle in respect of changes in military equipment, force structure and doctrine to stabilise. It is no wonder that the winds of change are sweeping across military thought and several of worlds major armed forces are in a greater or lesser flux. On one hand, technological changes are influencing the warfare, on the other hand, military thought is looking towards better method of war fighting with the aim of switching from attrition warfare to manoeuvre warfare. 5. There is therefore a need to understand, institutionalize and apply the war fighting philosophy of manoeuvre warfare in the present times as it does not permit us a long battle. The study focuses on the vital essentials of manoeuvre warfare and analysis how this approach can be satisfactorily applied in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. Definition of Manoeuvre Warfare 6. Manoeuvre is one of the two basic components of combat. The other is fire power. It is some times taken to be simply another word fir the move of forces. More often, it is used to mean relational move, i.e. move relative to an opponents position. Manoeuvre is defined in the Glossary of Military Terms as, move of forces in the field in order to place the fire power of the fighting elements in a favourable position. Combined with surprise, deception and speed, manoeuvre may be used on occasion to offset enemy superiority in the power and increase the offensive of own force. 7. The US Armys Field Manual defines manoeuvre as move of forces in relation to the enemy to secure or retain positional advantage. In this essence, Manoeuvre means an attack on either or both of the enemys flanks. Move into his rear to disrupt his support elements, or encirclement. The essence of manoeuvre in the classic usage of the team is not move per se but the achievement of positional advantage. Because of basic human psychology, a force that is hit where it is weak, where it does not except to be hit, or in such a manner as to have it cut off from its supplies. Reinforcement or line of retreat tends to panic and disintegrate. The principal effect or manoeuvre is the more mental the physical and therefore more powerful than simple physical attrition. In manoeuvre warfare, the objective is the enemys collapse as a cohesive, functioning force, not his incremental destruction through the application of firepower. 8. Manoeuvre Warfare depends upon out manoeuvring the enemy, both in the spatial and the temporal sphere, through a faster tempo The leverage achieved by placing ones own mass in a position of advantage through spatial manoeuvre at a faster tempo than the enemy brings about the dislocation and psychological disruption to paralyze the enemy commanders mind, leading to his defeat. 9. Manoeuvre is a frame of mind and a style that has application at the tactical, operational and strategic level. Mobility is the means to execute a manoeuvre. Only when mobility is applied with the aim of inflicting paralysis on the enemy commands, does it get translated into manoeuvre. Thus, manoeuvre is not a way of movement but a way of thinking. 10. Inherent in the Manoeuvre Warfare is the need for violence, not so much as a source of physical attrition but as a source of physical dislocation. Towards this end, we concentrate strength against critical enemy vulnerabilities, striking quickly and boldly where, when and how it will cause the greatest damage to the enemys ability to fight. Once gained or found, any advantage must be pressed relentlessly and unhesitatingly. 11. Surprise remains an integral weapon in the arsenal of Manoeuvre Warfare. By studying ones enemy we should attempt to appreciate his perceptions. Through deception we should try to shape his expectations. Then we will dislocate them by striking at an unexpected time and place. In order to appear unpredictable, we must avoid set rules and patters which inhibit imagination and initiative. In order to appear ambiguous and threatening, we should operate on axes that offer several courses of action, keeping the enemy unclear as to which we will choose. Manoeuvre and Manoeuvre Warfare 12. It is an accident of language that the word Manoeuvre and Manoeuvre Warfare have been confused and taken to be synonyms. Manoeuvre can be defined as the organised movement of forces during combat in combination with fire or fire potential to achieve a position of advantage relative to the enemy in order to deliver a decisive strike. Elsewhere, the term is also used as synonym for movement as in fire and manoeuvre, in small unit tactics. Since everyone is generally clear about manoeuvre, Manoeuvre Warfare is generally perceived as warfare employing manoeuvre. Consequently the retort, it is just a fancy new name for what we have always done. 13. The fact of the matter is that in Manoeuvre Warfare, manoeuvre means much more. It is not only a question of movement in space to gain positional advantage, but also to gain temporal advantage, through generation of a faster operational tempo. One aspect that stands out clearly on all victorious campaigns based on Manoeuvre Warfare is that one of the proponents, by his actions, brought about a sudden change or a series of changes on the battlefield to which the adversary could not adjust in a timely manner. As a result he was defeated and that too at a small cost to the victor. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem 14. The aim of the study is to examine the significance of manoeuvre warfare and to analyse its application in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. Hypothesis 15. Manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemys physical and psychological cohesion through a series of rapid and unexpected actions and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to the strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. Thus, the concept can be equally and efficiently applied in mountain and developed terrain in the Indian context. Justification of the study 16. The Indian Army Doctrine Section 20: Para 7.14 directs our focus on the intellectual understanding, institutionalisation and implementation of manoeuvre warfare and Directive command. The challenge before the Indian Army is to apply this sub doctrine of war fighting and command. Although this war fighting philosophy was successfully applied by Indian Army in the 1971 war, but no significant gains were made in the western sector. Therefore it is imperative that we give a more detailed look at what can be done to achieve a vital breakthrough and a decisive victory, especially in mountain and developed terrain. 17. Even though manoeuvre warfare is today a much talked about subject in our army, its application and convention to a doctrine or war fighting philosophy in mountains and developed terrain is a long way off. The possible reasons for this are many, which include cynicism that manoeuvre warfare is nothing new, a traditionally attritionist approach, resistance to change, over emphasis on no loss of territory and so on. There is a need for us to analyse how this approach can be satisfactorily applied in the Indian Armys context especially in mountains and developed terrain. 18. In the light of the arguments given above the subject Manoeuvre Warfare and its Applicability in mountains and developed terrain has been chosen for the study. Scope of the Study 19. The research shall seek to study the essentials of manoeuvre warfare and its characteristics and to make it more meaningful the study will narrow down its focus on application of manoeuvre warfare in the developed terrain in Indian context. It will concentrate on the aspects needing attention in our thought process and the organisational and institutional changes necessary to facilitate this approach. The basic premise of the research is that manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. Operational Definitions Methods oF Data Collection Organisation of the Dissertation 20. The dissertation has been divided in following chapters:- (a) Chapter I . Introduction. (b) Chapter II. Essential Elements of Manoeuvre Warfare and Analysis of 1971 Bangladesh Campaign.. (c) Chapter III. Emerging Principles for Application of Manoeuveristic Approach in Developed Terrain. (d) Chapter IV. Characteristics, Challenges and Analysis of Own Concept of Operations in Developed Terrain. (f) Chapter V. Recommendations and Suggested Changes for Application of Manoeuvre Warfare in Developed Terrain. Directive Style of Command. Leadership Doctrine. Changes in Tactics and Equipment. Education and Training. Restructuring Strike Corps. Domination of Electromagnetic Spectrum. (g) Chapter VI. Conclusion.

Rotten Boroughs and Reform :: Victorian Era

Rotten Boroughs and Reform Background A borough was â€Å"a town possessing a municipal corporation and special privileges conferred by royal charter† (Oxford English Dictionary). Among these privileges, boroughs had the right to send representatives to Parliament. No new boroughs had been chartered in England since the 17th century (Corey 371). As the nation aged, its population and industry changed, creating a disparity between the nation's demographics and its system of governmental representation. With the advent and unrestrained growth of the Industrial Revolution, population and wealth concentrated and massed in northern towns and cities. While seats in Parliament remained occupied by representatives from the antiquated boroughs, "no provisions were made to represent the growing commercial and professional classes" (Corey 372). In some cases, boroughs had become severely degraded due to poverty, depopulation, or even natural disasters. â€Å"Another ancient borough, Dunwhich, had for centuries been buried under the North sea,† that sea-side town having long since given way to erosion (Hughes 84). Such boroughs were considered â€Å"rotten,† as they were effectively controlled by one town corporation or large land-owner, as only the propertied upper class was eligible to vote. Such aristocrats often controlled their constituents' votes by bribery and coercion (Corey 372). For example, see William Makepeace Thackeray's installment novel, Vanity Fair. Thackeray uses â€Å"Queen's Crawley† to represent a â€Å"rotten† borough. Reform The 1832 Reform Bill enfranchised lawyers, factory owners, merchants, and other members of the middle class, stipulating as a requirement at least a rental lease of at least fifty pounds per year (Bloy). In addition, fifty-six old boroughs were abolished, their Parliamentary seats redistributed among some new boroughs and counties, somewhat more appropriate to population demographics (Corey 372). Not all of the rotten boroughs were eliminated at this point, however. Widespread enfranchisement occurred slowly, as successive acts made their way through Parliament during the Victorian age. The 1867 Reform Bill lowered the stipulations to five pounds per annum for leaseholders, adding approximately one million voters. The subsequent Reform Bill of 1885 added two million voters to the electorate by enfranchising households in the counties as well (Hughes 84).

The Negative Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage Essay example -- Environmen

The Negative Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage         The health of the environment is our livelihood.   When the environment is not in good health it could lead to health problems on a personal level.   One of the major environmental problems is air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels.   Levels of carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuels into the atmosphere in 1991 was an estimated â€Å"5.6 billion tons per year† (Tesar, 28).   If we keep running down the path we are on using fossil fuels like no tomorrow there is some worry among scientists, â€Å"Some scientists estimate that the number will jump to as much as 30 billion tons per year within the next few decades† (28).      Concern for the environment is not a recent phenomena.   Rachel Carson (1907- 1964), was an â€Å"American marine biologist and the author of widely read books on ecological themes†Ã‚   (Bram, 326).   One of her more outstanding quotes on the environment is, â€Å"The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea†¦this pollution is for the most part irrecoverable† (Peter, 171).    I agree with Rachel Carson that earth, air, and water pollution is for the most part irrecoverable.  Ã‚   Some institutions working today to clean up the environment do help some, but as I see it they are not showing results.   There efforts are a feeble attempt because pollution levels keep rising and they could never keep up.   According to Hayes the former director of the Solar Research Institute under President Jimmy Carter of Earth Island Journal, â€Å"In 1993, President Clinton pledged to reduce US CO2 emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.   Instead, the nation’s CO2 emissions are now projected to rise at least 13 percent by the ... ...> Hawking, Stephen.   A Brief History of Time:   From the Big Bang to Black Holes.   New York:   Bantam, 1988. Peter, Laurence J. Dr.   Peter’s Quotations.   New York:   Quill William Morrow, 1977. Simanek, Donald E.   (1994)   The Hazards of Solar Energy.     Dsimanek/solar.htm>   (27 October 1998). â€Å"Solar Power-The Basics.†Ã‚   Solar Power-The Basics.   27 October 1998.   http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/solar/brief2.html   (27 October 1998). â€Å"Solar Tax Credits for North Carolina.†Ã‚   North Carolina Solar Center Information   Factsheet.   30 November 1998.     (30 November 1998). Tesar, Jenny.   Global Warming.   New York;   Facts On File, 1991. â€Å"Timeline:   Photovoltaic Development.†Ã‚   Untitled.   2 December, 1998.      (2 December, 1998).   

Aldis Case study

Q1. Describe what is eant by the term Marketing?Ans. The chartered Institute of Marketing describes the term ‘Marketing’ as the process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying consumer requirements profitability.Q2. Explain why is it Important to balance the marketing mix?Ans. It is important to provide high quality products to the consumer at reasonable price. Marketing mix is a complex set of variable. Marketing mix of every business is different. Aldi’s mix focuses on providing high quality products that a are cheaper alternatives to famous brands.Aldi’s Marketing mix focuses on Product – High quality like brands Price – Aldi’s offers lower prices that its competitors without compromising on quality Place – Aldi’s outlets are expanding globally Promotions – Aldi’s uses the combination of ‘Above the line’ and ‘Below the line’ promotional strategiesQ3. Analyse the f actors that might affect the location of a new Aldi’s store Ans. Factors that might affect the location of a new Aldi’s store :-1. They keep their store layout simple so that the wastage can be minimised and as a result of that it will keep the costs low. This will ensure that people or customers of Aldi’s will get best quality products at lower prices2. They kept into account the demographic factor of the area where the store is located3. People visiting the store should be maximum and this can be ensured by better connectivity. Good transport facility availability should be there.4. They emphasized that the store should be located in the heart of the city to ensure access to large number of consumers.5. Store should have good visibility and this can be ensured by having the store near the main road.6. One most important factor was they ensured that the store should be in a location where there is very less to no competition.Q4. Evaluate how Aldi has identified a unique position within a competitive marketplace. Ans. Aldi’s has identified a unique position within a competitive marketplace by following few things:-1. Availability of the  best quality products to the customers2. Providing lower prices products but with good quality3. By having the correct marketing mix4. They did it by adopting different types of promotional strategies like ‘Above the line’ and ‘Below the line’5. With the help of advocate customers, who persuaded others as well to buy the products from Aldi’s6. They aim at making loyal customers which will always stick to them or buy products from them7. Use of AIDA model to increase the market share, AIDA stands for, (A)Awareness, (I) Interest, (D) Desire, (A) Action8. One of the most important reason of their strong position in the market is that they used to explore all over the world for best quality product and selection of handpicked suppliers

Notes of a Native Son Essay

Notes of a Native Son Summary James Baldwin uses a lot of ethos in his essay to show his position as a black man encountering the hardships during his era. Despite being a generation of now free men, Baldwin tells his everyday situation and responses he received that show that he was not close at all to being free in the society. It is with this story we get to see his idea of fighting the injustice begin to bloom, and led him to become a well-known writer exploring the social issues in the mid-20th American era. Baldwin made it clear that before he developed a certain hatred towards the whites, he never felt that there was a difference between his white friends and his black friends and everyone was treated the same. This is still a situation we see today where children would play with other children regardless of their background but as they grew up, society puts the stereotypes in their heads and saw the world differently, in which Baldwin would grow up to see the world different as well. If there is a revolvi ng theme around this story, it is the theme of birth. In the beginning, there was a physical birth of James Baldwin’s sibling, moments after his father died. This could metaphorically translate as his father’s legacy being carried down through another child. James Baldwin Notes of a Native Son Analysis The ending was a birth of an idea, of how his father’s death and all the experiences Baldwin had encountered translated into an idea of fighting the injustice he was receiving. One word that stood out to me in the passage was perdition. Baldwin’s father claims that Baldwin’s naà ¯ve perspective of the whites was going to send him to perdition. Perdition has an extremely strong meaning, and in the Christian context, it is used to describe people who chose to turn away from God and thus cannot be saved nor forgiven, in a way being sent to the eternal pits of hell. Baldwin’s father is sending out a warning of what is yet to come for Baldwin, who would see how his view about the world will be changed forever by his life in New Jersey and that one American Diner situation. Baldwin would see the world the same way his father had seen, with the same bitterness his father carried till his death. Baldwin said that he had contracted a blind fever, which I believe t hat the blind fever was a metaphorical way of describing the emotional build-up of the treatment he received as a black man. Works Cited Hochstetler, J. M. Native Son. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 2005. â€Å"Native Son.† Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Son. Wright, Richard. Native Son. New York, Harper &Amp; Bros., 1940.

My Success

Neo once said â€Å"It is during out failures that we discover our true desire for In my life, this quote holds a lot of value. I attended High School, success. † graduating in 2003. While in high school, I was not the popular crowd, nor the succeeding student. I was merely getting by. To myself, I was a failure. After high school, I moved to a new town, new college, It was a new start! Wallace State College In Huntsville was going to be my Journey to success. After a year and a half, I was completing my internship for my desired major and It all fell to pieces.I was miserable. This was not what I thought I was getting myself Into. I could not see myself In that line of work every day for the rest of my working life. So what do you do? Failure struck once again, I quit. I moved back home to Alabama. I had no Idea what I was going to do. I thought college was no longer for me. I had no skills to get a decent Job. Then on August 28th 2006, someone saw different. I was accepted for a Job. After 2 short weeks on the job, I was transferred to a location to be the manager. This became my life for the next 6 years.Everything I did revolved around this store. Although I was not the owner of the store, I treated it like it was mine. In my six years there, the store was very successful. The company went through a buy-out in 2010 to a company based out of Ireland, This caused major downfalls in the Job. The owners no longer appreciated their employees; we were merely Just a number to them. When you have a small town store this makes a major difference. Then the financial aspects sat in, not knowing week to week if you were going to get a paycheck.These occurrences ere landing me right back to where I was 6 years ago. Although gaining experience. I am now majoring in Office Administration at West College and hope to graduate Spring 2014. Just eight more classes to go. As for my future, My goal is to obtain a Job at the collage as a program assistant. This may sound crazy, but it is my dream. I believe in the college and I know that if I can succeed others can too. I want to be a part that can help them on their road to success. For once in my life, I feel a sense of success.However, it has taken many allures to get me to where I am today. I know that I will continue to fail on a dally basis; However, I have learned how to pick myself up and move forward. This class has also given me the guidance and confidence that I am going to be able to succeed In getting a Job when I get out of school. By meanings success. † In my life, this quote holds a lot of value. I attended High School, school, I moved too new town, new college, it was a new start! Wallace State College in Huntsville was going to be my Journey to success.After a year and a half, I was implementing my internship for my desired major and it all fell to pieces. I was miserable. This was not what I thought I was getting myself into. I could not see myself in that line of work ever y day for the rest of my working life. So what do you I moved back home to Alabama. I had no idea what I was going to do. I thought the Job, I was transferred too location to be the manager. This became my life for failures to get me to where I am today. I know that I will continue to fail on a daily in getting a Job when I get out of school.

19th Century industrial leaders Essay

Many have debated that the industrial leaders following the 19th Century were â€Å"Robber Barron’s†. However, in this very competitive time period, many new businesses were being formed. It took talented businessmen such as Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Rockefeller to get ahead and keep the companies running, building America into what it is today, the most powerful nation in the world. Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was a classic Market Entrepreneur, succeeding by creating and marketing a superior product at a low cost. He was a key figure in breaking the steamboat monopoly in the waters around New York City; in the transatlantic steamship business; in the east coast to west coast steamship business; and the builder of the New York Central system, which, in effect, replaced the Erie Canal. Vanderbilt set the example for future â€Å"Industrial Statesman† by hard work and dedication; being fiercely competitive, willing to cut prices to get business; reliability, meaning repeat customers; the ability to master the details of a new business and to act boldly when necessary. When he died he was the richest man in America ($105m) and he left a high quality quadrupled track railroad that played a key role in the development of the Midwestern United States. See more: Satirical essay about drugs In 1873, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) became convinced that the future of industry was in the manufacture and use of steel. Concentrating on steel production, he began his acquisition of firms, which were later consolidated into the Carnegie Steel Company. His success was due in part to efficient business methods, to his able lieutenants, and to close alliances with railroads. By 1900, the Carnegie Steel Company controlled iron mines, coke ovens, ore ships, and railroads. It was these circumstances that the U.S. Steel Corp. was formed to buy Carnegie out. In 1901 he transferred possession for $500 million, the largest personal transaction ever made, and retired from business. Carnegie believed that the wealthy had an obligation to give back to society, so he donated much of his fortune to causes like education and peace. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Standard Oil Company, which grew to dominate the oil  industry and became one of the first big trusts in the United States. Rockefeller was naturally cautious and only undertook a business venture when he calculated that it would be successful. After he carefully weighed a course of action he would then act quickly and boldly to see it through. He had iron nerves and would carry through very complicated deals without hesitation. This combination of caution, precision, and resolve soon brought him attention and respect in the industrial community. Rockefeller also was one of the first major philanthropists in the U.S., establishing several important foundations and donating a total of $540 million to charitable purposes. â€Å"Robber Barron’s† to those who didn’t reap the benefits of these industrial empires but these â€Å"Industrial Statesmen† knew what it took to succeed in business. Each had their own characteristics that enabled them to make tough decisions and beat the competition. That Competition has inspired the businessmen of today, and fueling today’s industry and technology.

In a detailed essay that explain a term as people typically we r

In a detailed that explain a term as people typically we r understand it - Essay Example Notably, honesty helps people to conquer most of their problems. Honesty as people understand it is the foundation upon which people build their relationships in. the relationship may be with their friends, their family, or their society at large. When a person is honest with his or her friends, family or loved ones, there is the creation of a feeling of trustworthy (Thoennes 17). However, a man is basically born with the qualities of honesty, but these qualities will present themselves based on how h or she was brought up. Basically, if the parents are honest, even though it cannot be said that their children will be honest, a higher percentage of people turn out to be like their parents. Conversely, there are problems hidden behind the term honesty. There are some situations in which by being honest, one may inflict lots of stress and pain to other people. A good example is the situation where a doctor may decide not to his or her patient directly that he or she is suffering from a fatal disease such as cancer. Even though it is the obligation of the doctor to tell the patient the truth, the doctor has to keep quite so as to avoid causing lots of pain to the patient. This shows that it is not all-inclusive that a person be honest all the time. This however, contradicts what the term and how people perceive the meaning of the term honesty. This builds an assumption that there are sometimes people need to justify what is the best resolution since not telling the truth in some cases is the best way a person can protect other people from getting hurt. The term honesty overlooks many issues. As said in the above paragraph, there are some situations whereby people have to be dishonest in order to protect other people. However, according to the definition of honesty, this is wrong. According to how people understand the term, everyone should tell the truth no matter the consequences of the

Directors Duties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Directors Duties - Essay Example Directors exercise these powers by passing resolutions at board meetings. In the prevailing scenario where Wendy and Greg are directors of the block Ltd, there is a breach of directors' duties. Therefore the directors will be held liable for their acts. In this regard there is breach of:- The directors' of a company are expected to perform their functions with reasonable care and attention. They must discharge their duties and obligations with skill and diligence as expected from a reasonable person of his knowledge and experience. They (directors) are however not liable for bonafide error of judgment as observed by Romer J. in Re City Equitable fire insurance company 3. In this case the company collapsed due to bad investments and bad debts and misappropriation caused by fraudulent acts of a director. The company suffered a loss to the tune of 1,200,000 are eventually was ordered to be would up. The director was convicted for his fraud and negligence. He was however acquitted in appeal because of an exception clause in the articles to hold directors liable only for gross negligence. In Jorchester finance Co. Ltd v. ... hat the duty of care extends uniformly to all directors whether they are executive on directors of a company were held liable for the loss caused to the company due to their negligence in signing blank cheques which enabled the executive directors to enter the amount as they pleased in those cheques _______________ 3. Dr. H.V. Paranjape, Company law, 2000 4. Wardman, K. Abbott, Business law, 2001 . As regards the standard of care and skill expected from directors in performance of their duties, courts seem to unanimously agree that it is that of a reasonable person who with the same knowledge and experience would exercise in the situation. However, a distinction has been drawn between the standard of care and the standard of skill. For assessing a standard of care, the test of objective, while for the standard of skill is subjective. In this regard Wendy and Greg never exercised duty of care and skill. We are told that at the general meeting they failed to take suggestions of Kirstein and other Shareholders who were concerned about the company's expansion yet there was a fall in apartment prices. Further Greg's order of 50,000 from Alfonzo was not in good faith since name of the directors or shareholders was informed of the loan. Therefore the two directors Wendy and Greg lacked the duty of skill and care towards the company. b) Fiduciary Duties The duties of good faith and honesty arising out of fiduciary the fiduciary relationship between the director and his company are analogous to those of a trustee. The law imposes these duties upon the directors so that they are not allowed 'capitalize strategic position in the company to serve their own interests5' The Australian, uniform Companies Act has incorporated statutory provisions containing an explicit

Barnes and Nobles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Barnes and Nobles - Research Paper Example The company increasing the use of online sales as a technique of embracing technology related to knowledge and skill framework KSFs is one of its success factors. Additionally, consumers’ behaviors especially on making purchase especially on books have completely been revolutionized as they prefer the online purchase compared to the traditional physical ways of purchase. The expansion of online mode of purchase of books enabled Barnes and Noble Inc to gain competitive leverage over its competitors or rivals such as Borders. The ability of this firm to maintain its position as one of the largest book sellers can be attributed by its modalities in maintaining the ever emerging presence of technology. Moreover, its development of its e-reader called the Nook has proved to be success with time (Sidney, 2010). The second indicator of success for this company is related to its manufacturing strategy. It acquired Sterling Publishing Company as a part of its strategy in increasing its manufacturing capability (Hall & Gupta, 2010). It also has a well coordinated distribution system where the sales of Nook are inside their bookstore for example best –buy and B & N website (online). In addition, its marketing strategy encompasses its ability to establish the company as a brand in the market as it offers its client’s e-books, magazines et cetera. Customers are also able to enjoy reading at the companies stores due to the availability of free wi-fi. Furthermore, retail stores are employed in geographic markets that are attractive in not only the promotion but also the selling of devices that are digital and have contents (Sidney, 2010). The management of the company is cognizant to the ever changing circumstances in the business climate of books. They have embraced these changes by incorporating the use of online sales platform (Sidney, 2010). The firm enables sharing information between its workers as well as the customers. This

C5 - Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

C5 - Managerial Economics - Essay Example The objective of the paper is to provide advice to a large travel agency of Hong Kong from an economic point of view in order to reassess the company’s business strategies. Relevant official data available in the government sites, the local airlines, and travel agencies will also be collected to facilitate the analysis in this study. Our prime focus will be to provide an in-depth analysis of the pricing strategies adopted by the local airline industry by using the concepts of market structure, cost and revenue structure and price discrimination. With this purpose, an in-depth analysis will be conducted through literature review describing the current business environment of Hong Kong airline industry. 2 Background 2.1 Theoretical Background Evidences have revealed that economic factors have a significant influence on the business environment of any and every region (The Times 100, 2008; Kitching & Et. Al., 2009; Floyd & Wooldridge, 1997). Based on this concept, experts have fi rmly stated that macro and micro economic factors, both play a crucial role in influencing the pricing strategies of an industry. Besides, the macroeconomic environment which may greatly affect the demand side of the market, the micro economic factors can be witnessed in terms of the market structure of the industry, the price discrimination taking place in the market scenario, its cost and revenue structure as well as the demand elasticity observed in the industry (Nadar & Vijayan, 2009). Musonera & Ndagijimana (2001) stated that the pricing strategies of an organisation depend largely on the political, economical, technological and social factors. For instance, when the economic factors tend to be highly fluctuating, the pricing strategies of organisations are developed to be flexible which can effectively deal with the economic variations. It is in this context that the aforementioned factors create a string impact on the market structure of firms in an industry which in turn inf luences its pricing structure (Mazzucato, 2000). Hong Kong airline industry is scrutiny by various regulatory bodies, such as Civil Aviation Department, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Authority Hong Kong and others. These regulatory bodies deliver the industry with a strong and well-organised structure (Information Services Department, 2010). The initial factor that will be considered in this study is the influence of market structure on the pricing strategies of the airline industry. Market structure relates to various elements existing in the business environment such as product differentiation, market concentration, economies of scale, vertical integration of the competitors in the market and other similar aspects that in turn define the market structure of an industry. Therefore, market structure can be defined as â€Å"the organisational characteristics of a market that largely determine where it fails on competitive spectrum between monopoly and compe tition†

Albert Camus and the Myth of Sisyphus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Albert Camus and the Myth of Sisyphus - Essay Example The latter presents a situation in which we must ask ourselves whether this warrants committing suicide. However, Camus is interested in showing us the possibility of a third option that requires us to accept the reality that the world lacks meaning and purpose. This absurdism presents a situation in which any attempts of reconciling the contradictions in it are an attempt of escaping from it. In this regard, Camus refers to Sisyphus as an absurd hero by the manner in which he faced life. Sisyphus is said to have been condemned by the gods for eternity to roll a rock up the mountain only to face the situation in which the rock rolls down after reaching the top and he has to roll it back up again. In his elaborations, Camus uses Sisyphus’ case of punishment to represent the human condition. Just as Sisyphus has to struggle endlessly without any hope of success, humans also live a lifestyle in which they go through lifetime struggles and pains that they can never avoid. In this regard, Camus says that Sisyphus only has one option; that is to accept the absurd struggle in order to find happiness in his life. This is from the fact that his eternal living is condemned to this type of lifestyle, a situation which presents him with less no other option but to accept it in order to find happiness. Sisyphus would feel a lot of sorrow as he was rolling down the mountain to roll up the rock once again. He gains happiness only after accepting his fate. According to Camus, in this state, Sisyphus could approach his task with joy. In his view, it is hard to separate absurdity from happiness. We can make life what we want of it even if there is no hope. Therefore, continuing to hope is a situation that can only work to make life horrible. We make our fate horrible when we contrast it with something preferable. Therefore, preferring nothing and accepting the existence of absurdity is what places Sisyphus above his fate. In his initial narrations of the story of Sisyphus , Camus describes Sisyphus as a person who loved life to such an extent that he was condemned by the gods to an eternity hopeless labor yet he eventually came to accept his fate that helped him regain his happiness. When we look at his fate, we react with horror because of the futility and hopelessness that we see in it yet that is not the case for him. In this regard, we can be able to see that according to Albert Camus, Sisyphus was an absurd hero by choosing to accept his fate as he undertook life struggles without hope. This is because of the realization that attempting to avoid or deny the struggle and hopelessness that are the major part of our lives is an attempt to escape from the absurd contradiction. However, the main solution or alternative to this problem is for the absurd man to live his life with full awareness of the absurdity he exists in. Sisyphus toils and struggles to push the rock up the mountain. When going down the mountain, his burden has been relieved but he is fully aware of the life facing him whereby the struggling will never end for him. Richard Taylor’s view According to Richard Taylor, it is very difficult to answer the question that what is the meaning of life when in the first place it is difficult to understand the question about whether life really has meaning.

Report on issues in higher education in england Essay

Report on issues in higher education in england - Essay Example As students manage their schedules of schoolwork, employment, extra activities, and personal lives, they must learn about time planning, goal setting, and effective work strategies. A number of professionals at employment and student service offices are often available to help students learn about the most effective time-management and study strategies. As students continue through their education, they must learn to cope with both academic successes and challenges (Lindsay Paterson, 2005). They must deal with individuals, who they may not get along with, and they must learn to cope with subjects and classes, which seem difficult and they do not like. Facing these challenges in a university or college prepares the student for coping with challenges outside of school. In England within the higher education system the professional training is in direct in areas such as physics, computer science, medicine, engineering and other technical fields, some of them carried out in institutions of higher level. The system provides for the operation of English universities organized under the departmental system and institutions organized on the basis of schools. From an academic point of view, universities operate no more than 6000 to 8000 students in total, whose growth is gradual, allowing maintain a student / teacher for not more than 1/10 or 1/12. The dedication of teachers and students is full time and is based on a very narrow coexistence, both academic and social, as well as an ongoing process of sharing experiences, advice and council (Galvin, 1996). All students are sponsored, by paying the university a lump sum of 390 pounds annually. It included accommodation, food, buying books and incidentals. Moreover, the government finance to all universities by about more than 75% of its total budget. Admission to college is very selective, firstly because the levels of requirements are very high and secondly because the landscape of higher education English is very broad,

P.management long Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

P.management long - Essay Example There will also be a discussion on some of the key challenges and difficulties that companies may face while using management control systems as packages. What are Management Control Systems? As Lawson states, â€Å"management control systems are methods of collecting information that are used to guide and direct the behavior of staff members and management in order to achieve a company's goals† (1). Management control system is basically a mechanism companies use to collect information required to manage and control the activities regarding accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. Management control systems include a set of guidelines and techniques for companies that can be used to operate business processes and activities effectively and efficiently. Both managers and employees make use of those directions or methods to bring improvement in their individual and departmental performances, as well as to achieve organizational goals. In today’s world of co mpetition, companies need to adapt quickly to the use of technology in order to come in line for competition with other companies. In this regard, it is the need of today for the companies to adopt the use of management control systems to benefit from ongoing changes instead of leaving behind in the race of competition. Employees and managers need to use their knowledge regarding change to react positively to the changes in the internal and external business environment to improve organizational level of productivity and profitability. They need to link strategic planning and organizational processes by using the operational guidelines of management control systems. The focus of management control systems is not just on a single form of control, such as, performance measures, rather it covers multiple control systems that work together to achieve organizational goals. Therefore, management control systems can be used to direct all administrative matters, as well as to manage the iss ues of employees. Management Control Systems as Packages As Sandelin states, â€Å"the functionality of a control package depends on internal consistency, specifically on the reciprocal linkages of design and use between a primary mode of control and other control elements† (324). In today’s world, the needs of every company regarding internal controls and functionality of different departments are different from every other company. This shows that proper functionality of a management control package is highly dependent on a company’s internal level of operational consistency, as well as on links between different internal controls and systems. The need to use management control systems as packages can be understood by the fact that using such systems in isolation can lead to various administrative issues and organizational problems because all organizational systems and processes are interrelated. Therefore, it is the need of companies to use management contro l systems as packages not only to make an efficient use of organizational systems but also to ensure consistency of processes. According to Sandelin, the variety and operational efficiency of a control package is totally dependent on the way employees and managers of a company takes care of its functional requirements and demands (324). This statement shows that use of control package is

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities Essay

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities - Essay Example The current research also looks at a point at which I visited, observed, and participated in an inclusion program serving special education students, and what I observed in terms of behavior modification. students, including students with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, health impairments, and traumatic brain injury, are able to have an opportunity for growth and development is dependent on planning and personal execution. Many different people have different styles of planning and shaping the classroom environment, with different results. Overall, â€Å"Classroom environments that work require personal reflection about teachers’ roles, an understanding of what works in classroom organizations, a view of the relationship between management and instructional decisions, and the ability to use multiple methods† (Fine, 2002). At the same time, the teacher must realize that most students are spending most of their time outside of school, and only a fraction of their time in school or after school programs. Therefore it is important to realize the role that parenting, outside environment, and other factors like television and peer group association that also shape the process in the majority of the student’s time, especially when the student has special needs and is disabled. The current research example shows that inclusion programs can be very successful for students with various physical disabilities if teachers have a positive attitude and are willing to increase their levels of teamwork and communication. Teachers need to focus on stressing similarities to their peers and should help them accomplish what is sometimes a difficult social acclimation, as well as focusing on their academic needs. Disabilities are dealt with in the mainstreamed classroom and instructional strategies for helping children with disabilities achieve are tried out. When looking at the

Autobiography - original writing Essay Example for Free

Autobiography original writing Essay I had five months to sort out my work experience placement and thought that I had more than enough time in which to do so. Before long, however, I was called to Mr Williamss office, the man in charge of finalising the work experience. I had just found out that I had overnight to get a placement somewhere, otherwise Ill be stuck in school with year 9 for the week. My ideal placement would be something to do with sports because thats my favourite subject in school but I knew I couldnt find somewhere and get a reply all in one night. The only placement I knew I could go without having to wait for a reply was with my mother! My mother works at Cardiff University in the Biochemistry Unit. Im still not sure exactly what she does, but I think its something along the lines of teaching and researching into cells. Before I knew it work experience had almost arrived. It was very tense around the house; I suppose I was excited because I didnt have a clue what I was going to be doing and also a little scared for the same reason. The first morning was pretty easy because I had no dress code, and as my mother is her own boss, I had no strict hours either. Also I didnt have to be polite around my mother, so I could just be my self. I was sort of expecting it to be boring working with my mother but nothing could prepare me for what I did on my first day. My first chore of the day was to fill, empty, sterilise and prepare bottles for other people. This wasnt very challenging, so I got bored quickly. In the afternoon my mum noticed I was bored, so let me do the jobs she hates. Firstly, she made me sort out the bookshelves in her office. This included sorting out a 6ft long shelf full of catalogues, into alphabetical order and to date. The earliest being from 1992. After finishing that, she put my keyboard skills to good use by making me type out the register on the computer for four of her classes. At the end of my first day I was disappointed for not having had a fun day. I also felt worried in case my whole week would be this boring. The second day was a little bit more challenging. In the morning I had to draw pictures on a computer for my mothers poster. This was irritating because nothing was perfect enough for her. She kept on making me change the smallest details, and I realised that day that she was the fussiest person I knew, but the finished product managed to satisfy her. In the afternoon I worked with my mothers friend, Mike Turner, who works in the Electro Microscopy Unit in the university. This is where they take pictures with really big powerful microscopes. At first I was quite shy because Ive never met him before. I suppose I was expecting him to be a shy brainy man that wouldnt really talk to me. On the contrary, he would not stop talking and make jokes. I felt like I could talk to him easy and that made me feel comfortable beeing there. He sat me down by one of the microscopes and made me look at bugs and flowers through it. This was different and I enjoyed it more than my mothers office, although it got boring after a while sitting in front of a screen just looking at bugs. On the third day, I met another of my mothers friends, Guy Pitt. He is a photographer and developer in the university. I wasnt that nervous because my older sister did the same for her work experience and told me he was the best man to work with, and he was by far the best person who looked after me that week because he thought about what I might like to do. He gave me an expensive camera and sent me around town to take photos of anything. I took pictures of Cardiff Castle and animals like birds and squirrels. In the afternoon I met Mike Turner again and took pictures of cells with his microscope camera. Although he was enthusiastic about the cells I didnt find them that interesting and just pretended to like the pictures I took. The fourth day was the best day of the week. I was in Guys hands for the day. I met him in the morning and he gave me the camera with a new film and sent me to town again and told me to return at two oclock. In town I met a lot of my friends and went shopping and took pictures of a burnt building that was in ruins. When I returned we changed the films into negatives in the dark room by using all sorts of chemicals, and let them dry for Friday. On Friday, Guy and I changed the negatives into real pictures. He was very impressed with the pictures I took of the burnt building and asked if he could keep some. This made me feel good of my self and made me consider a career in photography, maybe sport photography. We finished by eleven oclock so he gave me the afternoon off and I went home. I enjoyed the experience despite having doubts about it at the beginning of the week. The best part of the week was working with Guy, he really made me think about my career.

Relationship Between Museum and Cultural Identity

Relationship Between Museum and Cultural Identity THE MUSEUM AND THE CITY: AN EMBODIMENT OF CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE CITY IN WHICH IT STANDS INTRODUCTION As society enters a new century, many cultures have recond to an age of globalisation and, in turn, are embracing the idea of contemporary living. This results in the development of cutting-edge technology, new methods of communication, and the rapid growth of cities, causing indigenous culture of cities to increasingly blend. The desire to embrace this dynamic compels many architects to consider ways of creating architecture truly representative of a wide range of humanity. These new advances create city growth, impacting on urban form and the design process of the public institutions, including museums, which is what this dissertation will primarily explore. The result is to extend the range of materials, forms, cultural references and social thinking available to museum architecture. But does this create an uninspired sameness, where some identities are being ignored and/or distorted? Where the notion of cultures integrating really means the identity struggle between the dominants and the dominated? One could speculate that now, more rapidly than before, the architecture of the museum and the city simultaneously evolve to meet the cultural identity of the people. But are these buildings, in fact representative of the national identity of a city or the individuality of the architect? This dissertation investigates the architects role in designing museums, establishing to what extent the design reflects or stems from the cultural identity of the city. The relationship between the museum and the city in which to belongs is complex. In order to establish an understanding, the study consults a wide range of resources that address issues of cultural identity within a museums national and civic perspective. Additionally, the research made reference to economic and political issues regarding museums, the study of how globalisation is reflected within a cultural and affects architecture, and case studies to support the statement that architects may intend for their museum designs to be representations of a cultural identity within the city. There are now new ways of experiencing, interpreting and remembering. The contemporary architecture of museums are a strong medium of cultural memory, developing from the museums traditional forms as monuments symbolising the power of key individuals within a society, into an expressive entity that creates dialogue between its contents and urban context. The otherwise conventional manner of designing develops into a world of contradictions, assorted rhythms and new ideas of beauty in the design of museums. The physicality of the building represents that of theatrical effects, incorporating contemporary elements of architectural form as a method of entertainment, whilst engaging the interest of the citys individuals and of those from further afield. Millions are drawn to what is no longer a dying institution, but a visual destination for the public, in a form that encompasses the societys identity. One can assume this is influenced by the cultural pluralism within the buildings city c ontext, and considering the many identities as a plural identity. The diverse elements are woven into a sustainable, integrated spatial fabric that contributes to the life of the city. An approach which allows architectural freedom for a building type that has been described by some sources as overlooked by the public. Due to this studys word restriction, it is not possible to evaluate in detail more than four relevant case studies. This limitation resulted in the careful consideration of case studies varying in terms of locality and architect. Furthermore, due to time restrictions, it was not possible to carry out additional primary research which could have entailed supplementary site visits to the investigated case studies and additional data found in initial research methods such as interviews and questionnaires. The dissertations methodology consists of individually exploring and studying four case studies against the dissertations argument, in order to then properly conclude whether it can be proven to be accurate. These case studies pose as cultural barometers, where during investigation they help assess the extent in which they fulfill a citys cultural identity. The examination method entails drawing on a combination of primary research such as site visits to secondary research, drawing on existing written information from books, articles and online sources. The case studies follow a chronological order, beginning with Chapter One: Frank Gehrys Bilbao Guggenheim, a museum which initiated an influence on the case studies that have followed such as Chapter Two: Daniel Libeskinds Jewish War Museum, Chapter 3: Herzog and de Meurons Tate Modern London and Chapter 4: Zaha Hadids Contemporary Arts Centre. To further develop whether an architects design of contemporary museums truly reflect the citys cultural identity, each case study is analysed in th light of the following issues: Globalisation outlines whether certain cultural identities are lost or just changing within the museums civic context, especially as cities more than nations contend to draw global attention through these culturally significant public buildings. The sub-chapter concerning National and Civic Identity explores how culture influences in terms of the architectural context of the museum in a national and civic perspective. This provides a framework for exploring how architects use ideas about culture and cultural contradictions to create the structures and spaces to engage a society. The issue will discover how the design of the museum is a task of seeking an image essentially of ourselves. Style and Identity of the Architect briefly examines how the architects own identity, who themselves are either travelers or immigrants, insiders/outsiders of the city in which they design for, influences the ultimate design of the citys museum along with their own architectural style. Economy and Poli tics is a sub-chapter concerning who pays, owns and benefits from the establishment of these institutions. How cities acquire signature museums in order to stimulate their economic and ultimately cultural development. The museum building boom has been accelerated by what has become known as The Bilbao Guggenheim Effect . The sub-chapter investigates how Frank Gehrys museum has influenced these case studies to replicate their own â€Å"Bilbao Guggenheim Effect† within their cities. By putting up a museum with architectural credentials, Gehry revitalised a civic and cultural image, demonstrating that a single building could energise and enhance an entire city and region. DISCUSSION THE CONTEXT OF THE MUSEUM: INVENTION AND REINVENTION Layer upon layer, past times preserve themselves in the city until life itself finally threatened with suffocation: then, in sheer defense, modern man invents the museum. [Lewis Mumford, The Culture of Cities] These words from Lewis Mumfords The Culture of Cities depicts how the museum was manifested as a commodification of a citys overpowering history (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 1). The design development of this building type has been changing since the museum was established in the 18th century, beginning as a space for private collections of wealthy individuals, only accessible by the middle and upper class (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 4). Presently, the museum is a response to contemporary social change, a space that wishes to connect within its urban fabric surroundings and open to all. A museums design acknowledges the way in which it can order, store and display its belongings, the institutions relationship to a city and surrounding cultures lacks investigation, leaving questions about the museums role in an urban context (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). Culture surpasses the ways in which something can be represented and housed, it can be seen as an expression of us. Today, culture is challenged i n a world struggling for established institutions such as schools, libraries etc., which often are said to lack in relation to the people (Zukin, 1995, p. 11). Museums are no longer seen as fixed frameworks, but a place for public interaction and exchange. One could consider that one of the buildings functions is to absorb the cultures within the city, and then reflect and shape this within an architectural form. The museum itself visually exemplifies its roles within a city, for instance unlocking urban memories, reconfiguring the past, aiding in touristic rediscovery and exploitation of a place to the whole urban environment, roles that challenge the museums attempt to reconnect culture and a citys built form (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). There is an ability to recon a city with the use of museums, from â€Å"systematically inserting them, to salvaging or reconstructing them† into the urban fabric (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). Therefore the museums cultural significance surpasses that of any other building types. In The Museum Transformed, by Douglas Davis (1990, p.14) asserts that, â€Å"no building type can match the museum for symbolic or architectural importance† because it is so often redefined due to its stimulation from cultural development. The museum can be considered as an entity that defines, represents and creates cultural trends ahead of its own place in time. As quoted from MacLeod (2005, p.1), â€Å"As museums have come to be consciously recognized as drivers for social and economic regeneration, the architecture of the museum has developed from its traditional forms into often-spectacular one off statements and architectural visions.† Architects persuasively argue for a new type of ex perience, aiming to appeal to a general audience rather than the scholarly advisors soughing to replicate tradition (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 3). This is an aspiration expressed from an analysis of contemporary society and its future direction, that being cultural diversity, resulting in the commissioning of strongly conceptualised museums to devote to multiplicity. As Relph (1976, p. 33) claims, †¦for each setting and for each person there are a multiplicity of place identities reflecting different experiences and attitudes; these are molded out of the common elements of appearance†¦through the changing interactions of direct observation with preconceptions. In the past however, the significance of museums were solely to serve a refined function, transcending the thinking of the scholars and academics, along with manifesting the power of a city (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 4). Relph (1976, p. 35) provides evidence to this claim in mentioning, Public places which achieve their publicity through high imageability are not necessary innocent- their distinctive appearance or form maybe capitalised upon or even created as a statement of grandeur and authority to be regarded in awe by common people. The museum was considered a monument, take examples such as The Louvre in Paris, or the Uffizi in Florence, they are models of the grandeur museums encompassed (Merkel, 2002, p. 66), significant in urban context, deliberately chosen to emphasise a citys status, and drawing attention within a public space. Traditionally understood as temples of knowledge, the architecture itself could be said to represent the value of knowledge. This belief was prominent in the early period of museum founding where the scale of buildings also symbolised power, so much so that the museum evoked the metaphor of a cathedral. Historian Jayne Merkel (2002, p. 66) writes, Not surprisingly, palace architecture-grand, classical, urban, and horizontal-was a principal influence when the first museums were designed. But like most public buildings at the time, they were built in the classical style for other reasons as well, including classicisms associations with government, law (Roman basilicas), with the sacred (Greek temples and Italian Renaissance churches) and with the culture and art of the past. Today, the museum could be considered as a building type that satisfies a citys need for symbolic signification, and an indicator of metropolitan aspirations such as world-wide recognition. A desire to entertain and educate society, along with a â€Å"sensitivity that refuses to bore, alienate or pander to the public† (Zieger, 2005, p. 17). If this is the case, then the status of a great city can entail in encompassing several of these institutions, thus the spread of museums witnessed during the nineteenth and twentieth century indicating the start of city rivalry. At the start of the twenty-first century, the museum as architecture has been reinstated as an evocative entity, as opposed to decades devoted to neutral, voided spaces lacking symbolic significance and strict functionality termed as â€Å"white box† (Lampugnani Sachs, 1999, p. 15). Museums began to create dialogue with their content and urban context. They can be seen as similar in some ways to churches, to shopping centres and other places of gathering, but they have a function different from these examples, they contain things of enquiry. The museum has made a considerable contribution to a city, adding historic and cultural significance along with contributing to a citys metropolitan status, presumably due to the transformative possibilities of museums (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 9). The city and its museum are in conjunction to one another, one could believe the museum is a citys method of revealing cultural meaning through its architectural forms. This belief is an advanceme nt from the words of the theorist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, ridiculing museums as cemeteries, stating that they were â€Å"truly identical in their sinister juxtaposition of bodies that do not know each other,† along with a judgement that cultural institutions were dilapidating. (see Zieger, 2005, p. 7) A society today uses the museum to represent a new dynamic form of culture, reflected through an innovative physical form that is often considered a visual spectacle of the city, that one could believe draws visitors to it in theatre like fashion. Consequently it can be theorised that they are quickly becoming radical buildings constructed in a world driven by the need to address new concepts of diversity and equality (Zukin, 1995 p. 2). Rather than just â€Å"cultural cemeteries piling up gilt frame paintings† (Zeiger, 2005, p.11), they are spaces of social condensing- a space attempting to build a community rather than filling a city with volumes of emptiness. As Dan iel Libeskind was quoted in saying â€Å"†¦its not just some sort of container, some abstract piece if glass and concrete, it is part of a communicative system.† The design challenge in the multicultural growth of cities is to find an architectural expression that goes beyond the conventional, while something relevant to contemporary life. Contemporary museum design can be deemed as a physical entity of cultural trends developing within the city (Zukin, 1995 p. 2), either recognising which cultures are integrating or if the city epitomises a specific one. No matter what conclusions are drawn out from a citys cultural make-up museums are a place where people go to mix with others unlike themselves, by having a broad appeal they must aim to please a vast variety of people. Libeskind confirms this in his words, †¦(museum) architecture is what is common between people, and what a contribution it makes to the viability of a city, and to civic space. †¦we might as well make in inspiring environment, an environment that is more than just a shallow faà §ade of something inauthentic. (Cathcart, 2001) To avoid the idea of an undistinguished environment is by physically fitting in the cultural identity related to the city. The museum in a physical setting is a structural body of city understanding and city change. There can be no denying the importance of its architecture in the urban environment in terms of regeneration, tourism, symbolism and so on (Zukin, 1995, p.2). Society as a whole has been persuaded that museums are agents of social economic change. There has been an unprecedented period of radical reshaping, building, rebuilding in the design of these institutions that cannot be disassociated from the drive for cultural inclusiveness and diversity. A building with space that can be considered with endless possibilities for use when â€Å"escaping the straitjacket of conforming to a giving role and move into a sharing mode† (MacLeod, 2005, p.25). In other words, a diverse audience needs a diversity of spaces that reflect, provoke and thrill. CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM CHAPTER 3: HERZOG AND DE MEURONS TATE MODERN LONDON CHAPTER 4: ZAHA HADIDS CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM Frank Gehrys Guggenheim museum is acknowledged worldwide as a magnet for tourism, but can it be truly considered an expression of the Basque peoples cultural identity? Or is it just an architects expressionist gesture in an industrial city? The New York Times depicts The Bilbao Guggenheim as part of an ambitious plan to revise the city as an international centre of culture. The museum is not just a neutral container where art is stored and presented, but a place where the institution itself is in relation with the public. GLOBALISATION It could be said that globalisation creates struggle between the dominant and the dominated cultures within a society and the search for a reconstructed identity of a society. (AlSayyad, 2009, p. 22) Within the Spanish Basque region, it is evident that their identity has been burdened with tension in their attempt to stress their own regional identities and singularities from the rest of Spain (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 74). However one can argue that in this case globalisation has become a force in strengthening and proliferating a cultural identity, allowing the idea of identity to change into a more universal commodity represented by the museum itself. But how do issues of globalisation affect the architecture itself, especially in terms of the Bilbao Guggenheim? The new advances of technology, communication and construction methods create interventions for local cultures and establish the identities of a place. Gehrys use of cutting-edge computer design technology enabled him to translate his forms into reality (Chulvi, 2007) (see 1.1). Architectural statements such as the Guggenheim Bilbao are often questioned at times in whether or not they have relation to the place and identity. There could be two sides to this argument, one side could be seeking to safeguard and extend already established indigenous architectural traditions, promoting historical continuity and the preservation of identity through traditional decorative forms. The other side which is in more relation to the Guggenheim Bilbao, considers globalisation as a force that seeks to encourage invention and distribution of new forms using new materials and technology in response to changing needs to have relation to the place and identity. Gehry has been quotes in saying, â€Å"Democracy is good for architecture. Pluralistic ideas are what we want presented in architecture, the lead to a visual chaos is part of our lives† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 58). There is an opportunity for growth in unique architectural forms in all of its diversity and 2903687145_5cb25af9b6 inclusivity. NATIONAL AND CIVIC IDENTITY The Basque people have been able to preserve their distinct culture and language while flourishing in an environment of globalisation, post-modernity, and European integration (Castillo, 2008). Currently, integrating the two social collectives of nationalists and non-nationalists within the region is growing (Castillo, 2008). However how does a group of people who have never had a country to call their own continue to hold on to their own cultural identity? The Bilbao Guggenheim is a phenomenon of cultural development employing â€Å"the three successive phases posited by the theory of cultural epochs- a period of chaos, a period of adjustment, and a period of equilibrium in cultural change† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 74). All around the world culture operates as an engine for new regional and urban development, one could say that no strategic growth of a city would take place without the role of culture (Zukin, 1995, p.11). In the case of the Basque region, it was sufferin g deterioration caught up in a decline in inspiration along with cultural institutions progressively being abandoned. Simultaneously, the Guggenheim Foundation was in need of a new concept of the museum, capable to withstand the achievement of Guggenheim in New York, yet gaining its own recognition abroad. Co-operation between two considerably different cultures occurred in recovering the identity of a small society (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 77). As Frank Gehry himself explains , the museum embodies two different cultures, the Basque culture and American, which is considered as a melting pot used to extend its arms to everybody (Farnsworth, 1997). The Bilbao Guggenheim is proof of culture being a key strategy in not only providing a physical renewal but a new injection of self-esteem within a city and an entire region. (see 1.2) Culture in the case of the development of this building, can be seen as something essential to humankind and above all to a society in regaining values and providing a sense of identity. Rather than ignoring the cultural context of the city entirely, the fabric is restored, connecting any form of cultural isolation with the new building. The curving forms of the building glide over the River Nervion, a main bridged entry to the Spanish city, shattering strict perpendicularity and ridged geometry regularly associated with museum architecture, providing a new model of collective identification (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005,p. 42). The rejection of these norms is emphasised by the titanium cladding, making the building appear as a single entity that intertwines the city around it. Like the Basque region the building is a place of â€Å"contested borders† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005,p. 42). (see 1.3) Whether Gehrys building actually erases the citys cultural heritage is debatable. Bilbao is famous for its maritime history, after Barcelona, it has Spains largest port. The Bilbao Guggenheim pays tribute to its own surroundings as it edges onto the riverfront. Its exterior sculpted out of steel, which is traditionally the main industry of the city (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 154). The museums relationship with the city is conceived as the outcome of a perceived social need, as society changes and new social needs arise, new building forms will be produced in order to fulfill that need. The Bilbao Guggenhem facilitates a complete urban facelift, a driver for the citys urban regeneration, communicating not only its importance to the city as a powerful foci, but the citys mark in the cultural world. As a result, after Bilbao every city aspires to its own Guggenheim effect the â€Å"build it and they will come† (Barreneche, 2005, p.6) belief is what cities have taken on for their museums after untitled STYLE AND IDENTITY OF ARCHITECT Frank Gehry is widely recognised as a North American architect whose combination of steel, high-tech and flowing designs have broken the rigid hold of rectilinear design that has dominated most of Modern architecture (Zieger, 2005, p. 8). However the question remains: is it a good idea for the city to have an international museum built by a foreign architect? Gehry was quoted as spending a lot of time trying to understand the culture and trying to understand the Basque people. He explains, I related to them because I was raised in a Jewish upbringing in Toronto, Canada, so I was an outsider into the culture when I was a kid. And I understandI empathized with this outsider role, andbut I cant put my finger on a piece of the building and say this is Basque, but they seem to think I captured their spirit. I tried to use the materials of the region to build the building. The stone in Spanish. The steel structure is Spanish. All the work people were Basque. (Farnsworth, 1997) One can assume to Gehry a rich piece of architecture would combine elements in a way that preserve the coherence of their origins. At its best, the process of gathering cultural elements and marrying them to the sensitivities of a gifted architect can result in a powerful work of architecture such as the Bilbao Guggenheim. According to the Bilbao Revitalization Plan, the natural slope running down to the riverfront was to be transformed into a green valley, but Gehry did not want to lose the industrial feel of the existing waterfront. (see 1.4 1.5) People say that the design of the museums architecture was inspired during Gehry climb up the Mundana, one of the highest mountains in the outskirts of Bilbao. â€Å"Seen from the river, the building appears to take the shape of a boat paying homage to the port city that has given its home. The museums bright, shining panels resemble fish scales, reflecting the influence of natural forms and shapes.† (Chulvi, 2007) One could argue that the architects use of abstract, free-form components from local materials are reminiscent of Modernist Spanish sculptures, a cultural aspect valued by the Basque, or how the architects design of the enormous boat-shaped gallery is a dedication toward Bilbaos past as a centre of shipbuilding and trade (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 154). Many would argue that Gehrys design for the Bilbao Guggenheim truly reflects the identity of the Basque people even though the architect himself has no relation to region. However, there is a degree of sensitivity to the regions character that can be witnessed through the architecture. The city of Bilbao places an emphasis on the institution Gehry has designed, as having an important role in defining public culture. This has been achieved through the architects process of negotiating what architectural expressions could be accepted by the people. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Gehrys museum was hailed an as instant landmark, bringing a sense of relevance to architecture in the transformation of cities. (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 7) The Basque region was in need of local development due to its rustic city appearance and distinct regional identity compared to the rest of Spain. Primarily, the Basque region was in need of distancing itself from the negativity that it was associated with, such as being recognised as a terrorist region. Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque country, is a stronghold for the separatist group ETA (Basque Fatherland and Liberty), which seeks independence from Spain through often violent behavior (Farnsworth, 1997). For the Guggenheim Foundation this was an opportunity to fund a centerpiece of huge urban renewal for Bilbao. Previous museum concepts were of a private space for seekers of wisdom, philosophers and historians. Currently the museums directors are in favor of new futuristic architectural visions that were unimaginable years before, representing a museums city and forming the basis of urban regeneration such as Bilbao Guggenheim. The titanium shapes flourish through Bilbaos dark cornices and nearby smokestacks, as Andrew Friedman (see Zieger, 2005, p. 9) explains, †¦the nearby smokestacks and cranes; they seem†¦to be Gehrys whimsical idea of visually rendering the tumultuous and violent process by which a once-working industrial waterfront is brought to heel-an actual enactment of the grim process that the Guggenheim makes a point of capitalising on. The capitlisation Friedman mentions is the transformation of Bilbao from living city to an architectural destination. In other words the city acquires a signature building in order to stimulate a citys makeover (Zeiger, 2005, p.9). The design of the museum is recognised as a drive for social and economic regeneration, from traditional forms, to, in this case, a spectacular one off statement that challenges architectural preconceptions and creates a visual feast while maintaining the integrity of the site. Why have contemporary museums become a favorite tool of urban regeneration and redevelopment schemes since the Bilbao Guggenheim? Referred to as the â€Å"miracle,† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 7) Frank Gehrys Bilbao Guggenheim changed the face of the Bilbao city, and set up to give a new purpose to an abandoned industrial estate. â€Å"Since the Guggenheim was built, Bilbao has never been the same again the museum has helped create pedestrianised areas that run from the t own hall to the port on the shores of the river.† (Chulvi, 2007) The answer is that museums allow an opportunity for growth in unique architectural forms in all of its diversity and inclusivity. CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM CHAPTER 3: HERZOG AND DE MEURONS TATE MODERN CHAPTER 4: ZAHA HADIDS CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM The Jewish War Museums design is so powerful that it can be considered as an artifact in its own right. Even as it was unveiled in 1999 with nothing in it, the building was said to evoke a sense of loss and dislocation inflicted on Europes Jewish population the Holocaust in World War II (Barreneche, 2006, p.121). Through the buildings brief and urban site, Libeskinds Jewish Museum echoes the history of Berlin creating an emotional effect on the visitor. GLOBALISATION Cultural identity is something people have, and a form of traditional inheritance that is shared, something that needs to be protected and preserved. In contemporary society, globalisation has been portrayed sweeping through diverse cultures, and bringing a homogenized cultural experience (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 270). However, one can argue that globalisation, instead of destroying, has become a force in creating and developing cultural identity, allowing the idea of identity to change into a more collective entity. In terms of how this relates to the Jewish Museum, the building is not just seen as a response to some traditions, it is also open to new ones, a link to the past and the future (see 2.1). The mission of the Jewish Museum, and for all new museums, is not just for the city themselves but for the wider public, in which it becomes a communal existence. Around the globe, in every corner, new museums have appeared, coming in every shape and size, appealing to various preferences (Barreneche, 2005, p. 6). As Victoria Newhouse notes (see Barreneche, 2005, p.6), â€Å"One intriguing aspect of the current proliferation of museums is the ‘museumfication of seemingly every phenomenon†. The Jewish Museum is an example of this, and one could assume that through the guidance of globalisation, there are Jewish Museums in cities from New York to Sydney stemming from Libeskinds prominent Berlin museum. (Barreneche, 2005, p. 6). NATIONAL AND CIVIC IDENTITY Culture is cumulative and changing by additions of successive generations, reinterpreted from one individual or group to another. The designed environments of contemporary museums create a setting and representation of particular cultural identities. Daniel Libeskinds Jewish War Museum in Berlin encompasses these attributes, it is a building that engrains Jewish history. The design is based on a process of connecting lines between the locations of historic events and the locations of Jewish culture in Berlin. This is evident from the buildings plan with the zigzag footprint, symbolically derived from a fragmented Star of David (Barreneche, 2006, p.121). (see 2.2) The architect has created metaphors for the absence of Jewish communities in Berlin where the lines slices the plan (Barreneche, 2005, p. 121). The concepts of absence, emptiness and the invisible express the disappearance of Jewish culture in the city. Libeskind proves there is a powerful faith in the ability of people to l earn Relationship Between Museum and Cultural Identity Relationship Between Museum and Cultural Identity THE MUSEUM AND THE CITY: AN EMBODIMENT OF CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE CITY IN WHICH IT STANDS INTRODUCTION As society enters a new century, many cultures have recond to an age of globalisation and, in turn, are embracing the idea of contemporary living. This results in the development of cutting-edge technology, new methods of communication, and the rapid growth of cities, causing indigenous culture of cities to increasingly blend. The desire to embrace this dynamic compels many architects to consider ways of creating architecture truly representative of a wide range of humanity. These new advances create city growth, impacting on urban form and the design process of the public institutions, including museums, which is what this dissertation will primarily explore. The result is to extend the range of materials, forms, cultural references and social thinking available to museum architecture. But does this create an uninspired sameness, where some identities are being ignored and/or distorted? Where the notion of cultures integrating really means the identity struggle between the dominants and the dominated? One could speculate that now, more rapidly than before, the architecture of the museum and the city simultaneously evolve to meet the cultural identity of the people. But are these buildings, in fact representative of the national identity of a city or the individuality of the architect? This dissertation investigates the architects role in designing museums, establishing to what extent the design reflects or stems from the cultural identity of the city. The relationship between the museum and the city in which to belongs is complex. In order to establish an understanding, the study consults a wide range of resources that address issues of cultural identity within a museums national and civic perspective. Additionally, the research made reference to economic and political issues regarding museums, the study of how globalisation is reflected within a cultural and affects architecture, and case studies to support the statement that architects may intend for their museum designs to be representations of a cultural identity within the city. There are now new ways of experiencing, interpreting and remembering. The contemporary architecture of museums are a strong medium of cultural memory, developing from the museums traditional forms as monuments symbolising the power of key individuals within a society, into an expressive entity that creates dialogue between its contents and urban context. The otherwise conventional manner of designing develops into a world of contradictions, assorted rhythms and new ideas of beauty in the design of museums. The physicality of the building represents that of theatrical effects, incorporating contemporary elements of architectural form as a method of entertainment, whilst engaging the interest of the citys individuals and of those from further afield. Millions are drawn to what is no longer a dying institution, but a visual destination for the public, in a form that encompasses the societys identity. One can assume this is influenced by the cultural pluralism within the buildings city c ontext, and considering the many identities as a plural identity. The diverse elements are woven into a sustainable, integrated spatial fabric that contributes to the life of the city. An approach which allows architectural freedom for a building type that has been described by some sources as overlooked by the public. Due to this studys word restriction, it is not possible to evaluate in detail more than four relevant case studies. This limitation resulted in the careful consideration of case studies varying in terms of locality and architect. Furthermore, due to time restrictions, it was not possible to carry out additional primary research which could have entailed supplementary site visits to the investigated case studies and additional data found in initial research methods such as interviews and questionnaires. The dissertations methodology consists of individually exploring and studying four case studies against the dissertations argument, in order to then properly conclude whether it can be proven to be accurate. These case studies pose as cultural barometers, where during investigation they help assess the extent in which they fulfill a citys cultural identity. The examination method entails drawing on a combination of primary research such as site visits to secondary research, drawing on existing written information from books, articles and online sources. The case studies follow a chronological order, beginning with Chapter One: Frank Gehrys Bilbao Guggenheim, a museum which initiated an influence on the case studies that have followed such as Chapter Two: Daniel Libeskinds Jewish War Museum, Chapter 3: Herzog and de Meurons Tate Modern London and Chapter 4: Zaha Hadids Contemporary Arts Centre. To further develop whether an architects design of contemporary museums truly reflect the citys cultural identity, each case study is analysed in th light of the following issues: Globalisation outlines whether certain cultural identities are lost or just changing within the museums civic context, especially as cities more than nations contend to draw global attention through these culturally significant public buildings. The sub-chapter concerning National and Civic Identity explores how culture influences in terms of the architectural context of the museum in a national and civic perspective. This provides a framework for exploring how architects use ideas about culture and cultural contradictions to create the structures and spaces to engage a society. The issue will discover how the design of the museum is a task of seeking an image essentially of ourselves. Style and Identity of the Architect briefly examines how the architects own identity, who themselves are either travelers or immigrants, insiders/outsiders of the city in which they design for, influences the ultimate design of the citys museum along with their own architectural style. Economy and Poli tics is a sub-chapter concerning who pays, owns and benefits from the establishment of these institutions. How cities acquire signature museums in order to stimulate their economic and ultimately cultural development. The museum building boom has been accelerated by what has become known as The Bilbao Guggenheim Effect . The sub-chapter investigates how Frank Gehrys museum has influenced these case studies to replicate their own â€Å"Bilbao Guggenheim Effect† within their cities. By putting up a museum with architectural credentials, Gehry revitalised a civic and cultural image, demonstrating that a single building could energise and enhance an entire city and region. DISCUSSION THE CONTEXT OF THE MUSEUM: INVENTION AND REINVENTION Layer upon layer, past times preserve themselves in the city until life itself finally threatened with suffocation: then, in sheer defense, modern man invents the museum. [Lewis Mumford, The Culture of Cities] These words from Lewis Mumfords The Culture of Cities depicts how the museum was manifested as a commodification of a citys overpowering history (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 1). The design development of this building type has been changing since the museum was established in the 18th century, beginning as a space for private collections of wealthy individuals, only accessible by the middle and upper class (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 4). Presently, the museum is a response to contemporary social change, a space that wishes to connect within its urban fabric surroundings and open to all. A museums design acknowledges the way in which it can order, store and display its belongings, the institutions relationship to a city and surrounding cultures lacks investigation, leaving questions about the museums role in an urban context (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). Culture surpasses the ways in which something can be represented and housed, it can be seen as an expression of us. Today, culture is challenged i n a world struggling for established institutions such as schools, libraries etc., which often are said to lack in relation to the people (Zukin, 1995, p. 11). Museums are no longer seen as fixed frameworks, but a place for public interaction and exchange. One could consider that one of the buildings functions is to absorb the cultures within the city, and then reflect and shape this within an architectural form. The museum itself visually exemplifies its roles within a city, for instance unlocking urban memories, reconfiguring the past, aiding in touristic rediscovery and exploitation of a place to the whole urban environment, roles that challenge the museums attempt to reconnect culture and a citys built form (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). There is an ability to recon a city with the use of museums, from â€Å"systematically inserting them, to salvaging or reconstructing them† into the urban fabric (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 2). Therefore the museums cultural significance surpasses that of any other building types. In The Museum Transformed, by Douglas Davis (1990, p.14) asserts that, â€Å"no building type can match the museum for symbolic or architectural importance† because it is so often redefined due to its stimulation from cultural development. The museum can be considered as an entity that defines, represents and creates cultural trends ahead of its own place in time. As quoted from MacLeod (2005, p.1), â€Å"As museums have come to be consciously recognized as drivers for social and economic regeneration, the architecture of the museum has developed from its traditional forms into often-spectacular one off statements and architectural visions.† Architects persuasively argue for a new type of ex perience, aiming to appeal to a general audience rather than the scholarly advisors soughing to replicate tradition (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 3). This is an aspiration expressed from an analysis of contemporary society and its future direction, that being cultural diversity, resulting in the commissioning of strongly conceptualised museums to devote to multiplicity. As Relph (1976, p. 33) claims, †¦for each setting and for each person there are a multiplicity of place identities reflecting different experiences and attitudes; these are molded out of the common elements of appearance†¦through the changing interactions of direct observation with preconceptions. In the past however, the significance of museums were solely to serve a refined function, transcending the thinking of the scholars and academics, along with manifesting the power of a city (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 4). Relph (1976, p. 35) provides evidence to this claim in mentioning, Public places which achieve their publicity through high imageability are not necessary innocent- their distinctive appearance or form maybe capitalised upon or even created as a statement of grandeur and authority to be regarded in awe by common people. The museum was considered a monument, take examples such as The Louvre in Paris, or the Uffizi in Florence, they are models of the grandeur museums encompassed (Merkel, 2002, p. 66), significant in urban context, deliberately chosen to emphasise a citys status, and drawing attention within a public space. Traditionally understood as temples of knowledge, the architecture itself could be said to represent the value of knowledge. This belief was prominent in the early period of museum founding where the scale of buildings also symbolised power, so much so that the museum evoked the metaphor of a cathedral. Historian Jayne Merkel (2002, p. 66) writes, Not surprisingly, palace architecture-grand, classical, urban, and horizontal-was a principal influence when the first museums were designed. But like most public buildings at the time, they were built in the classical style for other reasons as well, including classicisms associations with government, law (Roman basilicas), with the sacred (Greek temples and Italian Renaissance churches) and with the culture and art of the past. Today, the museum could be considered as a building type that satisfies a citys need for symbolic signification, and an indicator of metropolitan aspirations such as world-wide recognition. A desire to entertain and educate society, along with a â€Å"sensitivity that refuses to bore, alienate or pander to the public† (Zieger, 2005, p. 17). If this is the case, then the status of a great city can entail in encompassing several of these institutions, thus the spread of museums witnessed during the nineteenth and twentieth century indicating the start of city rivalry. At the start of the twenty-first century, the museum as architecture has been reinstated as an evocative entity, as opposed to decades devoted to neutral, voided spaces lacking symbolic significance and strict functionality termed as â€Å"white box† (Lampugnani Sachs, 1999, p. 15). Museums began to create dialogue with their content and urban context. They can be seen as similar in some ways to churches, to shopping centres and other places of gathering, but they have a function different from these examples, they contain things of enquiry. The museum has made a considerable contribution to a city, adding historic and cultural significance along with contributing to a citys metropolitan status, presumably due to the transformative possibilities of museums (Giebelhausen, 2003 p. 9). The city and its museum are in conjunction to one another, one could believe the museum is a citys method of revealing cultural meaning through its architectural forms. This belief is an advanceme nt from the words of the theorist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, ridiculing museums as cemeteries, stating that they were â€Å"truly identical in their sinister juxtaposition of bodies that do not know each other,† along with a judgement that cultural institutions were dilapidating. (see Zieger, 2005, p. 7) A society today uses the museum to represent a new dynamic form of culture, reflected through an innovative physical form that is often considered a visual spectacle of the city, that one could believe draws visitors to it in theatre like fashion. Consequently it can be theorised that they are quickly becoming radical buildings constructed in a world driven by the need to address new concepts of diversity and equality (Zukin, 1995 p. 2). Rather than just â€Å"cultural cemeteries piling up gilt frame paintings† (Zeiger, 2005, p.11), they are spaces of social condensing- a space attempting to build a community rather than filling a city with volumes of emptiness. As Dan iel Libeskind was quoted in saying â€Å"†¦its not just some sort of container, some abstract piece if glass and concrete, it is part of a communicative system.† The design challenge in the multicultural growth of cities is to find an architectural expression that goes beyond the conventional, while something relevant to contemporary life. Contemporary museum design can be deemed as a physical entity of cultural trends developing within the city (Zukin, 1995 p. 2), either recognising which cultures are integrating or if the city epitomises a specific one. No matter what conclusions are drawn out from a citys cultural make-up museums are a place where people go to mix with others unlike themselves, by having a broad appeal they must aim to please a vast variety of people. Libeskind confirms this in his words, †¦(museum) architecture is what is common between people, and what a contribution it makes to the viability of a city, and to civic space. †¦we might as well make in inspiring environment, an environment that is more than just a shallow faà §ade of something inauthentic. (Cathcart, 2001) To avoid the idea of an undistinguished environment is by physically fitting in the cultural identity related to the city. The museum in a physical setting is a structural body of city understanding and city change. There can be no denying the importance of its architecture in the urban environment in terms of regeneration, tourism, symbolism and so on (Zukin, 1995, p.2). Society as a whole has been persuaded that museums are agents of social economic change. There has been an unprecedented period of radical reshaping, building, rebuilding in the design of these institutions that cannot be disassociated from the drive for cultural inclusiveness and diversity. A building with space that can be considered with endless possibilities for use when â€Å"escaping the straitjacket of conforming to a giving role and move into a sharing mode† (MacLeod, 2005, p.25). In other words, a diverse audience needs a diversity of spaces that reflect, provoke and thrill. CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM CHAPTER 3: HERZOG AND DE MEURONS TATE MODERN LONDON CHAPTER 4: ZAHA HADIDS CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM Frank Gehrys Guggenheim museum is acknowledged worldwide as a magnet for tourism, but can it be truly considered an expression of the Basque peoples cultural identity? Or is it just an architects expressionist gesture in an industrial city? The New York Times depicts The Bilbao Guggenheim as part of an ambitious plan to revise the city as an international centre of culture. The museum is not just a neutral container where art is stored and presented, but a place where the institution itself is in relation with the public. GLOBALISATION It could be said that globalisation creates struggle between the dominant and the dominated cultures within a society and the search for a reconstructed identity of a society. (AlSayyad, 2009, p. 22) Within the Spanish Basque region, it is evident that their identity has been burdened with tension in their attempt to stress their own regional identities and singularities from the rest of Spain (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 74). However one can argue that in this case globalisation has become a force in strengthening and proliferating a cultural identity, allowing the idea of identity to change into a more universal commodity represented by the museum itself. But how do issues of globalisation affect the architecture itself, especially in terms of the Bilbao Guggenheim? The new advances of technology, communication and construction methods create interventions for local cultures and establish the identities of a place. Gehrys use of cutting-edge computer design technology enabled him to translate his forms into reality (Chulvi, 2007) (see 1.1). Architectural statements such as the Guggenheim Bilbao are often questioned at times in whether or not they have relation to the place and identity. There could be two sides to this argument, one side could be seeking to safeguard and extend already established indigenous architectural traditions, promoting historical continuity and the preservation of identity through traditional decorative forms. The other side which is in more relation to the Guggenheim Bilbao, considers globalisation as a force that seeks to encourage invention and distribution of new forms using new materials and technology in response to changing needs to have relation to the place and identity. Gehry has been quotes in saying, â€Å"Democracy is good for architecture. Pluralistic ideas are what we want presented in architecture, the lead to a visual chaos is part of our lives† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 58). There is an opportunity for growth in unique architectural forms in all of its diversity and 2903687145_5cb25af9b6 inclusivity. NATIONAL AND CIVIC IDENTITY The Basque people have been able to preserve their distinct culture and language while flourishing in an environment of globalisation, post-modernity, and European integration (Castillo, 2008). Currently, integrating the two social collectives of nationalists and non-nationalists within the region is growing (Castillo, 2008). However how does a group of people who have never had a country to call their own continue to hold on to their own cultural identity? The Bilbao Guggenheim is a phenomenon of cultural development employing â€Å"the three successive phases posited by the theory of cultural epochs- a period of chaos, a period of adjustment, and a period of equilibrium in cultural change† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 74). All around the world culture operates as an engine for new regional and urban development, one could say that no strategic growth of a city would take place without the role of culture (Zukin, 1995, p.11). In the case of the Basque region, it was sufferin g deterioration caught up in a decline in inspiration along with cultural institutions progressively being abandoned. Simultaneously, the Guggenheim Foundation was in need of a new concept of the museum, capable to withstand the achievement of Guggenheim in New York, yet gaining its own recognition abroad. Co-operation between two considerably different cultures occurred in recovering the identity of a small society (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 77). As Frank Gehry himself explains , the museum embodies two different cultures, the Basque culture and American, which is considered as a melting pot used to extend its arms to everybody (Farnsworth, 1997). The Bilbao Guggenheim is proof of culture being a key strategy in not only providing a physical renewal but a new injection of self-esteem within a city and an entire region. (see 1.2) Culture in the case of the development of this building, can be seen as something essential to humankind and above all to a society in regaining values and providing a sense of identity. Rather than ignoring the cultural context of the city entirely, the fabric is restored, connecting any form of cultural isolation with the new building. The curving forms of the building glide over the River Nervion, a main bridged entry to the Spanish city, shattering strict perpendicularity and ridged geometry regularly associated with museum architecture, providing a new model of collective identification (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005,p. 42). The rejection of these norms is emphasised by the titanium cladding, making the building appear as a single entity that intertwines the city around it. Like the Basque region the building is a place of â€Å"contested borders† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005,p. 42). (see 1.3) Whether Gehrys building actually erases the citys cultural heritage is debatable. Bilbao is famous for its maritime history, after Barcelona, it has Spains largest port. The Bilbao Guggenheim pays tribute to its own surroundings as it edges onto the riverfront. Its exterior sculpted out of steel, which is traditionally the main industry of the city (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 154). The museums relationship with the city is conceived as the outcome of a perceived social need, as society changes and new social needs arise, new building forms will be produced in order to fulfill that need. The Bilbao Guggenhem facilitates a complete urban facelift, a driver for the citys urban regeneration, communicating not only its importance to the city as a powerful foci, but the citys mark in the cultural world. As a result, after Bilbao every city aspires to its own Guggenheim effect the â€Å"build it and they will come† (Barreneche, 2005, p.6) belief is what cities have taken on for their museums after untitled STYLE AND IDENTITY OF ARCHITECT Frank Gehry is widely recognised as a North American architect whose combination of steel, high-tech and flowing designs have broken the rigid hold of rectilinear design that has dominated most of Modern architecture (Zieger, 2005, p. 8). However the question remains: is it a good idea for the city to have an international museum built by a foreign architect? Gehry was quoted as spending a lot of time trying to understand the culture and trying to understand the Basque people. He explains, I related to them because I was raised in a Jewish upbringing in Toronto, Canada, so I was an outsider into the culture when I was a kid. And I understandI empathized with this outsider role, andbut I cant put my finger on a piece of the building and say this is Basque, but they seem to think I captured their spirit. I tried to use the materials of the region to build the building. The stone in Spanish. The steel structure is Spanish. All the work people were Basque. (Farnsworth, 1997) One can assume to Gehry a rich piece of architecture would combine elements in a way that preserve the coherence of their origins. At its best, the process of gathering cultural elements and marrying them to the sensitivities of a gifted architect can result in a powerful work of architecture such as the Bilbao Guggenheim. According to the Bilbao Revitalization Plan, the natural slope running down to the riverfront was to be transformed into a green valley, but Gehry did not want to lose the industrial feel of the existing waterfront. (see 1.4 1.5) People say that the design of the museums architecture was inspired during Gehry climb up the Mundana, one of the highest mountains in the outskirts of Bilbao. â€Å"Seen from the river, the building appears to take the shape of a boat paying homage to the port city that has given its home. The museums bright, shining panels resemble fish scales, reflecting the influence of natural forms and shapes.† (Chulvi, 2007) One could argue that the architects use of abstract, free-form components from local materials are reminiscent of Modernist Spanish sculptures, a cultural aspect valued by the Basque, or how the architects design of the enormous boat-shaped gallery is a dedication toward Bilbaos past as a centre of shipbuilding and trade (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 154). Many would argue that Gehrys design for the Bilbao Guggenheim truly reflects the identity of the Basque people even though the architect himself has no relation to region. However, there is a degree of sensitivity to the regions character that can be witnessed through the architecture. The city of Bilbao places an emphasis on the institution Gehry has designed, as having an important role in defining public culture. This has been achieved through the architects process of negotiating what architectural expressions could be accepted by the people. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Gehrys museum was hailed an as instant landmark, bringing a sense of relevance to architecture in the transformation of cities. (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 7) The Basque region was in need of local development due to its rustic city appearance and distinct regional identity compared to the rest of Spain. Primarily, the Basque region was in need of distancing itself from the negativity that it was associated with, such as being recognised as a terrorist region. Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque country, is a stronghold for the separatist group ETA (Basque Fatherland and Liberty), which seeks independence from Spain through often violent behavior (Farnsworth, 1997). For the Guggenheim Foundation this was an opportunity to fund a centerpiece of huge urban renewal for Bilbao. Previous museum concepts were of a private space for seekers of wisdom, philosophers and historians. Currently the museums directors are in favor of new futuristic architectural visions that were unimaginable years before, representing a museums city and forming the basis of urban regeneration such as Bilbao Guggenheim. The titanium shapes flourish through Bilbaos dark cornices and nearby smokestacks, as Andrew Friedman (see Zieger, 2005, p. 9) explains, †¦the nearby smokestacks and cranes; they seem†¦to be Gehrys whimsical idea of visually rendering the tumultuous and violent process by which a once-working industrial waterfront is brought to heel-an actual enactment of the grim process that the Guggenheim makes a point of capitalising on. The capitlisation Friedman mentions is the transformation of Bilbao from living city to an architectural destination. In other words the city acquires a signature building in order to stimulate a citys makeover (Zeiger, 2005, p.9). The design of the museum is recognised as a drive for social and economic regeneration, from traditional forms, to, in this case, a spectacular one off statement that challenges architectural preconceptions and creates a visual feast while maintaining the integrity of the site. Why have contemporary museums become a favorite tool of urban regeneration and redevelopment schemes since the Bilbao Guggenheim? Referred to as the â€Å"miracle,† (Guasch and Zulaika, 2005, p. 7) Frank Gehrys Bilbao Guggenheim changed the face of the Bilbao city, and set up to give a new purpose to an abandoned industrial estate. â€Å"Since the Guggenheim was built, Bilbao has never been the same again the museum has helped create pedestrianised areas that run from the t own hall to the port on the shores of the river.† (Chulvi, 2007) The answer is that museums allow an opportunity for growth in unique architectural forms in all of its diversity and inclusivity. CHAPTER ONE : FRANK GEHRYS BILBAO GUGGENHEIM CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM CHAPTER 3: HERZOG AND DE MEURONS TATE MODERN CHAPTER 4: ZAHA HADIDS CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL LIBESKINDS JEWISH WAR MUSEUM The Jewish War Museums design is so powerful that it can be considered as an artifact in its own right. Even as it was unveiled in 1999 with nothing in it, the building was said to evoke a sense of loss and dislocation inflicted on Europes Jewish population the Holocaust in World War II (Barreneche, 2006, p.121). Through the buildings brief and urban site, Libeskinds Jewish Museum echoes the history of Berlin creating an emotional effect on the visitor. GLOBALISATION Cultural identity is something people have, and a form of traditional inheritance that is shared, something that needs to be protected and preserved. In contemporary society, globalisation has been portrayed sweeping through diverse cultures, and bringing a homogenized cultural experience (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 270). However, one can argue that globalisation, instead of destroying, has become a force in creating and developing cultural identity, allowing the idea of identity to change into a more collective entity. In terms of how this relates to the Jewish Museum, the building is not just seen as a response to some traditions, it is also open to new ones, a link to the past and the future (see 2.1). The mission of the Jewish Museum, and for all new museums, is not just for the city themselves but for the wider public, in which it becomes a communal existence. Around the globe, in every corner, new museums have appeared, coming in every shape and size, appealing to various preferences (Barreneche, 2005, p. 6). As Victoria Newhouse notes (see Barreneche, 2005, p.6), â€Å"One intriguing aspect of the current proliferation of museums is the ‘museumfication of seemingly every phenomenon†. The Jewish Museum is an example of this, and one could assume that through the guidance of globalisation, there are Jewish Museums in cities from New York to Sydney stemming from Libeskinds prominent Berlin museum. (Barreneche, 2005, p. 6). NATIONAL AND CIVIC IDENTITY Culture is cumulative and changing by additions of successive generations, reinterpreted from one individual or group to another. The designed environments of contemporary museums create a setting and representation of particular cultural identities. Daniel Libeskinds Jewish War Museum in Berlin encompasses these attributes, it is a building that engrains Jewish history. The design is based on a process of connecting lines between the locations of historic events and the locations of Jewish culture in Berlin. This is evident from the buildings plan with the zigzag footprint, symbolically derived from a fragmented Star of David (Barreneche, 2006, p.121). (see 2.2) The architect has created metaphors for the absence of Jewish communities in Berlin where the lines slices the plan (Barreneche, 2005, p. 121). The concepts of absence, emptiness and the invisible express the disappearance of Jewish culture in the city. Libeskind proves there is a powerful faith in the ability of people to l earn