Homeschooling Is Bad

Why Homeschooling is Not Doing Children Justice Homeschooling is an option for your child if you do not want them in public or private schooling. Today’s society of parents will make that choice for the child, wither the child wants to or not. Many parents think that public schools are not educating their child enough so they resort to homeschooling. This would mean devoting your time as a parent by helping support them in learning and to make sure they will succeed with their education. The problem today is that many parents will work with their child for about a month and all of a sudden have no more time to educate them.In the beginning it is your family’s motivation and you want to make them proud, so you try your hardest. Homeschooling you have the choice of what you learn, or will learn, sometimes even your parent’s interests or morals as well. Homeschooling is one on one attention, and in most cases is bad since parents are the only teacher’s it is easier to just do their child’s work for them if they do not understand it. One on one attention is only good if you have a child that has special needs and needs more time learning.Also if your parent is your teacher most of the kids will find it easier to manipulate them with the schooling. Since homeschoolers stay at home for school, and are not being around other friends everyday they are known to be a little unsocial. This means you have very few friends, and with the few friends you do have, the others think you are weird since you do not attend â€Å"regular school†. The good thing about being homeschooled though is that you choose your own friends. Attending public school you do choose your own friends but often your friends with people for benefits as well.For example your friends with the bully, so they will not dare try to bully you. Most kids do not want their parents choosing their friends for them so it’s a good thing to be able to go to school and see them all throughout the day. Homeschooling does not have sports, extracurricular activities, lab, tests, semesters, or SAT/ACT studying. Sports are a good thing since most kids like to stay active, but in order to play that sport you must keep up your grades in order to do so, which helps kids keep up their grades since they want to play.Extracurricular activities are nice as well they help children make friends, spark your interests, and are fun. Labs are mostly for the science classes, but most kids enjoy them, and it also helps make learning fun. Homeschooling you hardly have any tests, but in public or private school you have a test at least once a month. Tests help the teacher know if the students understand the concept of if they still need more time to understand what it is. Homeschooling is not broken up into semesters or even quarters; the child works at his pace.This could be a good thing by the child getting ahead of the work and constantly on it, but in many cases t hat is not how it is, most kids will procrastinate and loose all motivation to do it, and many times their parents are unaware of this. Lastly a major concern for parents who home school is how they will do on their SAT test or ACT test since in public or private schools they study for that. This scares them that they will not get into college because they think their scores will be so low.This just depends on how your home school teacher is, and how motivated the student is, but for homeschoolers they have to work twice as hard to do better since they don’t have the 8:00 a. m. to 2:00 p. m. learning. Homeschooling can be helpful, but most parents do not help their child with the work, so they often do not finish and will resort to a G. E. D, end up in an educational school, or simply just drop out. Homeschooling clearly does not work for everybody; and in today’s society it won’t do our children justice.

Objectives of Firms Essay

Standard theory assumes that businesses have sufficient information, market power and (importantly) motivation to set prices for their products that maximise profits This assumption is now heavily criticised by economists who have studied the organisation and objectives of modern-day corporations. Not only do most businesses frequently move away from pure profit-seeking behaviour, many are organised and operated in a way where profit is not the only objective. Key Point: There will always be a range of business objectives: 1. Profit maximisation (where MR=MC) 2. Revenue maximisation (sales revenue) – where MR=zero 3. Increasing and protecting market share 4. Surviving an economic downturn / recession 5. Pursuing ethical business objectives (corporate social responsibility) 6. Providing a public service – see later sections on nationalised (state-owned) industries Why might a business depart from profit maximisation? Some explanations relate to the lack of accurate information required to set profit maximising prices. Others concentrate on the alternative objectives of businesses. Imperfect information: It might be hard for a business to pinpoint their profit maximising output, as they cannot accurately calculate marginal revenue & cost. Day-to-day pricing decisions are taken on the basis of â€Å"estimated demand† or â€Å"rules of thumb†. A business might look to add a profit margin on top of average cost – â€Å"cost-plus pricing†. Multi-product businesses: Most businesses are multi-product firms operating in a range of markets across countries and continents – the volume of information that they have to handle can be vast. And they must keep track of the ever-changing preferences of consumers. The idea that there is a neat, single profit maximising price is redundant. Behavioural Theories of the Firm Behavioural economists believe that large-scale businesses are complex organizations made up of various stakeholders – i.e. groups who have a vested interest in the activity of a business. Examples include: Managers employed by a business and other employees Shareholders – people who have an equity stake in a business Customers The government and it’s agencies including local government Each group is likely to have different objectives or goals at points in time. The dominant group at any moment can give greater emphasis to their own objectives – for example price and output decisions may be taken at a local level by managers – with shareholders taking only a distant and imperfectly informed view of the company’s performance and strategy. If firms are likely to move away from pure profit maximising behaviour, what are the alternatives? 1. Satisficing behaviour is a term first coined by economist Hugo Simon – when faced with a decision where the cost of identifying and pursuing the optimal choice is high. For business owners this might mean moving away from pure profit maximisation and choosing instead to aim for minimum acceptable levels of achievement in terms of revenue and profit. 2. Sales Revenue Maximisation The objective of maximising sales revenue rather than profits was developed by William Baumol whose work focused on the behaviour of manager-controlled businesses. Baumol argued that annual salaries and perks are linked to total sales revenue rather than profits. Companies geared towards maximising revenue are likely to make extensive use of price discrimination to extract extra revenue and profit from consumers. A firm might also aim to maximise sales revenue rather than profits because it wishes to deter the entry of new firms. If a firm decides to aim to maximise sales revenue rather than profits, one of the consequences might be a reduction in the price of the firm’s shares 3. Managerial Satisfaction model An alternative view was put forward by Oliver Williamson (1981), who developed the concept of managerial satisfaction (or managerial utility). This can be enhanced by raising sales revenue. Assuming that the firm’s costs remain the same, a firm will choose a lower price and supply a higher output when sales revenue maximisation is the main objective. The profit maximising price is P1 at output Q1, the revenue maximising price is P2 at output Q2 Consumer surplus is higher with sales revenue maximisation because output is higher and price is lower. Producer surplus is greater when profits are maximised. Social Entrepreneurs Michael Porter – Shared Value and the Limitations of CSR Narrow views about how to create profit has created disconnect between businesses and society and needs to change according to Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter. â€Å"A growing number of companies known for their hard-nosed approach to business—such as GE, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlà ©, Unilever, and Wal-Mart—have already embarked on efforts to create shared value by looking again at the intersection between society and corporate performance.† Shared value is creating economic value by creating social value In recent times, creating value has tended to focus on short-termist thinking – Businesses have been long on driving huge sales and output volumes, downsize and de-layering inefficient management and generally responding to pressure from financial markets to deliver immediate results through cost-cutting, dynamic pricing and increasingly tough marketing that can often persuade people to buy things that are not good for them. This involves a recalibration and a rethinking about what a product really is and what needs a business is meeting, for example in the food industry, products that are nutritious and healthy rather than focus on volume, lower unit costs and higher profits. He notes to increasing prominence of social entrepreneurs with revenue generating business models. Consumers looking at the world differently and expressing their preferences in strong ways – this is already having a direct effect on supermarket behaviour. A social enterprise is a business that has social objectives whose profits are reinvested for that purpose in the business or the community, rather than being driven by the need to seek profit to satisfy investors. Social entrepreneurs are looking to achieve social and environmental aims Not for Profit Businesses These are charities, community organisations that are run on commercial lines e.g. Network Rail: Network Rail: Their stated purpose is to deliver a safe, reliable and efficient railway for Britain They employ over 35,000 people with annual staff costs in excess of  £1.6bn It is a company limited by guarantee – whose debts are secured by the government Network Rail operates as a commercial business and regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation Network Rail is a â€Å"not-for-dividend† company – profits are invested in the railway network. Train operating companies (TOCs) pay Network Rail for use of the rail infrastructure They are given targets for punctuality and safety In 2011 Network Rail made profits of  £750 million. It receives an annual subsidy from the UK government in excess of  £5 billion. Businesses required to main a loss-making service A good example here is the Royal Mail which is required to maintain a universal national postal delivery service throughout the UK for a uniform price. Household mail makes a loss, cross-subsidised by business mail – although this market is shrinking for the Royal Mail because of the introduction of fresh competition from 2006. The Post Office Ltd is a subsidiary of the Royal Mail Group plc – it runs substantial losses on the network or rural post offices and has been under great pressure to close hundreds of offices to stem losses.

PERSONNEL PLANNING AND RECRUITMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PERSONNEL PLANNING AND RECRUITMENT - Essay Example They are a source of motivation and encouragement to the workers. However, they may lead to conflict among the employees seeking for promotion to the vacancies available. External sources on the other hand have to be acquired from outside the organization. One example is placement agencies which are private firms conducting recruitment activities on behalf of organizations at a fee, the advantage of this is it assists organizations to acquire necessary competencies. They however increase the cost of recruitment. Another is press advertisement of vacancies in journals and newspapers. The main advantage of this method is its wide reach. It is however time consuming as well as costly. The jobs ads evaluated were posted on the internet. They all follow the principal of AIDA (Attention, interest, desire, action). The first ads for the position of an AM Restaurant Supervisor start with the question: â€Å"What will it be like to work for this Hilton Worldwide Brand?† This grabs attention from suitable job seekers. The second job ad for the position of a Management Assistant appeals to applicable interest by indicating that the job is available for both new and experienced applicants. The third job add reviewed for the position of an Open Territory Sales Representative produces desire to go after what seems like a good opportunity by stating that the company assists its employees in attaining their goals. This ad also leads to action by offering clear instruction that interested applicant should not apply for the job without waiting. An email address and the company’s website is provided in order to make contact. The job ads evaluated do not appear to be appealing to the minority groups. There is no gendered wording present in most of these ads. The most probable reason for this is that the targeted job applicant would not be better off in the position if came from either gender or a certain group. It is important for companies to use of language

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

Carbohydrates - Research Paper Example Polysaccharides function to store energy; in plants they operate as cellulose. A monosaccharide know as ribose is essential to coenzymes and also is one of the predominant structural elements in the genetic material that composes RNA. Informal contexts within nutrition research that reference carbohydrates often refer to their existence in foods such as pastas, bread, and cereals and often correlate their occurrences to foods that contain large amounts of starch. When examining carbohydrates in terms of food science, they are divided into simple and complex carbohydrates. Dietary guidelines recommend that complex carbohydrates should be coupled with simple carbohydrates that contain a significant amount of nutrients – this includes fruits, such as apples and oranges. It is also recommended that individuals gain approximately 45-60% of their energy from carbohydrates food sources; only 10% of these sources should be derived from simple carbohydrates, that is sugars. While carbo hydrates are recommended for healthy living they are not termed essential nutrients. Indeed, it is possible for living organisms to obtain all the necessary nutritive elements for life from solely fats and proteins. Not all carbohydrates are readily digestible by humans, as some carbohydrates can only be digested with the aid of gut

Mass Media and Communication Technologies Literature review

Mass Media and Communication Technologies - Literature review Example Mass media and communication technologies have become integral parts of our life and our society. One of the most important roles of mass media to perform as a public watchdog. Mass media has to play a leading role in shaping, guiding and reflecting the public opinion. These functions of media help to establish democracy. Use of media in a democratic polity creates critical awareness among the people, and so it becomes an essential component of mass vigilance to keep authorities tenterhooks. The media may not be able to perform these functions unless the access to them is ensured to a large section of our population. Media access is important in the political sphere. Access to media is access to public opinion, so essential to protect and preserve democratic institutions. It is advantageous to both leaders and masses. Media can correct or distort facts, views, and attitudes and even create euphoria. Point to abysmal media performance on any number of issues: western intervention in I ndochina; the sanctions against Iraq which kill up to 200 children under the age of five every day; the machinations of business lobby groups in Brussels, Washington, London to further a 'deregulated' corporate-shaped global economy; the obstructionism of even mainstream business - such as the US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers - in the face of global warming; and the attempt of the 'greener' oil companies like Shell and BP to keep the emerging technologies of clean and renewable energy out of community hands. In other words, mass media performance - its omissions, biases, distortions, deceptions - reflects the fact that the mass media is itself part of the same power structure that plunders the planet and inflicts human rights abuses on a massive scale. Mass media are a mode of social interaction. Wittingly or unwittingly the dominant social institutions will make use of the media, to stabilize the existing social order. Mass media are support to act as agents of social change.

What is happening with modern day China and its environmental issues Essay

What is happening with modern day China and its environmental issues - Essay Example Because of severe contamination of water, air pollution, and land degradation problems, life expectancy in the North of the country has decreased by 5.5 years (Dong, Liu, and Klein 164). Environmental degradation cost China about nine percent of its gross national income yearly. These threaten to undermine the growth of the country and exhaust society’s patience with China Government’s pace of reform. Further, this has threatened the Country’s stability, as the ruling party has to deal with increased public discontent and media scrutiny. The energy consumption of China has increased, reaching one hundred and thirty from 2000 to 2010. In 2013, Beijing witnessed a prolonged severe session of smog that the citizens dubbed it as â€Å"airpocalypse†; the hazardous particles concentration was forty times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization. Later in 2013, visibility in the Northern City of Harbin was shrank by pollution to less than fifty meters (Dong, Liu, and Klein 163). Research reveals that less than one percent of China’s five hundred cities sustain the World Health Organization’s air quality standards. In the degradation of the quality of air, coal has been the chief culprit. China is the greatest producer of coal in the world, and it accounts for approximately half of the global consumption. Equally, coal is also the chief source of the country’s sulfur dioxide accounting for ninety percent of the country’s total sulfur dioxide emissions and half of its particulate emissions. In China, coal is mostly burned in the North part of the country, and it avails approximately seventy percent of the country’s energy needs. Nevertheless, in 2011, coal emission levels from coal plants single-handedly contributed to almost two hundred and fifty thousand premature deaths. Similarly, air pollution in China is compounded by the country’s shocking urbanization pace. China’s government plans to move seventy; to seventy-five percent of

Did Lebanon fall apart in the 1970s and 1980s because of the Essay

Did Lebanon fall apart in the 1970s and 1980s because of the Arab-Israeli conflict - Essay Example The Arab-Israeli conflict had a direct hand in the political instability which developed in Lebanon since, as an Arab country, it came to be pulled into the conflict.i Lebanon, in an attempt to show solidarity with the Palestinians because of Israeli occupation got themselves in the wars, which the Arab states of Jordan, Egypt, and Syria launched against Israel. Despite the fact that the Lebanese army did not do much during this conflict and its success was minimal, it came to become one of the havens for the Palestinian liberation movements. While these groups were provided with a safe haven in Lebanon, their strength within the country grew so much that they started getting involved in the local political affairs. The arrival of these groups as well as the influx of Palestinian refugees increased the sectarian tensions, which were lurking just beneath the surface of the Lebanese society. One of the most significant events that developed from the Arab-Israeli conflict and came to be a contributing factor in the destabilization of Lebanon is that which led to the Black September in Jordan.ii When the Jewish state was formed in 1948, the remaining Palestinian territories came under the control of Jordan and Egypt, with the former occupying the West Bank for maintaining its own security. Jordan had quite a large number of Palestinian refugees, who formed about half of its population, and when it occupied the West Bank, the Palestinian population doubled to form one third of the total Jordanian population. This country suddenly found itself in a situation where its native population had become a ruling minority. This situation inevitably led to a conflict between the two groups that formed the population of Jordan, especially when the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) established itself within the country. Black September is the conflict, which arose between the Jordanian government of King Hussein, and the

Police Supervision and Management Complete Unit 3 Essay

Police Supervision and Management Complete Unit 3 - Essay Example Efficiency is the achievement of a given task using the least cost or resources possible. To calculate efficiency, the input must be compared to the output. The cost of input can be estimated, but the output of police may not be readily determined. Nevertheless, for departmental success, the police must perform to a give high output and in turn a high efficiency, which translates to high productivity. Effectiveness refers to the proper performance of tasks to meet the program goals. When police officers are assigned duties, supervisors must make follow-ups to ensure their effectiveness. This confirms why effectiveness is critical in productivity measurement. Equity is the quality of services delivered to the community by police. Timely response, enough patrol units, and equal services to all are some measures of equity. Thus, quality of police services to the community is a measure of their performance. Accountability is the state of being answerable to whether resources are used for the intended purpose or not. Hence, proper use of resources can be monitored by frequent productivity and performance measurement (Iannone, Iannone, & Bernstein, 2009). It is the duty of supervisors to evaluate subordinates’ performance. In regard to this question, the principal issues associated with the ability of supervisors to evaluate subordinates. Also, insights on things that can be applied to minimize the effect of errors in performance ratings will be provided. Some of the methods used in performance evaluation in an agency of law enforcement or a correctional facility will be stated, with their benefits and drawbacks. The main issues associated with the ability of supervisors to evaluate subordinates are Citizen Surveys, Planning and Problem Solving, CompStat, and Subordinates Rating. Approaches employed to minimize rater errors include rater training, enhanced observational skills, use of a

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their Research Paper

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their influence today - Research Paper Example IAFF has played a crucial role in managing human resources in the fire fighting industry. The union has managed to improve the working conditions of fire fighters to an extent that it is a reliable and dependable profession. The safety of the fire fighters has been at the fore of the objectives of the union. It has focused on fighting for better wages, compensation benefits for occupational deaths and enhancing fire fighters’ skills in fighting fires. IAFF has elevated itself to a position of great influence in today’s society. This report will cover the progress made by the union since its inception in 1918 and show how such progress has changed the fire fighting profession for better. In this report, two major issues are discussed – the history of IAFF and its influence today. In discussing the history of IAFF, the milestones the union has made since its inception are highlighted. The union has been quite active and has succeeded in making great achievements. This report only highlights a handful of the achievements. On the second section, the influence of IAFF is discussed. IAFF’s influence is discussed from two perspectives – the policies it has necessitated to be enacted, and the programs and services it offers to its membership. These two have greatly changed the face of fire fighting profession and made it an integral part of the society. The history of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is long and one that bears witness to the benefits of a continuous improvement of human resources. This association has its headquarters in Washington, DC. The association membership is more than 300, 000. The association has greatly influenced advances in the fire fighting industry and is highly credited for tremendously securing the working conditions of fire fighters. It has continuously done this by lobbying the legislature to pass laws that protect fire fighters and developing training for the fire fighters (IAFF,

Lab exercise Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lab exercise - Coursework Example In this process, the colonies are placed on plates and then for each dilution the number of counting units are determined by counting the units on the plates. The count should be between 30 and 800. The counted values are then recorded in a table in excel spreadsheet. In cases where the numbers of the CFUs is greater than 1000, then the value is recorded as TNTC i.e. Too Numerous to Count. In cases where the count is less than 10, the value is recorded but it is not utilized in the final calculation. The results are recorded in a table just like the one shown below Sterile transfer technique used in the transformation of bacteria from one location to another. This ensures no additional bacteria contaminates the one (bacteria) in transit. Also, this technique is used to prevent the bacteria from escaping and infecting the environment. The success of the sterile technique is dependent on several factors. The factors that facilitates the success of sterile transfer experiments are as highlighted below; ii) All the ends of loops and all the transfer loops must be flamed. Also, caution should be taken such that the tubes are kept open only in the minimum amount of time possible. When the tubes are open, they should be inclined at 45

Right to Counsel Essay Example for Free

Right to Counsel Essay 1)  Ã‚   The right to counsel as guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution refers to the right of the accused to have the court appoint an attorney for him for his defense at the critical stages of criminal proceedings (Wests Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). These crucial stages are arraignment, trial, custodial interrogation, police line-up after charges have been filed, sentencing and until appeal of a judgment of conviction (Wests Encyclopedia of American Law). The Right to Counsel Clause of the Constitution attaches during custodial interrogation when law enforcement officers deprive the accused of his freedom and thereafter subjects him to questioning. The right to counsel has some bearing with the due process clause especially in the case where the accused is charged with an offense punishable with death penalty. In this case, the court must appoint a competent counsel for the defense of an indigent accused (Wests Encyclopedia of American Law). 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚   The U.S. Supreme Court laid down the standards for law enforcement officers during custodial investigations in the case of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436. According to the Court, the suspect â€Å"must be warned that they have the right to remain silent; that any statements they make may be used as evidence against them; that they have the right to an attorney; and that if they cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for them prior to any questioning if they so desire† (Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436).   Any evidence obtained in violation of these principles shall not be admissible in court in accordance with the exclusionary rule. This being so, the evidence cannot be used against the accused (Wests Encyclopedia of American Law). Waiver of the Miranda rights must be made knowingly and intelligently and should the suspect invoke his right to counsel to be present during the interrogation, the police officers must cease the questioning.

Theory of Asymmetric Conflict

Theory of Asymmetric Conflict Within this assignment I will be critically evaluating the usefulness of Asymmetric conflict and also looking at the legitimacy of motivations for the use of political violence. To support this argument Northern Ireland will be used as the main case study within this assignment. Firstly I will be defining what is meant by asymmetric violence. The majority of conflicts that happen within the modern world are not between states, but rather between contesting groups that are within states, or between combatants and existing states. Within (Aggestam,2002) book, he suggests that these types of conflicts can often be classified as asymmetric because the stronger party, frequently a state authority, is able to draw upon a various number of power resources that widens its range of strategies in conflict. Whereas, on the other hand non-state actors are much more restrained and limited in the options that they have. Aggestam, also reported that there is an imbalance in the available means to wage conflict and the ability to do so, In the levels of losses that can be sustained, or the resources to sustain a prolonged conflict. A good example of this would be the forces that surrounded the conflict within Northern Ireland which emerged in the late 1960s, which widely became known as troubles, this resulted in the deaths of more than 3,600 people. Within recent years Asymmetric conflict has grown into prominence and use while there still remains no universal agreement as to their meaning. The term asymmetric warfare has been used in the context of new terrorism to refer to non-state forces using unconventional and unpredictable acts of political violence against states. (Martin, 2006, pp. 270-271). Asymmetric conflicts that happen between state and non-state actors does not just relate to military resources. (Mitchell, 1991) highlights the importance of asymmetry when determining the conflict that is happening. These typically include lack of access to legal redress or legitimate political representation. In asymmetric conflict, groups can usually find themselves without effective access to the political system, the reason for this is that historically they might have been deliberately marginalized within the state; this was the case of the catholic minority population in Northern Ireland. States often have and use the power to construct and structure notions of legitimacy and to enforce state legitimacy through dominant discourses and political and legal processes. However challenges to the state from members of non-state groups often begin from a presumption of illegitimacy, in the groups interest, legitimacy, this becomes a kind of moral judgment that contributes to the asymmetry of conflict. (Paul, 1994) points out that weak states (Or weak groups) may often begin conflict, especially when they believe that the specific situation will in somewhat stay the same or progress into something worse if they do not take action. Terrorism has often been viewed as the weapon of the weak that is directed at a stronger adversary. the perceptions of a group that believes that there is great injustice against them, or even that their continued existence is threatened and may be in danger can often provide the weaker group with the sufficient resolve to battle against the stronger power, (Mack, 1975) states his research around Vietnam, he says that where a weaker group of indigenous insurgents proved successful in defeating the military forces, firstly in France and then the USA, this highlights just how important the beliefs of the non-state actors are in determining the resolve of combatants. Both France and the USA were unable to marshal sufficient domestic support for the continued commitment that would have been necessary to secure a military victory. (Mitchell, 1991) agrees with Aggestam, in highlighting the importance of perception in understanding what constitutes asymmetry. In conflict situation, it is possible for both sides to believe that they suffer from structural weakness. (Rouhan and Fiske, 1995) point out a great example of this, the example is that Israel considers itself weak against the Arab world, but the Palestinians see themselves as less powerful against Israel. This is described as survivability. Macks assertion that it is the relationship between the belligerents that is the key factor in terms of asymmetry, (Mack, 1975, p.81) looks at the views of combatants and how they are changed by others, he also looks at how relationships are altered to the point where overt conflict can end, or at least be transformed. However one answer is obviously clear in that a victory for one side over the other does not necessarily mean a victory for the b est equipped army or state. However, there are other answers; these include various forms of mediation, resolution, negotiation or transformation of the conflict to a point where agreement can be reached between the contesting groups. (Ruane and Todd, 2007) said while it has been suggested that, historically, symmetric conflicts may have leant themselves to a greater openness to mediation, it is clear that asymmetric conflicts can also be brought to negotiation under certain conditions. (Quinn et al, 2006) and (Mitchell, 1991) both argue that once the parties involved have both agreed to come to the negotiating table, asymmetry offers a distinct advantage because the same promises and commitments do not have to be made to different groups, as a result of this, instead, different rewards and benefits can be offered, a factor that prevents further conflict from taking place over the same goods or resources. (Quinn et al, 2006) argues that, although the stronger party has the ability t o take action against the weaker enemy, this may provoke an extreme reaction and end up starting a new round of conflict. This in itself can act as a deterrent. However when the stronger party enters the negotiations and agrees to change and compromise, this can move the peace process along quickly because all recognise they are making concessions from a position of strength. (Aggestam, 2002) says that for a weaker party, negotiations can become attractive, this is due to the possible involvement of outside forces, thus leading to international intervention that in turn may guarantee legal regulation and legitimacy for their position. Looking at (Zartman, 2003) idea of the mutually hurting stalemate , he believes that when this moment is finally reached, the parties that are involved view the conflict as ripe, as a result of this they put out feelers as to the possibility of an accord. Once both negotiations begin, both asymmetric and symmetric conflicts face a number of problems. (Aggestam, 2002) points out that the resulting agreement of peace might be intentionally ambiguous, in order to ensure that the parties sign up for the new settlement. This was certainly the case for Northern Ireland where the agreement was interpreted very differently by all the major parties that were involved. As Aggestam stated, however this may in turn open up a host of new disagreements as actors argue about interpretation and implementation, for example, such as the demands by the unionist within Northern Ireland for disarming republican paramilitaries before agreed political structures could be set within place and action. While looking at Northern Ireland it is possible to conceptualize the entire history of this countrys state as one of asymmetric conflict. Northern Ireland was contested from its formation, and the outcome of this it created a result of the 1920 Government of Ireland Act following negotiations after a war of independence in Ireland. This itself is seen an asymmetric conflict. However as a result of this, it led to the partition of the Island, Leaving Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. The minority of the Catholic nationalist that remained within Northern Ireland complained that the new set-up was marked by discrimination in employment, a partial distribution of resources such as housing, and a number of inequalities in relation to electoral practice and the organization of the security forces. This served to alienate the minority from the state whose legitimacy they already denied. However (Mack, 1975) has little problem labelling the conflict within Northern Ireland as asymm etric. Mack saw the parties as the powerful and well-equipped British Army and the smaller insurgent republican force. However (Mitchell,1991) views of the conflict detected structural asymmetry in terms of access, with nationalists as victims of asymmetric access, where adversaries are likely to have very different abilities to voice their concerns and have them dealt with. When looking at the conflict that was happening within Northern Ireland a number of asymmetric factors can be detected. Most obvious, in terms of military might, were the resources of the British state, which vastly outranked and outgunned those of the republican paramilitaries. From what is stated above it is clearly identifiable that the conflict within Northern Ireland to be labelled as asymmetric, whereby the weaker combatants, in this case paramilitary organization used non-traditional strategies to engage a stronger opponent, the British state. In order for the peace process in Ireland to succeed all major actors needed to be brought to the point where a minimal but broad consensus among political leaders and the population at large about the desirability of common future could be constructed. The peace process within Northern Ireland was a product of recognition of realities by all participants in the conflict. For Irish republicans this involved acknowledgement that the goal of a united Ireland was unattainable in the short or medium terms and that there was a scant utility in a campaign of violence designed to sicken the brits into withdrawal from Northern Ireland. When looking at the asymmetric conflict theory and (Mack, 1975) article why big nation lose small wars, his analysis focused mostly on the French and their defeat in Algeria and the U.S defeat in Vietnam, Asymmetry of the power to win war was systematically and inversely related to the political vulnerability of each respective actor. However Macks arguments begin with power asymmetry and this shows how power asymmetry generally lead to interest asymmetry, this is where weak actors are perfectly interested because their very survival is at stake, strong actors marginally interested because their survival is in no way threatened. However interest asymmetry essentially leads to a form of inverse political vulnerability, this is because weak actors are resolute and they do not suffer politically from military setbacks, whereas strong actors become vulnerable to even the most minor setback as the war is carried on. Therefore Macks analysis primarily considers the motivations of states or quasi-states as actors and how structural relationships implies other asymmetries which aggregate to explain the outcomes, this means that weak actors will win whenever an asymmetric conflict lasts longer than expected, this was the case for the United states losing the Vietnam war because the North Vietnamese where fanatically committed to victory and the U.S was not. This resulted in the conflict lasting far beyond what the United States anticipated. Although Macks theory of asymmetric conflict is a powerful piece of analysis, it leads to an unresolved question and that is, why dont strong actors lose asymmetric conflicts more often than they do. When looking at Power, threat and intensity around the Arab-Israeli conflict and considering asymmetry, it is clear that from the findings within (Rouhana and Fiske, 1995) journal that the power relation between the Jewish and Arab communities in Israel are asymmetric by consensus, as both attribute more power to the Jewish community. As for asymmetry of power it is clear than both groups involved agree that the Jewish population has more power. However the findings within the Journal specifically state that there are implications for the future of the relationship between Israel and its Arab citizens, particularly after the recent agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. This is due to the fact that Israel is a state with two groups of citizens, both of them aware that only one group, the Jewish majority, Asymmetrically controls institutional power, However this is likely to be challenged by the minority, for example, the stronger that the minority grows or becomes, demographically, economically and politically the more likely that it will become to challenge the asymmetric power distribution. Even in drastically asymmetric institution power relations between the groups in conflict, not all types of power are asymmetric; power asymmetry is better measured by referring to types of power rather than just one type of power. However if a dynamic Palestinian polity emerges within the West bank and Gaza, it could actually be strengthened by a heightened sense of intensity of conflict over power, as it states within the journal the Jewish majority shows a profound sense of threat, some of which originates in the existence of the Arab minority itself, except for common concern over Israeli democracy. However the two groups do not seem to share any sources of reassurance or threat and this then brings to the question of shared identity between the two groups who are both citizens of the same state. (Smooha, 1984, 1992) specifically argues that the Arabs that are in Israel have developed a strong component of Israeli identity. (Rouhana, 1993) postulates that the Israeli component of the Arabs collective identity does not include a sense of belonging towards the state. This develops a sense of attachment because the uninational superstructure excludes their identity, this might be the case that the absence of identity is related to the perception of gross asymmetry in the distribution of institutional power, if only one group, the majority is perceived to control institutional power and the minority is somehow perceived to be excluded from the power centres, including determining the character of the state, distribution of political repre sentation and economic power, then it is possible that genuine power sharing is required as a prior condition for the development of collective identity. As we all know today Asymmetric wars are being used and waged for reasons such as political violence, religious, ethnic, economical and criminal reasons. However terrorism as asymmetric warfare threatens global security, suicide bombings are a severely dangerous part of asymmetrical warfare and that everything should be done in order to stop the attacks from happening. It could be said that all nations must unite and support each other in the global war of terrorism; however some countries are taking advantage of the attacks within other countries to settle their personal scores with the weaker adversaries. Today Israel has labelled Palestinian struggle for statehood as terrorism, Asymmetrical warfare and even terrorism cannot be eradicated by crushing the legitimate rights of aggressive people, Extremists groups for example the Al-Qaeda will keep finding a way to sprout up and will no doubt continue their asymmetrical struggles till justice is done. There are many ways that conflicts can be defined as asymmetric; these include differentiated access to material resources, access to political decision-making processes or the legal structure of the state. However it is of course possible to define recent history of conflicts in Northern Ireland in this way. However the development of the peace process highlighted an increase in recognition by both state and non-state actors that stalemate had emerged and that military victory or defeat for either side did not seem probable. However the key points that emerged from Northern Ireland is the potential for manipulation or perception during pea ce negotiations, constructive ambiguity in the process allowed republican and unionist leaderships to offer different rewards to their communities. In this sense, Aggestams argument that an asymmetric conflict is resolvable when different rewards can be offered to each side emphasises on parity of esteem for the national aspirations and identities of unionists and Irish nationalists created a space in which self determination could appear to be realized without altering the status of Northern Ireland. However it is the adjustment to the perception of a conflict bases on symmetry of need, rather than resources and military will, that fostered a peace agreement in what was previously thought to be an intractable situation. References: Aggestam, K. (2002). Mediating Conflict. Mediterranean Politics. 7 (1), 69-91. Mack, A. (1975). Why big nations lose small wars:. The politics of asymmetric conflict. world politics, 27 (2), 175-200. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.hud.ac.uk/stable/2009880?pq-origsite=summon. McAuley, J., McGlynn, C., Tonge, J. (2008). Conflict resolution in asymmetric and symmetric situations: Northern Ireland as a case study in. Dynamics of asymmetric conflict, 10 , 88-102. doi: 10.1080/17467580802284712. Mitchell, C.R. (1991). Classifying conflicts. Asymmetry and resolution. 518 , 23-38. Paul, T.V. (1994). Asymmetric conflicts: war initiation by weaker powers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Quinn, D., Wilkenfeld, J., Smarick, K., Asal, A. (2006). Power play: Mediation in symmetric and asymmetric international crises.. International interactions. 32 , 441-470. Rouhan, N. Fiske, S. (1995). Perception of power, threat and conflict intensity in asymmetric intergroup conflict:. Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel. Journal of conflict resolution, 39 (1), 49-81. doi: 10.1177/0022002795039001003.

Effect Of The Multiculturalism In Europe Politics Essay

Effect Of The Multiculturalism In Europe Politics Essay The establishment of nation-state political systems has always recognized the need for coherence between different cultures and the definition of a nation as territorially united groups. However, cultural differences pose a major threat to the continued unity of many European nation-states. The political demand for acknowledgement of cultural plurality by groups of citizens, especially those who consider themselves to be minorities culturally or ethnically, has grown due to increased interest in multiculturalism in recent years. When analyzed at both scholarly and public levels, the growth of demand for governments to recognize multiculturalism stems from two origins. The first one is based on liberal theories that perceive multiculturalism as a way of protecting individual and cultural rights through the recognition of cultural and ethnic plurality. Social and political agitators of pluralism seek to retain the definition of cultures as closed units and still hope to use the concept of cultural differences as to find solutions to inequalities both politically and socially. The second one is the origin of multiculturalism based on cultural relativism which is a liberal concept that proposes that nation-states have long ignored the fact that cultures are comprised of multiple relations that go beyond political boundaries and are intended to co-exist side by side.  [1]   However with the current rise in terrorism, decreasing relevance in civic and national identity, and the likelihood of some cultural practices being against the principles of liberal states, multiculturalism has become redundant. Liberal governments of the west are gradually finding themselves unable to keep on recognizing and upholding multiculturalism especially in concepts that call for special treatment for minorities and still retain equality for all citizens. The question is why has accommodation of multiculturalism in Europe changed over the past 20 years? Addressing the dilemma of implementing equality in pluri-cultural societies of liberal nation states of Europe, this paper argues and elaborates how multiculturalism become redundant by the liberal democratic western states. Definition of Multiculturalism In political philosophy, multiculturalism is a concept that basically addresses the most appropriate way of responding to diversity in culture and religion within the society. Multiculturalism goes beyond the simple act of tolerating group differences and seeks for the treatment of minority groups as citizens on an equal level with the majority group by recognizing and positively accommodating cultural or traditional differences through the recognition of group-differentiated rights (Kymlicka, 1995). These group-differentiated rights are espoused by minority groups for example people who are exempted from certain rules or laws due to their cultural or religious beliefs or those seeking for language accommodations in public institutions like schools or voting procedures.  [2]  The group-differentiated rights are also sought by indigenous groups or minority nations for the sake of self determination. This is parallel to nationalism. In its precise definition, multiculturalism is an umbrella term that involves moral and political recognition of disadvantaged and frequently discriminated groups like African Americans in the United States, women worldwide, and other groups like gays, and the disabled. However, multiculturalism theorists have always emphasized on immigrants of a country who make up ethnic or religious minorities because of their differences. Some examples of such groups include Muslims in most Western Europe countries and minority nations in some European countries like the Catalans, Romans and the Basque in Spain. Young (1990) identifies three aspects associated with multiculturalism. These are identity, difference, and recognition politics aimed at bringing back value to formerly disrespected identities and altering patterns of representation and communication that had previously marginalized minority groups.  [3]  The concept has also a lot to do with economic interests besides political motives. It is a platform used to remedy political and economic injustices that people claim to have suffered because they belong to a minority status. Blum (1992) differentiates antiracism and multiculturalism by stating that the former deals with victimization and resistance and the latter deals with cultural life, cultural expression, achievements, and the like (Blum, 1992, p. 14)  [4]  . Some of the accommodations sought by multiculturalists include exemptions from certain laws on religious grounds, special treatment in issues that the majority do unassisted, funding for language schools and associations, special quotas of representation in government bodies, recognition of their cultural codes and practices in the legal system, and some form of self government rights. Inability of the Liberal Democratic Western States to Recognize Multiculturalism Parvin (2009) gives a concise description of debate on multiculturalism and minority rights that begun in the 1990s and how this debate continues to raise important questions in matters concerning the role of the liberal states in citizenship and community.  [5]  From the 1970 to early 1990 was a period when many academics and public opinion drivers gave full support to multiculturalism as the way forward towards a more cohesive and tolerant Europe. It was a period when philosophical literature had gradually become multiculturalist as most of the western European states adopted multiculturalism in an attempt to include minority marginalized groups into the mainstream liberal culture. Multiculturalism was also seen as the only way to protect minority groups from undue pressures of the dominant cultures. As is expected with such philosophical movements that later become political issues, multiculturalism became a liberal political theory and is gradually losing recognition in most European governments. The causes of the waning recognition of multiculturalism by western European states range from crucial ambiguities associated with preferential treatment of minorities to extremist threats to security occasioned by terrorist activities perpetrated under the appearance of multiculturalism. The emergence of terrorist atrocities globally, increased anxieties over the decreased popularity of civic and national identities, and the potential for cultural recognition to pave way for practices that go against liberal principles have made many academics and policy makers to steer clear from everything associated with multiculturalism. It has now become apparent that most liberal European governments do not want to offer special treatment to cultural minorities. The emphasis has been shifted to promoting common bonds that unite rather than divide citizens of democratic states. This argument can best be understood through an analysis of philosophical literature about multiculturalism and the ch anges taking place in the political landscape in most European countries (Parvin, 2009)  [6]  . The rise in cases of terrorism, decreasing relevance in civic and national identity, and the likelihood of some cultural practices being against the principles of liberal states, have made multiculturalism redundant. Liberal governments of the west are gradually finding themselves unable to keep on recognizing and upholding multiculturalism especially in concepts that call for special treatment for minorities and still retain equality for all citizens.  [7]   There was a time when multiculturalism made sense in liberal democracies the world over. There was a mutual agreement between those involved in matters of liberal traditions on how a united Europe, and the whole world by extension, was supposed to look like and how it would best be politically portrayed. It was imperative to acknowledge the fact that every individual possessed the right to live a meaningful and appreciated life, have the freedom of expression, and be free from constraints of belief and activities imposed by other members of the society from the majority groups. It was also important to mutually agree that no group could claim to be morally significant or commanding more respect than others. The state was expected to uphold and protect the constitutional and legal rights of every member of the society and to ensure that all were treated justly. There was a broad consensus among libertarians and even liberal egalitarians on the importance of respecting individual freed om and equality. The aim was to make the world as free as possible from governmental interventions and impositions. The emergence of communism changed the way multiculturalism was perceived in liberal democratic states of the west. The impact of communism on multiculturalism can be traced to social theory theorists like Charles Taylor who came up with social thesis as a critique of liberal political theory.  [8]  Conservative thinkers on the other hand foresaw a break up of national unity and took steps to differentiate between the pursuit of self-respect through isolated individual cases and as minority groups bearing distinct identities. The conservative thinkers were of the opinion that the need for self respect should not be an individual pursuit but it should rather be a pursue for ties that bind the society together. Individualistic concerns were perceived as an impoverished conception of freedom (Parvin, 2009, p. 352)  [9]  . The debate over group versus individual recognition has become a major concern for political theorists and liberal thinkers as well. The importance of groups is seen in the role they play in shaping peoples identity and political affiliation. There have also been deliberative democrats, including Amy Gutmann and Joshua Cohen who propose that group diversity be accepted through a continuous process of deliberating over the policies and institutions that address citizen rights.  [10]   Minorities in most of Europe are declaring their position, and what was sparked off by a need for recognition by the Jewish community has generally spread to other groups which are marginalized because of their lifestyle, race or gender. The themes of the threats posed by the intense debate on mutliculuralism are worrying the majority populations in Europe. The main aim of policy over most of the last centuries have been to assert the position of the majority and their dominion over the minority groups. This segregation is worrying at the least and the culture of victimization is the main reason why the struggle for equality and multiculturalism is so powerful. The dying sentiment about multiculturalism in Europe is best exemplified by French President Nicholas Sarkozys expulsion of Romanian immigrants which was against the EU laws because Romania is an EU member. The action would have warranted the need to take action against Sarkozy but the EU simply turned a blind eye and did nothing. This implied that even the EU feels that the liberal states have reached a point where they can not afford to keep on giving special attention to minority groups in their countries. Modern philosophers so far agree on the fact that multiculturalism and political correctness are important elements in a liberal democracy. Just like the American Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, equality, and pursuit of happiness, the European Court of Human Rights forbids elected governments from interfering with principles aimed at bringing about progress to the citizens. Sarkozys expulsion of Romanian immigrants, and the EUs failure to take action, however shows the decreasing popularity of the European Court of Human Rights. This is mainly because of the dying appeal of advanced elite values that are unworkable. Most people would prefer to be their own judges of what is right and what is wrong. Politically correct liberal consensus is seen as naive and Marxist. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders who heads the Dutch Nationalist party is known for calling on the government to evict Muslims because, as he alleges, they are destroying the country just on the basis of naive decrees from the European Court of Human Rights.  [11]   Liberal democratic nation-states of the west can longer afford multiculturalism when they address the question about how far they can continue to accommodate immigrants who do not make any attempts to accept their host countrys principles. In most European countries the reluctance of immigrants to weave into the social fabric by adopting the progressive principles poses a threat of disintegrating the society. The situation is even made worse when these immigrants go ahead to agitate for recognition of their cultures at the expense of progress. However governments in European countries are obligated to accept and integrate immigrants who come with different cultural principles and religions.  [12]   When equality is promised to immigrants it leads to a situation where they create resistance whenever they are excluded from welfare policies. This is because the immigrants perceive democratic values as a guarantee for equal representation in decision making processes. The problem comes in when this equality is not well defined leading to a situation where the demands for equality surpass democratic principles. The issue of multiculturalism is most clearly explained using Frasers analogy that the struggle for recognition and the spread of the resources as two mutually interconnected but distinct and irreducible paradigms of justice (Fraser 200, p.125)  [13]  . The two issues focus on two different things. Governments in most liberal nation states of the west today perceive the adoption of multiculturalism as an obstacle to their concerted efforts of forming universal standards of co-existence and integration with different cultures. This makes multiculturalism difficult to maintain in view of the fact nation states are formed and expect to maintain a single dominant culture. The contradicting positions that result from this debate have been developing over the years to an extent that most liberal nation states in Europe are opting to adopt a stand based on moral evaluation of cultural groups rather than cultural equity within a society. The question of cultural identity and recognition has become more complex as nation states start regarding and evaluating moral values of cultures they are supposed to accommodate. The only solution lies in addressing the issue without overemphasizing the importance of one culture over another and by concentrating on how different cultures can be integrated into the current social and public movements. Acceptances of Multiculturalism Most theorists agree on the fact that transnational migrations are gradually eroding the cultural composition of nation-states in the form of citizenship. Rights are being pursued on residency status rather than on citizenship making the distinction between citizen and alien statuses quite unclear. Primarily this is an issue with migrant, or in a politically correct name, guest workers in most liberal democratic countries of Western Europe. This is the first group that agitates for acceptance of multiculturalism. They were originally recruited during the labor shortages of the 1950s that stretched to the 1970s. Their descendants have continued to grow in population in Western Europe over the years even after the recruitment of guest laborers ceased. The termination of recruitment was occasioned by the 1973 oil crisis.  [14]  They have become permanent residents together with their spouses and children. Most of them have never sought for citizenship mainly because they have the sa me civil and social rights as the citizens of these countries and hence consider naturalization processes as a waste of time. They however lack political rights like full citizens. Blum (1992) differentiates antiracism and multiculturalism by stating that the former deals with victimization and resistance and the latter deals with cultural life, cultural expression, achievements, and the like (Blum, 1992, p. 14)  [15]  . Some of the accommodations sought by multiculturalists include exemptions from certain laws on religious grounds, preferential treatment in issues that the majority do unassisted, funding for language schools and associations, special quotas of representation in government bodies, recognition of their cultural codes and practices in the legal system, and some form of self government rights. The other group that supports multiculturalism is those who propose that the noncitizens deserve to be given those rights because they are entitled to universal rights of personhood as stipulated by the international human rights conventions. Proponents of multiculturalism further propose that these rights have a supremacy over national citizenship. Rights increasingly assume universality, legal uniformity, and abstractness, and are defined at the global level. Identities, in contrast, still express particularity and are conceived of as territorially bounded. As an identity, national citizenship . . . still prevails. But in terms of its translation into rights and privileges, it is no longer a significant construction (Soysal 1998, p. 208)  [16]  . Challenge of multiculturalism of citizenship on liberal democratic nation-states Multiculturalism poses a challenge to nation-states basically because of the fact that transnational migrations are gradually eroding the cultural composition of nation-states in the form of citizenship. Rights are being pursued on residency status rather than on citizenship making the distinction between citizen and alien statuses quite unclear. Multiculturalism goes against the foundation of nation-states of the west since most of them were formed by a single dominant culture and expect to maintain this status in order to effectively compete with other states. The contradicting positions that result from this debate have been developing over the years to an extent that most liberal nation states in Europe are opting to adopt a stand based on moral evaluation of cultural groups rather than cultural equity within a society.  [17]   When immigrants take collective action they end up eroding and transcending the nation-state boundaries. This happens against the background of advances in technology, international communication and means of travel which make it possible for immigrants to stay in touch with their homelands. Soysal (1998) sums the effects of transnational migration by stating that: In a world within which rights, and identities as rights, derive their legitimacy from discourses of universalistic personhood, the limits of nationness, or of national citizenship, for that matter, become inventively irrelevant (p. 210-211)  [18]  . . EU and the acceptance of multiculturalism The way forward in the acceptance of multiculturalism in Europe is in negotiating and transcending cultural differences politically. The current scenario is best described by Modood Werbner (1997) who state that the political theatre in which these cultural, ethnic, national and ideological differences must be negotiated is that of the so-called New Europe, a mass of land delimited by cultural and historical enmities and exclusions, frequently of the most barbaric kind (p. 261)  [19]  . Such an analysis is made necessary because, as Modood (1995) state: Critics of multiculturalism have argued à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that the culture of multiculturalism is not the vital, gradually changing, creative, mimetic, unreflective, unbounded and hybrid culture that anthropologists study. It is a far more reified and politicised imagined entity, the object of representation by elected and self-appointed group spokespersons who stress its inviolability as a sacred domain of collective sovereignty. This assumption is what makes the negotiation of difference so difficult: finding common cultural and political grounds requires the pooling not only of political but also of cultural sovereignty, embodied in public respect for the symbols and values of the other, the incoming stranger with the promotion of anti-racism a central goal (p. 262)  [20]  . The growth of multiculturalism in Western Europe has not gone unchallenged. Most governments have taken steps to check on the development multiculturalism lest it seriously challenges the prerogatives of the nation states. However there is still more to be done especially on the common EU policies on migration and ethnic relations. These EU policies should be well coordinated with those of member states to oversee the necessary restrictions. A good example is the 1995 Schengen Accord that brought about a well coordinated system of implementing stricter controls on illegal immigrations. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty created a common system that could be used to give European citizenship to immigrants from other countries. This treaty offers a control on freedom of movement and the rights of residence in EU member states. Goodwin-Gill (1985) describes these treaties by stating that: Their generality accommodates many shades of opinion, and what really counts is how the scheme of protection is worked out at the local level, particularly with regard to subsidiary rights and procedural guarantees. . . . Even under the European Convention on Human Rights the jurisprudence adopted . . . and the interpretation of civil rights has sanctioned serious limitations upon non nationals entitlement to substantive and procedural due process. Deportation, termination of a residence permit, and the grant or refusal of entry, have all been found by the European Commission not to involve civil rights (p. 566-68)  [21]   It is hard to determine how immigrants and minority dispute a liberated nation and state as it is required by an integrated nationality.  [22]  When comparing this aspect between German and Britain in the early 1990 we find that it is unenthusiastic in the sense that the immigrants and the other cultural minorities challenge as liberated nation. It is clear that the being identified by the nation and state one come from is very important. Being identified by the state and the nation a person comes from is relatively crucial to an individual particularly the immigrants and the cultural minority people. A good example of the minority demands to be identified by their country of origin and location of origin is the Kosovo Albanians in German. Despite being the immigrants and staying in German for many years and acquired the citizenship of the country. Their demand to be identified as natives of their original country still stands. They feel as if they do not belong anywhere that is they cannot be identified as Germans at the same time they are immigrant in Germany. This confusion has attributed to the demands for an allocation of a state where they could identify themselves with. This according to the Albanians will give them a haven to be identified with.  [23]   These particular groups have backing up motives to their claims, for instance the Albanians claims to have an upper hand in the building of Germany. They claim to have a say in the country and therefore the need to be identified not only as immigrants but Kosovo nationality immigrants. By their reorganization, the immigrants will acquire a more legal way to contribute to the building of the inhabited country.  [24]   In German it has been seen that the immigrants have gone to the extent of interfering with the politics of the country. They amount to the biggest group of people who fail to vote in any election. This interference has brought to delays in passing of motions and the general integration of the country. This is one of the factors that has led to failure on growth of many European countries particularly German. Majority of the immigrants and minority cultures contribute little or nothing to the growth of the country yet claim to be recognized. . Conclusion Multiculturalism when taken positively is a good concept as it leads to moral and political recognition of disadvantaged and frequently discriminated groups like African Americans in the United States, women worldwide, and other groups like gays, and the disabled. Europe should continue to accommodate issues of pluri-cultural equality. There will always be challenges in every imaginable form from increase in terrorism to decreased relevance of civic and national identity but the liberal governments of the west should find ways to cope with the demands of multiculturalism instead of closing their doors to other cultures.

Interracial Figures of the American Renaissance Essay -- Literature Es

Interracial Figures of the American Renaissance      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay examines Cora from The Last of the Mohicans, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Ann Jacobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Renaissance marks a period of social injustice and the fight of the minority to bring about social change. Women and African-Americans (who were freed or escaped from slavery) begin to gain a voice through literacy, and use that voice to start the movement to abolish slavery and gain women rights. The development of literacy makes it impossible to ignore women and African-Americans because their writing provides a permanent record of the horrors of slavery and injustice of oppressing the minority groups. Furthermore, the gain in literacy by these groups makes Anglo-Saxons face the realities of their world and challenges the American dream. Perhaps the most fascinating result of the destruction to the American dream is the introduction of the interracial character. During this period of history (and long after it) the myth existed th at the races were pure. Judith R. Berzon in her book Neither White Nor Black: The Mulatto Character in American Fiction, attributes the emergence of interracial characters in the nineteenth and twentieth century to "(1) a widespread fear of miscegenation; (2) the tenacious view that mulattoes are a ÃŽdegenerate, sterile and short-lived breedà ¢ ; (3) the unresolved dilemma of the social and economic roles of the emancipated African-American; and (4) the unease with which Caucasians generally regarded those who carry traits of both racial groups" (19). The interracial characters exposed the reality in America, that the children of slaves on the plantation were a result of white slave owners having intercourse with their slaves. Co... ...s, an American Slave." Paul Laufer, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol 1, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Douglass, Frederick. "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July." Paul Laufer, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol 1, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Jacobs, Harriet Ann. "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Paul Laufer, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol 1, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Kinney, James. Amalgamation! Race, Sex, and Rhetoric in the Nineteenth-Century American Novel. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1985. Mills, Charles W. "Whose Fourth of July? Frederick Douglass and ÃŽOriginal Intent.à ¢" Bill E. Lawson and Frank M. Kirkland, eds. Frederick Douglass: A Critical Reader. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers, 1999.   

Choreographer Busby Berkeley’s Contributions to Film Essays -- Arts Mo

Choreographer Busby Berkeley’s Contributions to Film Berkeley’s creations were not meant to focus on dance. He envisioned an overall moving pattern, which he created by using moving bodies. He made the art of choreography a technique of design and visual mathematics, and combined this with his knowledge of film to bring his vision to life on the big screen. The skill of this multi-talented man brought Hollywood musicals to their full potential, creating a high demand for dance in films. William Berkeley Enos was born November 29, 1895, in Los Angeles. He began his career as a choreographer in 1918 as a lieutenant in the army. Conducting and directing parades. He gained the ability to work with large masses of moving bodies to create a moving picture. He also worked as a choreographer to stage camp shows for the troops. It was not until his collaboration with producer Florence Ziegfeld that Berkeley began choreographing for films. When Ziegfeld decided to turn his production of Whoopee into a film, he asked Berkeley, who had become one of the top Broadway dance directors, to choreograph the dance routines. Berkeley, unhappy with the restrictions of his job, raised the bar for film choreographers by taking on decisions about camera angles and editing. Before Berkeley, these decisions had all been made by the director or the producer. One of Berkeley’s signature choices was to use only one camera. He also chose to use close-ups of the dancers in the chorus. He would say: â€Å"Well, we’ve got all these beautiful girls in the picture, why not let the public see them?† This approach showed that Berkeley understood that innovative filmmakers possess the ability to use the camera to show audiences what their normal sight does ... ... 1976. Although his death was tragic, Busby Berkeley will be remembered for his visionary talent. He has also been considered the creator of the formulaic marketing approaches you see today in music videos. As Larry Billman points out,â€Å"Berkeley’s ever-unfolding kaleidoscopic patterns and complete montage/ scenarios certainly had commercial advantage† (15). Berkeley embraced the possibility that the relationship between a camera and a moving body could bring a song to life. After his extravagant musical numbers, there was no doubt that the entire audience would leave the theater knowing the songs by heart. And so Berkeley was way ahead of his time. He could see within film a very important image, not the individual dancers themselves, but the dancing image. And with that he created sequences that remain some of the most beautiful spectacles on the screen.   

Dead Man Walking Book Review :: essays research papers

Dead Man Walking Dead Man Walking, a story by Sister Helen Prejean, is a superb book, presenting most of the aspects regarding capital punishment. According to my opinion the unique thing about this book, is its ability to make people reflect upon and even question their earlier thoughts concerning the death penalty. Many different points of view are presents, but the book doesn’t pick sides. Dead Man Walking manages to remain objective even when we approach the painful end. The book is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s experiences with inmates on death row. Sister Helen receives a letter from prisoner Matthew Poncelet. Due to a horrible murder to which he claims only to have been an observer, he is now on death row, waiting for his execution. He requests her to come visiting him. In the next few days we follow Sister Helens conversations with Matthew, his family and the families of the two teenagers brutally raped and killed. In spite of the fact that Helen meets a lot of anger and sorrow for her being so involved with Matthew she keeps on fighting for his life. But the appeal gets rejected and the execution gets closer There is one statement in the book that I think summarizes the theme. A lawyer observes: â€Å"it is easy to kill a monster, but hard killing a human being.† I think that one of the reasons Sister Helen Prejean wrote this book is to bring more knowledge about the complex death penalty to the public. While the rest of the Western world has abolished this, in my opinion, old-fashioned punishment has become an asset to US politicians in order to gain trust from the American voters. Sister Helen Prejean and the condemned Poncelet are defiantly the main characters of this book. Even though few people can identify themselves with Poncelet, his grief and despair occurs before and during the injection and reminds us that less than few are totally in lack of emotions. Sister Helen is a Nun who spends much of her time doing charity in her poor neighborhood. She is having a hard time not letting her to Poncelet’s actions dominate her spiritual relationship, but manages to remember the Christian message: â€Å"Every man is worth more than his worst actions.

Changing Learning Styles in the Light of New Educational Technology Essay

Over the last twenty years technology is guiding our lifestyle, i. e. how we should live, how should we communicate and also how one shall learn. Discoll (2000) defines learning as â€Å"a persisting change in human performance or performance potential which must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world. † In other words learning is defined as lasting changed state (emotional, mental physiological- skills) brought about as a result of experiences and interactions with the content or people. This definition holds the notion that gaining knowledge is an objective of learning (or a style) that is attainable if not already innate through either reasoning or experiences. It is known that learners create knowledge as they make attempts to understand their experience, as they are not empty vessels to be filled in with knowledge Instead learners are actively attempting to create meaning, they often select and pursue their own learning styles. Although it is believed that real life learning is messy and complex, but methods which emulate the fuzziness of this kind of learning is more effective for lifelong learning. Earlier the life of knowledge is measured in decades but today as knowledge is growing exponentially, and there we may have such fields where the life of knowledge is measured in months and weeks. Today what is known may become obsolete after few weeks. According to (ASTD) American Society of Training & Documentation the amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 10 months as a result this is responsible for the shrinking half life of knowledge. It is believed that because of these trends in the development of knowledge formal education remains no more the ultimate source of learning, rather learners are switching on to a variety of sources like personal networks, communities of practice and personal experiences. As we can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that we need to act in this digital age making connections has become necessary to keep moving the learning theories. We may derive our learning, competence and expertise by forming connections with the experiences of others, as experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge, so here the quote â€Å"I store my knowledge in my friends mind† becomes an axiom for collecting knowledge by collecting people of varied experiences. Chaos is the new reality for the learners to attain knowledge, as with Chaos learners foster their understanding by deriving out the meaning of their task which has hidden patterns and their chaos unveil that meaning. Chaos as a science connects specialized communities and further it connects everything to anything. It recognises the adjacent patterns for new knowledge which is a key to learning. Since technology is getting advanced day by day thereby altering one brain, it further defines and shapes our thinking. In today knowledge economy it is necessary to form connection between the sources of information in order to develop useful informational patterns or a network, it can be computer or social networking which works on the simple principle that people groups systems nodes, entities all can be connected to create an integrated whole. This way sharing and exchanging of ideas may greatly lead to the notion of serendipity, innovation and creativity. In their new learning styles if students are connected to their teachers, their peers, and with other social groups through various networks. It may be possible that they come up with new ideologies and experiences which will result in the enhancement of their learning, researches in the past have indicated that cognitive (interactive and experimental) learning is the result of â€Å"Mental Construction† in a collaborative learning environment. It is believed that 1. Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions. 2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes (experts) or information sources. 3. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known. 4. Nurturing and maintaining connective bonds is needed to facilitate continual learning. 5. An ability to seek connections between fields, ideas and concepts is a skilful learning. 6. Updated knowledge is the index of all learning activities. Learners change as the knowledge keeps on changing from time to time, learning styles acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal individualistic activity and learners no more permissive sponges. It requires us to rethink and redesign our learning styles for the digital age. This paper is an attempt to provide an insight into new form of learning style and tasks needed for learners to compete and flourish in this age. Connections based on small efforts of many with the large efforts of few, where flow of knowledge starts when the individual enters into his social network, add something from the global nodes comes back to him. Radio and television, print media are just a one way preposition, they push their contents to us, but the web is a two way push and pull. It connects the learners directly to the sources it can be live as on line and offline too. Web has the ability of two ways reciprocity, another important aspect of learning through web is that it is the medium that honours the notion of multiple intelligences as experts from all over the world are at an ease to contribute their knowledge at a single platform. Web has become a great tool for writers as they provide the learners learning with entertainment, it has multiple forms of intelligence abstract, textual, visual, musical social and kinaesthetic. Learning through web has a chance to construct a medium that enables all young people to become engaged in their ideal way of learning. The Web affords the match we need between a medium and how a particular person learns. One of the goal of Learner is to have course curricular to be offered in multiple formats – teach Led, CD- Rom, DVD, Video and internet , Mobile Phones, Spoken and written Information, Conferencing, Virtual Classrooms etc. The right technology used appropriately can greatly enhance the learning experience. The key to choosing the right technology to support learning is to match the technology to the learner and the learning context. E-learning has a two way benefit for learners, one to have professional lessons from the experts and to have the lessons available at anytime as online subject matter of different courses is being delivered over the internet, and is available for all learners. The most common function used in online learning style is electronic mail that allows students and teachers to send and receive messages along with attached files. In addition web conferencing capabilities let participants conduct multi-person discussions, either in real time (chats) online or off time, combination of technology with personal contact and support is optimal for pedagogy. If the faculty members of distant learning integrate technology into their teaching it will be of great help in mentoring and giving time to time support to the learners.

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Jollibee †fast food the filipino way (case study) Essay

1. Introduction Strategic management is a comprehensive study of how a firm performs during its course, with regard to its predetermined objectives, how they plan to achieve these objectives, and how much resources are expendable for those objectives. The process to determine the strategic management involves considerations of company’s strategic advantages and matching it with existing conditions in business environments. Gerry Johnson and Kevin Scholes (2001) reveal there are three ‘origins’ of strategic management. In their book, Exploring Strategic Management, they mention that a corporate strategic management could rise from: ? Experience of operating corporation’s daily activities ? Regulated designing steps as mentioned above or, ? Novel and innovative ideas that come form evolutionary and complex understanding of the business environment. Concerning the strategic management, this paper discusses the case on Jollibee Food Corp (Jollibee). The company has worldwide reputation as fast-food provider from Philippines. The interesting part when discussing about Jollibee Food Corp lies on the fact that the company was named to be McDonald’s a huge embarrassment, according to the Economist on its February 2006 issue. Moreover, the discussion will address the potential future strategies for Jollibee Fast Food. The report will highlight a through analysis of the organization under review, together with recommendations for future strategies to secure opportunities, or to defend against threats. Furthermore, the analysis of Jollibee Fast Food will also focus upon applying the theory of strategic management. There are six points of discussion about Jollibee Fast Food; they are systematic process of strategic management and decision making, key strategic problems, key strategic opportunities and threats, value, alternative courses of action, and recommendations as to the company’s future course. 2. Analysis of Jollibee Fast Food 2. 1. Key issues of Systematic Process of Strategic Management and Decision Making The development of business involves a series of suitable decision making that drive a company to achieve a designated position in a particular market or industry. Concerning the decision making nature, I found a brief explanation from a research, where the researchers explains that there is no â€Å"pure† decision merely based on intellectual logic or â€Å"purely† based on emotion (Biology Daily, n. d. ). Their remarks suggest that in every kind of the decision making process, there is an appropriate mixture between emotion and reason of the decision makers. This suggestion is in line with nature of storytelling that also composes of mixture between the two factors. Although decision-making process could not merely depend on rational process, I found that it makes sense to assume that too much emotion may cause a decision to be flawed or vague. Under such circumstances, in order to make a sensible decision we must dispassionately consider evidences we have. The theoretical perspectives in strategic management and decision making, as mentioned above, also happened in the case of Jollibee in which the decision to adopt McDonald’s and U. S. fast food chain and to localize their offerings involves both rational and emotional decision making. 2. 1. 1. â€Å"Copy† Strategy. As mentioned above, strategic management involves three broad activities; they are performs during its course, with regard to its predetermined objectives, how they plan to achieve these objectives, and how much resources are expendable for those objectives. Concerning the Jollibee case, during its first stage, the company asserts that from the start, their objective is to copy existing fast-food business practice in order to avoid reinventing new wheel and take benefits of tested experiences. In order to achieve the objective, Tony, the founder of Jollibee, and his brother went to the U. S in 1978 in order to gain knowledge about running a fast-food business. The main role model for Jollibee is undoubtedly McDonald’s that later becomes the company’s main rival not only in the Philippines market but also overseas. The interesting part of Jollibee action is that the company decides to compete with multinational fast-food chain like McDonald’s and Burger King by adopting the so-called ‘symbol of Filipino Pride’. This strategic management is taken since the company realizes they cannot compete with McDonald’s that have strong financial backup and supply chain. 2. 1. 2. Address Local. Preferences In addition to copy the fast-food practice that McDonald’s and other U. S. fast-food chain, Jollibee also address the local preferences when competing with U. S. fast-food chain in Philippines market. For example, from the start in 1978, Jollibee address the Fillipino habits like eating in groups, each person orders separate dishes. By adopting local preferences, Jollibee has extensive number of menu compared to U. S. fast food that offer limited menu. Moreover, like McDonald’s that has Ronald as the mascot, Jollibee also provides their mascot appeared as ‘a human like bee’ two years after the fast-food chain establishment. The success of Jollibee continues running although McDonald’s entered Philippines in 1981 since the U. S. competitor did not localize their offering and their price was higher by 5 to 10 percent than Jollibee. Moreover, in order to attract and serve Filipino, Jollibee practice the local greeting culture by saying Magandang Umaga Po, the local preferences that McDonald’s and other U. S fast food retailers do not adopt and practice. 2. 1. 3. Market Expansion Another decision that is noteworthy in the case of Jollibee is their globalization strategy. The company’s first overseas outlet was in Brunei in 1987. The decision to expand worldwide was because the company saw opportunities in foreign markets although their market expansion strategy slowed down due to economic recession in 1997. The decision to adopt dual strategy to expand internally (Philippines market) while keeping their eyes open to international market amidst global economic recession highlight that the company employs both rational and emotional decision. The situation occurs since Jollibee believe that the recession would go away while market opportunities would grow at a breakneck speed afterwards. In addition to initial overseas outlet in Brunei, the company immediately presents other overseas outlets in Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the U. S. The decision was based on the fact that the three countries have significant number of Filipino working there. In the U. S. for example, Jollibee first exists in Daly City, California, whwre 25% of the city population was Filipino descent. 2. 2. Key strategic problems and issues which have arisen and why they have arisen Jollibee has a great reputation in managing its outlets throughout Philippine and neighboring countries. In its home markets, Jollibee is practically the leader in the fast-food industry, outperforming McDonalds by far. The company also gained success in foreign Asian markets, especially ones with significant population of Filipino nationals. Nevertheless, the company is currently facing the challenge of maintaining corporate growth and surviving within the increasingly competitive industry and facing various crises. 2. 2. 1. Core Issue The company is currently planning to expand its business to the United States and perhaps even the European countries. Management believes that such undertaking is necessary to ensure growth for corporate international business. However, analysts stated that this undertaking might not be as successful as Jollibee’s management predicted. This is due to the fact that competition in the global fast-food industry is much more intense compare to the Philippine markets and the Asian market. The company will have to face competitors in their homeland, which is a scenario that receives significant critics because Jollibee is known to be profitable because it took advantage of its knowledge and insights of Philippine people’s tastes and preferences. Such advantage will not be present in the US or European market. In short, to successfully perform the internationalization strategy, Jollibee cannot rely on existing strategies. New strategies that appeal to US consumers must first be discovered. This is the main issue faced by the company today. 2. 2. 2. Technical Obstacles Besides this main problem that will obstruct Jollibee’s expansion strategy, there are others. In entering the US markets, Jollibee is also facing technical problems like procuring suitable real-state and designing the right retail format. Because of the different construction style in US and different consumer preferences, management of the company is forced to build outlets which are actually different than their original plan. 2. 2. 3. Attracting New Customers The company is also having problems in attracting customers. The original strategy of the company is to appeal to Filipinos who are working or living within the targeted country. However, the amount of Filipino nationals who live in the United State is far from sufficient to generate Jollibee’s targeted revenue. Management is dealing with this problem by adding new products that suited local customers. Nevertheless, some of these new products are very different than the original offering of Jollibee and Jollibee is inexperienced in providing such products to the market. Furthermore, this strategy threatens to eliminate Jollibee’s original trademark. The company needs to discover a way to increase the appeal of Jollibee’s original offerings to local customers. 2. 3. Attracting Good Employees Besides having trouble getting customers, Jollibee is also having problems attracting good employees to work in its outlets. Being a new brand in the market with no locally reputable achievements, the company is struggling to attract good people to work in the company. The problem deserves quite an attention because the company is also inexperienced in facing this problem. In its previous markets, the company simply has to pick and choose between abundant applicants. The company needs to revaluate its human resource management programs and discover strategies to attract good employees. 2. 4. Key strategic opportunities and threats Strategic management is the art of designing the business to reach the highest possible success level. The core questions addressed by a good strategic management process are: 1. ‘what are our business objectives? ’ 2. ‘how are we going to achieve those objectives? ’ 3. ‘what resources are needed to achieve such objectives? ’. (‘What is’, 2007) In the case of Jollibee, the company already has a good design of vision and mission statement and the values in achieving those objectives. Corporate values include: â€Å"customer firsts†, â€Å"excellence through teamwork†, â€Å"frugality†,† spirit of family and fun†, â€Å"humility to listen and lead†, â€Å"honesty and integrity†. Corporate mission is to â€Å"bring great taste and happiness to everyone†. Corporate vision includes: â€Å"being the most dominant and best-tasting service restaurant†, â€Å"reaching every Filipino†, â€Å"provide great product taste at all times†, etc. The company is planning to achieve this objectives by attaining the 3B, which are† boosting the standards of fast food industry†, â€Å"build brand satisfaction†, and â€Å"broaden the reach to customers†. These statements represent the first component of strategic management. However, Jollibee must work to evaluate the second and third component mentioned above. In facing existing challenges and to achieve corporate objectives, Jollibee must search into its organizations for competitive advantages and develop the valuable edges to help the company gain more share of the market. These advantages must be cross referenced to the conditions in Jollibee’s foreign markets to discover the appropriate corporate strategy to apply in the foreign markets. The core strategic advantages of the company are: †¢ Innovation. In its home market and the market it has been operating in since its inception, the company was known to be highly innovative. The company developed from an ice cream parlor to a chain of the most successful fast-food counters in Philippine. Today, the company has not lost its touch in innovation. New products are developed and designed as the company perform its daily operations and generated new menus and methods of preparing food. †¢ Sensitivity toward all customer segments In my personal opinion, Jollibee is successful because of its main weapon, sensitivity toward customer preferences. The company took notice of the different segments of customers that come into the outlets and find the best possible way to satisfy their needs. Creating a variety of meals instead of the standard and non-variative products which is considered to be the character of fast-food outlets, designing children’s meals, creating a special program to address the take-away segment are just some example of how the company address the needs of its customers †¢ Preserving Quality of Operations The company uses the newest technologies to enhance its operations. The manufacturing process within the outlets is constantly improved by benchmarking programs and adopting new processes and technologies. This should be identified as a weapon of corporate growth and entry into foreign markets. †¢ Good relationship with Franchisers The company treats is partners and franchisers like family in accordance to Philippine customs. Inputs are regarded and the company truly work together with franchisers to develop the quality of outlets’ operations. †¢ Leadership Some analyst believed that most of the current success of the company is the result of one man’s hard work. Without the leadership qualities and the boldness to spot a good strategy and actually go through with the idea, Jollibee would not be what it is today. There is little doubt in stakeholders’ minds that corporate survival and growth for all the years are directly related to Tony’s presence as corporate leader and mentor. Identifying these strengths and cross referencing them to the challenges faced by the company in its internationalization plan, we should be able to conclude the following strategic opportunities: †¢ The company possesses notable chances to succeed in international markets because of its qualities. However, because the international markets have much more intense competitive environment, the company must always try to develop the quality of its operations in all aspects. Preserving the present quality of operations and active innovation, and also enhance them to a new level will allow the company to be among the top players of the international fast-food industry. †¢ Facing new environments, all companies must go through a stage of adaptation. Adoption of local characteristics is generally necessary in order to get the first customers into the outlets. The company, who has a reputation of being innovative and sensitive toward customer preferences, should see this as an opportunity to create new products, new programs, new packages or other new and appealing strategies that will attract customers into Jollibee’s outlets. †¢ In managing the human resource, the company should rely on its proven qualities for leadership and managing good relationship with partners. If the company is having trouble in initially attracting good employees into the outlets, the company should consider using Filipino employees. By training them to meet the highest standard of the industry and giving them the best employment deal in the market, Jollibee will set an example to the general workforce in the market. The present condition of the company however, also has strategic threats that must be paid attention to. Some of them are: †¢ Letting go previous formats and being creative Research indicated that previously successful companies generally have problems adapting to new conditions and developments. This is caused by the illusion that they have discovered the recipe for success and refuse to change along with the environment. Jollibee must educate its managers and employees not to fall into this mind trap and understand the reality that the corporate profit will diminish and corporate existence will be threatened if all components of the organizations failed to change along with the environment. New strategies that will strengthen corporate competitive advantages are required, especially in this internationalization program. †¢ Dependency toward single leadership. In Jollibee, most of the bold and innovative strategies are led by a single leader which is a dangerous culture when the company intends to go international. The principles of globalization stated that business internationalization means that the company also has what it takes to perform localization of business operations. In a localization concept, local leaders must have the authority and freedom to act in response to conditional changes (Beck, 1999). Having privately owned and franchise outlets overseas will make it necessary for delegation of leadership. †¢ Losing corporate characteristics Other strategic threat is losing corporate characteristics and be called a copycat or business imitator. Unlike the previous years of Jollibee when the company must perform serious benchmarking to mimic McDonalds, today the company is recognized for its own brand and characteristic. Corporate strategy must be aimed at increasing the appeal of existing offerings and not blindly mimicking local competitors to gain more customers. Such a plan is not viable in the long term. 2. 5. Value if decisions taken by managers. Jollibee’s success is not without apparent reasons. Management of the company displayed that it has performed its best in all aspects of corporate operations, especially in adhering to customer preferences and maintaining high quality manufacturing processes. In the modernism perspective, Jollibee would be successful in all its business endeavors as long as the company maintains all of the present business credibilities. This is in line with modernism philosophy who believes that human endeavor, logic and technology are the main factors that shape the world (Nichols, 1995). However, reality revealed that the company is not vulnerable from problems and issues, and it must be noted that most of the problems are generated by external factors and not internal. In other words, the company remains credible as it is originated, but the quality of its performance is threatened. This is hardly accord with principles of modernism. On contrary, this is more suitable to the postmodernism perspective. In the postmodern perspective, social, cultural and spiritual factors are significantly influencing occurrences of the world. Postmodernism proponents adopt a more ‘flexible’ or ‘fluid’ view of the world, with appreciation but not worshiping logic and modern technologies (Bertens, 1995). In the light of this discussion between modernism and postmodernism, we discover the reality that the business world is a constantly fluctuating place, where a company might be the indisputable leader today but could be reduced to runner ups the next day. Jollibee is in an important stage of its development, which is expanding to one of the biggest and most challenging markets in the world. This represents the possibility that Jollibee will face more challenges and uncertainties in addition to currently present. In its foreign markets, the company need to reevaluate its operations both internally to refit corporate human resource management and externally to increase the marketing appeal of the company (Castels, 1996). 2. 6. Consideration of alternative courses of action According to case of Jollibee, there are many actions that Jollibee considered to be excellent. However, there are many opportunities for the fast-food chain to improve their service. for instances, concerning the global expansion, currently, the company still believe their recipe to develop the true taste for Filipino since their target customers are Filipino descent. However, since customers in the global markets do not come from Philippines or not wholly Filipino, therefore, the company needs to adopt local taste as well. For instances, when serving American customers, Jollibee needs to incorporate local taste instead of forcing the Filipino taste for American people. 2. 7. Recommendations of Company’s Future In order to provide suitable analysis for a company’s future, we should incorporate suitable business analysis tools so that we can obtain enough information and develop suitable strategy from it. One of business analysis tools that is suitable for Jollibee case is Ansoff Matrix. This analysis tool is basically a marketing tool, publicized by the Harvard Business Review in 1957 (Tutor2U, 2005). The concept elaborates how companies direct their corporate strategy to achieve corporate growth. As each company rely on different competitive advantage for profitability and growth, the Ansoff Matrix simplifies the complicated nature of ‘personal’ corporate competitive advantages by dividing all of them into four large quadrants. In order to alleviate the limitation that the analysis tool has, Bruce D Buskirk, in 1998, add another two quadrants (6 in total) in the Ansoff Matrix. The addition quadrants address the influence of high tech environment in a business (Figure 1). Figure 1 Ansoff Growth Strategy Market (Expanded) Source: Available at http://www.zanthus. com/databank/strategy/business_strategy. asp Concerning the case of Jollibee, the recommendation can be developed into several components as depicted by Ansoff Matrix. But two most important factors for recommendation are Future and New Technology. †¢ Future Concerning product future (product development and diversification), Ansoff matrix suggests that a company needs to promote their product and repositioning the brand. This strategy is the least risky since its does not require massive capitalization to obtain new resources (QucikMBA, 2004). This is important since the positioning of Jollibee is formerly to become the Filipino choice while markets/customers come from diverse culture and nationality. The situation suggests the company need to develop global taste. Remember, McDonald’s success is because they have a wide range of products that address global tastes plus some adjustment to local tastes. †¢ New Technology Considering the benefits of IT for supporting the Jollibee operation, the company needs developing Management Information with following benefits: ? Simplifying the product and the production process? Using customers demands as a guide to enhance products and services ? Reduce cycle time ? Improve quality and precision of products (food and beverage) delivery ? Avoid miscalculation in billing statement To be specific, Jollibee can increase their revenue by simplifying the purchasing process by using corporate e-commerce, for instances, where customers can reserve a place at any Jollibee’s outlets. Similarly, by using e-commerce customer can purchase any Jollibee’s products and have them by home delivery services. The situation highlights that the adoption of technology will give the company with new revenue sources. 3. Conclusion Fast food industry is an interesting business since people need food and therefore the industry grows fast. Concerning issue, this paper discusses the strategic management of Jollibee Food Corp (Jollibee). Moreover, the analysis of Jollibee Fast Food will also focus upon applying the theory of strategic management and address six points; they are systematic process of strategic management and decision making, key strategic problems, key strategic opportunities and threats, value, alternative courses of action, and recommendations as to the company’s future course. Bibliography Beck, U. 1999. ‘What is Globalization’. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bertens, Hans. 1995. ‘The Idea of the Postmodern: A History’. London: Routledge. Biology Daily. Emotion. Retrieved July 3, 2007 from http://www. biologydaily. com/biology/Emotion Castells, M. 1996. ‘The Rise of the Networked Society’. Oxford: Blackwell. Harvey, Neil. Company Strategy. Professional Management Review. Retrieved July 3, 2007 from http://www. pmr. co. za/magazines/January2005/regCompanyStrategy. htm Nicholls, Peter. 1995. ‘Modernisms: A Literary Guide’. Hampshire and London: Macmillan Tutor2U. (2005). Ansoff Product / Market Matrix. Retrieved July 3, 2007 from http://www. tutor2u. net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix. htm QuickMBA. (2004). Ansoff Matrix. Retrieved July 3, 2007 from http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/matrix/ansoff/ ‘What is Strategic Management? ’. 2007. Allbusiness. Retrieved July 2, 2007. from http://www. allbusiness. com/search.