Critically evaluate and discuss Balanced Scorecard Essay

Critically evaluate and discuss Balanced Scorecard - Essay Example customer issues, internal business processes, employing activities and share holders concern. Kaplan and Norton labelled the new tool the balanced scorecard. Many organizations have started using balanced scorecard in order to attain efficiency in their processes. Since it considers all the major components in an organization a total efficiency management is possible in an organization. The four components of balanced scorecard are properly managed in order to create a total efficiency. Balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system, which is extensively, used in business and industry, government, and non profit organizations for doing the business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization. Balanced scorecard is using for improving the internal and external communications and monitoring the organizational performance against the strategic goals of the organization. In earlier stage it was used for the measuring the simple performance of the organization to a full strategic planning and management. New card is focusing not only the performance measurement but also helping the managers what should be done and what should be measuring for attaining the organizational objectives in competitive basis. ... overall business strategy into specific, quantifiable goals and to monitor the organization's performance in terms of achieving these goals." (Balanced Scorecard Methodology, 2005). Competitive Advantage enables the company to operate in a more efficient manner and higher quality manner than the companies to compete with and which helping the company for getting higher more profit. "A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices." (Strategy -competitive advantage). Balance score card is focusing the strategy and its results and improving the organizational performance through measuring the measures in a competitive basis, Focusing on a basis of future performance and also which is used as prioritize projects and initiative basis. Kaplan and Norton described in the following manner, "The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation." (Gnanapoo, 2008). According to his perspective Balanced scorecard having the following areas, Learning and growth perspective Customer Perspective Financial Perspective International Business perspective (What is balanced scorecard 2007). The learning and growth perspective is related to the learning and development

Importance of college education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Importance of college education - Research Paper Example I strongly believe that college education is very important in the sense that it offers better career choices and high wages likely to resolve the social instability prevailing in many families but also presents minorities with chances to climb the social ladder. However, if many people acknowledge the relevance of college education and view it as a meaningful investment, others foreground the risks related to the issue and warn about the potential danger or failure. In fact, college education is often related to high earnings and better career paths and opportunities; nevertheless, some risk factors exist stemming from a potential failure, high rates loans and unstable labor market. This study reveals: â€Å"Going to college seems to be not only profitable, but also affordable given that federal student aid programs provide guaranteed loans and tuition subsidies to needy students. Nevertheless, a number of academically talented young people do not attend a postsecondary institution † (Becker). The controversy about the importance or not of college education may explain why these smart students choose not to further their studies even though the proponents of college education might advise them to believe in the investment. College education is very important because it provides graduates with better career opportunities. Compared to high school graduates or those without any degree, college graduates have a better chance to find a more fulfilling job. Their years spent in college allow them to have a better consideration in the job market, and they may land a very good job that matches their credentials and training. Indeed, college education helps to boost the chances of those who postulate for a job and give them a better impression from recruiters. This critic observes: â€Å"In most modern society today, education has become the key element in the process of social mobility. Educational qualification and the number of years completed at schools have become the most important yardstick needed for occupational attainment† (Yusuf). This connection between college education, especially the number of years spent in school, and better career opportunities has become a reality in most societies in which education is dearly valued and reflects the person’s talent, devotion and skills. These better career opportunities also lead to higher income because the best jobs provide bigger salaries. Therefore, college education gives graduates a better chance to have a high earning compared to those who do not have their qualification. This possibility to acquire more income allows college graduates to appreciate the time they spent in school because it provides them with economic freedom and stability. This economic independence makes college education resemble a sound investment that has become most profitable. This study confirms: â€Å"Education is an investment with high return. In fact, the mean return on education is similar to that of equity, and far greater than the return to bonds or gold. The high return to assets such as equity can be justified by their high risk† (Juud). Comparing college education to equity greater than gold demonstrates the value of such a n education and the opportunity it represents to graduates. This financial aspect that allows people to earn enough money to take care of their expenses and need represents the first step toward achieving a total economic freedom. Analyzing the results of another

Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Developing Countries

Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Developing Countries Ever growing poverty, unemployment, huge inequality between rich and poor countries are witnessed to the nightmare and failure of world economy first time in the 21st century. The present economic crises across the globe are said to be the result of neo-economic theories such as Thatcher-Regan free market model which dominated world economic philosophy more than 30 years. The series of the current global financial crisis, particularly in USA and the European countries service industry, Automobiles industry and Information Technology and its related services, are become a global threat where it swallows developing countries economies one by one. Many studies said that this is the result of failure of free market model where the government intervention in trade and commerce is negligible. In a free market economic model, there is a close collision among trade, commerce and Politics which leads to manipulation of market by a few market leaders with the cost of a huge number. In this jun cture, this is the time to find out an appropriate solution to cue and accelerate the economic growth. In this paper an earnest attempt is made to study the impact of global economic crisis on developing countries which are often become puppets in the hands of developed countries. This paper speaks in three core areas where the first section deals introduction of the study, the second section deals, heart of this paper, impact of the global economic crisis on developing countries particularly South Asia, Africa and India and the last section speaks out some possible conclusions. Section I Introduction The global financial crisis has become a full-fledged crisis of the real economy as much deeper than the Great Depression of 1930s. The global recession has set in with all its ill effects on employment, loss of livelihood and houses for people around the world. The demand, especially private consumption, is daily being fall at national and international levels. Investment, output, employment and trade are falling sharply worldwide. Poverty is rising, the middle classes are threatened, and the wealthy and retirees find their assets shrinking dramatically. In most developed countries, new waves of bank rescue packages follow the previous, unsuccessful ones. Conservative central bankers of the USA take on risky assets, their balance sheets and prospective losses swell. Some warn of deflation, others worry that fiscal and monetary stimuli will bring back inflation. Even countries that have accumulated high levels of foreign exchange reserves are concerned by capital outflows, while thos e without queue at the IMF. The latest World Economic Outlook (Update in November 2008); suggest that the world economy will grow only at 2% in 2009, with the advanced economies taken together, experiencing negative growth (-0.3%) during the year. The US GDP is projected to contract by 0.7%, Euro Area GDP by 0.5% and UK GDP by 1.3% during 2009. According to the IMF, this will be the first annual contraction, i.e., absolute fall in output, experienced in the advanced economies in the post-war period. All the major capitalist Centers USA, Europe and Japan are simultaneously in recession. The unemployment rate in the US had already risen to 6.7% in November 2008, with 18.7,00,000 people jobs being lost there since November 2007. The unemployment rates in France and Germany had risen to 8.2% and 7.1% respectively by October 2008 (ILO). With the recession deepening in 2009, unemployment in the advanced capitalist economies would rise further. The initial response of the Governments in the advanced capitalist count ries to the financial crisis was to announce bailout packages for the financial companies, which had made enormous losses. Recapitalization of private financial institutions with public funds took the shape of part nationalization of several banks and financial companies. This was accompanied by coordinated interest rate cuts by Central Banks across the world. These financial and monetary policy measures, however, have failed to prevent a deepening recession, which is now generally believed to be the worst ever since the Great Depression. The Governments of the advanced capitalist countries are now falling back upon fiscal interventions to salvage the situation. Even the bastion of neo-liberal orthodoxy, the IMF, has recently called for a large fiscal stimulus totaling 2% of global GDP, to address the crisis. While the $700 billion bailout package announced in the US in October 2008 was primarily meant to compensate the losses made by the private financial institutions and other cor porates. After much debate between Britain and Germany, the EU has also adopted a nearly $ 280 billion fiscal package including tax cuts and public spending plans. The crisis is exposing the hazards of neo-liberal economic policies and the advanced capitalist countries are being compelled to resort to direct State intervention as the way out of the crisis. However, the extent of the crisis is such that these fiscal measures may turn out to be insufficient. There is also apprehension that the extent of financial losses by banks and other private companies are yet to be revealed. More financial shocks would only aggravate the crisis and worsen the prospects of economic recovery. All efforts would be made by the rich capitalist countries to shift the burden of crisis on to the third world and for the ruling classes to shift the burden on to the working class and the peasantry. USA is a Root Cause for Present Crisis The clear victory for Obama was a rejection of the policies of Bush regime. The growing economic crisis which has badly affected the American people was a prime reason for the victory. The American people are more concerned about how Obama will tackle the economic crisis and revive the economy and jobs. History shows that the Depression, it always comes from American Wall Street. A major promoter of globalisation was the Washington consensus based the network of the Wall Street, the US money lending agencies in the Euro-currency markets. Nevertheless, the new US Govt. led by Obama is trying to revive the economy, has approved a special $800 billion fiscal package to be spent over the coming years in short-term, and it is estimated around $10 trillion to spend in the long-term in the areas like infrastructural development and housing projects to create new job opportunity and so on. It means each American will intervene with USD 2.25 thousand for helping to bail out firms threatened b y the fall-out of sub-prime crisis. However, the White House, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve, who were saying that intervention was inevitable to avoid a financial meltdown, were making the case for a specific kind of intervention that favoured Wall Street. Having made huge profits on speculation big finance wanted the State to pick up the losses when the bubble burst. Section II Impact of Global Crisis on Developing Countries Many developing countries are moving into a danger zone. Growth in developing-countries had been expected to reach 6.4 per cent in 2009, but has been marked down to 4.5 per cent. In the coming period, developing countries will see growing fiscal pressures both on the expenditure side (growing demands for social protection, recapitalization, etc) and the revenue side (as exports and economic activity slow). The appropriate response to falling domestic demand may, in some cases, be a measured fiscal stimulus. However, the credit crunch and flight from risk is already reducing the ability of formerly market-access countries to meet their gross financing needs (rolling over amortized debt and financing their net borrowing requirements). Some developing countries will be hit much harder than the average experiencing growth which is negative in per capita or even absolute terms. Coming on the heels of food and fuel price shock, the global financial crisis could significantly set back the fight against poverty. Sharply tighter credit conditions and weaker growth are likely to cut into government revenues and governments ability to invest to meet education, health and gender goals. The poor will be hit hardest. Current estimates suggest that a one per cent decline in developing country growth rates traps an additional 20 million people into poverty. Already 100 million people have been driven into poverty as a result of high food and fuel prices. Already, sharp cuts in capital flows to developing countries are expected. Even if the waves of panic that have inundated credit and equity markets across the world are soon brought under control, deleveraging in financial markets and an extended period of banking-sector consolidation is expected to cut sharply into capital flows into developing countries. Private flows into developing countries are projected to decline from $1 trillion in 2007 to around $530 billion in 2009 (or from 7.7 to 3.0 per cent of developing country GDP). The food and fuel price shocks have already imposed large fiscal costs on developing countries, undermining their ability to respond to fall-out from the financial crisis. Policymakers responding to high food and fuel prices made extensive use of tax reductions to offset higher prices and increased spending on subsidies and income support. Data from a recent IMF survey covering 161 countries shows that nearly 57 per cent of countries reduced taxes on food while 27 per cent reduced taxes on fuels. Almost one in five countries increased food subsidies while 22 per cent increased fuel subsidies. Recent declines in food and fuel prices do not imply that pressures and problems have disappeared. Although most of the hike in commodity prices that occurred in 2007 and the first half of 2008 has dissipated, commodity prices remain above their 2004/05 levels, and currency depreciation is raising the local cost for many food and fuel importing countries. For the very poor, reducing consumption from already very low levels, even for a short period, can have important long-term consequences. The poorest households may have had to reduce the quantity and/or quality of the food, schooling, and basic services they consumed, leading to irreparable damage to the health and education of millions of children. Poor households forced to switch from more expensive to cheaper and less nutritional foodstuffs or cut back on total caloric intake altogether, face weight loss and severe malnutrition. During 2008-09, higher food prices may have increased the number of children suffering permanent cognitive and physical injury due to malnutrition by 44 million. Many of the countries most exposed to rising global food and fuel prices are those with high pre-existing levels of malnutrition. Financial institutions in developing countries are beginning to suffer from a lack of short term liquidity, as retail deposits exit and non-deposit funding dries up. As the effects of the global recession spreads, the impact will be felt on financial sector asset quality, leading to the need for recapitalization of financial institutions. Lack of liquidity will also reveal underlying weaknesses in regulatory frameworks and in the management of financial institutions, requiring regulatory reforms and capacity building. Tight credit markets in developing countries are rapidly affecting the real sector, especially sectors reliant on trade, finance and working capital. Impact on the South Asia While some countries in South Asia had relatively less exposure to the crisis through adverse effects on capital flows, they remain vulnerable to global economic slowdown through export earnings, remittances and external financing of infrastructure. Growth in South Asia decelerated in 2008, falling from 8.6% in 2007 to below 7% based on estimate as of last December 2008. It is projected to decline further to around 6% or below in 2009, before recovering to around 7% in 2010. Even at these reduced growth rates, South Asia stands out compared to the recession in the developed economies. Nevertheless, with 900 million people in developing Asia surviving on $1.25 a day more than half of those in South Asia any tempering of growth is a serious case of concern. We believe, there are four inter-related impacts of global economic downturn on Asia. First, economic slowdown would result in reduction of exports with the attendant effects, not only on export-oriented, value-added industries th emselves, but industries across the value chain. This impact could manifest itself in the form of unemployment and a reduction in GDP. Second by, the impact is being felt through the financial system. By this, we mean that the outflow of foreign direct investment from Asias financial markets result in depressed domestic equity markets and contribute to conservative lending strategies. Third by, impact relates to liquidity in domestic financial markets. If credit availability remains constrained, it is likely to be even more constrained for the lower end of the market, i.e., credit for labor-intensive small and medium enterprises and micro enterprises with its serious impacts. Fourth by, impact, though not fully evident yet, could be on informal social safety nets by virtue of reduced remittances received from overseas migrant workers as the host country economy slows down and capital expenditures are reduced. Impact on African Continent The poorest countries of Africa will be significantly affected by the crisis. African countries will be harmed through slower export growth, reduced remittances and lower commodity prices. The crisis may also lead to a reduction in private investment flows, making weak economies even less able to cope up with internal vulnerabilities and development needs. Some African countries are facing serious macroeconomic imbalances quite independently of the financial crisis, mostly brought on the fuel and food crises-such as Ethiopia having 60 per cent inflation and so on. Burundi, Madagascar, Niger, Timor Leste, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen are among the ten most affected countries for both stunting and wasting indicators. All of these countries experienced double-digit food inflation during 2008-09. Impact on the Indian Economy India has already entered into recession though late a little bit compared to west. Indias exports had been expected to reach USD 200 billion by 2008, but unfortunately has been marked down to USD 180 billion in December, 2008 (when it was growing 30.9% during the last six months, but it is reported to 12% in December, 2008). According to Mr. Shaktiwel, President of Federation of Indian Exports Organization (FIEO); Indias export share (which is 20% of the GDP) is going down, and it is expected to be 10 million job losses in March, 2009. Indian exporters have mainly been depending on North American and European markets, and both markets have entered into recession. Indian Govt. has announced an extra rescue package (around $4 billion) for the producers and exporters to revive the economy. The Indian financial system has remained relatively immune from the devastating crisis afflicting the advanced capitalist countries, mainly due to the extant regulations and public sector domination of the financial sector. The stock markets have witnessed a meltdown though, with the FIIs being net sellers worth $13.1 billion in the year 2008, which has also led to a decline in Indias foreign exchange reserves. The real impact of global recession on the Indian economy, however, is mainly being felt in terms of a slowdown in exports and industrial growth. Dollar value of exports in November 2008 ($11.5 billion) was almost 10% lower than that in November 2007 ($12.7 billion). The Index of Industrial Production recorded a 0.4% fall in October 2008 compared to October 2007, with the manufacturing index registering a 1.2% fall. The prices of cash crops have also declined adversely affecting the farmers. Job losses have escalated. At least 1, 00,000 gem trade workers have been rendered jobless in Gujarat. It is estimated that around a million jobs have been lost. As per estimates by Assocham and others in the coming period, job losses will mount to ten million. The economic managers of the Government, who till not so long ago were boasting about attaining 10% GDP growth, have now downgraded their GDP growth forecast to 7% for 2008-09. Economic growth is likely to slow down sharply in 2009. Howeve r, the UPA Government has neither learnt the proper lessons from the financial crisis nor is it willing to shed its neo-liberal dogma and adopt effective steps to deal with the slowdown. The basic demand was for a fiscal package directed at increasing public expenditure in ways, which increases the income and consumption of working people and ensures broad-based growth. Increased public investment in agriculture, expansion of the NREGA, higher allocations for health and education, infrastructure like rural roads, housing for the middle and lower income groups and universalisation of PDS were specifically demanded, apart from a reduction in fuel prices, regulation of organized retail, tariff protection for farmers and small industries and reversal of financial liberalization. A moratorium on job and wage cuts was also demanded. Price rise and food supply Though the rate of inflation is going down, there is no reduction in the prices of food items and other essential commodities. People continue to suffer from high prices in retail items. Petrol and diesel prices were marginally reduced by the Government in early December 2008, by Rs. 5 and Rs. 2 per liter respectively, but the reduction was inadequate considering that crude oil prices have come down to below $50 per barrel from the peak of $147 dollar per barrel in July 2008. Further, reduction of oil prices has to be done by the government. Food insecurity has had a devastating impact leading to increased malnutrition and hunger as a direct result of faulty food policies of successive governments. Deaths due to malnutrition and hunger have taken place in tribal areas in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. With the increased procurement of wheat this year, stocks with the government are at 22 million tonnes; double that of the buffer norm for the month of October. Taken together, the rice and wheat stocks of the government are 29.8 million tonnes against the minimum combined buffer norm of 16.2 million tonnes, a 84 per cent surplus over the required buffer. According to data supplied by the Ministry, between 2005-2006 and 2007-2008, the average annual allocation for Above Poverty Line ration card holders to the states was cut by 73.36 per cent. Yet, the government refuses to restore the allocation preferring instead to sell the stocks to traders at subsidized rates. Inadequate Government Measures The fiscal package announced by the UPA Government on 7th December 2008 increased Plan expenditure by only Rs. 20000 crore, which is less than 0.5% of Indias GDP. Such a weak fiscal stimulus would not succeed in reversing the slowdown and arresting the consequent job losses and growing unemployment in the economy. The Government primarily relied on tax cuts, like the 4% cut in the CENVAT rate, to stimulate the economy. The Government has failed to link the concessions to industry to conditionality preventing layoffs and retrenchment. The State Governments were totally neglected in the fiscal package. With tax revenues falling due to the economic slowdown, the State Governments are experiencing great difficulties in maintaining the desired level of Plan expenditure. A debt relief package for States along with interest rate subsidy on their borrowings, relaxation of fiscal responsibility norms and greater transfer of resources from Centre to States are required, in order to enable the State Governments to step up expenditure to create jobs and expand welfare measures. A second stimulus package was announced by the Government on 2nd January 2009. Not a single rupee of additional spending was announced over and above the amount of Rs. 20,000 crore additional Plan outlay announced on 7th December 2008. In fact, the Government ruled out any further increase in public spending in the current financial year. By announcing that further fiscal measures will only be contained in the annual Plan for the next financial year, the UPA Government is shifting the burden of addressing the economic slowdown on to the next Government, after having imported the global recession into the domestic economy by pursuing neo-liberal policies. The Government is basically trying to salvage the situation by infusing liquidity into the financial system through interest rate cuts and other monetary policy measures. It is also doling out tax concessions to the corporates in order to protect their profits and trying to ensure that they do not abandon their investment plans. Thes e measures would not succeed since recessionary fears have already gripped the private corporate sector as well as middle-class consumers, who are cutting down on investment and consumption spending. Neo-liberal dogma prevents the UPA Government from embarking upon a substantial fiscal intervention that can provide some succor to the slowing economy. What is more disturbing is the fact that in the name of announcing a stimulus package on 2nd January 2009, the UPA Government has pushed further capital account liberalization measures like easing External Commercial Borrowing norms for corporates, especially for the real estate sector. The investment limit for FIIs in corporate bonds has also been raised. This shows that the Government has learnt no lesson from the global financial crisis and continues to repose its faith upon speculative international finance capital. The UPA Governments stubborn refusal to learn from global experiences and its recklessness in pushing ahead with financial liberalization was also visible during the winter session of Parliament when two Bills The Insurance Laws (Amendments) Bill and The Life Insurance Corporation (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha respectively on 22nd December 2008. The first legislation seeks to raise the FDI cap in the insurance sector from 26% to 49% and allow the same foreign players, who have played havoc with the global financial system, to expand their control in the Indian insurance sector and gain access to the savings of the people. Another amendment is to allow foreign companies in the reinsurance business. These legislations are meant to keep the process of insurance sector liberalization and privatization alive despite the global shift in favour of public ownership of financial institutions in the wake of financial crisis. It is clear that the response of the UPA Government to the global economic crisis would be limited to defending the interests of big businesses, international finance capital and the affluent sections. On the other hand, the working class is coming under increasing assaults in the form of lay-offs and retrenchment. With a deepening recession, prices of agricultural products particularly, cash crops like coffee, rubber, pepper etc. are falling drastically, adversely affecting the peasantry. The brunt of the crisis will be borne by the peasantry and leads to suicides by farmers are recurring. Small-scale producers and traders, especially those in the unorganized sector, would be badly hit. Section III Is a Practical Solution for the Current ills Possible? Though, on 2 April, 2009, the G-20 summit held in London address the current financial crisis. There is no guaranty of bang of world economy once again. Instead of finding of roots of dearth of the economy, they came with some sops for the global economy. If you go throughout history, one can know that people are not ready to learn. There is no doubt in saying that any financial and monetary measures of the USA and EU will bring more inflation, more devaluation of national currencies, more unemployment, more painful losses of the markets and lower prices of export commodities of the developing and poor countries, more unequal exchange. The society is organized on the principle of division of labour if its health is to be ensured, then all the three dimension of an economy namely; production, exchange and distribution should be taken care of. It is, therefore, necessary that production should be guided not by market forces e.g., demand and supply but the need of the society. There wer e three essential functions to be performed namely; to adept production according to need, to maintain the volume of production up to the limits set by available resources and to distribute equitably the common product among the producers. Production is guided by demand and not by need of the societies and hence it is governed and measured by income, which is very low as compared to need. Again, the level of production is not maintained according to the existing resources. It was carefully directed by the capitalist proprietors who according to their own wishes, controls its volume and size motivated chiefly by the ideal of maximization of profits. Consequently, the distribution of wealth was unjust and there was exploitation of masses by a few. The diminishing purchasing power of working classes, total consumption fails to keep pace with total production leading to unemployment, further diminishing of purchasing power and ultimately to an intensification of crisis. This leads to in the volume of production of those commodities which the labourers are unable to purchase. Consequently, prices go on falling, size of production is reduced, factories are closed and unemployment is created leading to further crisis. Developing countries, particularly India has to spend more on areas like housing projects for low-income urban residents, farmers livelihood and rural infrastructure, the construction of railway, road and airports, education and public health care, ecological construction, technological innovations and disaster relief more systematically. It is an opportunity to change this current global economic and political order. Need to address global imbalances by creating a new global currency, should be widely accepted at international level along with credible insurance mechanisms for countries that forego reserve accumulation and stimulate domestic expansion, along three possible lines: more central bank swap lines; reserve pooling; and a major expansion of IMF resources, together with IMF emphasis on a large, flexible, fast-disbursing facility that would come with little or no conditionality to countries that are adversely affected by global shocks. Accelerate the development of financial systems in emerging markets, in particular local currency bond markets and foreign currency hedging instruments. Promote regional cooperation in the design of common institutional standards for financial market development and work to lift barriers to cross-border asset trade within regions would be helpful to avoid any further economic crisis in future.

Federalist 10 Essay -- essays papers

Federalist 10 Liberty. This word means many things to many people. There is no way to distinctly define the term without leaving someone's crucial point of view out of the equation. One person might say that anarchy would be the only way to have complete and utter freedom, while others would go as far as to believe a controlled communist government is the best route to achieving liberation. Factions (a group of people who agree on certain topics) are inevitable, due to the nature of man. As long as men hold different opinions, have different amounts of wealth, and own different amount of property, they will continue to fraternize with people who are most similar to them. In Federalist #10, James Madison summed up factions eloquently stating that â€Å"Liberty is faction, what air is to fire, an ailment without which it instantly expires.† The government created by the Constitution controls the damage caused by such factions. The likelihood that public office will be held by qualified men is greater in large countries because there will be more representative chosen by a greater number of citizens. Power is distributed in a checks and balance format, mak ing it difficult for factions to completely take over. Madison’s views on faction are still relevant and exercised frequently even after 200 years have passed. James Madison’s most amazing political prediction, contained within the pages of Federalist 10, was that the United States being so large and having such a wi... Federalist 10 Essay -- essays papers Federalist 10 Liberty. This word means many things to many people. There is no way to distinctly define the term without leaving someone's crucial point of view out of the equation. One person might say that anarchy would be the only way to have complete and utter freedom, while others would go as far as to believe a controlled communist government is the best route to achieving liberation. Factions (a group of people who agree on certain topics) are inevitable, due to the nature of man. As long as men hold different opinions, have different amounts of wealth, and own different amount of property, they will continue to fraternize with people who are most similar to them. In Federalist #10, James Madison summed up factions eloquently stating that â€Å"Liberty is faction, what air is to fire, an ailment without which it instantly expires.† The government created by the Constitution controls the damage caused by such factions. The likelihood that public office will be held by qualified men is greater in large countries because there will be more representative chosen by a greater number of citizens. Power is distributed in a checks and balance format, mak ing it difficult for factions to completely take over. Madison’s views on faction are still relevant and exercised frequently even after 200 years have passed. James Madison’s most amazing political prediction, contained within the pages of Federalist 10, was that the United States being so large and having such a wi...

Cipd Cipd

CIPD Assessment Activity Title of unit/s |Contemporary Developments in Employment Relations | |Unit No/s |5CER | |Level |Intermediate | |Credit value |6 | |Assessment method |Written answers to questions | | |Professional discussion (mixed mode delivery only) | |Learning outcomes: | |Understand competing approaches that contextualise contemporary developments in employment relations. | |Understand contemporary labour market trends and data. | |Understand the main sources of employment relations legislation. | |Understand the role of the parties that affect the management of employment relations. | |Understand contemporary developments in employee involvement and participation. | |Understand different forms of conflict behaviour and dispute resolution. |Assessment brief/activity | | | | | |In consultation with your tutor you are required to select three out of the six questions/tasks below and provide | | |answers to each one selected. | | | | | |Define and explain the different perspectives and approaches taken to manage employee relations and the balance of |1. 1, 1. 2,1. 3 | |power between management and individual employees. | |Identify and explain the labour market, how it is regulated and, using trend data and evidence, evaluate how it has | | |changed over recent years. | | |You are required to prepare a briefing paper for newly appointed managers that: |2. 1, 2. 2, 2. 3 | |identifies and explains the main sources of employment relations legislation | | |defines a contract of employment and the essential features of a written statement of further particulars | | |assesses the impact of two recent developments in individual employment rights |3. 1, 3. 2, 3. 3, 3. | |advises on the role and scope of trade unions. | | |Explain, using examples, how the actions and behaviour of management, trade unions and the state can impact on the | | |nature of employment relations. | | |Critically assess the claim that effective employee involvement and participation will strengthen both the traditional| | |and psychological exchange between an organisation and its employees | | |You are required to brief the senior management team on recent trends in industrial action and explain the approaches |4. 1, 4. 2, 4. | |and skills required to help manage both individual and collective conflict. | | | | | | |5. 1, 5. 2, 5. 3 | | | | | | | | |6. 1, 6. 2, 6. 3, 6. | |Evidence to be produced/required | | | |Answers equating to approximately 1000 words to any three of the questions/tasks above, together with a list of cited References and a | |separate Bibliography of sources consulted but not specifically mentioned in preparing each answer (but these should be excluded from the | |word count. ) | |Professional discussion (transcript and supporting information) equating to approximately 1000 words for each question). |

Epistemology and Metaphysics Schools Paper Essay

The nature of skepticism in real-life today, on a daily basis goes mostly unnoticed. People react to environments of skepticism differently and could become biased upon the subject discussed. According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2011), â€Å"skepticism is defined as 1: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object 2 a: the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain b: the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics† (Dictionary, para. 1). People are inclined to accept ideas in society today without questioning what is actually being presented. It is very important to question or think critically when confronted with authority because the issue at hand may not always be right. Imagine if Philosophers, such as Copernicus did not hypothesize that the earth is not the center of the universe. We would still be living with various points of views on the subject. People should not accept ideas of others without questioning the ideas first. Unfortunately, we do this everyday unconsciously. At work our supervisors make requests to perform certain tasks, which most of the time we do not question the outcome. We take for granted that our supervisor knows what he or she is doing because of the authoritative figure that he or she plays. Skepticism could have quite an impact on the way employees perform his or her job. In the work environment employees usually take for granted that the boss knows best, and depending on the situation might not question the reason for his or her position on the process. For instance, when a supervisor implements a new job and informs his or her employees on the due date without asking for input, it is with reasonable doubt that one would be skeptical. The employees could have questioned the boss’s process such as whether he or she maintained good judgment on the direction that he or she takes on-the-job. Questions could also be raised in regard to the types of consequences employees will have if the job is not performed well. Employees could be skeptical of the job and ask if it is in the best interest of the company, especially if the supervisor did not have input from the employees prior to the start of the job. Employees typically become skeptical and doubt the authority figures of most bosses. Skepticism also plays a role in our schooling. We usually take the teachers role and the information presented to us to be correct even though the information could be incorrect. Our society has come to trust what others have told us to believe in and our minds have been trained to believe the information to be correct. Everyone should be valued for his or her own opinion and healthy skepticism in real-life environments. References Encyclopedia Britannica. (2011). Encyclopedia-Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/bps/dictionary?query=skepticism&header_go=

Closing Year Of The Civil War essays

Closing Year Of The Civil War essays The American Civil War was one of the largest in world history. The number of American lives lost in this war had never been heard of, nor has it been. The fighting that took place tore our nation apart and we still feel the effects 135 years later. This war is so widely written about, that it is nearly impossible to write about everything that happened. That is why I will be writing about the closing days of the Civil War. This is an interesting time, because it is all winding down and you see exactly how it ends. The end of the American Civil War was probably one of the most interesting times. The final year in the war started towards the middle of 1864. On March 9, 1864 Abraham Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant to lieutenant general. This left him in charge of the entire Northern army. This is a key point, because Grant was a good general and was able to do a lot with all the men he possessed. This was one of the major transitions into the end. After he was appointed there was a brief period of time where not much happened. On May 5, 1864, the intense fighting started right back up at the Battle of the Wilderness. Although this battle only lasted until May 6 it was meaningful. It started the fighting again and showed that the two sides had not yet given in. The battle was continuing steadily for the next month and a half. Three battles occurred in this time frame. A very important event occurred on November 8, 1864. Abraham Lincoln was reelected to the presidency. This was very important because he was so influential as a president it scared the South. He possessed great leadership qualities and was determined to handle the situation. The end of the war was a little over a year away, but you could almost sense how it was getting ready to end. The first major event of 1865 was definitely on February 6, 1865, when Robert E. Lee was appointed general in chief of the South. It was important because it co ...

Hate Propaganda used by Hitler essays

Hate Propaganda used by Hitler essays Throughout the Nazi parties reign Hitler successfully used hate propaganda to exploit the grievances, fears and desires of the German populace to ensure his political parties success particularly throughout World War II. Hitlers use of negative propaganda effectively manipulated the German people into supporting anti-Semitism, the discrimination against Jews or Judaism. Hitler felt that the public needed to be inundated with the ideology of the state at all times and through all mediums. To do this, he said "everything from child's story-books to the last newspaper, every theater, every cinema and every advertisement hoarding must be brought into the service of this single mission."(1) The continual use of hate propaganda ultimately brainwashed the German people into hating all Jews and believing they were responsible for all their nations grievances. The surrender of Germany after World War I (1914-1918) and the following Treaty of Versailles left the German people with a great many grievances, desires and fears. The Treaty was negotiated by the five major powers responsible for defeating Germany: the United States of America, Britain, France, Italy and Japan. Under the main conditions of the Treaty Germany was to accept guilt in causing the war, pay reparation up to 6,600 million, surrender all its colonies and specified key areas, limit its military as well as demilitarize specific key areas, ban the union of Austria and itself and finally the provision for trial of the Kaiser and other key military leaders. Regardless of Germanys situation it was only until the Great Depression of 1929 that an already crippled German economy was at its knees. The German people believed they had suffered long enough under the Treaty of Versailles and became desperate for an answer to their increasing problems. From this depression rose the Naz i political party lead by Adolf Hitler. His captivating speeches and public displays o...

Adverse effects of flood in Pakistan

Adverse effects of flood in Pakistan Executive Summary: The Flood of 2010 which affected around 20 million people in Pakistan directly and left them homeless have been the worst flood that Pakistan and the world has ever seen. The research was conducted on the subject of â€Å"adverse effects of flood in Pakistan† and how it has affected our agriculture, banks, economy, imports and exports. The research was basically exploratory in nature in which we gathered articles from various institutions, organizations and newspapers. There is so much material available on the topic that it became a challenge for us to remain specific and to the point. One more problem was that due to many sources there were a clash in the facts & figures so we have taken out the reliable resources in order to make it less confusing. The research concluded that the flood has caused unprecedented devastation to Pakistan’s economy, agriculture, infrastructure, imports/exports and above all, to human lives and dignity. Not only 20 mill ion have to be given food and shelter but for the long term the government and the people have to create jobs so that they can stand on their own feet again. Introduction Natural Disaster is the effect of natural hazards which includes flood, tornado, volcano eruption, earthquake or landslide that affects the environment, leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. It is terrible event that is not caused by human activity and results in deaths, injuries or damage to property. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience. This perceptive is concentrated in the formulation: disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability .A natural hazard will hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas. The term natural has therefore been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement. Natural disasters which occur due to the change of plate tectonics are earthquakes, volcanoes, geyser eruptions and tsunami. These different types of natural disasters have taken away millions of lives and have caused trillions of dollars in terms of financial losses. The recent flood in Pakistan was one of the worst natural disasters in Pakistan’s history and in world’s history. It was one of the biggest disasters that the world have ever experienced not in terms of death but in terms of people affected, area affected and in terms of financial losses that occurred. Almost one- eighth of the population was directly affected by flood. The floods that recently caused great damage to Pakistan had more impact than the combine impact of tsunami in 2004, Haiti earthquake in 2010 and Earthquake of 2005 that affected northern areas of Pakistan. The affected people in these combine three disasters were around 11 million people but in the recent flood affected around 20 million people across Paki stan. Pakistan has experienced floods and the details of those floods are provided below: Flood in September 1992 affected 12 million people Flood in August 1992 affected 6 million people Flood in August 1976 affected 5 million people

The role of advertising and branding within the laptop industry and Dissertation - 1

The role of advertising and branding within the laptop industry and its effects on consumer purchase decision in Leeds United Ki - Dissertation Example It is due to the reason that the concepts largely relates to the tastes and perceptions of the customer which are quite challenging to be quantified. Results and Findings: The results obtained from the data search reveal that advertising is quite significant as an influencing factor of brand loyalty in the laptop market in the UK. However, besides effective advertising there are also various other factors that tend to create a strong impact on the brand preferences and consumer buying behaviour that in turn signifies the brand loyalty of the customers. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 6 1.1.Significance of Study 9 1.2.Research Objectives 10 1.3.Research Questions 10 1.5.Overview of Chapters 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 2.1. Introduction 14 2.2. Consumer Behaviour 14 2.3. The Need for a Consumer Behaviour Model 16 2.4. Model of Consumer Behaviour 18 2.5. The Major Factors of Influence on Consumer Behaviour 19 2.6. Cultural Factors 20 2.7. Social Factors 20 2. 8. Personal Factors 21 2.9. Psychological Factors 24 2.10. The Buying Decision Process 24 2.11. Buyer Decision Process 25 2.12. Importance of Branding 27 2.13. Brand Loyalty and its Effect on Consumer Behaviour 28 2.14 Advertising as a Major Component to Persuade Customers 30 2.15. Role of Advertising in Building Brand Loyalty 32 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 34 3.1 Introduction 34 3.2 Research Design 35 3.2.1 Historical Research 37 3.2.2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research 37 3.3 Validity and Reliability 39 3.3.1 Qualitative Study 42 3.3.2 Data Collection 43 3.3.3 Data Analysis 45 3.4 Primary Research 47 3.4.1 Questionnaires 47 3.4.2 Interview 48 3.5 Usage of Methodologies in the Research 48 Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis 50 4.1. Overview 50 4.2. Findings and Analysis of the Obtained Data 51 4.2.1. Advertising Strategies Adopted By Laptop Companies in the UK 51 4.2.2. Impact of Brand Awareness on the Consumer Buying Behaviour 53 4.2.3. Relationship between Advertising, Brand Awareness and Brand Image 54 4.2.4. Impact of Advertising on Sales of Laptops 57 4.2.5. Influence of Age, Employment and Gender on Brand Preferences and Consumer Buying Behaviour in the Laptop Market 61 4.2.6. Advantages of Advertising from Customers Point of View 62 4.3. Summary 64 Chapter 5: Discussion & Conclusion 65 5.1. Discussion 65 5.2. Conclusion 72 5.3 Recommendation for Further Improvement 74 Chapter 6: Learning Statement 77 References 80 Bibliography 90 Questionnaire 93 Chapter 1: Introduction The basic intention of marketing is to satisfy and fulfil the need of the organisational profitability and wants of the aimed consumers. Consumer is considered as God in marketing so (Skalen & Et. Al., 2008), the process of marketing and it’s planning revolves around the consumer. Marketing helps in identifying the prospective consumers, stacking up of brand in the competitive environment and most importantly the wants and intentions while making a buying decision. Long back, almost before 35 years, Peter Drucker had viewed that it is the mission of an organisation to â€Å"create customers† (Kotler, 2000). It had been particularly pointed out that it was possible for companies to raise their revenues by 25% to 85% by attaining a decline in defections of consumers just by 5% (Reichheld & Teal, 2001). Meanwhile, from the era of 1980, the most noteworthy and

Interactive and Digital Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Interactive and Digital Marketing - Essay Example It has huge ware houses with lots of products and the inventory keeps getting updated at a quick rate in each week. It targets the market of UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, USA, China and also distribution channel to other countries as well which are all generally been controlled by the two distribution channel of the company in UK. The website used by the company is very accessible and useful for all the customers. The website provides good facility for all its customers to find their product as per their needs and buy the particular product. It has the facility of different section of apparels for men’s and women’s which enables the customers to easily go into the section of their choice. The company website has got the user friendly navigation platform which helps the customers to access and buy products easily and comfortably. The best facility that the company provides is that people can access to the site and buy products from their own social networ king site like facebook without even going out of the social networking site. The company website is made based on the standards of worldwide consortium and also national institute of blind using plain English so that it is easily understandable to the customers. The website is updated on timely basis based on the new browsers and software (ASOS, 2014). Primark was opened in 1969 in Dublin, Ireland and came up with 38 stores. The company has opened 161 stores currently with its first store in Derby in 1973. The company is an Irish apparel retailer which operates in Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Ireland and UK. The company offers variety of products like men’s and women’s beauty products, confectionery and also kids’ apparel of large variety. The company website provides variety of options to access where every section is been divided like the women, men’s, kids and home, it also provides the facility to set the budget price of the customers so that

Research paper on the secret society of the skulls Essay

Research paper on the secret society of the skulls - Essay Example that, the â€Å"Skull & Bones†, as it is more formally referred to, is a group of significant magnitude that, since the time of its creation, has left an indelible mark on different facets of the world around it. In light of this, the question becomes more about what impact(s) the group has had, rather than being about whether or not the group existed in the first place. Historically speaking, â€Å"The story of Skull and Bones begins in December of 1832. Upset (according to one account) by changes in the Phi Beta Kappa election process, a Yale senior named William Russell and a group of classmates decided to form the Eulogian Club as an American chapter of a German student organization. The club paid obeisance to Eulogia, the goddess of eloquence, who took her place in the pantheon upon the death of the orator Demosthenes, in 322 B.C., and who is said to have returned in a kind of Second Coming on the occasion of the societys inception. The Yale society fastened a picture of its symbol-- a skull and crossbones-- to the door of the chapel where it met. Today the number 322, recalling the date of Demosthenes death, appears on society stationery. The number has such mystical overtones that in 1967 a graduate student with no ties to Skull and Bones donated $322,000 to the society,† (Robbins, p.1). The financial contribution of its membership aft er graduation from Yale is something that is alluded to in the motion picture â€Å"The Skulls†, starring Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker. Having these men provide a portion of their estates to the greater trust fund of the society is something that has long been done by members since the beginning. With many college organizations offering membership to students who have a desire to become a part of something, the Skulls offer a particularly unique opportunity to those who are accepted as part of their fold. Before entrance into any group, it is commonplace for there to be an induction ceremony, so that the present

Could the Tide be Changing (Travel Agency Management) Essay

Could the Tide be Changing (Travel Agency Management) - Essay Example and Horner, S. 2006). However the recent proliferation of the e-commerce business model has challenged traditional adage that â€Å"location, location, location† is critical to commercial success (Chaffey, D. 2006); effectively undermining the traditional travel agency distribution model, forcing travel agencies to re-develop and reformulate competitive strategies to sustain growth (Zhou, Z. 2003). This is further evidenced by the recent merger of package holiday specialists MyTravel and Thomas Cook in 2007 (Taylor, I. 2007). It was reported that the merger was driven by business necessity in order to ensure survival in the competitive nature of the market facilitated by the e-commerce business model (Taylor, I. 2007). Moreover, it was propounded that â€Å"the merger is predicted to save  £75million a year by 2009/10 through cuts in duplicated services and assets including staff, shops, aircraft, offices and IT systems, particularly in the UK† (Taylor, I 2007). Whilst some analysts reacted to the merger as a further nail in the coffin of the high street travel agent, the alternative question posed is whether this in fact matters in the digital arena (Taylor, I. 2007). Moreover, it is arguable that the proliferation of the Internet and online growth could in fact have signalled a new tide against the recent trend of losses and closures within the industry. The focus of this analysis is to evaluate recent business analyst forecasts signalling the decline of the high street travel agency within the emerging online market as evidenced by the rapid growth of â€Å"virtual† travel agencies such as Expedia and lastminute.com (Evans, N., Campbell, D. & Stonehouse, G. 2003) Whilst, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) figures indicate a significant reduction in high street travel agencies (www.abta.com), this analysis will evaluate whether such

What Immigration Quotas Are Allowed Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Immigration Quotas Are Allowed - Assignment Example Immigration quotas are defined as barriers that restrict undesirable movement of population from one geographical region towards the other. Immigrants, wanted or otherwise, are both beneficial as well as have a negative influence on an economy. However, considering both the pros and cons of the same, countries across the globe tend to develop certain restrictions on the number of permitted immigrants existing at a given point in time in proportion to the population of the country itself (Weissbrodt, 2005). For example, a country X might form a proportion that for every 4 locals, there would be 1 immigrant, implying that if their local/domestic population is 4 million, there would be a maximum of 1 million immigrants allowed. Additionally, countries also tend to develop quotas on other countries about their maximum export of humans; for example, amongst the 1 million in the given example, the country X might decide that a maximum of 30% from Asia, and within that a maximum of 10% from India. Such obligations define the immigration quota developed by various countries to control the flow of resources and to keep other economic factors in balance such as exchange rate, the balance of payments, outflow of currency, taxes, crime rate, investments, development projects, fiscal policies, etc. This section discusses the arguments that favor the increase in immigration quotas. In the initial fold of the two-fold effect, enhancing quotas is beneficial for a society and an economy, primarily because of the fact that the quality of human resource flows in from various backgrounds and cultures, having a diversified set of skills and strengths that become beneficial for the economy in the long run. However, in the long run, immigrants tend to form lobbies which are harmful to the viability of the business.

Research paper on the secret society of the skulls Essay

Research paper on the secret society of the skulls - Essay Example that, the â€Å"Skull & Bones†, as it is more formally referred to, is a group of significant magnitude that, since the time of its creation, has left an indelible mark on different facets of the world around it. In light of this, the question becomes more about what impact(s) the group has had, rather than being about whether or not the group existed in the first place. Historically speaking, â€Å"The story of Skull and Bones begins in December of 1832. Upset (according to one account) by changes in the Phi Beta Kappa election process, a Yale senior named William Russell and a group of classmates decided to form the Eulogian Club as an American chapter of a German student organization. The club paid obeisance to Eulogia, the goddess of eloquence, who took her place in the pantheon upon the death of the orator Demosthenes, in 322 B.C., and who is said to have returned in a kind of Second Coming on the occasion of the societys inception. The Yale society fastened a picture of its symbol-- a skull and crossbones-- to the door of the chapel where it met. Today the number 322, recalling the date of Demosthenes death, appears on society stationery. The number has such mystical overtones that in 1967 a graduate student with no ties to Skull and Bones donated $322,000 to the society,† (Robbins, p.1). The financial contribution of its membership aft er graduation from Yale is something that is alluded to in the motion picture â€Å"The Skulls†, starring Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker. Having these men provide a portion of their estates to the greater trust fund of the society is something that has long been done by members since the beginning. With many college organizations offering membership to students who have a desire to become a part of something, the Skulls offer a particularly unique opportunity to those who are accepted as part of their fold. Before entrance into any group, it is commonplace for there to be an induction ceremony, so that the present

What Immigration Quotas Are Allowed Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Immigration Quotas Are Allowed - Assignment Example Immigration quotas are defined as barriers that restrict undesirable movement of population from one geographical region towards the other. Immigrants, wanted or otherwise, are both beneficial as well as have a negative influence on an economy. However, considering both the pros and cons of the same, countries across the globe tend to develop certain restrictions on the number of permitted immigrants existing at a given point in time in proportion to the population of the country itself (Weissbrodt, 2005). For example, a country X might form a proportion that for every 4 locals, there would be 1 immigrant, implying that if their local/domestic population is 4 million, there would be a maximum of 1 million immigrants allowed. Additionally, countries also tend to develop quotas on other countries about their maximum export of humans; for example, amongst the 1 million in the given example, the country X might decide that a maximum of 30% from Asia, and within that a maximum of 10% from India. Such obligations define the immigration quota developed by various countries to control the flow of resources and to keep other economic factors in balance such as exchange rate, the balance of payments, outflow of currency, taxes, crime rate, investments, development projects, fiscal policies, etc. This section discusses the arguments that favor the increase in immigration quotas. In the initial fold of the two-fold effect, enhancing quotas is beneficial for a society and an economy, primarily because of the fact that the quality of human resource flows in from various backgrounds and cultures, having a diversified set of skills and strengths that become beneficial for the economy in the long run. However, in the long run, immigrants tend to form lobbies which are harmful to the viability of the business.

The Origin Of Rice Essay Example for Free

The Origin Of Rice Essay Kernels- a whole seed grain, as of wheat or corn; small piece Wandering- moving from place to place without a fixed plan; roaming; rambling: Banquet- a lavish meal; feast; a ceremonious public dinner, especially one honoring a person, benefiting a charity, etc. Winnow- to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., especially by throwing it into the air. 1. Whenever you hear the phrase the wandering Jew, that is an allusion to a person who seems to be travelling nonstop and without direction. 2. Before the colonizers came, our ancestors believed in deities such as Bathala. 3. To prepare the palay for consumption, farmers also winnow them in order to remove the outer covering. 4. The former first lady relived the glory of her reign as first lady of the country when during her birthday, she hosted a big banquet for her many guests. 5. The tray containing kernels of corn and nuts was passed around so that the guests have something to munch while waiting for the main course to be served. Comprehension Guide 1. Why was rice not known to the Filipinos before? Because they rely on the gifts of nature and tilling of soil is unknown. 2. What is a balangay? It a group of people living together and it commonly known today as barangays. 3. What kind of relationship did gods and ordinary human beings have before? Gods and ordinary human beings has a close relationships wherein they gods interact with humans helping them to survive 4. What is the most important benefit of knowing how to plant rice to our ancestors? It improved their way of living and they were able to stay at one place surviving not only by depending on the gift of nature but also to what they themselves have raised.

Exploring The Practice Of Supervision

Exploring The Practice Of Supervision Supervision is the practice where a counsellor can talk to a professional who is trained to identify any psychological or behavioural changes in the counsellor that could be due to an inability to cope with issues presented by clients. A supervisor is also responsible for challenging practices and procedures, developing improved or different techniques, and informing clients of alternative theories and/or new practices, as well as industry changes. The supportive and educative process of supervision is aimed toward assisting supervisees in the application of counselling theory and techniques to client problems (Bernard Goodyear, 2009). Supervision is a usually a regular, formal arrangement for counsellors to discuss their work with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision. The task is to work together to ensure and develop the efficiency of the counsellor/client relationship, maintain adequate standards of counselling and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of an experienced practitioner (ACA, 2009). Aim of Supervision Generally, supervision has two primary goals: to monitor client care and ensure clients are receiving appropriate therapeutic counselling, and to enhance professional functioning (Bernard Goodyear, 2009). Supervision provides benefits for counsellors such as support, an opportunity to discover new ideas and strategies, as well as personal and professional development. Another benefit in addition to counsellor support and development is learning across the professional lifespan of counsellors life long learning (Borders Usher, 1992). The intention of supervision is to provide a means of support, and ongoing learning and professional development for counsellors who frequently work with difficult and stressful cases. This serves to prevent excess stress and burnout (Haynes, Corey, Moulton, 2003). The educational and encouraging role of the supervisor focuses on creating a secure setting where the supervisee can reflect on their work, get feedback, direction, reassess their capabilities and gain greater understanding about their work, clients and themselves with the aim of protecting the client and offering best possible counselling practices (Powell, 1993). In order to promote counsellor development supervision needs to take place in a safe and appropriate environment. To achieve this, as in a counselling session, empathy, openness, and positive regard are essential (Egan, 2007). Both parties must also trust in the integrity and honesty of the other. An ethical framework is necessary to promote this trust, and there should be an appreciation of the importance of the supervision process, which reduces the pressure on the counsellor to produce an outcome at the cost of the process and the working relationship. The ethical principals of counselling are intended as a guide and framework for the responsibilities of counsellors: showing consideration for the trust of participants, respecting their independence, committing to the promotion of the well-being of all participants and at a minium, to do no harm, to respect each individual and treat everyone justly and without bias, and seeking professional development (Egan, 2007). The obligation to work ethically will improve provision and the reception of services, and allow opportunities for development for both parties to take place. The supervisor has a responsibility to ensure that confidentiality is maintained, and any information obtained in a clinical or consulting relationship is discussed only for professional purposes and only with persons clearly concerned with the case (ACA, 2009). Different ways of evaluating the supervisory process can be important both for the supervisor and the supervisee. Establishing a contract for the supervisory relationship makes evaluation easier. The contract should include the students developmental needs, the supervisors competencies, and supervisory goals and methods (Stoltenberg Delworth, 1987). Ground rules set up at the start are important to clarify the expectations of the supervisor as well as the supervisee, and that the responsibility for success of the process rests with both parties. As part of the contract it is important to discuss what can and cant stay confidential. Throughout the supervision process, the supervisor is responsible for evaluating the quality of the supervisory relationship (Powell, 1993). Occasionally things happen between a supervisor and supervisee that has nothing to do with the individuals themselves, but with what and who the person reminds them of. Feelings can be transferred from other associations onto the supervisor. Also the feelings a supervisor may experiences towards a supervisee can be linked to experiences and associations in the past. In order to ensure the safety of both parties the practitioners must subscribe to a set code of practice and ethics (Powell, 1993). Personal Experience My personal experience of supervision has for the most part been very general, discussing casework and looking for feedback, ideas and strategies, and wide-ranging discussions concerning my personal experiences. My practicum has involved spending three hours a week at a local mens hostel, with some time set aside for discussion, coffee, and exchange of ideas. This time has been most helpful in dealing with feelings of frustration that arise, that can be very challenging for me and could present difficulties if not addressed. The assistance can come in the form of a reminder that it is not really about me, that change cannot be forced from the outside, or just a comment that things move slowly, and a positive outcome may take years. Unfortunately, there are few unique cases at the hostel, even if these cases are challenging and complex. Many of the individuals in residence present with dual diagnosis, and are well known to staff. There are no quick fixes or easy solutions, and staff cannot indulge in irritation or frustration over lack of resolutions. Sometimes, there will be no resolution or positive outcome. One resident was feeling very positive and looking forward to work one week, but was unable to return in subsequent weeks due to drug and alcohol use. I still that he will be able to return at a later date. It is also very distressing to see such young people with permanent impairment from drug and alcohol use, and realise that no amount of counselling or medical treatment will be able to provide them with a standard type of existence. Supervision can be used as a place to debrief, to share experiences, and brainstorm alternatives. It can be very reassuring to have someone to fall back on, and gain support from, in challenging or complex situations. I find it very useful to be able to talk things through, and then come to an individual understanding and acceptance of any given situation. Seeking a second opinion, background information on a resident and discussing approaches seems to make up most of supervision time, and some other functions of supervision have also happened more informally, over a cup of coffee in the staff room, particularly in relation to future employment. Unsurprisingly, as graduation draws nearer, it is also the career development aspect of supervision that has taken up a great deal of my thoughts where to go next, what sort of work would I best be suited to, what type of educational opportunities do I see coming up. This has for me been very valuable, as I can seek advice and tips from people in the field, and get a genuine appreciation for what it means to work in this field. Overall, I think it is generally expected, and helpful, for those who receive supervision to do some preparation before starting supervision, and to build up an awareness of what the supervision is to achieve. Not to consider it an obligation but as an opportunity to develop as a more effective counsellor Reviewing and reflecting on casework is a good way to think through what has happened in the past week, and where it will take us. Preparation can also help with bringing concerns and questions to ask supervisor, with seeking confirmation and clarification, and start the thought processes about what I need from the supervisor. Evaluation Fundamental to developmental models of supervision is the theory that as people and counsellors we are continuously growing and maturing; like all people we develop over time, and this development and is a process with stages or phases that are predictable. In general, developmental models of supervision define progressive stages of supervisee development from novice to expert, each stage consisting of discrete characteristics and skills (Bradley Ladany, 2000). Stoltenberg and Delworth (1987) depict a developmental model with three levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. In each level a counsellor may begin in an imitative way and move toward a more competent, self-assured and self-reliant state for each level. Beginning supervisees would find themselves relatively dependent on the supervisor to understand or explain client behaviours and mind-sets and establish plans for intervention. Intermediate supervisees would depend on supervisors for an understanding of more complex clients, but would be irritated at suggestions about more simple cases. Resistance is characteristic of this stage, because the supervisees sense of self cab feel easily threatened. Advanced supervisees function independently, seek consultation when appropriate, and feel responsible for their own choices. For example, at my current beginner stage, I am expected to have limited skills and lack confidence as a counsellor, as I am only starting out as a trainee. With more time on the job, I should develop more skills and confidence, and perhaps conflicting feelings about perceived independence/dependence on my supervisor. In a later developmental stage, I would be expected to show high level communication abilities, good problem-solving skills and be reflective about the counselling and supervisory process (Haynes, Corey, Moulton, 2003). An awareness of these development stages can be very comforting, as I am not expected to be perfect on the first day on the job, or know everything about the field immediately. Rather, the expectation is that I have a capacity to learn, grow and improve, and each day be a little bit better. Supervision and professional development is important as it assists in the maintenance and improvement of my standard of practice. It can incorporate self directed and assisted learning, on the job training and coaching, include education through case discussions and presentations, and learning from our successes and mistakes (Powell, 1993). It is very encouraging to know that supervision can be something in addition to just making things clearer or providing a fresh approach to casework. Something more than focus and insight from a third party, or a sign that I am on the right track, or the opportunity to vent my frustrations concerning clients. In counselling, it has been put forward that supervision be entrenched into a broader discussion of lifelong learning, where supervision is viewed as one of a range of support and learning tools that counsellors may be encouraged to access (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Lifelong learning is being seen as essential for everyone, and, just as supervision in focused on preventing burn out and promoting personal development, lifelong learning is also primarily focused on sustaining longevity and endurance within working life (Holmes, 2002). Learning is the process of individuals constructing and transforming experience into knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, beliefs, emotions (Holmes, 2002), all of which are also sought after outcomes of supervision, and of practical use in counselling. Supervision encourages counsellors to reflect on their knowledge, skills, values and beliefs in order to bring to supervision an account of their experience, and through supervision transform it in such a way that it is significant and substantial, and able to be transferred into their work and personal learning (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Assisting and promoting the supervisees learning and professional development is primarily a matter of providing appropriate teaching and learning environments (Stoltenberg Delworth, 1987) and may involve the supervisor in providing students with opportunities to reflect on their values and to examine the influence of such values in the counsellors work with clients. The aim is to take full advantage of and recognise growth needed for the future, continuously identifying new areas of growth in a life-long learning process (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Conclusion Administrative supervision is something I am very familiar with after working in the public service for a dozen years. More often as peer supervision due to availability of personnel and cost, but also group and one-on-one supervision applied to different kinds of tasks. It was an activity that I found very helpful for my work, as it allowed me to be more efficient, effective, provide a more professional output, and to promote information sharing concerning best practice, improvements and innovations. This kind of supervision was strictly impersonal, and all about work. Unfortunately, there was little attention paid to the workers, and their well being, growth and development. Counselling supervision, on the other hand, has an extra dimension that is not considered when dealing with purely administrative matters. It takes a more holistic view of helping others, and acknowledges that we cannot help others unless we also help ourselves. Counselling supervision acknowledges that the counsellor is a part of the dialogue, and cannot be removed from the equation, and so takes steps to limit harm for all parties, to ensure that prejudices or preconceptions of the counsellor do not impact on any therapeutic relationship. Counselling supervision takes it that extra step to look at supporting the counsellor in their work, and in their development. Egan focuses very well on this when he looks at a certain level of self-knowledge, self-awareness and maturity as an essential requirement to being an effective counsellor (Egan, 2007). Supervision provides a space where counsellors can acknowledge and challenge any blind spots, overcome biases and become better counsellors. An appropriate supervisory relationship can help broaden therapeutic skills. It can be used to develop interventions and provide insights for assessments. Supervision can be used to focus on relational issues in order to cultivate patient/client resources, and to build up and support a counsellors own therapeutic influence. Supervision should enable counsellors to acquire new professional and personal insights through their own experiences.

Trouble Down South Essay -- US-Mexico Border

Early in our school years we are taught the importance of staying away from drugs and their harmful effects. We live in a nation surrounded by drugs and the culture that surrounds them. Drugs inhabit our everyday lives through the mediums we come in contact with on a daily basis. Most people cannot go through their day without running into a drug reference of some sort on their phones or televisions. However, with all the drugs in our nation, many Americans do not take the time to wonder where they came from or how they got here. The most common answer is the U.S.-Mexico border (Gootenberg 2). As officials worry about the number of illegal immigrants that sneak into the nation, they seem less concerned about the amount of drug content that is smuggled in as well. With high-powered groups such as Los Zetas and the Sinaloans controlling Mexico’s drug world with violence and terrorism, our southern neighbor has a problem that has remained uncontrollable for the past twenty years (Gootenberg 4). Mexico has not always been infested with drugs. The current drug problems stem back to the cocaine boom of the 1980s in Columbia and U.S. efforts to eliminate trades in the 80s and 90s (Gootenberg 1, 2). During the boom, Columbian drug systems were organized in major cities such as Miami and New York. As the mid-80s approached, there were an approximated 22 million cocaine users in the United States (Gootenberg 2). With such success came a rapid expansion of the cocaine market, and it also led to more competition. As this competition rose, the Columbians were forced to insert hit men into the U.S to fight off their Cuban rivals (2). The violence caused by the Columbian markets forced the U.S. president to get involved. Presidents such as Rea... ...iven a broader base in the U.S. President Calderon is visibly unable to control the cartels in his own country, and is in dire need of some assistance. It is a responsibility of the United States to help its’ neighbor before it is too late. Mexican drug cartels have been rising to power since the demise of the Medellin cartel in 1980. They came to power thanks to the blowback effect caused by the United States (Gootenberg 3). With recent U.S. presidential decisions, our nation is doing little to help its neighbor (Kellner and Pipitone 37). Mexico has been left to find its own solution; it will be up to the minds of president Calderon and his fellow governors to find a peaceful way to eliminate the terror that has gripped their nation by the throat. That is, if the competition and hunger for territory and power don’t cause the cartels to destroy each other first.

Transcendentalism: The Philosophy Of The Mind Essay -- essays researc

Transcendentalism: The Philosophy of the Mind Transcendentalism is the view that the basic truth of the universe lies beyond the knowledge obtained from the senses, a knowledge that transcendentalists regard as the mere appearance of things (Adventures 162). Transcendentalists believe the mind is where ideas are formed. The transcendentalist ideas of God, man, and the universe were not all original, but were a combination of other philosophies and religions. One of the major questions of philosophy is "What is the nature of the universe?" Immanuel Kant was one of the major Transcendentalists of his time. One of the major questions he asked was, "What is knowledge, and how is it possible?" Transcendentalists believe that one really only knows personal experiences, and that one can not know the universe which exists. Kant came to the conclusion that there are two universes, one of experience, called the "Phenomenal Universe", and the other the "Noumenal Universe", the one of reason. The first is scientific and the other practical (Frost 42). Transcendentalists think there is a dimension of depth in everything that exists. They also think the spirit is what controls your physical side (Halverson 431). Some transcendentalists say the world has no beginning in time, everything takes place according to the laws of nature. The same people think there is not necessarily an absolute Being who causes the world to be (Frost 42). Transcendentalists think nature is a product of the mind, and without the mind nature would not exist (Santayana 42). These ideas come from the Romantic traditions which originated in England. The Romantics believed in spiritual unity of all forms of being, with God, humanity, and nature sharing a universal soul (Adventures 208). Transcendentalists came to the conclusion that good and evil were things only man could control. Their belief of man is that man is part of the universe of objects and things. His knowledge is confined to ideas. He is able to reason, and he can form ideas of the outer world of God, freedom, and immortality (Frost 53). Immanuel Kant said, "Always act in such a way that the maxim determining your conduct might as well become a universal law; act as though you can will that everybody sh... ... a bowl with many crevices and depressions in it's contour. When one pours water into the bowl, it takes the shape of the bowl, filling all the crevices. In the same way the environment pours impressions into the mind and they are received by the mind and shaped according to the nature of this mind (Frost 257). Some transcendentalists think all minds are alike. They say all minds have certain categories such as totality, unity, plurality, and reality. Transcendentalists believe knowledge is limited to the combined role of sensibility and understanding, both of which are concerned with sense and experience, though in different ways (Hakim 98). They also think knowledge is universal (Frost 258). Some transcendentalists think the ideas are of the mind and cannot be applied to a world outside of the mind. They believe ideas are a result of the kind of thinking organ which people have, and are determined by it's nature. Transcendentalism is a combination of beliefs, some of which are from other religions and other people and their philosophies. It is a belief that there is another way knowledge is obtained, not only from the senses, but also from the mind.

Expressionism in Death of Salesman Essay

From the opening flute notes to their final reprise, Miller’s musical themes express the competing influences in Willy Loman’s mind. Once established, the themes need only be sounded to evoke certain time frames, emotions, and values. The first sounds of the drama, the flute notes â€Å"small and fine,† represent the grass, trees, and horizon – objects of Willy’s (and Biff’s) longing that are tellingly absent from the overshadowed home on which the curtain rises. This melody plays on as Willy makes his first appearance, although, as Miller tells us, â€Å"[h]e hears but is not aware of it† (12). Through this music we are thus given our first sense of Willy’s estrangement not only from nature itself but from his own deepest nature. As Act I unfolds, the flute is linked to Willy’s father, who, we are told, made flutes and sold them during the family’s early wanderings. The father’s theme, â€Å"a high, rollic king tune,† is differentiated from the small and fine melody of the natural landscape (49). This distinction is fitting, for the father is a salesman as well as an explorer; he embodies the conflicting values that are destroying his son’s life. The father’s tune shares a family likeness with Ben’s â€Å"idyllic† (133) music. This false theme, like Ben himself, is associated finally with death. Ben’s theme is first sounded, after all, only after Willy expresses his exhaustion (44). It is heard again after Willy is fired in Act II. This time the music precedes Ben’s entrance. It is heard in the distance, then closer, just as Willy’s thoughts of suicide, once repressed, now come closer at the loss of his job. And Willy’s first words to Ben when he finally appears are the ambiguous â€Å"how did you do it?† (84). When Ben’s idyllic melody plays for the third and final time it is in â€Å"accents of dread† (133), for Ben reinforces Willy’s wrongheaded thought of suicide to bankroll Biff. The father’s and Ben’s themes, representing selling (out) and abandonment, are thus in opposition to the small and fine theme of nature that begins and ends the play. A whistling motif elaborates this essential conflict. Whistling is often done by those contentedly at work. It frequently also accompanies outdoor activities. A whistler in an office would be a distraction. Biff Loman likes to whistle, thus reinforcing his ties to nature rather than to the business environment. But Happy seeks to stifle Biff’s true voice: HAPPY . . . Bob Harrison said you were tops, and then you go and do some damn fool thing like whistling whole songs in the elevator like a comedian. BIFF, against Happy. So what? I like to whistle sometimes. HAPPY. You don t raise a guy to a responsible job who whistles in elevator! (60) This conversation reverberates ironically when Howard Wagner plays Willy a recording of his daughter whistling Roll out the Barrel† just before Willy asks for an advance and a New York job (77). Whistling, presumably, is all right if you are the boss or the boss’s daughter, but not if you are an employee. The barrel will not be rolled out for Willy or Biff Loman. Willy’s conflicting desires to work in sales and to do outdoor, independent work are complicated by another longing, that of sexual desire, which is expressed through the â€Å"raw, sensuous music† that accompanies The Woman’s appearances on stage (116, 37). It is this music of sexual desire, I suggest, that â€Å"insinuates itself† as the first leaves cover the house in Act 1.5 It is heard just before Willy – reliving a past conversation – offers this ironic warning to Biff: â€Å"Just wan na be careful with those girls, Biff, that’s all. Don’t make any promises. No promises of any kind† (27). This raw theme of sexual desire contrasts with Linda Loman’s theme: the maternal hum of a soft lullaby that becomes a â€Å"desperate but monotonous† hum at the end of Act I (69). Linda’s monotonous drone, in turn, contrasts with the â€Å"gay and bright† music, the boys’ theme, which opens Act II. This theme is associated with the â€Å"great times† (127) Willy remembers with his sons – before his adultery is discovered. Like the high, rollicking theme of Willy’s father and like Ben’s idyllic melody, this gay and bright music is ultimately associated with the false dream of materialistic success. The boys theme is first heard when Willy tells Ben that he and the boys will get rich in Brooklyn (87). It sounds again when Willy implores Ben, â€Å"[H]ow do we get back to all the great times?† (127). In his final moments of life, Willy Loman is shown struggling with his furies: â€Å"sounds, faces, voices, seem to be swarming in upon him† (136). Suddenly, however, the â€Å"faint and high† music enters, representing the false dreams of all the â€Å"low† men. This false tune ends Willy’s struggle with his competing voices. It drowns out the other voices, rising in intensity â€Å"almost to an unbearable scream† as Willy rushes off in pursuit. And just as the travail of Moby Dick ends with the ongoing flow of the waves, nature, in the form of the flute’s small and fine refrain, persists – despite the tragedy we have witnessed. Sets In the introduction to his Collected Plays, Miller acknowledges that the first image of Salesman that occurred to him was of an enormous face the height of the proscenium arch; the face would appear and then open up. â€Å"We would see the inside of a man’s head,† he explains. â€Å"In fact, The Inside of His Head was the first title. It was conceived half in laughter, (60) for the inside of his head was a mass of contradictions† (23). By the time Miller had completed Salesman, however, he had found a more subtle plays correlative for the giant head; a transparent setting. â€Å"The entire setting is wholly, or, in some places, partially transparent,† Miller insists in his set description (11). By substituting a transparent setting for a bisected head, Miller invited the audience to examine the social context as well as the individual organism. Productions that eschew transparent scenery eschew the nuances of this invitation. The transparent lines of the L oman home allow the audience physically to sense the city pressures that are destroying Willy. â€Å"We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind [Willy’s house], surrounding it on all sides. The roofline of the house is one-dimensional; under and over it we see the apartment buildings† (11-12). Wherever Willy Loman looks are these encroaching buildings, and wherever we look as well. Willy’s subjective vision is expressed also in the home’s furnishings, which are deliberately partial. The furnishings indicated are only those of importance to Willy Loman. That Willy’s kitchen has a table with three chairs instead of four reveals both Linda Loman’s unequal status in the family and Willy’s obsession with his boys. At the end of Act I, Willy goes to his small refrigerator for life-sustaining milk (cf. Brecht’s parallel use of milk in Galileo). Later, however, we learn that this repository of nourishment, like Willy himself, has broken down. That Willy Loman’s bedroom contains only a bed, a straight chair, and a shelf holding Biff’s silver athletic trophy also telegraphs much about the man and his family. Linda Loman has no object of her own in her bedroom. Willy Loman also travels light. He has nothing of substance to sustain him. His vanity is devoted to adolescent competition. Chairs ultimately become surrogates for people in Death of a Salesman as first a kitchen chair becomes Biff in Willy’s conflicted mind (28) and then an office chair becomes Willy’s deceased boss, Frank Wagner (82). In, perhaps, a subtle bow to Georg Kaiser’s Gas I and Gas II, Miller’s gas heater glows when Willy thinks of death. The scrim that veils the primping Woman and the screen hiding the restaurant where two women will be seduced suggest Willy Loman’s repression of sexuality. Lighting Expressionism has done more than any other movement to develop the expressive powers of stage lighting. The German expressionists used light to create a strong sense of mood and to isolate characters in a void. By contrasting light and shadow, and by employing extreme side, overhead, and rear lighting angles, they established the nightmarish atmosphere in which many of their plays took place. The original Kazan Salesman made use of more lights than were used even in Broadway musicals (Timebends 190). At the end of act 1, Biff comes downstage â€Å"into a golden pool of light† as Willy recalls the day of the city baseball championship when Biff was â€Å"[l]ike a young God. Hercules – something like that. And the sun, the sun all around him.† The pool of light both establishes the moment as one of Willy’s memories and suggests how he has inflated the past, given it mythic dimension. The lighting also functions to instill a sense of irony in the audience, fo r the golden light glows on undiminished as Willy exclaims, â€Å"A star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away!† We know that Biff’s star faded, even before it had a chance to shine, and even as Willy speaks these words, the light on him begins to fade (68). That Willy’s thoughts turn immediately from this golden vision of his son to his own suicide is indicated by the â€Å"blue flame† of the gas heater that begins immediately to glow through the wall – a foreshadowing of Willy’s desire to gild his son through his own demise. Productions that omit either the golden pool of light or the glowing gas heater withhold this foreshadowing of Willy’s final deed. Similarly, productions that omit the lights on the empty chairs miss the chance to reveal the potency of Willy’s fantasies. Perhaps even more important, the gas heater’s flame at the end of Act I recalls the â€Å"angry glow of orange† surrounding Willy’s house at the play’s beginning (11). Both join with the â€Å"red glow† rising from the hotel room and the restaurant to give a felt sense of Willy’s twice articulated cry: â€Å"The woods are burning!†¦There’s a big blaze going on all around† (41, 107). Without these sensory clues, audiences may fail to appreciate the desperation of Willy’s state. Characters and Costumes Miller employs expressionistic technique when he allows his characters to split into younger versions of themselves to represent Willy’s memories. Young Biff’s letter sweater and football signal his age reversion, yet they also move in the direction of social type. The Woman also is an expressionistic type, the play’s only generic character other than the marvelously individualized salesman. Miller’s greatest expressionistic creations, however, are Ben and Willy Loman. In his Paris Review interview, Miller acknowledged that he purposely refused to give Ben any character, â€Å"because for Willy he has no character – which is, psychologically, expressionist because so many memories come back with a simple tag on them: somebody represents a threat to you, or a promise† (Theater Essays 272). Clearly Ben represents a promise to Willy Loman. It is the promise of material success, but it is also the promise of death.6 We might consider Uncle Ben to be the ghost of Ben, for we learn that Ben has recently died in Africa. Since Miller never discloses the cause of Ben’s death, he may be a suicide himself. His idyllic melody, as I have noted, becomes finally a death march. In Willy’s last moments, the contrapuntal voices of Linda and Ben vie with each other, but Willy moves inexorably toward Ben. Alluding to Africa, and perhaps also to the River Styx, Ben looks at his watch and says, â€Å"The boat. We’ll be late† as he moves slowly into the darkness (135). Willy Loman, needless to say, is Miller’s brilliant demonstration that expressionistic techniques can express inner as well as outer forces, that expressionism can be used to create â€Å"felt,† humane character. The music, setting, and lighting of Salesman all function to express the world inside Willy Loman’s head, a world in which social and personal values meet and merge and struggle for integration. As Miller writes in the introduction to his Collected Plays: [The play’s] expressionistic elements were consciously used as such, but since the approach to Willy Loman’s characterization was consistently and rigorously subjective, the audience would not ever be aware – if I could help it – that they were witnessing the use of a technique which had until then created only coldness, objectivity, and a highly styled sort of play. (39) In 1983, when Miller arrived in Beijing to direct the first Chinese production of Death of a Salesman, he was pleased to find that the Chinese had created a mirror image of the original transparent set. Seeing this set, and observing that the kitchen was furnished with only a refrigerator, table, and two (not even three) chairs, Miller felt â€Å"a wonderful boost† to his morale (Salesman in Beijing 3-4). Teachers and directors might offer a similar boost by giving full weight to the expressionistic moments in Death of a Salesman. For directors, achieving such moments may be technically demanding, but they should not be abandoned simply because they are challenging.7 Similarly, the expressionistic devices should not be considered too obvious for postmodern taste. In truth, the expressionism in Salesman is not intrusive. Its very refinement of German expressionism lies in its subtlety, in its delicate balance with the realistic moments in the drama. This ever-shifting tension between realism and expressionism allows us to feel the interpenetration of outer and inner forces within the human psyche. The expressionistic devices also elevate Willy’s suffering, for they place it in the context of the natural order. To excise the expressionism is to diminish the rich chord that is Miller’s drama