Othello Essays (606 words) - Othello, English-language Films

Othello Othello is a Moorish nobleman and soldier of fortune, inclined into the vale of years. Now in the service of the Venetian State as a general against the Turks. Othello is said to be " great of heart," "honorable and valiant," "of a free open nature, that thinks men honest that but seem to be so," and " thus easy victim to the "green eyed monster"...JEALOUSY." At the beginning of the play, Othello appears as a noble, generous, composed man. He is also glamorously happy, both as a general and as a husband to Desdemona. But as we follow the play along we see there is a crack in his personality. Albert Gerard puts it, "[Othello] is the happiness of a spoilt child, not of a mature mind; it is the brittle wholeness of innocence; it is pre-conscious, pre-rational, pre-moral." In this quote Albert Gerard tries to get across that Othello has not had any major obstacles to overcome in his lifetime." Although he was in the army of the Venetian State Othello was still misled by many. One mentioned in the play was Iago, the man whose wife was the mistress of Othello's wife, the fair Desdemona. The real question I think in the play is why Othello would trust Iago over Desdemona? Some critics say it because Iago is a man and back when this play take place it is likely that a man would trust a man before he would trust a woman. But others say it is because Iago just kept nagging at Othello about the matter and he had never cared for a woman so much as he cared for her, and that's what drove Othello over the deep end. What if Iago had mentioned only once that Desdemona had cheated, do you think that Othello might have went and asked his wife or do you think that he would have done the same thing? That's a hard question to anwser because Othello had never had any obstacles like I mentioned before, until know. This obstacle faced by Othello took him by surprise and he didn't have any clue what to do. So as many people would do in a crisis like that, he asked a friend. The friend just happened to be the man that told him, "honest" Iago. Iago, the psychopath that he is, hints to him that he should kill his wife, which is the wrong thing to do, of course. Othello seeking advice takes Iago. By this time Othello has had a lot of time to contemplate and he kills her. The he kills himself and tries to kill Iago, but fails. Are there similar traits between Othello and Iago? Sure there are. Some of which are they both like to be in constant conflict and the are both noble men in the royal court. The two of them had many different traits as well. For one Othello was and honest and caring man. But Iago on the other had been a lying and deceitful man, who only wanted what was best for himself and no one else. By the end of the play Othello had become the complete opposite that he was at the beginning of the play. He was just like Iago. He had murdered his wife and killed himself. Othello as a whole is a well rounded person but as you talk to him and get him riled up you realize that he was many different sides to his personality. The one seen most in this play was his anger/jealousy attitude. This was brought out by Iago, his "friend." Evern though he was so may sides Othello is still a naturally kind person therefore he was brought up by good parents and family. So in conclusion Othello should have just asked Desdemona and all would have ended good.

Medieval Knight essays

Medieval Knight essays New born boys of knights ate their first meals from the tip of their fathers sword in hope that the boy would grow up to be a brave knight because of him eating food slain by his fathers own sword. Being a page had a very tedious part to it. They were used as errand boys, but the boys had to learn to serve if he was to ever become a good knight (Headon 38). Pages were blessed and given a sword and baldric by a priest at the age of fourteen when the page was promoted to a squire. The squires parents were present at a ceremony for their son in which they carried lighted tapers. A squire rode along his master, the knight, into war but by strict rule was not allowed to fight. However, the squire was urged to aid his knight in the heat of battle if he felt his knight was in mortal danger. A Squires whole life was to serve his knight. Squires who wanted to become knights had to stay in shape, so they trained constantly and hard every day to improve their muscle strength and skill with wea pons (Headon 41). Squires who had mastered all the skills were knighted at the age of 21 (Gravett 10). Tournament fields were up to 300 by 100 yards. Tournaments were often between 2 villages were a team of knights from each village charged at the apposing team of knights with lances. When a lance of 1 knight had broke it was a rule that all knights had to dismount from their horses and continue the battle on foot with swords and shields (Gravett). A Popular form of combat during the tournaments was the joust. Some were called Jousts of War as the knights used sharpened lances just as they did on the battlefield. The plane idea was to knock the other person off his horse, but not trying to kill him (Gravett). ...

Public Policy in the American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Policy in the American Government - Essay Example From this study it is clear that after consideration of the various policy solutions, the federal government makes the decision on the best possible policy and may pass a law for the adoption of this new policy. A policy may be adopted following an executive order or after an important ruling by the Supreme Court. The next stage is the implementation process that is determined by the federal administrative agencies tasked with this process. An implementation may also involve punishment for failing to adhere to the set policy. The last stage in policy formulation is the evaluation stage where different agencies involved in policy making determine whether implementation has been successfully carried out. This stage may also involve much debate on whether the implementation has been successful or not and it may form the basis of another policy formulation.This discussion declares that  a particular interest group that will later on lobby the government to address the problem through p olicy formation may identify a problem. Once the problem is brought into the political domain, it becomes a political issue.  During the definition of a problem, conflict arises as different groups define the problem in ways that the policy is likely to suit their interests. Also, identification of the problem will be in such a way that the particular interest group will have control over the decision makers in agenda setting.  

Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Architecture - Essay Example The Tama Art University Library was designed by Toyo Ito. According to Bognar (1985), Ito deals with forms which are pure and abstract. He strives to make building unique by playing with their surfaces, which, in his mind, according to Bognar (1985), â€Å"carry the meaning and the quality of space† (p. 323). The Glasgow School of Art Library was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who, having designed around the turn of the 20th Century, was considered one of the pioneers of modernism (Nuttgens, 1988). Each of these buildings have distinctive features, themes and ways of playing with light, and, in the case of Arets, sound. Each of these buildings resemble one another in critical ways, yet are different as well. This paper will explain the three buildings, their unifying principles and the way that they differ. University Library in Utrecht The qualities embraced by Arets are on display with the University Library in Utrecht. From the outside, at a glance, it appears to be box-like and black, and looks to have a strong aesthetic. The building is made almost entirely of glass, so it reflects the light and the environment. The facade, according to Beek (2005), consists of alternating opaque and transparent panels, glass and concrete. On the glass is printed jungle trees, while the jungle trees are etched, in relief, on the concrete portions of the facade. However, although the building is dark, it plays with light in different ways. McCarter (2012) explains that the building plays with light by alternating the panels of concrete and glass, and some of the glass panels are double paned and slightly off-kilter. This gives the building a three-dimensional effect, and also allows the sunlight to be filtered through and regulated. Between the panels shifting, the alternation between the concrete and the glass, and jungle patterns on the glass and concrete, the building plays with light in a way that is dynamic. Once inside, Beek (2005) describes the interio r as a contrast, as the floor is reflecting and white, and this contrasts with the dark concrete panels. Once the individual comes in through the main entrance, McCarter (2012), states that there is a gallery there, and this leads to a large staircase. The main idea is that the white reflecting floor, and the contrasting dark concrete, is repeated throughout the interior. When one reaches the first level, there is an atrium that is at full height. On the inside, one understands that there are spatial volumes which correspond with the solid outside walls. Meanwhile, the glass panels vertically close the facade line. Beek (2005) states that the interior of the library consists of lecture rooms, bookshelves and archives, all on different levels, and that each of the different levels have a different style. Some of the levels feature open terraces. Some feature rooms which are enclosed with balconies. One meeting room is cantilevered, and facing the atrium completely. There is some colo r inside, notably red, which is the color of some of the fixed furnitures. The textures and relief on the outside glass and concrete turn out to be functional, with regards to the acoustics and the light inside the building, according to Beek (2005). This is because the relief texture on the concrete absorbs the outside sounds. The glass imprintations regulates the sunlight. Therefore, the inside building is silent and open, because of this light and sound regulation. Therefore,

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing of prescription drugs Essay

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing of prescription drugs - Essay Example The Food and Drug Administration is the organization in charge of regulating the DTC marketing. These advertisements are placed through the television, print media, radio and other mass and social media. Regulatory and ethical concerns regarding these advertisements, mostly with concerns on the degree to which these advertisements may excessively influence the prescriptions based on the consumer demands, when in some case, they may not be obligatory has become a contentious issue. My major intend of writing this article is to talk about the significance the DTC marketing among consumers and physicians. Presently, it is only the United States and New Zealand in the whole world that consent to DTC marketing. Print advertisements were only meant for over the counter medications during the 18th century. These adverts led to people believing in the fact that those products could cure alcohol related diseases, obesity and dyspepsia. In the 19th century, there was little oversight on the efficiency and safety of these drugs by the government. By the time, the 20th century was being ushered in, a lot of new products flooded the American pharmaceutical market, while most of them one could doubt their effectiveness. This led to passing of a Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act in 1938 by the congress that ensured safety of the drugs on the market. Later in 1962, the FDA was granted an additional responsibility of regulating advertising of prescription drugs. Growing concerns about these advertisements led to introduction of S. 1082, the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act so as to requ ire a mandatory moratorium on advertising new prescription drugs, a pre-clearance of the DTC advertisements. It also required that certain language be included in these advertisements. These restrictions were removed from the bill due to pressure from the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The AAF contends that these moratoriums would violate the first amendment protection

Bourdieus Theory of Capital, Habitus and Field

Bourdieus Theory of Capital, Habitus and Field How Useful are Bourdieu’s Concept of Field, Habitus, and Capital for Understanding Contemporary Social Theory? Introduction Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) developed his theory of cultural capital, with Jean-Claude Passeron, as part of an attempt to explain differences in educational achievement according to social origin (Robbins, 2005: 22-24): to show ‘that social exclusion is a continuous process’ (Ibid. p 23). In his theory, the cultural and social forms of capital are based on, without being determined by, the amount of economic capital possessed and thus hide or mask the way in which social hierarchies are reproduced. The three forms of capital combine, and are embodied, to produce an individuals habitus, or set of predispositions, whilst the field refers to the arena in which a specific habitus is realised or deployed. For Bourdieu, then, the concepts of capital, field and habitus were ultimately embedded in relations of power (Burkett, 2004: 236) and were part of a complex theory that sought to explain the way that social inequality is reproduced. Many have debated the usefulness of Bourd ieu’s theory to contemporary research (see, for example, Fine in Burkett, 2004; Tooley and Darby in Nash, 1999), while others have debated the degree to which he drew on the founding fathers of sociology, with some concluding that his theory of practice is ‘strongly Weberian’ (Keyes, 2002: 233), or that his concepts draw on the work of Durkheim (Camic, 2000). Here I attempt to asses the degree to which he drew on Marx, Weber and Durkheim when constructing the key concepts of capital, field and habitus, and the usefulness or otherwise of them to contemporary research. In the first section, I outline Bourdieu’s concept of Capital, demonstrating its role within his overall theory before showing the key ways in which his usage differs from that of Marx. Next I examine the debate surrounding the use of the concept within contemporary political science, notably in the work of Robert Putnam (1995). In the second section, I examine Bourdieu’s concept of Habitus, demonstrating its role within his overall theory of cultural capital, before showing the key ways in which his usage differs from that of Durkheim and Weber. Next, I examine the usefulness of the term by examining the debate surrounding its use in educational research in the work of Diane Reay (1995). In the final section, I outline Bourdieu’s concept of the field, discussing its role within his overall theory before finally examining its usefulness to those undertaking feminist examinations of the way that power is experienced as differentiated, especially within the reprodu ction of patriarchy (McNay, 1999). In the conclusion, I attempt to assess the overall usefulness of Bourdieu’s key concepts to the social sciences, arguing that he raided the concepts of the founding father but without having any ideological commitment to them; that his usage reflected his focus on them as tools of practical research. That, however, it is this practical focus that may have contributed to the difficulty experienced by those who now seek clarification as to their meaning. The Forms of Capital In this section I outline Bourdieu’s concept of Capital, demonstrating its role within his overall theory before showing the key ways in which his usage differs from that of Marx. Finally, I examine the debate surrounding contemporary use of the concept within political science, notably in the work of Robert Putnam (1995). For Bourdieu capital can be divided into different forms: social capital, cultural capital and economic capital. By social capital he refers to the network of ‘useful relationships that can secure material or symbolic profits’ (Bourdieu, 1986: 249): the amount of social capital that an individual can draw upon is thus the sum of the number of people in their network and the amount of capital so possessed. Bourdieu further divides cultural capital into three forms: ‘embodied’, ‘objectified’ and ‘institutionalised’: embodied capital is imbued during socialisation, and is ultimately tied to the social location of the individual (Nash, 1999: 185). Embodied capital represents ‘external wealth converted into an integral part of the person’ (Bourdieu, 1986: 244-5). Objectified capital refers to goods or artefacts – including paintings and sculptures which ‘are defined only in the relationship with cultural capital in its embodied form’ (Bourdieu, 1986:246): in other words, the goods themselves and the ability to consume them. Institutionalised capital refers to those academic qualifications which enable an individual to directly convert between cultural and economic capital: ‘a certificate of cultural competence which confers on its holder a conventional, constant, legally guaranteed value with respect to culture’ (Bourdieu, 1986:248). Thus, the different forms of capital are based upon, but not determined by, economic capital. We can see that Bourdieu’s use of ‘capital’ is very different from that employed by Marx. Whereas K arl Marx (1818-1883) had paid little attention to the cultural sphere, believing it to be little more than ‘false consciousness’, Bourdieu sought to use the language of Marx and economic theory (Robbins, 2005: 20) to develop a ‘marxisant’ (Moi, 2000: 322) theory of culture. Like Marx, for Bourdieu capital has the capacity to reproduce ‘in identical or expanded form’ (Bourdieu, 1986:241), becoming part of the structure of society that enables and constrains individual’s lives (Bourdieu, 1986: 242). However, Bourdieu’s use of the term may therefore be viewed as being closer to power (Bourdieu, 1986: 243) than as it was used by Marx. In Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000)[1] Robert Putnam utilised the concept of social capital, transferring it from sociology into the realm of political science. Putnam argued that increasing individualism had led to the decline of community ties, political participation and therefore ‘good governance’ (Russell, 2005: 557). Putnam defined social capital as ‘features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit (Putnam, 1995: 67). However, Putnams’ definition is very different from Bourdieu’s; whereas for Bourdieu social capital was held by the individual (Walters, 2002: 387), for Putnam it is a collective capacity (Ibid. p. 379). Further, within Bourdieu’s conception it would be difficult to see how there could be a reduction in social capital. William Walters (2002) argues that Putnam’s use of the concept differs from Bourdieu’s in that whereas Bourdieu argued that social capital is transferable with economic capital but not reducible to it (Bourdieu, 1986: 243) Putnam’s use is more liberal; he assumes ‘a self-maximising individual for whom associative activity can, under certain circumstances, be an investment’ (Walters, 2002: 379). Ben Fine argues, convincingly, that academia has been gripped by a ‘social capital fetish’ (in Burkett, 2004: 234): that the concept has been so stretched as to render it meaningless (Burkett, 2004: 238). However, the weakening of Bourdieu’s concept of capital has occurred since his death, and so reflects on contemporary theorists and not on the usefulness or otherwise of the concept itself. Habit: Habitus The forms of capital as outlined above combine to produce a persons habitus, or set of predispositions: in this section I first provide a brief summary of the use of habit/ habitus in sociological thought, before next outlining Bourdieu’s use of the term. I examine the concepts role within his schema and demonstrate how his conception draws, but differs from, the work of Durkheim and Weber. Finally, I examine the debate surrounding the use of the concept in educational research, notably by Diane Reay (1995, in Nash, 1999). Charles Camic (200) describes how the term habit was extensively used by the Ancient Greeks, and medieval scholars and theologians. During the 18th century it continued to be used by Enlightenment thinkers as diverse as Helvà ©tius, Acquinus, Rousseau and Kant (Camic, 2000: 329; Nash, 1999: 180-182) to describe a range of behaviour from those ‘virtually automatic’ actions to ‘more involved patterns of conduct’ (Camic, 2000: 327). W ithin the work of Durkheim the term assumed a central importance, concerned as he was with the development of the collective conscience, or secular moral code (Camic, 2000: 334). For Durkheim human action could be divided into two poles, with ‘reflection on the one side, and that of habit on the other side, with the latter pole being the stronger’ (Durkheim in Camic, 2000: 333). For Durkheim primary education was therefore benign, for here the child can be imbued with ‘the habitual basis of social morality’ (Camic, 2000: 33). Yet despite this assertion of the central role of habit in the social world, Durkheim assigned the study of it to psychology, and not sociology (Camic, 2000: 337). However, for Bourdieu social inequality, or differential access to the forms of capital, becomes part of the very bodies and predispositions of the individual via the habitus (McNay, 1999: 99). Marx argued that ‘men make their own history, but [†¦] they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given, and transmitted from the past’ (Marx, 1852, quoted in Coates, 1990: 265): for Bourdieu, the individual is constrained by the amount and quality of cultural, economic and social capital that they possess: it is ‘discrimination embodied as dispositions’ (Nash, 1999: 177), it is thus a sociological concern. Further, whereas Durkheim’s conscience collective sought to explain the way in which meaning is given to emotional experiences (Shilling, 1997: 204) and so focuses on the collective, for Bourdieu the habitus is a possession of the individual (Nash, 1999: 182). For Weber, ‘custom’ designated that range of behaviour that is the ‘unreflective, set disposition to engage in actions that have been long practiced’ (Camic, 2000: 337): being both conformity with and the generator of social norms (Camic, 2000: 338). This is similar to Bourdieu’s ‘sociology of practice’: following Weber, Bourdieu believes that the purpose of the social sciences is to explain action, yet where Weber was more interested in the ‘larger social and cultural conditions under which general societal patterns of habitual action wax and wane’ (Camic, 2000: 341), Bourdieu remains tied to the individual, actual, practical affects of power and history (Bourdieu in Nash, 1999: 179). For Weber, habit falls at the border of meaningful action, and therefore outside of sociology (Camic, 2000: 345), for Bourdieu it is precisely the doxic nature of habit that renders it socially important. Diane Reay (1995) used habitus as a method when conducting fieldwork in the classroom (in Nash, 1999). For Weber, an ideal type is ‘a construct developed to make sense out of a chaos of facts’ (Keyes, 2002: 240). Likewise, for Bourdieu habitus helps us to make sense of ‘that part of practices which remains obscure in the eyes of their own producers’ (Bourdieu in Keyes, 2002: 240): it is a conceptual tool, something to ‘think with’ (Nash, 1999: 185). Roy Nash (1999) charts the difficulties that arise, when such a conceptual tool is utilised in practical research, but concludes that it is ‘worthwhile, just because to do so forces one to think’ (Nash, 1999: 185): the habitus ‘offers explanations’ (Nash, 1999: 185), by examining whether the habitus can explain social differences in education we have gained a deeper understanding of these inequalities. The concept of habit had previously been a ‘staple’ of weste rn social thought, from medieval times to the thought of Weber and Durkheim, but fell outside of sociology and into psychology due to the scramble to assert disciplinary boundaries (Camic, 2000: 355); Bourdieu sought to revive the concept as part of his search for concepts which would aid our understanding of the limits to individual action: it is ‘a conceptual tool for comprehending that the capacity to project forwards which people really posses is understandable as a function of their prior social condition rather than in terms of abstract mathematical models’ (Robbins, 2005: 26). In other words, habitus allows Bourdieu to mediate between agency and structure without relying on the atomised, rational individual of liberalism, instead situating the actor within extant power relations. The Field In the final section I outline Bourdieu’s concept of the field, discussing its role within his overall theory before finally examining its usefulness to those undertaking feminist examinations of the reproduction of patriarchy (McNay, 1999). The ‘field’ refers to the arena, or social context, in which a specific habitus may be realised; knowledge regarding the use of particular machinery may be of little use in the world of show jumping, but of uppermost importance to those involved in car manufacture. Likewise, maintaining a network of engineers would be of little use to those outside this specific field: society in total constitutes a field, and is ‘structured according to relations of domination’ (Peillon, 1998: 215), but also society is comprised by a range of distinct fields: Fields will vary according to how much autonomy they acquire from the entirety of the social field. An autonomous field is characterised by a high level of specificity: it possesses its own history; a particular configuration of agents operate within it and struggle for a distinctive stake; it induces its own habitus and upholds a distinctive set of beliefs. Such an autonomous field is highly differentiated and marked by sharp boundaries, beyond which the field ceases to have any impact on practice (Peillon, 1998: 215). Bourdieu recognised that academia is such a field and therefore is embedded in and reflects social relations. For Bourdieu, then, the field refers to the different arenas or social spaces in which capital is deployed or the habitus acts: ‘the embodied potentialities of the habitus are only ever realized in the context of a specific field’ (McNay, 1999: 109), further, each field is distinct and therefore operates according to its own logic (McNay, 1999: 114): knowledge of sociological theory would be of little use to our aforementioned show jumper. As it is deployed, therefore, habitus is both determined and generative as it is able to constitute the field from which it emerges (McNay, 1999:100); it is the ‘feel for the game’ that also reproduces the game (Bourdieu, 1990: 52) as each individual is positioned within the field by their possession of specific types of capital and their strategies so contribute to its reproduction. When comparing Bourdieu’s conceptualisation of the field with that of Foucault’s work on the body, Lois McNay (1999) finds that Bourdieu’s is the more developed as he is better able to theorize the differentiated nature of the constraints which act to limit the individuals ability to create their own identity (McNay, 1999: 95). For McNay, Bourdieu’s concept of the field is useful within feminist theory when considering the differences within women’s experiences of gender, as well as those differences between men and women (McNay, 1999: 114): ‘as a relational concept the field yields an understanding of society as a differentiated and open structure and provides a framework in which to conceptualise the uneven and non-systematic ways in which subordination and autonomy are realized’ (McNay, 1999: 115, my emphasis). For example, in relation to the production of knowledge this might explain the early marginalization of much feminist resear ch and the way it was the thought of a particular group of women – white, heterosexual, middle class women – that came to dominate second wave feminism, as opposed to the feminisms of other groups: in short, Bourdieu’s concept of the field enables us to consider the way that power is not a monolithic concept but is experienced differentially. Conclusion In conclusion, when assessing the overall usefulness of Bourdieu’s key concepts to contemporary research and theory it is important not to forget the intention of Bourdieu himself: Bourdieu intended capital, habitus and the field to be tools used to aid such empirical research (Peillon, 1998: 241) and not as constituent parts of a ‘grand theory’: he had no interest in ‘speculative philosophy’ (Robbins, 2005: 15). Bourdieus’ theory has been criticized as being essentialist and deterministic, however others have embraced its potential to explain the way in which such social inequality is reproduced (such as Reay, 1995 in Nash, 1999). Derek Robbins argues that Bourdieu had ‘no sympathy for the mystery of Durkheim’s conscience collective’ but was enough a product of the ‘Durkheimian legacy’ to wish to encourage a future society based on the positive unity of equality (Robbins, 2005: 19). For Robbins then, Bourdieu: regarded the discourses of the sciences as contrived language games which are alienated from natural culture. This did not cause him to be reductive or sceptical but it did cause him to deploy these discourses, varying them imaginatively, so as to isolate essences which are contingently changeable socially, geographically and historically (Robbins, 2005: 20). In other words, the language of the sciences were the tools that Bourdieu used in his practical attempt to construct a fairer world. However, it is this practical focus of his concepts that may have contributed to the difficulty experienced by those who now seek clarification as to their meaning, as he had varied their meaning to aid understanding of the particular instance under scrutiny. Having drawn on the work of the founding fathers of sociology – Marx, Durkheim, Weber – he felt no ideological commitment to these concepts, but instead felt free to move between discourses to better understand (Robbins, 2005: 20). Thus the concept of habit and/ or habitus that had been a ‘staple’ concept in western social thought, (Camic, 2000: 355) which Bourdieu sought to revive as part of his search for concepts which would aid our understanding of the limits to individual action. Keyes argues that Bourdieu’s use of habitus is as a Weberian ‘ideal typeâ⠂¬â„¢ (2002: 239), I argue that his use of capital and the field are as similar ‘ideal types’. His concept of capital may have been weakened, as Ben Fine argues, by academia’s subsequent stretching (Burkett, 2004: 238), however this weakening occurred after his death, and so should not reflect negatively on the usefulness of the concept. Indeed, it is this flexibility that renders it an appropriate tool. Finally, his notion of the field is useful when considering the differentiated affects of power: Bourdieu remains good to ‘think with’ (Nash, 1999: 185). Bibliography Bourdieu, Pierre (1990) The Logic of Practice, Cambridge: Polity Press. Bourdieu, Pierre (1986) ‘The forms of Capital’, Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, Richardson, J (Ed.), London: Greenwood Press, pp241-258. Burkett, Paul (2001) ‘Book Review: Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium’ by Ben Fine, London: Routledge, Historical Materialism, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 233-246. Camic, Charles (2000) ‘The Matter of Habit’, Pierre Bourdieu: Volume One, Robbins, Derek (Ed.), London: Sage, pp. 323-366. Coates, D (1990) ‘Traditions of Social Thought’, Social and Cultural Forms of Modernity, Anderson, J Ricci, M (Eds.), Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Keyes, Charles F. (2002) ‘Weber and Anthropology’, Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 31, pp. 233-255. McNay, Lois (1999) ‘Gender, Habitus and the Field: Pierre Bourdieu and the Limits of Reflexivity’, Theory, Culture and Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 95-117. Moi, Toril (2000[1991]) ‘Appropriating Bourdieu: Feminist Theory and Pierre Bourdieu’s Sociology of Culture’, Pierre Bourdieu: Volume IV, Robbins, Derek (Ed.), London: Sage, pp. 314-341. Nash, Roy (1999) ‘Bourdieu, Habitus, and Educational Research: Is it all Worth the Candle?’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 175-187. Peillon, Michel (1998) ‘Bourdieu’s Field and the Sociology of Welfare’, Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 213-229. Putnam, Robert (1995) ‘Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, An Interview with Robert Putnam’ in Journal of Democracy, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 65-78. Robbins, Derek (2005) ‘The Origins, Early Development and Status of Bourdieus Concept of ‘Cultural Capital’’, The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 13-30. Russell, Andrew (2005) ‘Political Parties as Vehicles of Political Engagement’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 555-569. Shilling, Chris (1997) ‘Emotions, Embodiment and the Sensation of Society’, The Sociological Review, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 195-219. Walters, William (2002) ‘Social Capital and Political Sociology: Re-imagining Politics?’ Sociology, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 377-397. Footnotes [1] New York, N.Y.: Simon Schuster.

Colonization In America :: US History Colony American

Before Europeans had ever set foot on North America the continent was a vast land made up of various Native American nations that had their own distinct cultures, history and social hierarchies. The Natives here possessed all of the aspects that human beings all over the world incorporated into their societies. They had social structures, trade routes and relationships between various Native groups and were by no means a cluster of heathens waiting to be discovered by white Europeans who would come to claim the land they have lived on for thousands of years. Upon their arrival on the continent that was often tagged as The New World the three prevalent European countries that established colonies in North America England, France and Spain each took fundamentally different approaches to establishing their colonies and forming relationships with the native inhabitants. There were many various reasons for why each European country chose to participate in the colonization and their affair s with Indians in the ways they had. The country itself and the goals it had set for establishing settlements in the New World along with the location of the settlement and the Indians that they would be confronting as a result of their settlement are all interesting aspects that play vital roles in why each colonial society differed from one another in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish in the New World landed their ships and set up Catholic monasteries in Florida as well as the area now known as New Mexico. The Spanish who have had a long history of coexisting in Spain with the Mores brought some of their conventional diplomacy with them when they attempted to establish permanent settlements in the New World. Although a large portion of Spain's reasoning behind occupying land in the New World was the conversion of Native Americans as well as gaining gold, wealth and power just like the Conquistadors had done in the past from conquering the Aztecs. Spain brought a sort of diplomacy with them when they tried to coexist their culture and peoples with that of the native inhabitants of Florida. This approach was probably just as much done out of necessity than modern European kindness, because the Spanish settlers who founded the string of settlement towns in Florida were vastly outnumbered by their Indian counterparts.

Boundaryless organization

Jack Welch of General Electric (GE) coined the phrase â€Å"The Boundaryless Organization†. He believed and has been proven correct, that GE would be much more effective if the cultural, geographical and organizational barriers that separated the employees become more permeable. He put emphasis on the boundaries’ ability to enable business, rather than get in its way. In the next era of the information age, we will expect to have information from multiple parts of the enterprise at our fingertips, all integrated to suit our specific needs, instantly available, across geographies, time zones and organizational structures.In order to achieve that and to enable the information age to realize its full potential, we need to allow â€Å"Boundaryless Information Flow† – a continuous secure stream of information seamlessly flowing within and among enterprises, across permeable boundaries. To achieve Boundrayless Information Flow, a top manager in an organization n eeds to put in place infrastructure services that bring data sources together and provide that information to those users and applications that need it. Creating the environment for integrated information has been a challenge.What more once regarded as necessary boundaries between the different stages in operational processes designed to achieve the benefits of specialization, now represent silos delivering outmoded solutions, which do not allow for the sharing of information. Barriers at the business and technical level must be broken down. If we take the case and strategic history of JetBlue and put it in the concept of Jack Welch, in my opinion the easiest boundary to remove was the â€Å"cultural boundry† in the whole organization that diverted their direction from bottom to top.For e. g. , simply by implementing the snacks serving instead of food in the flight have ease the passengers of every region, since food is always region specific but snacks are commonly taken in every part of the world. Further this step removed trolley movement within the flight i. e. also a strong step towards passenger comfort. Secondly, the most difficult boundary to remove for JetBlue would be the geographical boundaries.Since, assessing in the synopsis the overall performance of JetBlue, it witnesses their success because of their operation in specific region. However, in my opinion it would be real difficult to further enhance their operations in other regions since the attitude and working environment JetBlue have developed, cannot be managed in every part of the world. (for more details, see the www. opengroup. org/downloads official site)

Customer Service Legislation Essays

Customer Service Legislation Essays Customer Service Legislation Essay Customer Service Legislation Essay The goods supplied to customers and the customer service provided is influenced by certain factors in UK. The way that the products are sold: Effects on customer service of regulating the nature and standards of products: * Sale of Goods Act, 1979 the product must be sold according to the description and satisfactory quality also fit for purpose. For example at Thorpe Park they cannot advertise the tickets for a certain price and sell it at different price at the gates. * Supply of Goods and Services Act, 1982 services must be at merchantable value and at practical rates. For example if customers book for two tickets and they only have 1 ticket given. * Food Safety Act, 1990 the food must be quality and up to standards. For example at Thorpe park restaurants they cannot sell food which is decayed or has passed its sell by date. Not all of these are linked with Thorpe Park but the Food Safety Act is an important because there are restaurants in the park which supply food to customers at Thorpe Park. Price The price displays are also very important and there is a law for this too. The Prices act 1974 and 1975 is controlling the price displays. They require prices to be indicated on goods or services offered by businesses. It is illegal for Thorpe Park to mislead the customers by displaying wrong pries for entering the park and using the rides. Age restrictions Varies legislations restricts sales on products to children. These products are such as tobacco, alcohol and lottery tickets. This also does not apply to Thorpe Park. The ways that the products are advertised and promoted are also a part of legislation. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is an authority which controls advertising in UK. Advertisements must be legal, decent, honest and truthful, prepared with responsibility of customers and society and in the line with fair competition. The ASA has the power to force a business to remove their advertisement. Thorpe Park must comply with this advertising and promotion law. They need to be honest about their park and rides to show that they care for their customers and they are reliable. There are many laws which control what information a business should provide for their customers on their products. Thorpe Park must comply with these laws. They must provide information about their rides for their customers. For example they must make sure that height restrictions are clearly written where customers can see. Not complying with legislation and implications If a business does not comply with legislation they may need to face some negative effects. The criminal law There is some legislation which is covered by criminal law and if the business breaks the laws they will be a criminal offence and the business is then forced to be: * Prosecuted * Fined * People responsible may be imprisoned Some of the main criminal laws in UK are: * Trade Descriptions Act 1968 an Act of which prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on. * Consumer Protection Act 1987 this act affect the producer of the product not the supplier and it allows the person injured to contact authorities about the damage that has been made to them. * Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 under this act the customers are expected to be entoleted to the goods which should be satisfactory quality, fit for any particular purpose made known to the seller; and the good is as it was described. These acts also affect Thorpe Park. For example the trade descripcitions act prevents Thorpe Park to promote the attraction by misleading customers by saying that there are rides which cannot be found at the Park. The Consumer Protection Act also affects Thorpe Park because if a customer is injured on rides they have the right to complain about this. The Sale and Supply of Goods Act affects the Park by making sure that they check all rides everyday so they are sure that it does work properly and it is also a health and safety procedure also to make sure they work as a part of the quality and they will have to make sure the rides are as they have been described to the customers. Other negative effects it may have on business are that the products may be seized at the court, the business activity may be restricted, and the image of the business may be damaged. Thorpe Park must comply with legislation because it is a very big business and very popular in UK. They need to make sure that their image is not affected by anything. They need to make sure that their business is running smoothly without any implications. Safe Working Businesses have to operate in a safe environment; they must have policies to ensure the safety and security aspects. For Thorpe Park safety at work is a big issue. The business is responsible for safety of customers, visitors, personnel and security procedures. Safety of Customers Businesses must make sure that their customers are safe and secure. A business must be sure that the products they sell are safe and legislation is there to prevent businesses selling harmful products. Business which provides harmful products may pay fines or other penalties. Machinery is particularly important for safety purposes. The business must be definite that the machinery is fitted and operates and there are no electrical faults. Thorpe Park has various rides and they are responsible for safety of customers by making sure that the rides are functioning properly. They do this by testing the rides on daily basis. Thorpe Park is also responsible of making sure that the staffs are trained so in an emergency they are there to provide help and make sure the customers are secured when on the rides. Safety of Customers and Visitors A business is liable for safety of its customers and visitors. If there is a visitor at the premises they need to be sure that the visitor is safe. Staff also needs to be trained for emergency purposes. Thorpe Park is liable to make sure that their staff is trained. They train their staff for facts such as first aid, evacuation procedures, using the rides and other safety points. Safety of Personnel It is imperative that the staff at a business is safe. If a staff is injured at work they have the right to: * Take time off * Covered by other workers during their absence * Become less motivated * Return and become less productive * Lave altogether * Sue the business and claim compensation The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the legislation which protects the employees. For a business like Thorpe Park they have a major liability for the safety of their personnel. They must make sure that the working environment is safe and employees are not injured.

René Descartes Proofs of Gods Existence

Renà © Descartes Proofs of Gods Existence Renà © Descartes (1596-1650) Proofs of Gods Existence is a series of arguments that he posits in his 1641 treatise (formal philosophical observation) Meditations on First Philosophy, first appearing in Meditation III. of God: that He exists. and discussed in more depth in Meditation V: Of the essence of material things, and, again, of God, that He exists. Descartes  is known for these original arguments that hope to prove Gods existence, but later philosophers have often critiqued his proofs as being too narrow and relying on a very suspect premise (Hobbes) that an image of God exists within mankind. In any case, understanding them is essential to understanding Descartes later work Principles of Philosophy (1644) and his Theory of Ideas. The structure of Meditations on First Philosophy - whos translated subtitle reads in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated - is fairly straightforward. It begins with a letter of dedication to The Sacred Faculty of Theology in Paris, where he submitted it originally in 1641, a preface to the reader, and finally a synopsis of the six meditations that would follow. The rest of the treatise is meant to be read as if each Meditation takes place a day after the one prior. Dedication and Preface In the dedication, Descartes  implores the University of Paris (Sacred Faculty of Theology) to protect and keep his treatise and posit the method he hopes to ascribe to assert the claim of Gods existence philosophically rather than theologically. In order to do this, Descartes  posits he must make an argument that avoids critics accusations that the proof relies on circular reasoning. In proving the existence of God from a philosophical level, he would be able to appeal to non-believers as well. The other half of the method relies on his ability to demonstrate that man is sufficient to discover God on his own, which is indicated in the Bible and other such religious scriptures as well. Fundaments of the Argument In preparation of the main claim, Descartes discerns thoughts could be divided into three kinds of operations of thought: will, passions and judgment. The first two cannot be said to be true or false, as they do not pretend to represent the way things are. Only among judgments, then, can we find those sorts of thoughts representing something as existing outside of us. Descartes examines his thoughts again to discover which are components of judgment, narrowing his ideas into three types: innate, adventitious (coming from the outside) and fictional (produced internally). Now, adventitious ideas could have been created by Descartes himself. Although they do not depend on his will, he might have a faculty producing them, like the faculty that produces dreams. That is, of those ideas that are adventitious, it might be that we produce them even if we do not do so willingly, as it happens when we are dreaming. Fictional ideas, too, could have clearly been created by Descartes himself. For Descartes, all ideas had a formal and objective reality and consisted of three  metaphysical principles. The first, nothing comes  from nothing, holds that in order for something to exist, something else must have created it. The second holds very much the same concept around formal versus objective reality, stating that more cannot come from less. However, the third principle states that more objective reality cannot come from less formal reality, limiting the objectivity of the self  from affecting the formal reality of others Finally, he posits that there is a hierarchy of beings that can be divided into four categories: material bodies, humans, angels, and God. The only perfect being, in this hierarchy, is God with angels being of pure spirit yet imperfect, humans being a mix of material bodies and spirit, which are imperfect, and material bodies, which are simply called imperfect. Proof of Gods Existence With those preliminary theses at hand, Descartes dives into examining the philosophical possibility of Gods existence in his Third Meditation. He breaks this evidence down into two umbrella categories, called proofs, whose logic is relatively easy to follow. In the first proof, Descartes argues that, by evidence,  he is an imperfect being who has an objective reality including the notion that perfection exists and therefore has a distinct idea of a perfect being (God, for example). Further, Descartes realizes that he is less formally real than the objective reality of perfection and therefore there has to be a perfect being existing formally from whom his innate idea of a perfect being derives wherein he could have created the ideas of all substances, but not the one of God. The second proof then goes on to question who it is then that keeps him - having an idea of a perfect being - in existence, eliminating the possibility that he himself would be able to do. He proves this by saying that he would owe it to himself, if he were his own existence maker, to have given himself all sorts of perfections. The very fact that he is not perfect means he would not bear his own existence. Similarly, his parents, who are also imperfect beings, could not be the cause of his existence since they could not have created the idea of perfection within him. That leaves only a perfect being, God, that would have had to exist to create and be constantly recreating him.   Essentially, Descartes proofs  rely on the belief that by existing, and being born an imperfect being (but with a soul or spirit), one must, therefore, accept that something of more formal reality than ourselves must have created us. Basically, because we exist and are able to think ideas, something must have created us.

Security Management Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Management Plan - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss security management plan that Quick Response Security will adopt in its effort to provide adequate security to its clients. Being the owner of Quick Response Security (QRS), my objective is to have a positive relationship with our customers as well as initiating conductive working environment with my employees. I highly value my employees for without creating a positive relationships with my workers, the company will not achieve its goals (Sullivan & Steven, 2003). This is depicted on the recruitments and training strategies that are focused on improving the performance of new and existing workers. Appropriate matrix for hiring trained personnel The most vital element in the security provision fraternity is the work force that basically entails the human resource. Qualified and trained personnel are major consideration in setting up the work force in the firm. Quick Response Security undergoes quite a comprehensive recruitment drive in order to ensure that right personnel are hired to undertake the laid down duties. Customer satisfaction is one of the key goals of Quick Response Security. ... Experience Education background Honesty and Trustworthiness Psychological qualifications Observance in terms of one’s behavior Physical, mental qualifications Background investigations These guidelines will assist in selecting the best employees in the company. Various departments have been created in order to ensure that each employee undertakes his/her assignment properly. The table below indicates various positions and their qualifications. Department Qualifications Operations Manager A degree in information technology or any field related to security systems 5 years of relevant working experience in a security firm Information security specialist 1. A degree in information technology 3 years experience in a busy security firm Ability to work with minimal supervision Human resource personnel A degree in human resource management At least 4 years of work experience Knowledge in the management of security firms personnel Security guards A diploma in management 3 years working experience in a security firm Ability to work with minimal supervision. These criteria will ensure that the right people are taken for the job. After the recruitment, the employees will be taken through some training sessions to familiarize themselves with the operations at Quick Response Security. Policies laid down to address issues and concern of privacy in intelligence gathering and surveillance. Intelligence gathering and surveillance control systems are vital for the success of any security firm. In order for us to be a step ahead from our competitors in the security provision industry, we have invested a lot in security technology. High-tech surveillance devices have been put in place in order to enhance our services. Some of the devices include: closed-circuit television (CCTV),

Case Study on McDonalds Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On McDonalds - Case Study Example The business model implemented has enabled the firm to consistently offer restaurant experiences that are relevant to the local customers and become part of the local communities. A swot analysis of McDonald’s is as below. McDonald has developed a very strong global grand and is highly ranked by Fortune Magazine in its category. It has also successfully portrayed itself as community oriented and socially responsible company that caters for the different cultures it serves. Strong global market presence is another key strength that is barked with the franchise business model that has made it easy to expand and manage the vast locations without much ease. The company’s location strategy also works for its business i.e. most stores are excellently located in parks, airports and Wal-Mart stores as well as other prime places. Its adherence to guidelines on safety of food and provision of nutritional information to its customers also helps in growing customer intimacy. A major weakness of McDonald’s has to do costs of doing business; it has to expend lots of money on training as a result of high staff turnover. It has also concentrated a lot on the fast foods such as burgers instead of the more healthier and organic food types. Its franchise model of operation also faces concerns to with quality as the different franchise owners may not offer the same level of quality. A concern to investors arises from the large variations in the company’s profits while its limited variation of seasonal foods impacts on customer confidence. McDonald’s therefore needs to address these weak points in order to maintain its brand recognition. Due its global position and the franchise business model the company has unique opportunity to further expand to every part of the globe. It can also grow its image by responding fast social changes and customer demands in terms of health. Its Wifi service