Zara Organizational Structure

Zara Organizational Structure Structure relates to a skeletal framework of activities and processes in an organisation and specifies the roles of these in achieving goals and objectives of the organisation. According to (Mullins, 2009), a good structure is highly important due to the fact that decisions on structure are primary strategic decisions which can make or break an organisation. One important aspect of a good structure is the human element. Organisation structure should be designed so as to encourage employees and increase the morale and job satisfaction of organisation members which will result to overall organisation efficiency. (Mullins, 2006) describes nine basic considerations in the design of organisation structure. The fundamental step is to define organisational objectives to enable further analysis and comparisons of other forms of structure. Clarification of objectives A clear definition of objectives is vital to provide a framework for the design of structure of an organisation. Organisation objectives provide fundamental schemes for division of labour and creation of group units and sub units. Clearly stated aims and objectives will assist in decisions on the strategy and structural dimension to employ to achieve organisational objectives. Task and element functions Certain functions must be performed in order to produce a good or service, from the development of the good or service to finance of resources used in the complete processing. These functions are referred to as the task functions. The results of the task functions must be coordinated to ensure the efficient achievement of total objectives of the organisation. Element functions refer to vital parts of the management process and are supportive of the task functions such as human resources and public relations. Division of work An organisation needs to accomplish an overall task of allocating many different activities to groups of people or individuals to achieve its objectives. The division of work and grouping together of individuals should be organised according to a basic criterion to establish a coherent link between the activities involved. The division of work and linkage of activities occur in various ways such as specialisation, use of similar resources or common expertise of organisation members as the most commonly used basis for grouping activities. Others include division by product or service, division by location, division by nature of the work performed, division according to common time scales such as shift working, division according to staff employed such as allocation of work based on experience and so on. Centralisation and decentralisation The extent of centralisation or decentralisation refers to the point of critical decision making in an organisation which reflects patterns of authority in a structure. In centralised structures decision making authority is within the power of top management while decentralised structures, decision making authority is delegated (Rollinson, 2005). The arguments in favour of centralisation in an organisation entail the easier implementation of a common policy, easier coordination and management control, preventing sub-units from becoming too independent, over-head cost reduction and faster decision making because of the smaller number of people involved. In contrary, arguments for decentralisation include decisions being made at a point closer to operational levels, increased responsiveness to local circumstances, improved level of personal customer service, more flexible structure, control is distributed more evenly which provides opportunity for development for those lower down, and encouraging effect on motivation and morale of staff. Basically, decentralisation tends to be easier to implement in the private sector organisations than public sector ones where procedures and protocols are the order of the day. Decentralisation being a more flexible approach provides support for employee participation and empowerment at all levels which increases innovation and improves technology while centralisation ensures professionalism in all activities by maintaining effective coordination and overall control of the organisations activities as a whole. A mix of both such as being global and local, practically being decentralised with a central control and authority should produce an organisational advantage. A vivid illustration of decentralisation is the Zara fashion enterprise (cited in Mullins, 2009, p.596), where the company derived its success from integration of design, production, logistics and sales within companies globally rather than separating and outsourcing this different business elements unlike its contemporaries in the fashion industry, while still keeping control of all major operations in Spain. The company rejected rigid organisational structures in favour of a more flexible approach which comes from a highly integrated, fast and efficient form of communication between its global network of outlets and central hub of operations in Spain. The industry average time for introducing a design into the shops is six to nine months; Zara achieves this task in three to four weeks. What is peculiar here is that Zara only makes what is selling at the moment, store assistants and managers constantly get information about what is selling and how quickly it leaves the racks implyin g that local managers have a strong influence on their stores success and thus the company overall. On the other hand, an illustration of centralisation is that of Nissan Motor Company (cited in Certo and Certo, 2006, p.123), a successful global automobile manufacturing company where the new CEO ordered calls for the elimination of 30 per cent of production capacity in Japan due to recent financial difficulties. The CEOs plan is to help reduce expenses as well as close offices in New York and Washington with a view to centralise company operations in Japan to enhance success. Principles of organisation The ten principles of organisation include principles of the objective, specialisation, co-ordination, authority, responsibility, definition, correspondence, span of control, balance and principle of continuity. Span of control This refers to number of subordinates who report directly to a particular manager or supervisor. Span of control is larger at lower levels of the organisation where responsibility is concerned more with the performance of specific tasks. If span of control is too wide, supervising too many subordinates effectively becomes difficult and stressful for managers as well as planning and development, training and control. Narrow span of control may lead to low morale and initiative of subordinates due to close supervision level, and also increase administrative costs. Chain of command This refers to the number of different levels in the structure of the organisation, the chain of hierarchical command. Every employee must know there position within the organisation structure. The combination of chain of command and span of control determines the overall pyramid shape of the organisation and whether the hierarchical structure is flat or tall. Flat hierarchical structure depict a broader span of control and few levels of authority while tall structure depicts narrower spans of control and more levels of authority. There is no ideal hierarchical structure but it is best to have a balance of both. An illustration is Mc Donalds fast-food restaurants (cited in Certo and Certo, 2006, p.236). Mc Donalds decided to reorganise its global senior management team as a reaction to its recent poor financial performance. This involved creating two geographic areas of responsibility. The new positions focuses on managing operations in the Americas while the other in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The new structure evolved with a view to create clearer lines of responsibility and more focus on the companys financial performance within the territories. The new organisation hierarchy was also aimed at helping the company make business decisions more quickly. Formal organisational relationships This refers to individual authority relationships arising from defined patterns of responsibility in an organisation. This are identified as; line relationships where there is a direct relationship between subordinate and supervisor; functional relationships between people in advisory positions, and line managers and their supervisors; staff relationships are usually personal assistants who exercise only representative authority. Line and staff organisation This provides a means of making full use of specialists while maintaining the concept of line authority. Project team and matrix organisation A project team refers to a separate unit set up temporarily for a particular project which is disbanded when the duration elapses while matrix organisation involves functional departments specialising in numerous activities. In conclusion, the overall effectiveness of the organisation will be influenced both by a healthy structural design, and by the behaviour of people who work within the structure. There are numerous variables and factors which influence the soundest structure. Nothing like a perfect organisation exists but it is crucial to establish a framework of order and system through which organisation activities can be planned, organised, directed and controlled. Since structure divides up the organisation into different parts and specifies what roles these will play in achieving specific aims and objectives, it also provides for control and coordination of the parts to achieve this goals. Basically, the essence of structure is the division of work among organisation members, the coordination of activities and various jobs which are inter-related. References Certo S.C and Certo S.T. (2006) Modern Management. 10th edn. Prentice Hall Mullins, L.J. (2009) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edn. Financial Time Press Rollinson, D. (2005) Organisational Behaviour and Analysis: An Integrated Approach. 3rd edn. Financial Times/ Prentice Hall

Procurement Of Contruction Services Construction Essay

Procurement Of Contruction Services Construction Essay INTRODUCTION: The construction industry deals with great number of various trades and professions acting in harmony has historically always endow with risk for insurers and customers. This involves professional risks of architects, consulting engineers and risks of contractors and subcontractors that may lead to risk of professional indemnity, public and employers liability claims. The construction is engulfed a lot physical risks connected with construction sites and their hazards like structural collapse, fire, theft and vandalism. However, to create a good environment for transparency and consistency in the management of construction risks there is need for legal contracts that guide the construction services. According to (Odeh Battaineh 2002) the successful execution of construction projects and keeping them within estimated cost and prescribed schedules depend on a methodology that requires sound engineering judgement. The uses of different form of contracts have helped in recovery of payme nt, facilities payment and resolution of disputes in the construction industry. It has lead to efficient provision for payments to contractors and subcontractors. However, this coursework discussed the four types of contract that can be used to the housing association. Also, point out the benefits that may derive from the contracts and the most suitable one for housing association. Furthermore, explained with example on how New Engineering Contract (NEC3) might be suitable for adoption by the housing association and showed the suitable form of contract the housing association can reduce their maintenance construction contract costs. Finally, this coursework tended suggestions on how the organisation can reposition itself without be affected for future consultancy commission with regards to the housing association contract and conclusion. A: FOUR TYPES OF CONTRACT AND THEIR BENEFIT FOR HOUSING ASSOCIATION: 1: COST PLUS OR REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTS 2: ALL-IN OR TURNKEY CONTRACTS 3: LUMP-SUM CONTRACTS 4: ADMEASUREMENT CONTRACTS COST PLUS OR REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACT: In this type contract, the contract sum is determined before construction work is started. Under this type of contract the contractor accepts a defined amount of work in return for agreed sum. Contracts with quantities are priced on the basis of drawings and a firm bill of quantities .Contracts with quantities are priced on the basis of drawing and another document -usually a specification or work schedules. Besides that, during the contract the amount added to cover overheads and profit can be a fixed sum, a percentage or may be on reimbursement basis. This type of contract specify the labour rates to be charged on project and insurance cost is another productive area for hidden add up to in the name of reimbursing costs. This type of contract projected to avoid this automatic risk premium to the contractor (DJC, 2006).finally, according to (Haswell De silva ,1982) the contract came into existence during the first world war and deals with target time incentives for completion on tim e that is accepted for contracts subject to target costs. According to (OReilly 1999) Cost reimbursements enable to start work before the design is finalised. It has maximum contracting flexibility and can fast track easier. This type contract there is less owner management needed and accept competitive bidding on total scope. Cost reimbursement contracts always compensate the consulting firm based on the actual number of hours worked and other direct costs involve and the contract always contain a cost ceiling. ALL-IN OR TURNKEY CONTRACTS: According to (Haswell De silva ,1982) this is the type of contract where the client asks the contractor to tender all in bid or turnkey bid, that involves the provision of the job, both the design. This type of contract is acknowledge well and applied in many part of Europe, USA than in the UK and the consulting engineer plays little part in the civil engineering industry than in the UK.This type of contract the civil engineering is likely to make a substantial profit in the project. Turnkey contract are familiar with most of the customer and several analysts continue to suggest that significant number, if not the majority, of major constructions will henceforth be executed under this contractual framework .Besides that, the client can design and construct based on his / her choice without any external body, consulting engineer and contractor. According to (Dagenais, 2003) stated that the benefit is the client transacts with a single supplier for with regards to both design and execu tion of the project that simplifies its management It helps to accelerate the project, since construction can begin even before the design process is completed. Also in Turnkey contract the client can benefit from the skills of the constructor earlier in project. However, it possible to reduce eliminates the change orders during the project. However, fewer disputes are likely to occur and, if they do will be easier to resolve. . LUMP-SUM CONTRACTS: This is types of contract deals with the total costs to produce a project, together with the overhead, builder profit and any extras that the project owner specifies. After the project the builder is responsible for delivering the project under the guaranteed cost. According to (Haswell De silva ,1982) stated that alterations on lump- sum contract are expensive and follows the same line with admeasurements contract. Lump sum contract is highly acceptable to mortgage companies and this type of contract grant the builder experience to know time frame, cost to guarantee his client for the project. Lump sum is close to fixed price than other system of computing the price and is favourable for employers ask for price certainty (OReilly 1999). This type of contract there is a smaller amount risky for both the housing association and the Consultant. Lump -sum contract is most commonly used form of contract for architectural services. There is a clear understanding of the end product before construction begins in the project. The use of Lump sum contracts are generally accepted in the building industry and are well suited to small, medium or single trade projects. However, Lump sum contracts are not presently favoured for very big projects. In this type contract the design advice is independent of the builder .This is because of the extensive time required to complete documentation before any work can commence. For example many building project in Victoria Australian have been delivered through applying lump sum contract. ADMEASUREMENT CONTRACTS: According to (Haswell De silva ,1982) this type of contract involves the Bill of Quantities where detailed lists of all items of work required to be carried out with approximate quantities are prepared and the Schedule of Rates deals with comprehensive list of the various items of work to be carried out. A schedule of rates is frequently used where the degree of works has not been or cannot be completely determined. It deals with contingency sums and provisional sums for works not fully identified in the Bills. This type of contract the contractor is paid for the amount of actual work he does and a fair basis for payment because of freedom for the alteration of work. The Schedule of Rates contract expressly rejects any revision of the rates quoted by the contractor except where the tender sum has been exceeded by a certain percentage. The important difference between these types of admeasured contract is that in the Bill of Quantities contract the total Contract Sum is the Tender Sum which is given in respect of a fixed measure of work as set out in the Bills of Quantities, whereas in the Schedule of Rates contract the total Contract Sum can be calculated only upon completion of the contract. FROM ABOVE, ADMEASUREMENTS CONTRACT IS THE MOST SUITABLE TO THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION: Admeasurements contract use of Bill of Quantities facilitates competitive tendering and evaluation of changes in the work condition. While Schedule of Rates will be useful with regards of maintenance of project to housing association. However, most contractors in the UK are well-known with this type of contract and therefore are in a position to price the work in a fair and rational manner to the housing association (Haswell De silva ,1982).furthermore, in admeasurements the unit rates tendered by contractor to individual items is fixed in the project and tender knows the conception of the work that has do with way of bills. This type of contract will provide the housing association separate bills of preliminaries, day works and general items. B: HOW NEC3 MIGHT BE SUITABLE TO THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION. The New Engineering Contract 3 known as (NEC3) is the most recent used contract for UK civil engineering projects and most part the world engineering projects.NEC3 is a family of contract that make possible the execution of sound project management principles and exercise significant legal relationships.NEC3 provides suitable environment for procurement of works ,supply and services. This is to ensure efficiency and value of construction projects is essential for civil engineers in the recent economic environment. This helps to ensure the projects are delivered on time and within budget. The NEC3 is recent day family of standards contracts that accept the concept of partnership and promotes designers, both the project managers and contractors work mutually to meet up with up customers aims. According to Humphrey Lloyd the best barrister with regards to construction law experts in world recommend the NEC3 as the suitable law contracts for construction services in the world -wide use. Through his recommendation, NEC3 has rapidly used in more than 20 countries of the world based the application of NEC3 in British and South African government. According to Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) recommends NEC3 to public sector organisation with regards to construction services due to its use to encourage high-quality management system between parties involves in contracts. Also it is an understandable, straightforward document and applied in a wide variety of commercial situations. It helps to satisfy and meet up with clients target aims for all projects with regards to cost, time factor, quality and performance. The NEC3 also is recommended by the office of Government commerce for construction services and both public sector and government make use of it. For example, the London Olympics 2012, Channel Tunnel High Speed and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sites used NEC3.The NEC3 is more suitable to the housing association due to the first and second editions have no provisions to deal with force majeure situations known as unforeseen events causing problems to a project site that may lead to delay of time or from being finished. For example, if a building catch shortly ahead of completion. The insurance may cover up the repair, but their no effect of delay to completion the new NEC3.Under clause 19 NEC3 the Engineering and construction contract grant project managers power to take care of unforeseen event that may stop employers main aim and the project contractor is permitted for compensation for event and its consequences with regards to time and money. The NEC3 will enable the housing association to discover, allocate and handle risk. Under NEC3 options C and D will enable the housing association know what to pay and when to pay it, for example during low inflation, they pay for goods based on the up to date market rates. Under option A provides the project with maximum certainty of price for the employer .under option E enable the contra ctor to face risk on price. While option F deals with cost reimbursable contract in so far that the employer and not the contractor bears the risk on the costs of the works contract. The NEC3 will deliberate to give consistency in the application of its core clauses and its compensation events to the housing association. The options are there prevent disputes for the contract and it permits termination at will for all the main options. However, the NEC3 is flexible and it has six main options to choose from the options to suit the housing association. C: HOW USING A SUITABLE FORM OF CONTRACT THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION CAN REDUCE THEIR MAINTENANCE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT COSTS: According to Sir Michael Latham defined PPC200 as the full Monty of partnering and modern best practice. This is type of contract that deals with multi-party contract and founded by Association of Consultant Architects. This makes available the foundation for the partnering procedure and can be used in any type partnered project of construction services through advice of legal procedure. The PPC200 adopted radical ideas invented by the construction industry council partnering task force that guide Project Team Partnering. It is used by partnering teams that involved various project in public and private sectors From my understanding, the use PPC2000 will be suitable for the housing association to reduce their maintenance construction contract costs due to high level of integration of entire project team under a single multi-party contract and covers the entire duration of the procurement process. For example, the Joint Initiatives and Strategic Alliances under Clause 23.1 set the general key performance indicator (KPI) regime as follows: The Partnering team members shall use reasonable skill and care, within the scope of their agreed roles, expertise and responsibilities and in accordance with the partnering Document, to achieve their respective target as set out in the KPIs. Under Clause 18.1 the risk management the Partnering Team members recognise the risks involved in the design, supply and construction of the project and the costs associated with those risks for efficient maintenance construction contract costs. Also Risk management is specifically addressed with the facility to alloca te the share of risks appropriate to each team member. Besides that, the Clause 4.1 and 4.2 deals with good provision to maintenance costs. For example, Clause 4.2 states measurable continuous improvement by reference to the target and the KPIs.while Clause 4.1 states improved efficiency, cost- effectives, lean product and elimination of waste. There is tremendous mutual understanding between the Partner team member and the KPIs to reduce capital cost and whole list costs reduce accident and reduce the design, supply and construction time under Clause 4.1.PPC200 involves specialists contractors with regards to supply chain and construction processes. There is no provision for liquidated damages with the establishment of a core group. Also the core group helps to check the early warning system system for problems and reviews performance and progress to reduce maintenance construction contract costs. Under clause 6 of PPC200 provides the partnering timetables to direct all partnering team members to partnered performances, prices and supply chain and development of designs. D: SUGGESTION ON HOW MY ORGANISATION COULD REPOSITION ITSELF WITH REGARDS TO FUTURE CONSULTANCY COMMISSION TO THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION. Reposition of procurement strategy: The procurement strategy classifies the suitable way of achieving the aims of the project and value for money, through taking account of the risks involved and constraints, leading to decisions about the funding technique and asset ownership for the project. The objective of a procurement strategy is to accomplish the optimum balance of risk, funding and control to the housing association. Reposition of procurement route: The procurement route delivers the procurement strategy with regards to future to housing association. It comprises the contract strategy that will best meet the housing association needs. An incorporated procurement route ensures that design, operation, construction and maintenance are considered as a whole; it also ensures that the delivery teamwork together as an incorporated project team. Reposition of contract Strategy: the contract strategy decides the level of integration of design, construction and ongoing maintenance to the housing association, and should support the main project objectives in terms of risk allocation, delivery and other problems. There are many different contract strategies to meet up achieving Excellence principles of integration to the housing association. CONCULSION: Despite, the application of NEC3 form of contract as most suitable, I still believe other forms contract is suitable to procurement of construction services and the housing association. For example; PPC2000 was used on over  £9billion of UK construction services by 2004 and has been used in the Middle East on most of the construction services. According to RIDC survey; found that JCT contracts are used in 85% of most construction project.JCT contracts maintain big share in the market despite the increasing use of the NEC3 form of contract in construction projects. Much new building work is done under the JCT 2005 contract which has substitute JCT 1998 contract and is well understood by subcontractor. However, traditional contract is essential with regards to understand the problems and complexities of construction contracts through evaluating the relationship between the employer and the engineer, is easily to understand the obstacles that other forms of procurement try to resolve. In traditional contract, the absence of a warranty there is no contractual relationship between the employer and subcontractor and suppliers of goods and services and the third parties do not have contractual rights. It encourages little cost and time guaranteed. Besides, converting the worlds infrastructure over the coming decades to smooth the progress of a low -carbon -dioxide economy will involve clients and suppliers to have genuine confidence in long -term outcomes and returns. Through trustworthy standardised contracts that sustain project management costs down and project on track. Finally, it need global and updated information on contract status to ensure operated minimum delay and cost are properly controlled REFERENCE/BIBLIOGRAPHY Barse P.(2006) The JCT 05 standard building, sub-contract, UK. Blackwell LTD Brain E. (2009) The NCE3 Engineering and Construction Contract: A Commentary.(UK ) 2nd ed .Oxford Dagenais D. (2003) Construction law and Surety Bonds, Turnkey contracts- the clients perspective Haswell C. Silva D. (1982) Civil Engineering Contracts;Practice and Procedure. England ;Butterworth co Ltd Odeh M. Battaineh H. (2002) Causes of Construction Delay: Traditional Contracts 67 -73 OReilly M. (1999) Civil Engineering Construction Contracts, London 2nd ed , Thomas Telford Publishing Issara N. Rycroff. M. (2000)The JCT 05 Standard building Contract. Law and Adminisraction.2nd ed. Elsesiet LTD. The Daily Journal of Commerce, (2005) Cost Plus contract true costs no obvious,Portland.oregon. http://www.neccontract.com/ [last accessed on 10th Nov 2010] http://www.gmhplanning.co.uk/NEC_newsletter_45.pdf [last accessed 12th Nov 2010] http://www.ice.org.uk/Publications/NEC [last accessed 13th Nov 2010] http://www.hammonds.com/FileServer.aspx?oID=22997 [last accessed 13th Nov 2010] http://www.neccontract.com/PDF_DOC/NEC%20news-46.pdf [last accessed 13th Nov 2010] http://www.ppc2000.co.uk/documents/IntroductionPPC2000-08_000.pdf [last accessed 15th Nov 2010] http://www.minalcon.com/contracts.html [last accessed 22th NOV 2010]

Argumentative Essay: Gun Control Violates The Second Amendment of the Constitution :: Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Civilian ownership of firearms has for more than two hundred years been the very cornerstone upon which the liberty of the public has been supported. The very reason that Americans have never suffered a tyranny on the scale of Nazi-Germany has been due to the proliferation of firearms in the hands of the general public. The Second Amendment to the Bill of rights of the United States Constitution states "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." In order to understand that right, the modern reader must understand the semantics of the eighteenth century. The term "Well Regulated" meant well trained according to James Madison, the principle author of the Constitution. The term militia, according to the Militia Act of 1792, referred to all able-bodied male citizens. The meaning then of the Second Amendment is made quite clear. It is meant to serve as a chain upon the government to prevent the infringement of government power upon the Civil Liberties of Americans. Further proof of this can be seen in a quote from George Madison. "I ask, Sir, What is the Militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." (George Madison, Three Elliot, Debates at 425-426). R ichard Henry Lee, in his Additional Letters from the Federal Farmer of 1788 stated, "A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves.and include all men capable of bearing arms." Title Ten section 331 of the U.S. code states "The Militia of the United States consists of all able bodied men at least seventeen years of age." The founding fathers of the United States believed that government is a necessary evil. They wrote the Bill of Rights, as stated earlier, to serve as a chain, which would limit government power over its citizens. Civilian ownership of firearms would, in the founding fathers' view, be the " American Peoples' liberty teeth." (George Washington). This is to say that, despite attempts by some hypothetical future government to impose a tyranny, the American people would be able to resist it without armed force. The same founding fathers had only thrown off the yoke of tyranny during the revolution. They knew full well the value of an armed citizenry in fighting off tyranny. The minutemen assembled at Lexington and Concord to prevent the Royal Fusiliers from seizing the munitions of the militia as General Gage had ordered (Order of General Gage, April 18,1775).

Curriculum and Cultural Capital relating to Social Justice and Educatio

Education is the process of skills, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding that all children acquire through learning in an institute of education, every individual has an equal right to an education and as a result, an entitlement is provided to all children. However, there are a proportion of children that are at a disadvantaged due to cultural and social indifferences, consequently, for all pupils, education can be seen as the means of a socialising process, which generates a set of principles that may affect many of its learners, Thus the National Curriculum was initiated as an opportunity of equality in addition to an inclusive education, which would provide all its pupils regardless of socio economic backgrounds. However, for a few of the heterogeneous group, the National Curriculum, on the grounds of fairness and opportunities created a socialisation process, which simultaneously is the possibility of why some children achieve, in addition to those who do not. Thus, th e entirety of its pupils has its advantages together with its disadvantages by dividing numerous children into a catalogue of academically able, with the addition of the view being reversed given that this is achieved through the process of social reproduction. Each class has its own cultural background, knowledge, dispositions, and tastes that are transmitted through the family (Bourdieu 1984) which is the predispositions of each student achieving in education. Thus, this essay will consider the ways into which, and how the extent of social justice and education is influenced through cultural capital and the National Curriculum. Cultural capital to some degree is whom you know and what you know. To characterize cultural capital, it is indicated thro... ...al and Cultural Development. London: Continuum. Carr, W. and Hartnett, A. (1996) Education and the Struggle for Democracy. Buckingham: Open University Press. Matheson, D. and Grosvenor, I. (1999) An Introduction to the study of Education. London: David Fulton Publishers. Bartlett, S. and Burton, D. (2007) Introduction to Education Studies. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ayers, W. Quinn, T. and Stovall, D. (2009) Handbook of Social Justice in Education. New York: Routledge. Bates, I and Riseborough, G. (eds). (1993) Youth and Inequality. Buckingham: Open University Press, pp. 142-43. Selfe, P. (2000) Education, Training and Policy. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Payne, G (ed.) (2000) Social Divisions. London: Macmillan. p. 160. BBC NEWS(2001) School test results 'useless' say critics. [online].[ Available] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1684247.stm

The Role of Women in the Society Depicted by Jane Austen in Pride and P

The Role of Women in the Society Depicted by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice 'Pride and Prejudice' is a novel which based in truth, explores relationships between young men and women two hundred years ago. It is not difficult for the reader to comprehend Jane Austen?s point of view, but she presents her arguments in a subtle way. Not only is it an admirable story of love lost and found, with an eventual happy ending, it also tells us a vast amount about society at the time. This, however, contrasts heavily with today's values and behaviours. In particular the role of women then was quite different to the role of women in the present day. Pride and Prejudice is mainly concerned with women of a particular social class - the Bennett Family are not poor, they are above the working class, but they are not extremely rich either. Jane Austen explores the position of young women in this situation by telling a story about what seams to be love, but is actually a novel also about the role of women and how they used love and marriage in life to gain what they wanted. She does this by explaining to the reader about all of the necessities that a woman should have, explaining about the different opinions of the different characters in the novel, which are based on opinions of real people of that time. This gives us, the twenty-first century reader, an insight into the people, the lives and the attitudes of the time. The financial status of women is perhaps the most significant aspect. In ?Pride and Prejudice?, Jane Austen describes the exact financial status of each of the characters. For example, when Mrs and Mr Bennet are talking of Mr Bingley, ?A single man of large fortune, four or five thousand a year. Wha... ...ery differently for the sisters especially as Elizabeth had turned down one proposal. If she had not married Darcy it would be very unlikely that she would have time to meet another man who would marry her as she would be considered to be too old for marriage and therefore not a good match. To me, this novel shows women living a live without fulfilment or interest. Women were seen as objects that completed a household and were looked upon the same as a beautiful statue or piece of art work. This lifestyle seems quite stifling and the lack of rights that women had at this time seems brutally unfair and backwards. The novel shows a society that was extremely judgemental and unforgiving that was too fixed on the theme of marriage where it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman will be in want of a husband in possession of a good fortune.

Madame Curie and a Beautiful Mind: A Comparison

There is a lot to commend about the two movies which are the subjects of this paper. The former is a biographical film about the Polish-French physicist, Marie Curie who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Science and also the first to have won two in the same field; while the latter is also about the life of John Forbes Nash, a Nobel Laureate Mathematician. These two films that tackle at a personal level the lives of prominent individuals have arrived at certain commonalities and distinctions, however unintended. It is the aim of this discussion to identify these similarities and differences in a way that we will also be able to identify some elements of the stories. An assumption however is made which is that a classic film such as Madame Curie may have a lot to learn from relatively modern movie A Beautiful Mind, possibly for any intentions for a remake of the first. The idea of Madame Curie is to be able to reveal the personal characteristics of the great female Physicist; how she came to be popular with her discoveries, and how she had lived her life to the fullest. She was disclosed to us during her early childhood as a poor student who had tendencies of fainting in class because of her unhealthy condition. Her name is Marie Sklodowska. Her enthusiasm in science nonetheless led her to an occasion where at the same time she met her future partner and husband, in the name of Pierre Curie- whom she have met in a soiree which was thrown by Professor Perot’s wife. It was coincidental that the couple is both interested in science being a physicist himself, Pierre at first offered Marie his laboratory then had asked him to marry her in a scientific, logical and philosophical way – this added on to the thrill and fun part of the story. The movie has indeed been successful in being able to combine the factual knowledge about Marie’s work and her social and love cum family life. For instance, her attempt to discover a third radioactive element in the rock which she found to have enough energy to take small photographs also led her to divulge to Pierre’s family about her pregnancy. At the same time, the film has socio-political implications. It has presented to its audience some of the issues and problems in the scientific research and academe. Sorbonne Physics Department for example did not want to provide financial support for the implementation and pursuit of their project. In search for the element, radium, they had to withstand the old building where they had to conduct their experiments. The movie had shown the pain and difficulties of a scientist like Marie Curie only for the sake of knowledge and discovery. The movie hence was able to share virtues that humans need to uphold for development and success such as patience, dedication and hard work. Such grand consequences are expressed in their world tours and vacation, engagement in press conferences and acceptance of Nobel Prize not to mention the new laboratory that was given to them by the University since its discovery’s fulfillment. Yet scientists and intellectuals however serious and devoted people suffer from desperation too especially in the midst of a tragic death of a loved one. It is interesting how the life story of Madame Curie had been translated into a love story too which has a beginning and an end. Marie almost lost her mind with Pierre Curie’s accident. However, the movie’s finale proved itself a movie worthy of remembrance as Marie attended and delivered a speech in the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Radium’s Discovery. To her, science which is her craft and her husband’s too is the way to a better world. Inspiring and challenging indeed are the commentaries of critiques to this much celebrated film in the forties. A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 film about John Nash. The movie evolved from a Pulitzer Prize nominated book in 1998 by Sylvia Nasar. Like the Madame Curie film, the beginning of the story is the early life of Nash in a university setting. He studied then at Princeton where he planned on   his unique perspectives aimed at improving the future of Mathematics as a recepient of Carnegie Scholarship in Math. To most people who did not know John Nash,   the movie may appear to be a story of a schizoprenic. Just like the first movie we dealt with above, A Beautiful Mind is a creative way of presenting the ideas of a genius like Nash while invading his private family and social affairs. For instance, the movie utilized a scene at the bar with his friends where a rejection of him by woman has induced his interest in the concept of governing dynamics, a theory in mathematical economics which became his thesis’ subject. Similar to the interpretation of Marie Curie’s character as physicist; Nash’ mathematical skills led him also to relate and mingle in the practical world using math reasoning and solutions – again to provide excitement among its audience. Like Curie, Nash too got interested in teaching after graduation. He taught Calculus in MIT, but Marie Curie was more driven by Pierre to study further in her area of interest. In the same context, Nash met and fell in love with his student, Alicia Larde whom he married eventually. The movie benefitted from the modern visual effects of the twentieth century in succesfully portraying the paranoia and delusional episodes of the main character. Like Madame Curie, a mixture of happiness, pain, sorrow and difficulties traversed in the various acts in the story. However, unlike the first, this second film has been criticized for the inaccuracies of John Nash’s life in several accounts as portrayed here. Perhaps, an understandable exaggeration of the latter has been advised to make the story more moving and appealing. The main difference with this film against the other one is its more complicated plot and additional conflict elements. The story becomes an action film at the same time when Nash was subjected to a mission of decoding an encryption of the enemy’s telecom at the US Department of Defense. The mission has deepened into an anti Soviet-related plot. The pressures and tensions provoked in the scenes of gunfires had caused Nash to behave erratically. He has turned paranoid which made his wife bring him to a psychiatric hospital where he thought everybody were Soviet kidnappers. The twist of the film is that the other characters like Marcee, the girl he became fond of, Charles, his bestfriend, and Parcher, the secret agent are all products of his hallucinations. The story revolved in this kind of set-up where the three would appear and would tell him things he often believed and reacted to; to the point that one of them, Parcher, has convinced him to kill his wife. Like Madame Curie, A Beautiful Mind is a love story which showed the loyalty, and patience of Alicia to her husband John. Imagine how hard it was for Alicia to join Nash in his psychosis and relieve him of his worries and dilemmas not to mention the almost murderous act of Nash of drowning their baby during bathing. In reality however, John Nash suffered only from auditory hallucinations, not visual. Like Madame Curie, the movie ended in a pleasing way nonetheless, where he earned a Nobel Prize in Economics for his famous Game Theory. In conclusion, Madame Curie film is equally a powerful attempt at telling the real story of Marie Curie while preserving the details of her life. A Beautiful Mind however has evolved into a commerialized film which sought to gain interest among the watchers by complicating and fictionalizing on several scenes. It does not pain however doing this in a similar occasion for a revival of Madame Curie movie. I would suggest an inclusion of twists and conflicts as well; say, infidelity, dishonesty or money and power status competition. In this way, the movie is not only modernized, it also becomes more challenging on the part of the audience and the film makers. It is nevertheless important for any movie to announce which details are made up and which are real.                                             

Christian religion Essay

Many aspects of our Christian religion today have developed because of these early religious beliefs and culture of the Romans. At the beginning, the Roman Empire was able to develop more than any other country because of its acceptance of some areas of culture and religion of its conquered enemies and allowing them to keep their religion and culture, blending the old ways with the new. How little was known, that the paganism belief system of the Roman Empire would eventually lead the way to the new Christianity religion of the world. Paganism, with its gods and goddesses, answered humanity’s problems and provided answers at the whim of these supernatural beings. In the early stages of Greek and Roman culture, mythology answered all questions regarding the origin of the world and of man. (Case, 1929, p. 12) In the early days of Greece and Rome, everything under the sun was explained by the gods and goddesses — humanity was at their whim along depending on their whims, just as today everything we do is explained through the Christian belief of God and Jesus, instead of the Roman gods and goddesses. In Rome, mythology answered all questions while today Christianity answers all of ours in regard to the world and mankind’s problems, all being subject to superhuman beings who have a lot to do with the affairs of mankind. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire under the Emperor Constantine in AD 324 (the Emperor Julian, known to Christians as the Apostate, failed to bring about a pagan revival a few years later), and pagan forms of worship were finally made illegal in 390 by Theodosius. The myths of the pagan gods were particularly vulnerable to Christian attack, as can be seen in Lactantius’ Divine Institutes I 9-22 and Augustine’s City of God. (Rivers, 1994, p. 22) According to Barry Banning’s article entitled, â€Å"The Irony of Faith†, which is part of the research done for his book The Unspoken Power of Rome, he refers to the fact most world religions expect people to believe in something that cannot be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. Researching the fact that Rome had a serious influence on early Christian’s beginning and formation, he also says that people are expected to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proved in normal human experiences. In most of the world religions, people are asked to believe in something that can not be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. They are asked to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proven in normal human experience. And when confronted with numerous, obvious discrepancies, the normal response is â€Å"faith†. Faith is the key to understanding. Faith is the key to believing in concepts that cannot be explained. (Banning, 2001, 1) Over the last several years, most Christians have accepted blindly this philosophy of faith, not realizing how much influence that Rome had on Christianity and how we perceive it today, in its early beginnings. Very little credit was ever historically given to Rome for having any influence on Christianity and how we look at it presently – many Christians refusing to believe that many aspects of Christianity had its origins in the pagan arena of Rome, and in the development of our present social orders. However, most of this credit was because of the way Christians hid inside the Roman Empire, to avoid persecution or death by the Romans. The hardest thing possible was to believe in one God instead of many gods and goddesses, remaining anonymous, while still living as Christians in brutal Rome. Early Christians, facing scorn at best and persecution at worst, depending on Emperor and the era, were forced to blend in with their Pagan counterparts. In order to celebrate the ‘holidays’ of their religion, the Christians used pre-existing holidays and festivals to blend in. Christmas, for example, was originally part of the great festival of the Winter Solstice, or the Saturnalia. By adopting this grand event as the celebration of Christ’s birth, Christian revelry was allowed to take place, largely unnoticed. The Church too manipulated customs and traditions of the Pagan Empire to make their faith more adaptable. (Kousoulas, 2006,1) Christianity had been the official religion of Rome since 392, before Rome’s official fall in 476 when its last ruler, Romulus Augustus, fell under Alaric and the Visigoths in 410 and later destroyed by the Vandals in 455. According to Professor Richard Baldwin at the Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, this fall of Rome would later influence the Middle Ages and its civilizations in classical Greek and Roman cultures, Christianity, and the Germanic culture. With modern science and intellectual knowledge today slowly replacing the word of God and Christian beliefs, public and society religious dedication has become a thing of the past — unwelcome in schools and sports, government buildings, and bringing down the morals of society. We need to look at Rome’s influence on the world accompanied with many other civilizations that were also influential on the world that led to Christianity. The development of human societies was not continuous. It was started several times anew–in India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, and in Western Europe, beginning each time with the primitive tribe and then the village community. But if we consider each of these lines separately, we certainly find in each of them, and especially in the development of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, a continual widening of the conception of mutual support and mutual protection, from the clan to the tribe, the nation, and finally to the international union of nations. (Kropotkin, 1934, p. 17) Christianity today is going through another revival such as in Rome, with many Christians now looking deeply inside – philosophizing and asking inner questions concerning what they have always been told – such as, is Christianity a pure religion in itself, or is it a combination of other religions. As Barry Banning said, previous Christian philosophies and hierarchical leaders told us to never question anything about our churches or what we have been taught. Christians are individuals who have unique mindsets, they are going to grow and change in their perception of the world around them, and this is a time when humanity is asking questions, seeking to find out truths. We are beginning to observe what Christianity is really about, not blindly accepting what we have been told by our superiors. The Roman imprints left from the early Christian development have simply extended an age-old religious philosophy that has long been past due for a change and maybe a needed updated version. Over the centuries, Christianity has not only changed in an intellectual theory but also with the philosophy regarding its impact by Rome. People change and learn in different ways, with continuously changing perceptions that cross many barriers – age, education, beliefs, or culture. Nevertheless, the bottom line is, without Rome we would never have had Christianity. Moreover, today Christianity as a single religion is ranked as the world’s largest religion, with sub-groups being included in this statistic. For the purpose of statistics, Christians refer to varying degrees of religious activity within Christianity – including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches, and others. All of this is very different from the early days of Rome, with terrified Christians being persecuted for speaking and attempting to practice their religion. Yet, no matter where we look regarding Christianity, we find ourself looking also at the Roman Empire and its early heritage and culture, still breathing today inside our churches and religious cultures. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS: Banning, B. (2001). The Unspoken Power of Rome. 1st Edition. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Wellspring Books. Case, S. C. (1929). Experience with the Supernatural in Early Christian Times. New York: The Century Company. Laistner, M. L. (1951). Christianity and Pagan Culture in the Later Roman Empire. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Kropotkin, P. P. A. (1934). The Present Need of Determining the Bases of Morality. New York: Dial Press. Potter, D. S. (2004). The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180-395. New York: Routledge. Rivers, I. (1994). Classical and Christian Ideas in English Renaissance Poetry: A Student’s Guide. New York: Routledge.