The Frustrations of Teachers about Students’ Behavior

Careers and Colleges It is difficult for first time job hunters to have realistic ideas about how to profit from their skills. This is why it is important to investigate what career you may be interested in and what colleges will enable you to excell in that career. The profession that I am interested into going into is an elementary school teacher. Fordham University and New York University are two colleges that offer excellent elementary education programs. Throughout this report I will be discussing information related to the career as well as information dealing with the colleges. Career: Elementary School Teacher Work Description School teachers at the elementary level introduce children to the basic concepts of mathematics, language, science, and social studies. They aid children in the development of good study and work habits and help them aquire the skills necessary for further education. They evaluate each child and work with parents to provide whatever help a child may need to develop his or her full potential. Elementary school teachers are also concerned with the social development and health of their students. They work to resolve behavior or personality problems and are alert to health problems or illness. In these early years, teachers try to give students as much individual attention as possible. Elementary school teachers usually instruct one class of children in several subjects. They are occupied directly with children for most of the school day, although they also prepare lessons, meet with parents, attend faculty meetings, and supervise activities after school. Working Conditions Seeing students develop new skills and gain an appreciation of knowledge and learningn can be very rewarding. However, teaching may be frustrating when the teacher has to deal with unmotivated and disrespectful students. Teachers may also expeirience stress when dealing with large classes and heavy workloads. Teachers face isolation from their colleagues since they often work alone in a classroom of students. However, this autonomy provides teachers with freedom to choose there own teaching methods. Including school duties performed outside the classroom, many teachers work more than 40 hours a week. Most teachers work the traditional 10-month school year with a 2-month vacation during the summer. Teachers who teach 10 months may teach in the summer, take other jobs, travel, or persue other personal interests. Many inroll in college course or workshops to continue their education. Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule usually work 8 weeks, and are on vacation for 1 week, and have a 5-week midwinter. Places of Employment Elementary teahcers work in every geographic area. They work in cities and towns of all sizes and in rural areas throughout the United States. Elementay school teachers generally work in elementary schools. The grades in elementary schools vary but many schools consist of kindergaten through fifth grade. Although it changes from state to state, the elementary level usually includes kindergaten through sixth grade. Education and Training All states and the District of Columbia require that elementary school teachers in the public schools be certified by the state board of education, the state superintendent of eduaction, or a certification advisory commitee. The general prerequisites are a bachelor†s degree, completion of an approved teacher education program, and a period of supervised teacher education program. Many states require a certain grade point average in education courses before granting certification. Certification may also be specific to the level being taught or it may be specific to a specialization. Many teacher education programs include courses in the psychology of learning, child development, and teaching methods. Thirty-five ststes test basic skills, teaching skills, or specific subject matters for those seeking certification, and almost all require continuing certification for recertification. Teachers can also earn regional or national accreditation, the lattter granted by the National Council for Accreditation of Teaching Education (NCATE). Teachers in private schools are not generally required to take a teacher†s education program, and private schools often do not require the bachelor†s degree. Job Outlook In 1986 there were more than 1. 5 million elementary school teachers for about 30 million students in classes from kindergarten through the eigth grade. More than 80 percent work in the oublic school system and teach in schools with classes from kindergarten through the sixth grade. Through the year 2000 the demand for elementary school teachers should increase in response to increased enrollments. However, the number of teachers is also expected to increase, so there should be strong competition for jobs. Oppurtunities are likely to be better in the West and the South, where population has risen dramatically in the past decade. Hiring for the public schools depends entirly on budget appropriations, which depend in turn on taxpayers† priorities. Despite the importance of teaching, education competes with other essential services for revenue dollars. Salary Range According to the National Education Association, the estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 1995-1996 school year was $37,900. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers. In 1996, over half of all public school teachers belonged to unions-mainly the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association-that bargain with school systems over wages, hours, and the terms and conditions of employment. In some schools, teachers receive extra pay for coaching sports and working with students in extracurricular activities. Some teachers earn extra income during the summer working in the school system or in other jobs. Personal Characteristics/Related Occupations/Promotions Elementary school teachers require a wide variety of skills and aptitude, including a talent for working with children; organizational, administrative, and recordkeeping abilities; research and communication skills; the power of influence, motivate and train others; patience; and creativity. Workers in other occupations that require some of these skills are college and university faculty, counselors, education administrators, employment interviewers, librarians, preschool teachers, public realations specialists, sales representatives, social workers, and trainers and employee development specialists. With additional preparation, teachers may move into positions as school librarians, reading specialists, curriculum specialists, or guidance coundelors. Teachers may also become administrators or supervisors, although the number of these positions is limited and competition for these desirable positions can be intense. In some systems, highly qualified, expeirienced teachers can become senior or mentor teachers, with higher pay and additional responsibilities. They guide and assist less expieienceed teachers while keeping most of their teaching responsibilities. Also a teacher may receive a promotion in pay with the completion of additional teaching courses. With each year a teacher teaches in a certain district, the pay increases. What you can do now to prepare There are many things that one can do to prepare for a career of elementary education. Someone who would like to become an elementary teacher should try finding a part time or volunteer job involving children. Such jobs include preschool teachers, camp counselors, or even baby-sitting. By working with children you will show yourself whether or not you have the dependability, good judgement, creativity, and patience that one must have in order to become a elementary teacher. Lifestyle Implications Despite what many people think, the teaching profession does not end when school is over. There are many lifestyle implications for teachers. Many things must be done at home. Such things include the planning of lessons, the grading of tests, homework corrections, faculty meetings, supervising extracurricular activities as well as the physical strain of being in charge of 25 children for six to seven hours a day for five days a week. Many people have thoughts of going into the teaching profession for the reason that they think they have summers off and that work ends when school does but this is not true. Reasons for Choosing the Career I think everyone has there own reasons for choosing teaching as there profession, but most teachers have similar reasons. Most teachers go into teaching because they want to educate and see children learn. One gets a feeling of satisfaction when they get through to children and see that the students are learning. I think most teachers go into the career because they care very much for children. When the school year is over, a teacher can look back at the year and realize that it is because of them that the children learned and are ready to go on with there education to a higher level of learning. One should be sure about teaching before entering the field because it is a very big profession to take on. Geographic Job Index How to Break into the Field Professional Associations/Periodicals In 1996, over half of all public school teachers belonged to unions. The two main associations are the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. These associations deal with a large range of issues and challenges affecting the teaching profession. They bargain with school systems over wages, hours, and the terms and conditions of employment. Both of these association have there own periodicals that deal with education-realted issues afeecting the profession.

Commanding Heights Essay

†¢ Episode 1: The Battle of Ideas begs a comparison between socialism and capitalism. †¢ It traces the world’s economic history from the early 1900’s to the events following 9/11. †¢ Asks the question which is a better and more foolproof economic system government control or free markets? †¢ It delves into how the First World War impacted two brilliant economists, Keynes and Hayek. And then follows both Keynes and Hayek through their respective career paths (Keynes role as an advisor to the British Government on wartime economy and Hayek as an Austrian soldier). †¢ Keynes predicted that the result of the treaty of Versailles and demanding reparations from an already bankrupt Germany and Austria would cause another war, The Second World War. †¢ Meanwhile Hayek and his disciple Zlabinger fought against hyper inflation and encouraged free markets. †¢ Simultaneously the American Economy was booming, till October 24th, 1930 when the great depression hit and unemployment soared and industry stopped and half of the US banks were closed down. †¢ During this time Keynes’s theory of government intervention helped lead the way out of the problem (Keynes wrote about Macroeconomics). †¢ Meanwhile Lenin had introduced the New Economic Policy which consisted of grass root level capitalism but the commanding heights would still be under the government. The reform was met with scrutiny from the left, soon after Stalin took power and employed centralised planning of every economic aspect. †¢ Owing to the recovery from the Great Depression and Keynes’ key role in the Breton Woods Conference, in America Keynesianism took control and Hayek faded into the background. †¢ In Britain a welfare state and socialism built the country back from the bottom up. †¢ Newly independent countries like India also employed Keynesian methods, allowing for State led industry. †¢ One third of the world followed aspects of socialism until Churchill and Margaret Thatcher and Keith Joseph were influenced by Hayek’s book, ‘Road to Serfdom.’ †¢ In Germany, Ludwig Erhard stopped price control and re-started the free market economy to combat hyperinflation. The success of his risky decision led to the German Economic Miracle. †¢ While Keynes’ still had a strong hold over Washington, a Chicago School of Economics was created and it emphasised Hayek’s theory as a measure to battle stagflation. †¢ Finally Thatcher’s election and confidence in Hayek’s theory allowed for free markets to be established again. Thus, after a period of a century came back to where it was at the beginning of the century, back to free markets.

Media’s Negative Effect on Women Body Image

I. Images in the media are having a negative impact on female body image and has given society a blurred meaning as to â€Å"beautiful† A. Models 1. Models give an unrealistic view of the ideal woman; they give the idea that you cannot be beautiful unless you are thin. 2. â€Å"The average model is taller and weighs 23 per cent, or almost a quarter, less than the average woman who is 5'4†³ and weighs 148 lbs. † (Canadian Women’s Health) 3. Model’s bodies have been getting thinner by the years, and as the bodys keep slimming down women and girls in society are becoming more unhappy with their selves. B. Economic goals . â€Å"There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40bn to $100bn in the US alone – more than the combined value of the government's budget for health, education and welfare. † (Cummings) 2. By the media presenting an almost impossible ideal to get and maintain, the cosmetic and diet industry becomes profitable. 3. Ads are directed mostly to younger girls purposely. C. Health issues 1. Exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. . The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control (bulimia, anorexia, excess exercising, laxatives, skipping meals. ) 3. This has even affected younger girls, as low as 5-6 years old. 4. Nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinner, and as a result have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting. (Tiggeman) 5. Researchers generating a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions, for example, found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A  real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. II. Although the damage has been well done, by eliminating the fake women pictures and providing the society with a healthier view of themselves, women’s views about themselves would be a lot healthier and they would feel uch happier. A. Although these campaigns have just started with their healthy ideas, many companies have tried to help with this problem and have received much positive feedback. 1. In 2004, Dove launched the very successful Campaign for Real Beauty which features real women, not models, advertising Dove's firming cream. (Dove) 2. Dove has also recently launched a new campaign, 3. In Septem ber 2006, a news and media furor erupted when Spain banned overly thin models from its fashion runways. 4. Dove produced this video in response to the negative comments of the changes of the company’s models called Evolution which shows the transformation from a regular women to a model and how unrealistic perceptions of beauty are. 5. In 2010, Dove ® set out a bold new vision for the brand with the Dove ® Movement for Self-Esteem. ( Dove) III. Not everyone agrees, however, that this is something wrong. A. The people that prosper from these ideas say 1. Women need to have more self control. a. It’s not like women can just avoid these ads, they are everywhere and have come to dominate our society. Depression and low self-esteem is not something that women want to have. Not everyone is born the same. 2. Obesity is a problem, thinner is healthier. a. Thinner can be healthier because obesity has become a growing issue but the media has taken it to their advantage. b. The thinness shown in magazines and models is not healthy, the models are always underweight which leads to fainting and serious health conditions including malnutrition. Works Cited â€Å"Beauty and Body Image in Media. † Media Awareness Network. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . Cummings, Laura. â€Å"The diet business: Banking on Failure. † BBC news. N. p. , 05/02/2003. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . â€Å"Body Image and the Media. † Canadian's Women's Health Network. N. p. , 2005. Web. 20 Nov 2011. . â€Å"The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. † Dove. Dove, n. d. Web. 20 Nov 2011. .

The influence of mass media in the american election Research Proposal

The influence of mass media in the american election - Research Proposal Example The US mass media concentrates almost exclusively on elections during the presidential election year. Several television channels are wont to support one or other presidential aspirant. Traditionally, Fox News and the National Review have supported the Conservative point of view, whereas the Liberal ideology has been promoted by MSNBC (Quinn). The use of exit polls by the media to predict winners in elections, on the basis of whom voters say they had voted for in the elections, subsequent to casting their vote has resulted in considerable controversy. These estimates are generally made on the basis of marginal differences in the stated number of votes. Such predictions have the effect of influencing persons who have yet to exercise their franchise (Mass Media Play Important Role in U.S. Elections). The general view is that television channels do not provide accurate political information to their viewers. Some people argue that TV channels have failed to provide their viewers with correct information. However, this notion is not correct; because several studies in this area have revealed that TV news channels reach a broader section of the populace, in respect of political issues, than newspapers. More importantly, during election times, TV channels provide accurate information about candidates; and clarify at length the ideological and issue based differences between them. Studies by scholars in this regard indicated that the audience of these broadcast acquire better and more accurate political information, if they concentrate on the content of these programs. Therefore, the attention of the audience is essential in grasping the various issues under discussion (Perloff). Barack Obama’s outstanding victory at the polls has confirmed the fact that he understood the nuances of the mass media’s power to influence people. In fact his dominance over McCain was total in every area that related to social media activity. Obama based his

Political Science Russian Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Science Russian Politics - Essay Example After the August 1991 putsch and the dissolution of the CPSU, the DPKR in its first congress was renamed the People's Party of "Free Russia," and was headed by Rutskoi and Lipitsky. It flourished from 1991 to 1993, when it was considered a potential ruling party. Moving in March 1992 into constructive opposition to the course of the Boris Yeltsin-Yegor Gaidar administration, the NPSR reached an agreement with the Democratic Party of Russia, on the basis of which the bloc Civic Union was formed. (McFaul and Markov, 1993) In the 1993 conflict between Yeltsin and the delegates, Rutskoi sided with the latter and landed in prison after the attack on the White House. After his amnesty in May 1994, the party changed its name again, this time to the Russian Social-Democratic People's Party (RSDNP). Its main goals were the creation of conditions for free and thorough development of the citizens of Russia; elevation of their welfare; guarantee of citizens' rights and freedoms; and establishment of a civic society, a social-market economy, and a lawful government. Leaders had different ideas for the party's development: Rutskoi called upon the delegates to participate in the creation of the social-patriotic movement Power, whereas Lipitsky supported the idea of transforming the RSDNP into a social-democratic party of the Western European variety. In March 1995, the split became fact in congress, after which both sides essentially ceased existing. Rutskoi's group began working in the social-patriotic movement Power, and Lipitsky's in the Russian Social-Democratic Union. (McFoul, 2001; Reddaway and Glinski, 2001) In the 1995 elections, Lipitsky's supporters participated in the bloc Social-Democrats (0.13% of the vote), and Power pushed forward its federal list, on account of which a new split occurred in the leadership of the movement, and a number of politicians left it. The new list of Power with Rutskoi at the head received 1.8 million votes (2.6%), while in Rutskoi's homeland, Kursk, it received more than 30 percent. In 1996, Power was unable to collect the required number of signatures for its presidential candidate Rutskoi, and it joined with the bloc of popular-patriotic forces headed by Gennady Zyuganov. Soon afterward, Rutskoi was elected first as cochair of the Popular-Patriotic Union of Russia, and then, with its support, governor of Kursk Oblast. He resigned as chair of Power and fell into conflict with the NPSR and Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF). In 1998, Power, under the chairmanship of Konstantin Zatulin, entered the movement Fatherland of Moscow mayor Yuri Lu zhkov, and on the very eve of elections it split yet again and disappeared from the political scene. (McFoul, 2001) Free Russia gradually emerged from obscurity from the Russian Party of Small and Medium Businesses. This was due to the efforts of former presidential contender Irina Khakamada to revive the liberal movement in the country, which many in the West criticize for alleged backsliding on democracy. It has 55,063 registered members and is little known to the population. It has never run in a national parliamentary election, but gained 11% of the votes in the regional election in the Novgorod Region on October 8, 2006. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, Free Russia registered as a contender and will try to appeal to the right-wing electorate in the 2007 parliam

Research Problem of Coca-Cola Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research Problem of Coca-Cola - Case Study Example Therefore, this called for a change of strategies by Coca-Cola and their option was to introduce a new product that offered the same feature like their competitors. In this case, they had to conduct a research in order to introduce a new product to market. Â  After the investigation, they identified that Pepsi was offering a product that had a sweeter taste and this contributed to a growth in the preference resulting in increased market share. Coca-Cola commenced a research project, whereby they spent two years and $4million prior to settling on a new formula. They conducted 200, 000 taste test on the final formula and a blind test, whose results were sixty percent of the consumers choosing the new formula over the old one. In fact, fifty-two percent of the customers choose it over Pepsi, and this was an indication that new coke would assist in dealing with the problem of losing the market share to Pepsi. Â  There was a narrow definition of the research problem by Coca-Cola, given that the research emphasized on the taste only and ignored the feelings of the customers in relation to replacing the old Coke with a New Coke. Therefore, Coca-Cola Company should have investigated on other intangibles such as the band name, history, packaging, cultural heritage, and reputation. In fact, they forgot that the symbolic meaning of coke was more important to the consumers than the taste. Moreover, Coca-Cola should have focused on the conducting a marketing research considering these emotions. Furthermore, there was a poor judgment during interpretation of research planning strategies by the managers. Â  

What is development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is development - Essay Example This is possible by empowering people through proper education, quality healthcare and training. Satisfaction of basic needs of the people is realized when people can access quality and adequate food, water, housing, clothing, justice and peace. Efficient infrastructure in education, agriculture, commerce, health, defense and transport sectors exhibit improving development. Other indicators of development are higher per capita income, political stability, quality healthcare, availability of clean, safe and adequate water as well as food. Progressive countries and societies aspire to achieve higher development status. Peet et al (2009 p.1) claimed that development is a conscious act and process of improving the life of everyone. Therefore, development covers all aspects in life that makes lives better. For example, development involves having healthy and sufficient food; safety in dwelling place; affordable goods and services; availability of employment opportunities; efficient and adequate utilities (Medicare, education, energy and transport) and being accorded respect and dignity as human being. Various actors pursue development in different spatial setting. For example, governments pursue development nationally while individuals pursue development around their environment such as the homes, villages or urban dwelling. Development is more concerned with the conditions and environment under which goods and services are produced and distributed as compared to economic growth. Economic activities and wealth generation processes give rise to economic environment. Development is also biased to socia l consequences of production and distribution of goods and services. Economic growth alone is not necessarily development especially when few powerful individuals control the growth process. This is because economic growth can concentrate wealth on the hands of the few and leave

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN PERSPECTIVE Class Research Paper - 1

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN PERSPECTIVE Class - Research Paper Example into the understanding of differences such what we owe the old, different theories such as Law of Nature to determine behavior, and the connection between the approaches such as social and sexual contract. That the law of nature can be seen as a law of reason and that natural law can be seen through the same eyes that are used in reason. According to Locke, the natural law has often been found in the scriptures and that they have been established through the will of God. The natural law should, therefore, be understood in the line of actions that are consistent with God’s scriptures. The other approach that has been fronted by John Locke is that the law of nature should be considered as a universal entity that applies to everybody at every particular time and in any place, but the law has to consider that the differences in culture will have to state what is culturally acceptable in different societies. Locke talks of natural law to be normative rather than descriptive and that it is not mandatory that civil laws stay in harmony with the elements of natural law. It is significant to understand that civil laws should often be made consistent with the structures of natural law. F or the purpose of seeking to derive an understanding in regards to the law of nature, one has to put human behavior in perspective and to create an awareness that civil rights are connected to natural law and that the different cultures do not have to exhibit similarities in the peculiarity of the beliefs The link between sexual contract and the social contract had been documented by John Locke especially when he developed a discussion on the relationship between the two types of contract as well as the relationship between the individual and the state. The discussions about the relationship witnessed between the state and the individual are the ideas that shaped Carole Paterman’s theory of sexual contract and the critique of the views presented by such thinkers as Locke and John Stuart

Charles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Charles - Essay Example But once this was approached in a very open ended perspective by Hibbert, the question of the influence of a king’s persona on his kingdom became important to the history of England and its world of today. Indeed, a powerful kingdom like England cannot be unconcerned about what its royal leadership is made up of. The central question of the book therefore comes as a wakeup call for England to reflect on its history to identify how this history influences life today. The basis of the argument above is that as long as England has remained a monarchy, it has continued to take inspiration from the leadership styles of its Kings and Queens. Meanwhile, the leaders have led the country as an extension of the personas they are made of. This situation gives several answers to questions that have to do with why there exist differences in the reigns of some leaders of the Great Kingdom. Again, answering these questions will bring out the need for much consideration to be made, especially when it comes to the nurturing of the Royal Family members of England. This is a very important exercise because once a person ascends the throne, that person influences the entire kingdom with his or her persona, just as Hibbert exemplified of Charles. The question would therefore keep resonating as to what the kingdom can do about the personalities of its future leaders before they ascend the throne. From a very objective author’s point of view, Hibbert was doing nothing different from thinking aloud on the impact of King Charles’ personality on his people. To this end, Hibbert focused on two themes, which were the weight of power and management of power. From a close perspective of the author’s argument, one is quick to notice that Hibbert drums home the point that once a person ascends the throne, there is virtually nothing much that can be done to chance the personality of the person. It is for this

Hume and his contemporaries Essay Example for Free

Hume and his contemporaries Essay Live art performances, marked by an overture of spirituality, consciousness, physical introductions to pain, drawn further on to include specific rituals, symbolisms, varied states of emotions brought by self-inflicted hurt and eventually, culminating in a wild display of frenzy and shocking images, are less likely to please the uninitiated audience than it will provoke a sense of awe and wonderment among performance art critics. In a similar situation, Marina Abramovic’s attempts to upend the static discourses of physicality, mental states of mind and art that pervade current Western hegemony, understandably, can only be regarded in the extremes by people steeped firmly into formal traditions. Either her method of performance will elevate its spectators to a heightened degree of appreciation, therefore merit a thunderous welcome to a novel brand, sui generis, of art of our time at the end of each scene; or her gruesome didactics on the body’s threshold for pain, simply fails to pass muster. Her performance practice, a risk more than anything else, certainly inspire debates on whether or not to set moral, perhaps even social limits to art in order to determine, in precise and concrete terms, at which point creativity and imaginative art themes and performances become either delightful to the senses or noxious to the sensitivities of the general public. The idea of drawing the line along and between different shades of extremes, although already evinced clearly in the works of Marina Abramovic, seems to fit the consensus on the idea of censuring the bold and burlesque, stripping it off its material enunciation and expression to mitigate the horror and revulsion inherent in the exposition, or in the worst case, totally ignore it until the novel yet misunderstood facade fades from inattention. However, thanks mainly to Marina Abramovic’s unwavering desire to reach her audience, despite the sometimes hostile reception during her performances itself, in ways that continually push the envelope of spectator tolerance, did she carry her work from the esoteric art circles to mainstream. To wit, in one of her collaborative performances with Ulay, entitled Incision (1978), while purposively eliciting reaction, probably direct participation, from their audience, one of the spectators primed the climactic resonance of the work by jumping into the stage to kick Marina Abramovic as she was lying prostate right in the middle of the act. In her biographical work, she writes that although she expected the attack to happen any moment during the performance, she did not realize the immediacy and steeled resolution of that man who assailed her (Abramovic, 1998). Photographs of the show caught the man with a leg lifted, jumping into the air. â€Å"The next photograph shows Abramovic lying on the floor, and the man seems to be landing from a kicking action [†¦] the audiences interrogation manifested in a spontaneous physical attack (Tang, 2005). Ethical and moral questions, as well as aesthetic controversies have been discussed quite animatedly as early as the 18th century. Philosophers, like David Hume, have started to addressed the tough issues about morality, art and taste—the chief concerns that pervaded his era. Cynthia Freeland, introducing the notions of Taste and Beauty, in a book about defining the slippery strands of art, writes that Hume and his contemporaries â€Å"would not have approved of blasphemy, immorality, sex, or the use of body fluids as appropriate in art† (Freeland 2001). As a caveat to this general statement, it must be understood that even though 18th century consciousness all the way up to the present have not been too open in giving cognizance to art that smack of Marina Abramovic’s own brand of carnal art expressions, there are already extant cultural and social systems which places importance into shamanistic and ritualistic gestures. Among art critics and historians, some pursue a theory of art as ritual: â€Å"ordinary objects or acts acquire symbolic significance through incorporation into a shared belief system† (Freeland, 2001). In the same vein, Freeland further digs deep in history to provide evidence in varied cultural rituals that depict blood and physical pain. She avers that â€Å"when a Mayan king shed blood before the multitude in Palenque by piercing his own penis and drawing a thin reed through it three times, he exhibited his shamanistic ability to contact the land of the undead† (2001). Other modern artists try to recreate a similar sense of art as ritual, just as much as Marina Abramovic has had for the last three decades. Diamanda Galas, for instance, â€Å"fuses operatic wizardry, light shows and glistening blood in her Plague Mass† (2001), supposedly to exorcise pain in the era of Aids. Herman Nitsch, Viennese founder of the Orgies Mystery Theater, promises â€Å"catharsis through a combination of music, painting, wine-pressing, and ceremonial pouring of animal blood and entrails† (Nitsch, n. d. in Freeland, 2001). As it turns out, these very rituals are ingrained in Western traditions. Illuminating examples of which are the amount of blood depicted in European’s, and verily much of the cultures in the modern world today, two main belief discourses: that of the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman. By taking a cursory review of religious and classical texts of Western traditions, we are able to immediately uncover a plenitude of blood representations and ritualistic sacrifices. In the Old Testament, Yahweh is seen to require â€Å"sacrifices as parts of His covenant with the Hebrews† (Freeland, 2001). Similarly, Agamemnon â€Å"faced a divine command to slit the throat of his own child [†¦] the blood of Jesus is so sacred that it is symbolically drunk to this day by believing Christians as promising redemption and eternal life† (2001). Such myths and religious stories are rather germane to Western art. We read of Homeric heroes wining the favors of their gods and goddesses by sacrificing animals. Likewise, the tragedies of Lucan and Seneca â€Å"piled up more body parts than Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Sreet† (2001). Not surprisingly, likewise, Renaissance paintings are never without a hint of blood draped at the canvassed in hard red-acrylic paint whilst Shakespeare’s tragedies typically concluded with swordplay and stabbings. The preceding examples of ritualistic performances which involves blood and sacrifices, death and disease, murder and trials, are very instructive with regards to our penchant for the macabre and the dreadful. It is in these premises that Marina Abramovic draws much of her inspiration to create an art, pro forma, that bespeak of our capacity to endure scenes of gore and violence—if only on a less exacerbated state. Her performance, for the most part, certainly places importance on the symbolic values of ceremonies, gestures and artifacts. Albeit appearing random and spontaneous, her methods establish a logical connection between her consciousness while performing and her body’s means of coping with the strength of self-infliction. In the nascent days of her art, she has performed controversial after controversial explorations into the limitations of the mind and the body. Rhythm 10, in 1973, was the first in a series of abject surrender to the inevitability of suffering. Alone in the stage, she prepared a set of knives to be used as piercing objects in a risky game of Russian hand roulette. Without signs of hesitation, she proceeded to stab the spaces between her fingers in a rough yet determined fashion. Each time she made the mistake of cutting her flesh; she dropped the knife and took out another one to repeat the process all over again until she made use of all ten knives (Abramovic, 1998). The following year, in the performance entitled Rhythm 5, she sought to re-evoke the energy of extreme body pain by constructing a huge star soused with combustible petroleum liquid. At the onset, the structure as lit to flames, and while she was standing right outside the contraption, she religiously clipped her fingernails, cut her hair and them inside the burning star. The denouement of the program was when she danced around and then flew across the flames into the center of the burning star. Serious and life-threatening complications ensued when the smoke that engulfed her from inside asphyxiated her to the point that she no longer had control of her actions. The medical team and the audience, who were all there to watch, started to suspect that something was terribly amiss. Fortunately, the quick responses from the stand-by technicians saved her from an untimely death caused by severe smoke inhalation (Abramovic, 1998). In the same year and the years that followed, Marina Abramovic designed similar art experiments that were meant to test the limits of herself and her body, and later the audience and their tolerance for vicarious agony through her body. Rhythm 2 and Rhythm 0, were performed with the hopes of proving that the consciousness can go beyond the rubric of psychological triggers in mind. The sole aim of both was to uproot the inherited tendencies of the mind to reel from stark images and provocative gestures. She sought to cultivate in the audience a sense of indifference in order that one may reach a virtual catharsis what with all the sharp and strong representations between the body and suffering. For artists like Marina Abramovic, it is clear to them that what they are performing, and while in the act of performing, there is a higher purpose that they wish to achieve regardless of the methods by which these are made possible. They have a firm understanding and appreciation for every act and gesture that they make. None of such are done without rhyme and reason. For artists like Marina Abramovic, everything that happens during any performance, in spite of the harsh opinions of critic that meet them right afterwards, makes a lot of sense. However, audiences who see and react to these artists do not enter, much less share the beliefs and values, or with prior knowledge of what will transpire, with that of the artist. When asked about the origins of her creativity and ideas for her art performance, Marina Abramovic happily recalls her childhood memories with her parents. As if to show indeed that her style was a result of previous life experiences that may be susceptible to a psychoanalytical reading, she narrates: â€Å"A long time ago I made a piece called Art Must Be Beautiful, Artist Must Be Beautiful. At that time, I thought that art should be disturbing rather than beautiful. [†¦]My life is full of such contradictions. [†¦] My father and mother are divorced. As an adult, I recently wanted to go back to help them because of the war. With the embargo, there is nothing in the stores. [†¦] I called my father to ask him what he needs, and he dictates a long list antibiotics, bandages, penicillin, toilet paper, coffee, sugar, powdered milk, all these basic things for survival. Then I call my mother and ask what she needs. She says, I need Chanel lipstick, Absolute Red, Number 345, and hair spray. I am between these two. † (Abramovic, 2005) Most modern art, in this case, within the context of theatre, videos and live performances, fail to provide ample background reinforcement against the dominant traditions and systems of belief. What invariably happens is that the audiences will remain ignorant to, consequently, unappreciative of the complexities and undertones of the supposedly artful, meaningful and profound gestures. The audience, instead of sharing that same degree of catharsis, sacrifice and initiation, will shy away. They themselves are alienated from the performance so much that they are brought far afield the community, forcing them to abandon the art because of pure shock and horror, largely as a result of their ineligibility to feel as the artists do (Freeland, 2001). Damien Hirst, the ‘Britpack’ artist who sparked controversy in the 1990s with his motley display of macabre high-tech exhibits of â€Å"dead sharks, sliced cows, or lambs in glasses of formaldehyde, [†¦] has parlayed his notoriety into success with his popular Pharmacy restaurant in London† (Freeland, 2001). By no means, therefore, are the works that revolve around symbolisms, spirituality, humanity and fatalism seldom reflects the nature of most of our ritualistic traditions. Symbols of pain and suffering that are central to many religions, cultural systems, political and social units, may come off to the lay person as undesirable and may even cause the same panic as had the man in Marina Abramovic’s performance. Art performance that utilizes imageries that hint at violence, torture and distress, when it is performed in the public who has no inkling of its context, meaning and history are in danger of misconstruing art for capricious display of filth and tripe. As with all in theatre, the performer must work against mutual projection between audience and performer, the identification in which [we] believe so readily in the other as the keeper of our treasure and our disease (Tang, 2004). Valie Export, a similarly omnipresent and provocative figure in the world of art performance, shares the same problems of audience interaction, although not as much as Marina Abramovic. Beside art performance, her repertoire includes film, text, painting and photography to name a few. These avenues of artistic expression gravitate towards her criticisms for feminism and gender. A staunch activist and a progressive performer, she has oftentimes been called a woman living an anachronistic life. This is due to her revolutionary ways to present her ideas that even her colleagues, who without proper notice of her intentions to perform, usually end up dismissing her as too fanciful and idealistic. Her works on ‘Asemie or the Inability of Expressing Oneself Through Facial Expressions’ (1973) and ‘Touch Cinema’ (1968) garnered both fame and distress. Chief of the reasons that contributed to an admixture of reception from the critics and audience is the fact that her ideas do not create strong meaningful associations that the people can readily identify with. Humor and parody may be part and parcel of her work as a performer, but these effects are not what she contemplated to be so. Indeed, while she wanted to catch the attention of her spectators, her ultimate goal is to instruct them of the subtle messages regarding feminism, modernism and ritual art. Export, along with the controversial artists at the turn of the 21st century, became (in-)famous in the recent decades because of her startling presentations of objects and her body (Mueller, 2004). Of her earlier works, ‘Aktionshose: Genitalpanik’ or ‘Action Pants: Genitals in Panic’ (1968), Export engaged the audience, piquing their imagination and belief, with a series of photographs, simultaneously permitting them to engage her as the tangible representations of the images presented in the collage. In an art theater in Munich, dressed to the nines, with the crotch cut out of her pants, Valie Export threaded each row person-to-person, showed her outfit thereby giving the film-viewing public with a palpably visual representation with a real female body. In doing so Export tackled the pornographic reduction of women in static representations just when ideas of feminism and gender were starting to develop during that time. Her message is commensurate to a direct, unapologetic, political affront to the abstract objectification of the female body as a fetish. She moved an aesthetic gesture beyond the representational context of the safe boundaries of art into an actual encounter with a public. Export effectively brought to the fore the various dimension of simple, albeit arresting, bodily gestures â€Å"both to produce and to represent action [. . . ] by stressing the moment and the process of its own production† (Stiles, n. d. ). Export repudiated the representational static sign and discharged an interventionist act by revealing her yonic-self to the public vis-a-vis the photos on the display. Art performance, in the recent decades since its entrance in the mainstream, has, and is continuing to encompass a wide field of human proclivities which spans across a whole, comprehensive range of emotions, symbols and design. Although traditional views on aesthetics and taste still influence much of the productions in the art, more and more innovative, socially-informed, stunningly beautiful works of art performance are being (re-)invented and (re-)discovered every time. It doesn’t matter whether these newly created art forms subscribe to tradition or to the taste of the general public. What matters most is the never-ending quest to plumb the full extent of our humanity as individuals and as a community. Art performance is yet to supplant, at least equal the popularity of video-films, cinema, photography and painting in terms of the instances that these are demanded by the public. But with the works of Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Damien Hirst, Valie Export et al and their boundless passion to break the mold and stun the public to enlightenment, art performance can be considered as a significant cornucopia of art studies and of artistic expression. A number of critics do give favorable comments to Marina Abramovic’s performances and ingenuity, Valie Export’s live photography sessions, Hirst’s â€Å"gleaming vitrines with suspended animals inside† (Freeland, 2001). However, it must be noted that even if the critics find them beautiful and artful still its startling content warrants full attention; nothing short of shallow and pedantic in all respects of praise and criticism. Freeland writes, perhaps disinterestedness has some small and specific role in approaching difficult art by enabling us to try harder to look at and understand something that seems very repugnant to the senses (2001). The work’s content and the artist performing are just as crucial as the theories that surround art performance. It is not so much as merely an arbitrary act done through the caprice of a strange art performer. It is instead, a manifestation of our natural tendencies, our history, our sense of taste and what is beautiful, our entire spirituality and lastly, our consciousness set against the body as a tool to perceive reality. Art performance as practiced by these artists is a celebration of the body and of our community. An excellent performance and performer do more than take the audience to elevated heights, but also give them a sense of being truly and undeniably alive. And such, makes all the difference. References Abramovic, M. (2005). Marina Abramovic: the biography of biographies. New York London: Charta Publishers. Abramovic, M. (1998). Artist body: performances 1969-1998. New York London: Charta Publishers. Freeland, C. (2001). But is it art? : blood and beauty. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Mueller, R. (1994). Valie Export: fragments of imagination. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Stiles, C. (n. d. ). Aktionshose: genitalpanik (action pants: genital in panic). Retrieved January 15 2008, The Galleries at Moore database. Tang, A. (2005). Gazing at horror: body performance in the wake of mass social trauma. (Masters of Arts program, Rhodes University 2005). .

Liverpool: History and Cultural Values

Liverpool: History and Cultural Values 1.0 History of Liverpool Liverpool beginning was a humble origins city and it as a tidal pool next to the River Mersey in northwest England. The name of Liverpool was evolved from liter pol and it meaning that muddy pool or puddle. Thus, from early until now it has developed and grown to become the choice for visitor to visit as one of the most famous cities in United Kingdom. Liverpool as a rich city in world history and many architecture and entertainers such as singer, actor, football player and others has been produced (Lambert, 2015). The port of Liverpool was founded by King John in 1270. Recently the English conquest the Ireland and John and it also needed another port to send some people and supplies across to the Irish Sea. King John also divided the land of Liverpool into plots called burgages to let people could built houses on it. Besides, he also invited people to some Liverpool and live it. After that, there are probably around 1,000 populations live in Liverpool on the 14th century. Most of the people live in Liverpool which is farming, fishermen, craftsmen with tradesmen such as butchers, carpenters, bakers and blacksmiths. Besides, in the Middle Age, some of wine from France was imported through the Liverpool however Ireland was the main trading partner with Liverpool. Hides and skins were imported from Ireland and Liverpool also exported the iron and wool (Localwiki, 2009). In the 16th century, Ireland was still the main trading partner with Liverpool and Liverpool also started to develop the reputation for trading port. Other than that, in the 16th century and early 17th century, the port of Liverpool also gets the benefited when the number of English troops was garrison into the area prior and it was to put down the rebellions when shipped to Ireland. At this time, Liverpool was growing and the population will probably reached around 2,500 by the time of civil war in 1642 (Localwiki, 2009). Furthermore, in the 18th century, the first dock was built in the Liverpool since 1715. In the previous of Liverpool, all the ship was just simply tied up by the store and the port was grown busier on it and no longer enough. After that, there were four dock was built in the same century. Besides, the third largest port in the country behind the Bristol and London was grown by Liverpool. Since it nearest port to Manchester and Liverpool also benefited from the grown of industry. In 1776, the American War of Independence was started and it also disrupting the Liverpool’s trade. Besides, the American privateer attacked merchant shipping from British trading with the West Indies and also capturing cargoes and the ships (Lambert, 2015). For the next century, all the Liverpool’s amenities was improved and many impressive public buildings and structures appear throughout the town such as Philharmonic Hall built in 1849, the Central Library built in 1852, St Georges Hall built in 1854, William Brown library built in 1860, Stanley Hospital built in 1867 and Walker Art Gallery built in 1877. Thus, the Stanley Park was opened in 1870 and Sefton Park was built in 1872. Other than that, in 1880 the Liverpool officially becomes a city. Besides, at the same time the population has increased beyond 600,000 (Lambert, 2015). In the 20th century, during World War II, Liverpool was represented an obvious target both as an active manufacturing centre and as a strategic port. Besides, it was also become Britain‘ssecond bombed city. Thus, almost 4,000 people were killed and more than half of the city was reduced to rubble. Furthermore, in the later 20th century, Liverpool was suffered a severe nationwide recession in 1970’s and 1980’s and it also rioting on the streets and high unemployment in the same time. After 1980’s, the city was started bounce back and all the dock areas would be redevelopment and new growth with invigorated (Johnson, 2015). Lastly, in the present future, Liverpool was still thriving and in 2001 The National Wild Flower Centre was opened. Then in 2008, Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture. Other than that, Joe Anderson was the first elected mayor of Liverpool in 2012 and today Liverpool’s population was beyond 465,000 (Lambert, 2015). 2.0 Reason of chosen city For the reason I choose Liverpool city because it was the world-class tourist with more galleries and museums anywhere outside of London. The city knows as a Beatles’ hometown and it is also designated UNESCO World Heritage City. Besides, Liverpool has some city’s greatest cultural institutions such as architecture, world-class music, theatre, art and others. People those who live in Liverpool love to attend the bursting cultural event and they also took part as their cultural activities. From grass-roots through to large-scale events, there is something for everyone in Liverpool and the wider City Region (Merseyside, 2015). There are many attractions in the city and it is also a place to visit when travel to the Liverpool. The attractions included The Beatles Story, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool World Museum, Open Eye Gallery, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), The Museum of Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Walker Art Gallery and other s (The Culture Trip, 2015). The most impressive in Europe is Liverpool’s collection of museum. The Beatles Story is one of Liverpool famous band in the world and it is also immensely proud to be birthplace in the city. Albert Dock is an iconic museum set place for The Beatles Story and it also let the visitors on â€Å"times, music and an unforgettable journey into the lives of The Beatles Story†. Other than that, The Bluecoat described as Liverpool’s creative hub and it also presenting world-class performances in visual art, live art, literature, dance and music. In short, The Bluecoat is one of the pinnacles in the city as a contemporary arts scene. Liverpool World museum, the Museum of Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum and others are located around the Albert Dock and this all are the most famous museum for people visit (Visit Liverpool, 2015). Furthermore, Tate Liverpool also one of attraction in city and it is top ranking art gallery and museum in the United Kingdom. Inside the Tate Liverpool has 16th century until today artworks for permanent collection displays. This is practitioner most excited to the temporary display providing the most advanced exhibitions. Besides, Tate Liverpool also use talk, film screening and others to held the fantastic educational events to adults and children. Tate Liverpool just the one of gallery in the city and still have other gallery to attract people going for it such as Open Eye Gallery, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Walker Art Gallery, and others (Visit Liverpool, 2015). In addition, the most impressive in Europe is Liverpool’s Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. It has been promoted as one of the UK’s most forward-looking music organizations. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is performance the world-class orchestral as well as chamber and choir music concerts. The organization wants to train the talent and also support their musical careers (The Culture Trip, 2015). This is the reason why I choose the city and there are many attractions for me to look for itto understand their city’s culture and value. Liverpool is one of the famous city in Europe and also has many areas that different with other city. 3.0 The Significance of the City Liverpool is significance and international standing history city as well as it is contemporary and historical cultural achievements in the field of sport and music to celebrated by global. Other than that, Liverpool is also an eminent historic role in international seaport from early 18th century to early 20th century for outstanding universal value. This is proof that the role of surviving urban landscape (Green, 2015). In the period from early 18th century to early 20th century, the fundamental for human society had been changed by worldwide. For these changes, Liverpool has played major role with it especially to the New World and it also through to involve in development of world trade, the growth of the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution and the mass movement of people. Thus, Liverpool also described as pioneering city and made it an international leader in the field of dock technology to development of innovation for tradition. Besides, it includes the transport systems, port management and building construction methods for the tradition of innovation development (Green, 2015). On the other hand, Liverpool is integration and complete urban landscape which is comprises many heart of Liverpool city. It also provides the city coherent evidence and tangible of significance and historic character. Thus, the nomination site contain architectural legacy and it also has cultural collections and historian’s rich cultural legacy (Green, 2015). In the 21th century, the city is at the forefront of urban renaissance and contains many successful and pioneering in the historic context for urban renaissance. The inscription nomination is an important step in the continuing regeneration of the city (Green, 2015). 4.0 Cultural Culture Values Every country had their own culture and value by citing real and especially Eastern and Western country are totally different in cultural and value. The different cultural and value included language, communication, custom, religion, concept of face, group orientation and others. All of this can different the Eastern and Western country cultural and value. In this assignment, I will compared the differences between Liverpool and Malaysia in their cultural and value. Liverpool is one of the United Kingdom’s cities which are the cultural and value will follow the United Kingdom. Language The language in United Kingdom basically does not have official language constitution but the main language will be English. This is because most of the populationgot 70% spoken English and thus it becomes facto official language. It also got other local language such as Irish, Welsh,Cornish, Gaelic, Ulster Scots and British Sign Language. Much immigration would like go to the country find works or get better life so immigration naturally brings a lot of foreign language from all over the world. On the other hand, in Malaysia, there are three languages which are Malay, Chinese and India because Malaysia is multiracial country so basically the three languages will be use for each resident in country. But the official language would be the Malay language and it is also translates as â€Å"Malaysian Language†. The main language was introduced by National Language Act 1967. Most of government official and academics will revertto the Federal Constitution used in Malay version which is â€Å"Bahasa Melayu† (Kwintessential, 2014). Communication Style The communication style for the United Kingdom is direct communication and understatement as well as it is interesting mix communication style. When United Kingdom people communicate with other people will see as equal to themselves in class or rank. The United Kingdom is direct but modest. In Malaysia, the communication style is relying on non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, tone of voice, body language and others to maintain harmonious relations. This communication style tends to be indirect and subtle. Malay people won’t make the direct statement and they will hint at a point to talk with people because they feel that sometimes direct communication will might lead the person lose face. Besides, silence is also important element of Malaysian communication. They will do any pause before responding the question that means they would consider their respond carefully (Kwintessential, 2014). Gift Giving Etiquette When United Kingdom people exchanges gift with their family and friends, they will giving on birthday and Christmas only. The gift not to be so expensive but it also tries to find something that recipient’s interest. If people want visit other people home, it normally prepare a box of good chocolate, a good wine or flower to the person. Then, the gift is always opened when received. For the Malaysian people because there are three races in the country so every gift for the race will be different. For Malay people, they never give alcohol, do not give the toy dog and pig to children, do not give anything made by pigskin, avoid white wrapping paper as it symbolizes death and mourning and others. This is because the Malay cultural is different so everyone must respect to it. Besides, if want give the food for Malay people must be â€Å"halal† food. â€Å"Halal† word mean that permissible for Muslims. Other than that, if the gift giving to Chinese people and it is re fused before accept mean that resident is not greedy and it is also their traditional and cultural. Chinese people also emphasize the colour meaning which is black, white and blue mean in mourning and red, pink and yellow mean that happy. For the India people, they also emphasize the colour because they feel that different have different meaning such as red, green, yellow or other bright colour can bring the good fortune. If anyone want give the flower to India people as a gift, avoid give the frangipani because this flower they used in funeral wreaths. In short, this three race have the same feeling that the gift is generally not opened when receiving to represent they respect the giver (Kwintessential, 2014). Meeting and Greeting In the United Kingdom country, the residents have their own meeting and greeting. The common form of greeting is shake hand when first meet up and avoid prolonged eye contact because it will makes people feel uncomfortable. Besides, they also introduce a younger people to the elder people and lower status person to higher status person. When two people are similar in rank and age, they will introduce the one you know better. On the other hand, in Malaysia, the greeting in social context will depends on which ethnicity person to meeting. In general, most of Malay people will aware that shake hand is normal but for their cultural would slight different. Malay people could not be shake hand with heterosexual and they just only can shake with homosexual then after shake hand they must placing their hand on their heart represent they respect the person. For the Chinese people shake hand will be light and prolonged. Thus, Indian can shake hand with homosexual and when introduce with hetero sexual they just can smile and nodding the head is usually sufficient (Kwintessential, 2014). 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, we can see that the history of Liverpool from early 14th century until the present future and understand how the Liverpool become the famous city in England. In the history, we also can know that much architecture had been built in different dock and every of architecture has their own story. Liverpool can be said that is no one knows about it to evolve until today famous city in England. All this is their Liver historical experience. Besides, there are also some attraction for me to interest know about their city and cultural value such as The Beatles Story, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool World Museum, Open Eye Gallery and others. All of this is their attraction place for people to visit and also enjoy their local customs. This is because Western country has totally different cultural with our Eastern country and this is chance to let us know about the Western country cultural and what the different with our country. It can improve our knowledge too. Lastly, the cultural and culture values would be different like what mention in above and different ethnicity of person have their own different cultural and also everyone must respect for each cultural.

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic The importance of Tourism and hospitality industry can never be over-emphasized in the development and growth of many nations in the world. As a result of the advancement in technology and globalisation, tourism and hospitality industry serve as a vital driver of job creation as well as being the main source of income for many developed and the less developed countries. Due to the pivotal role of this industry in the creation of wealth for nations, several companies as well as international organisations devise efficient and cost effective operational management methods in order to maximise their profits. A key industry that propel tourism and enables tourism and hospitality industry to its present global height is the aviation industry, which not only transport people from one place to the other, but ensures that places that were deemed unreachable can be discovered, thereby creating wealth for organisations as well as enhancing the geographical prominence of countries in the league of nations. Virgin Atlantic, the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom play an active role in the tourism and hospitality business by ensuring that it provide cost effective and innovative services to its various clients. As a result of keen competition in the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic is renowned to be one of the pioneers of in-flight entertainment as well introducing a premium economy class services for its customers that can not afford to travel on an upper class but still wants to benefit and enjoy some of the privileges of the upper class clients. The global economic recession as well as the harsh business climate has made it imperative for companies to re-evaluate their business models and device strategies to cope with the ever changing macro and micro environmental factors that affect the company. These are made possible by the analysis of the companys Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) it faces while operating in relation to their competitors. Despite the advancement in technology, the three core functions of any organisation i.e. marketing, product and service development, and operation are well guided in order satisfy the ever increasing customer demands. To do these, most organisations align their operation management strategies to the changes in the external and internal forces that affect their operational model. Kim and Olsen (1993) corroborated this by advocating that a balanced approach must be used to monitor the events that occur in the external domain and assessing the potential impact on business and unit level operations. Organisations must focus on their strengths in order to deal with the wide range of external factors in creating opportunities for themselves. On these basis, the identification of the external and internal operational management methods are clearly identified as a tool in increasing productivity ,customer satisfaction as well as promoting their products to their target audience. STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM In every research, there are various problems that are identifiable, but for the purpose of this research, the following questions need investigation. What operational method can organisation adopt? What is the significance of operational management to an organisation? Should organisations in the hospitality industry adopt similar or different operational management? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objective of this research can be summarised as follow; 1. To analyse the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to tourism and hospitality. 2. Establish the impact of internal and external factors that affects Virgin Atlantic operations. 3. How company formulate and adopt strategy. 4. Identifying the strengths and weakness of Virgin Atlantic 5. How the company measures service quality and improvement. 6. To established the best operational management methods for productivity and promotion. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is of great importance because it underlines the understanding of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic which is one of the pioneers in innovation in the tourism and aviation industry. The research highlights the various approaches used by Virgin Atlantic in their daily operations and how it has been able to remain a viable and competitive company LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Due to time constraint, it was not possible to do a comparative study of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other organisations in the aviation industry in relation to hospitality management. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC Summary Virgin Atlantic is the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom that starts operation in 1984.It is headquartered in Crawley near Gatwick airport and owned by Sir Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%).The airline operates between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from its bases at Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport, using a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-bodied jets (web 1). Almost uniquely among major airlines, it operates no short-haul services whatsoever, with its shortest route being from London to Accra (web 2).It offers three classes of travel: Upper, Premium Economy and Economy classes which all bears the hallmark of Virgins award winning inflight entertainment and based on airlines aims of provision of innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers (web 3). Birth and Formation Virgin Atlantic was conceived as result of an idea from Randolph Fields who wanted to be operating flights from London to the Falklands islands after the Falkland war. But due to Logistic and operational cost, the Falklands operation was aborted and an alternative arrangement to have flights operating from London to the United States was agreed upon. Randolph Fields proposed his idea of flights operations to Richard Branson at a party in Central and he agreed to be a partner in the flight business with 25% stake going to Randolph Fields and 75% to Richard Branson (Web 4). Like all Richard Branson businesses, he approaches the partnership as a venture that must succeed within a year or he exits the partnership. The airline was an instant hit in its first year and it was able to lease more planes in the second and subsequent years. Richard Branson eventually bought out Randolph Fields stake in the business in 1997 after disagreement over operations of the airline. After its maiden flight to Newark in the United States on its leased Boeing 747 in 1984, the airline had acquired more aeroplanes to cover different routes and destinations ranging from Tokyo, Boston, Los Angeles, Rolando etc. Despite the apparent success and popularity of the airline, the company faced financial problems in the 1990s due to the recession, the Gulf War and the subsequent collapse of International Leisure Group (ILG), there was need to save Virgin Atlantic from collapse and involves the abolition of the Traffic Distribution Rules (TDRs) which was meant to create equal distribution air traffic between Heathrow and Gatwick airports in order assist Gatwick airport to make profit. The TDRs rule stated that airlines that do not operate international flights from Heathrow airport prior to 1977 would not be permitted operations there, but will instead be using Gatwick airport. The abolition of the rule made it possible for airlines to commence operational flights from Heathrow. This subsequently paved way for Virgin Atlantic to begin operations at Heathrow airport despite opposition from British airways who was the largest operator then. As a result of this move, Virgin Atlantic was able to increase its long-haul flights and survived the recession in the economy. In order to consolidates its position and expand its flight operations, Virgin Group the parent company of Virgin Atlantic, sold 49% stake of the airline to Singapore airlines in year 2000, while Richard Branson retains 51% stake of the airline. This increased the value of the airline  £1.25 billion thereby making it one of the biggest private operated airline in world (Web 5). Rivalry with Competitors The movement of Virgin Atlantic operations to Heathrow signal a rivalry between the airline and British Airways. Amongst the rivalry between both airlines was the famous libel fine of  £500,000 and  £110,000 in 1993,that was awarded out of court to Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic as well as  £3million court charge against British Airways for its dirty tricks campaign on Richard Branson and his airline (Web 6).Subsequently in June 2006, and British Airways was fined  £271 million as a result of a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic after investigation by the US and the British office of fair trading for alleged price-fixing between both airlines (Web 7) . Agreement and Co-operation with Other Airlines Despite Virgin Atlantic fierce rivalry with British Airways, the airline do partners and codeshare agreements with other airline in the world namely; South Africa Airways, Air China, Cyprus Airways, Flybe, Gulf Air, Scandinavian Airlines, US Airways, Malaysian Airways etc. in order to spread its reach across the world (Web 8)(Web 9). Service and Innovation Virgin Atlantic has been a pioneer in services and innovation in the aviation industry through its introduction various services and technology that are used to distinguish itself from other airlines in the in Industry. It operates three-classes (Economy, Premium Economy and Upper Class) of travel in order to cater for the needs of its passengers. The Economy class is the standard class and it provide among other facilities such as free meals, drinks and lumbar support for its passengers. The Premium Economy class provide clients with a wider seat having more leg room, priority boarding as well as separate check in area from the economy class passengers (Web 10). The Upper Class provide the passengers with first class services ranging from larger menu and in-flight bar. It is also equipped with the biggest fully fitted flatbed compared to any other airline business class services. Virgin Atlantic airplanes also are equipped with the state of the art In- flight entertainment system, that provide entertainment to all its passengers in order to ensure that they have a memorable time while flying the airline and maintain their loyalty them. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The aim of any service business organization is to create goods and services that are of high quality, quantity and cost efficient in order to satisfy the consumers needs. This can be achieved by ensuring that detailed attention is devoted in the planning and control of day today running of the business, design of products and creating a competent processes for employees to work. Operation management covers all these essential functions from the top level management to the immediate control of operations in the business. Operations management according to Nigel Slack et al. (2010) is defined as the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services. This system of management relates to the function of any organization responsible for the design, planning and control of resources for the provision of goods and services (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). Operation Management Model Source: Operations Management, 6th edition, Nigel Slack et al (2010, p.25) The Evolution of Operation Managements The history of Operations management can be traced to different projects in the development of human history from the construction of Egyptian pyramid to the building of the Great Wall of China and the industrial revolution that began in England in the 18th century. Before the industrial revolution, production of goods and services are made through custom made products. But as machines were invented, there was an increase in the factory system thereby leading to the specialization of labour as proclaimed by Adam Smith in 1776 in The Wealth of Nations which emphasize the benefit of breaking down production activities to smaller parts and assigned to individual worker through the manufacturing process. This ensures an increase in the production of goods and services through specialization as opposed to the cottage system of manufacturing for individual needs of the consumer. By the mid 19 century, most cottage industries were being replaced by factories which expanded to urban workforce with effective communication thereby paving way for the great output explosion of the 20 century (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). A number of techniques were later introduced during this period among which is the scientific management principle developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) (Taylor, 1911), that was used for the creation factory Ford Rouge plant in which mechanized assembly lines, specialized labour,mass production and interchangeable parts were featured. But with the major studies in the relationship between output production and human motivation by Maslow (1943) and Herzberg (1966), the essence of developing a social as well as a technical system for manufacture processes. The growth in the Asian economic coupled with new manufacturing processes such as Just-in-Time (JIT) principle and Lean Operations in the 1960s brings a different perspective to quality and design management thereby making businesses to improve on their product delivery. Wickham. S (1985) and Terry (1985) also emphasized this in their studies by recognizing that the view that techniques and systems are not the most important part of operation management but taking a more balanced strategic view of management operations. As a result business competitiveness depends not only on low level, limited impact system of operation but on a broader management operational view (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). CHAPTER 3 MACRO AND MICRO ANALYSIS OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC The operation of every business is affected by several internal and external factors which determine the growth and survival of a business organisation. These factors can analysed by looking at the environment in which a business operates otherwise called Environmental Scanning or Macro environment. Macro environment refers to the clients, markets, industries and competitors which an organization interact with during their business operations. These factors are outside the control of an organisation and indirectly affect its activities. Kroon (1995) defined environmental scanning as the study and interpretation of the political, economic, social and technological events and trends which influence a business, an industry or even a total market. Based on this definition, Macro environment can be analysed by six factors or segmentation called PESTEL which is Political.Economical, Social, Technological and Environmental and Legal factors. These are in constant change and organizations must define strategies to meet up with the changes. Holloway (2004) stated that macro business environment is subject to continuous changes and in order for the business to survive, it must learn to adapt to these changes. The Political and Legal factors such as government policies and legislations affect the mode of operation of every business. This factor can encompass political stability and favourable legislations such as tax concessions which encourage and promote the operation of business. Since Virgin Atlantic operate flights to different countries from the United Kingdom, the political environment in which it operates play a long way in the determining its success. The political decision of abolishing the Traffic Distribution Rules enables the airline to expand its operation flights and increase revenue for the company. Furthermore, countries of high political instability in Africa and Asia have a negative impact on the airline because the tourism potential reduces as a result of less people flying to these countries. The Economic factors are significant in determining the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The factors such as inflation rate, recession, spending power, deflation determine the role of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The recent recession as well as the euro zone crisis has deeply affected the tourism and hospitality industry with less people travelling on holidays due to job cuts and ,high inflation rate and redundancies have lead a reduction of flights of Virgin Atlantic thereby affecting its profit. Furthermore, deregulation of the airline industry has created an avenue for Virgin Atlantic to reduce to reduce airline fares. Although financially distressed airlines have cut fares to boost operational profit, Virgin Atlantic operates different incentives for their customers such as discount for senior citizens in the society as well as group travellers in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Social and Environmental factors play a great role in the tourism and hospitality industries because the society demands the services that are rendered by the airline industry. Virgin Atlantic strive in is staff recruitment to employ people that care about the customers and provide their best for the customers by bringing their individual personalities to work while having fun at the same time (Virginatlantic.com, 2011).Consequently, as part of its corporate social responsibilities, Virgin Atlantic allows trained pets that accompanied disable people on its flights as well as providing assistance to unaccompanied children to travel. It also offers its customers complementary limousine pick up and provide in-flight beauty treatment for its business economy passengers. The commitment of Virgin Atlantic to reduce its environmental impacts of its operations was highly lauded by the government for introducing biofuel in to some of its aircrafts in order to reduce emissions to the environment. It has also introduces recycling programme on board of all its aircraft as well companys office in order to reduce the amount of waste generated and become a conscious and cost effective organisation(Virginatlantic.com,2011). Technological factors are important in the provision of highly effective and accident free operation in the hospitality industry. Virgin Atlantic Airways believes in the role of technology in improving services and ensuring that safety of its staffs and passengers. It has been able to accomplish this by ensuring that it acquires new technological advanced aircrafts in order to improve the operation management and safety of the airline. Since flying is an highly dangerous operation if effective checks are not carried on airplanes, Virgin Atlantic have engineers that are highly trained have been researching to improve safety and security of airlines. They also introduce technologies in-flight entertainment to entertain the passengers while waiting for arrival as well while travelling on their flights. MICRO ANALYSIS The micro analysis factors influence the operation of any business organisation. These factors directly affect the operation of an organization and can change in order to align with organisation vision and goals. The micro economic factors that affect the operations of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality business are; Customers, Suppliers, Employees, Competitors and Shareholders. The customers are the main contributor to the survival of any business because they contribute to the revenue in which the business operation is being run. Virgin Atlantic take utmost care in providing a second to known service for its numerous customers, based on the original philosophy of Richard Branson, which is to offer the best possible service to its clients while delivering the best possible value. People also regard Virgin Atlantic as a distinctive, fun-loving and highly innovative brand and one that is admired for its friendliness, intelligence and integrity (Virginatlantic.com, 2011). It also try to retain the patronage of all its customers by operating frequent flyer incentives such as the flying club where points accumulated from previous flights can be redeem later for free flights in the company. The introduction of in-flights entertainments on all is flights is also a ploy to make flying experience with Virgin Atlantic a memorable one. The Virgin Atlantic employees are the assets of the organisation that project the values and culture of the organisation to the outside world. As a result of their importance to the goals and vision of Virgin Atlantic, serious emphases are placed in the recruitment of staffs that care about customers and bring their individual personalities to work in the company. It provide perks for its customers in form of staffs flight discount, excellent retirement benefit as well as good health care entitlement while working for the company. The main suppliers to Virgin Atlantic airlines are Airbus and Boeing; aircraft manufacturers. They play a significant role in the operation of the airline by providing reliable and state of the arts airplanes the company. There are other companies that contribute to the successful operation of the airline such as Fuel companies that supply fuel for the operation of the airplanes, airports staffs that management the successful taking off and landing of the airplanes ,IT companies such as Del,IBM,CSC etc,that provide the hardware and software for the administrative activities of the company. Virgin Atlantic must work harmoniously with all these companies in order to have successful operation management. Since the airline industry is a highly competitive industry different airline devise methods and promotions to lure customers to their airlines. The core competitor of Virgin Atlantic in the United Kingdom is British Airways. There have been several legal as well industrial disputes between both airlines in order to entice customers from each other. Since the reduction in government influence on the aviation industry in the United Kingdom, there have been intense completions between airlines to provide services that are better than its rivals. The core services provided by Virgin Atlantic which differentiate it from competitors are innovative technologies as well cheap and affordable flight tickets in relation to its rivals. The shareholders of any business organisation are the ones that provide the capital for the operation of the business. As a result of this fact, their interest in ensuring that the business runs successfully in order to generate profit is very important. Virgin Atlantic is owned by Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%) which form a global partnership and increase their operation capital for effective operation and to remain completive in the airline industry. SWOT ANALYSIS All businesses must assess and evaluate their positions in terms of where they are at the present and where want to be in future. In order to do this, the SWOT Analysis is carried out whish focus on the companys Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities as well as Threat it faces in relation to its operation and survival. Strengths The strengths of any organisation are toe positive advantages that it possess in relation to other organisations. The strengths of Virgin Atlantic are; Innovative and comprehensive services: Virgin Atlantic has innovative and comprehensive customer services which are designed to meet the ever increasing needs of their customers. The companys passenger services unit arranges check-in facilities, baggage handling, meal catering, and in-flight entertainment. It also provide work in association with special assistance department unit to provide customers with special travel needs such as mobility aids, special meals, health camps at departures and arrivals (Datamonitor, 2011). Association with Singapore Airline: Virgin Atlantic association with Singapore airlines has been highly beneficial to the customers of both airlines which enable them to book their flights through both companies. This association also enables virgin Atlantic to tap into the highly lucrative Asian countries thereby increasing revenue for the company as well as better services for the staffs and customers. Weakness Small Size: The apparent small size of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other big players in the aviation industry makes it difficult to compete fairly in the aviation industry. British Airways and Air France operates flights to about 300 and 244 destinations in the world in comparison to Virgin Atlantic that operates to just 30 destinations in the world. Virgin Atlantic also 38 aircrafts compared to the British airways and Air France with 238 and 558 respectively which also limit their competitiveness. Price Fixing Allegations: The Office for fair Trading (OFT) found Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific guilty of price fixing allegations after a three-year investigation. They were fixing the price for flights between London to Hong Kong route and were likely to face a severe penalty of about  £250 million. Allegations of this type of nature can severely dent brand image and make customers to lose faith in the company for providing competitive price for its services. Opportunities Increase in the Global Freight sector: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasted that aviation will handle 38 million tonnes of air cargo in 2014, up 12.5 million tonnes from the 26 million tonnes carried in 2009. International freight volumes are expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period (Data monitor, 2011).As a result of this promising forecast from IATA, which most of the activities occurring in the Asia pacific routes, Virgin Atlantic will benefit significantly through its association with Singapore Airline. Positive outlook of the Airline market: As a result of the Olympics coming up in the United Kingdom next year, Virgin Atlantic will benefit immensely in the transportation of tourist as well as other participant to the United Kingdom for the games. This will increase the revenue for the company as a result of the prominent position it plays in the United Kingdom aviation industry. Threats Price Discounting from Competitors: The ever increasing discount pricing in the domestic market by close competitors a such as BMI, Ryan Air, British Airways, Air France etc., has made it increasingly difficult made for Virgin Atlantic to have stable pricing structure thereby making it extremely difficult for the domestic operations to be profitable. Consequently, the increase in the size of airlines route system have significantly increase the competition between airlines thereby affecting the profitability as well as impacting on their operations. Natural Disaster: The Volcanic eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajà ¶kul in 2010, created a huge dent in the operation of Virgin Atlantic. The ash from the volcanic eruption disrupts air travel operations across Europe, with flight being grounded several European countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. It was estimated that airlines during this period lost hundreds of millions of pounds due to flights cancellation caused by the volcanic ash. This situation severely affected the operation management of Virgin Atlantic profit. European Union (EU) Regulation: In 2005, an EU regulation came into effect for compensating passengers with valid ticket but which were denied boarding an airplane irrespective of the situation. This law also imposes fixed compensation to passengers for cancelled flights except if the airline can prove that such cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather, air-traffic control delays or safety issues (Datamonitor, 2011).Subsequently, this law makes it to the prerogative of the airlines to provide meals, drinks, and accommodation as well as telephone calls for customers if delayed overnight. The overall expenses created by this law made impacted on the operational profitability of airlines in which Virgin Atlantic were one of the casualties. Jet Fuel Cost: Since the airline operation depend on the jet fuel, the instability the fuel prices has significantly affected the operations of Virgin Atlantic. The volatile price of jet fuel exacerbated by the political uprising in the Middle East has impacted on the profitability of margin of Virgin Atlantic in its operations as result of high cost of buying the fuel for the aircrafts. CHAPTER FOUR CURRENTAND FUTURE OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATION After the SWOT analyses of Virgin Atlantic, it is imperative to take a deeper look into the current objective of the company in relation to its future plans. The current objective of any organization must align with its vision which is reflected in the organisations mission statement. The mission statement of Virgin Atlantic is To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virginatlantic.com, 2012). As result of this statement, the operation management of the organisation was designed to cater for the needs of its customers by providing the best service while delivering it in the best possible values. It also ensures that its workers not only work for the organisation but derive enormous pride, fun and sense of well-being in the course of their services to the clients. Furthermore, in-line with socially and corporate responsibility of Virgin Atlantic, introduced a wide range of environmental initiative that are meant to reduce the amount of waste generated in the company. These initiatives involves the recycling of all waste such as plastic glasses, vending cups, papers aluminum cans which are collected and recycled in order to raise money for the various charity organisations the company supports. Virgin Atlantic is also a trail blazer in the technological innovation by volunteering one of its Boeings 747 for the test of bio-fuels in operating airlines with the hope of reducing the dependency of airlines on jet fuel. As a result of the initiative, the company intends to use biofuels composed of algae as a part supplement to the jet fuel in its flight operations (Airline in first biofuel flight, 2008). The future objective of Virgin Atlantic is to seek ways in order to be competitive in the United Kingdom aviation after the tie-up agreement between British Airways and American Airlines (Sir Richard Branson begins strategic review of Virgin Atlantic, 2011).As a result of this, the company appointed Goldman Sachs to advise them about the potential approach from Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines in order to re-align its business for future challenges (Virgin Atlantic Airways, 2011). CHAPTER 5 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES According to Baines et.al (2008), marketing strategy serves as the basic plan and template in which an organisation commences its operations in order to achieve its goals. The essence of marketing and communication objectives of any organisation enables it to differentiate its products and services from other related organisations. Marketing and communication strategy enables Virgin Atlantic to analyse its opportunities and target customers which it believe are relevant to short and long term goals as well as the objectives of the organisation. These strategies are achieved through various marketing mix i.e. the price, product, place and promotion which are used to communic

Human Nature Exposed in Animal Farm :: Animal Farm

Human Nature Exposed in Animal Farm "Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a novel based on the lives of a society of animals living on the Manor Farm. Although the title of the book suggests the book is merely about animals, the story is a much more in depth analysis of the workings of society in Communist Russia. The animals are used as puppets to illustrate how the communist class system operated, and how Russian citizens responded to this, and how propaganda was used by early Russian leaders such as Stalin, and the effect this type of leadership had on the behaviour of the people of Russia. One thing which relates to the topic is how the pigs are favoured on Animal Farm. The main source for this was because their leader Napolean was a pig, the pigs were subject to favouritism by Napolean, and were given privileges that other animals were not given, such as sleeping in beds, wearing clothes and drinking beer. The pigs were also the only animals involved in making the vital decisions on Animal Farm. The fact emulates in a way how our Government tends to operate. The Government Party members are paid an exuberant amount of money, with this money the members of the Government can purchase costly cars and houses, if they wish to do so. They make all the important decisions about the country where as the tax payers rarely have a say in it. Another thing that "Animal Farm" and modern society have in common is that the powerless people are subject to propaganda . In " Animal Farm" Squealer and Napolean used propaganda by telling the animals that Snowball was a traitor, and convincing them that he was a criminal. They threatened that if Napolean was not in leadership Jones may come back. This happens in our society during the election period , the opposing parties all warn the public of the consequences of voting the other party, and how bad it would be if they were in power. The issue of Boxer the horse represents how people are used for their skills and talents. As soon as they are not needed they are disregarded. Boxer was the hardest worker on the farm, he contributed the most to the development of the windmill. As soon as Boxer was unable to continue working, Napolean got rid of him.