Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon is a utopian fantasy novel, and so the reader must use his/her imagination to help make this unusual world (Shangri-La) believable. It is more cerebral than that According to Steven Silver Reviews on the novel, the monks at Shangri-La believe in a philosophy which is a mix of Christianity and is brought to the valley by the 18th French priest Perrault which is also the name of the French fabulist and the Buddhism which existed before Perrault's arrival. The motto of these monks could best be summed up as â€Å"Everything in moderation, even moderation†, same as what Aristotle believed in his idealism. The novel opens in a gentleman's club in Berlin where four Englishmen have met for the evening. Talk turns to a plane hi-jacking which had occurred in Baskul, India the previous year. When the men realize they all knew one of the kidnap victims, Hugh Conway, the conversation briefly touches on his probable fate. After the group breaks up, one of their number, the author Rutherford, confides to another that he has seen Conway since the kidnapping and goes on to provide a manuscript accounting for Conway's experiences. Conway is among four kidnap victims, the others being Mallinson, his young assistant who is anxious to get back to civilization, Barnard, a brash American, and Miss Brinklow, an evangelist. Conway himself rounds out the group as an established diplomat and stoic. When the plane crashes in the Kuen-Lun Mountains, the quartet is rescued and taken to the hidden lamasery of Shangri-La. Conway is the most adaptable and open-minded character in the book and takes what people say at face value as truth. Conway, Malinson, Barnard, and Ms. Brinklow are four passengers catching a flight out of Baskul as the political and military situation there deteriorates. The plane is being flown by a pilot who appears to be in a trance and taking them drastically off course. A forced landing on a Himilayan mountain top kills the pilot and ruins the plane. The four survivors are rescued and brought to a strange, almost magical, mountain monastery and village. The setting is lush and green despite the altitude. The people placid and friendly, but mysteriously quiet about the prospects for returning to civilization, so remote is the village. Despite his knowledge Conway leaves with Malinson in an attempt to reach India on foot. They are deceived and the journey is a tragic one. Conway managed to reach civilization and then is desperate to leave to make his return back to Shangri-La, to accept his position as successor to the deceased High Lama. Basically, the story is a spiritual journey for those who see what it is they have stumbled upon, Shangri-La: paradise on Earth. Conway is given an audience with the High Lama but remains quiet as to what is going on. People age years instead of decades, there is no crime or war or hunger. The novel teaches us that desire itself corrupts mankind. Buddhism teaches that nirvana is the end of desire for anything at all, even life itself. Hilton takes this idea and uses it to create his utopia. In Shangri-La, no one wants anything because everyone has everything they need. Children are indoctrinated in courtesy and etiquette even when they are still very young. They are taught to share and love. If two men desire the same woman, one is willing to let go. Passion and ambition are not good. The basis of all human emotion is desire, and when all desire is eliminated, you achieve a utopia. People in Shangri-La do not â€Å"do† anything because they do not want anything. They read, listen to music, have discussions and share nature walks, but they do not compete with each other or perform work. Hilton’s utopians live abnormally long lives because they do not experience any tension or yearnings. Reference: Hilton, James (1988). Lost Horizon. Mass Market Paperback. ISBN: 0671664271      

Islamic Religion Essay

Sayyid Qutb also known as (Father of Modern Islamic Extremism) is an academic and writer who is said to be one of the most significant thinkers in modern and contemporary Arab Islamic resurgence, born on the 8th of October 1960 and living his life until being executed by hanging on the 29th of August 1966. His main impact on Islam is through his expression of the religion as a universal philosophy, a political and social force with the potential to provide solutions to all societal problems. Qutb believed that returning to a true Islamic state would provide social justice and cure societal malaise as â€Å"Islam stands against corruption, oppression and capitalism. † His main beliefs, including the concept of jahiliyyah (a non-Muslim) and his understanding of jihad are expressed through his two main books â€Å"The Shade of the Qur’an† and â€Å"Milestones†. These books were heavily criticised by many Orthodox Muslims and Salafi scholars, they are widely read. Directly opposing Jahilliyah perceived authorities had been placed in the minds of a new generation of Muslim youth. In this sense it is clear to see that he has had a dramatic effect on the development and expression of Islam. Although many conservative Muslims and Islamic scholars believe he lacked respect for Islamic traditions and wrongly interpreted the Qur’an, many other Muslims and modern Jihadists consider him a martyr. Qutb came to reject everything about the west due to the experiences he faced while visiting America, including democracy and nationalism. The United States at that time was, politically and socially, perhaps at the height of the West. Because it was so bad, he concluded that nothing the west had to offer was good. Unfortunately the Egyptian government at that time was very pro-western, and his new views brought him into conflict with the current regime. Like so many other young radicals, he was thrown in prison, where deprivation and torture were the norm. it was there, horrified by the barbarism of the camp guards, that he probably lost hope that the current regime could be called â€Å"Muslim†. These Muslims kept the survival of his a legacy, believing his effect on the development and expression of Islam to be a positive one. A society whose legislation does not rest on divine law (shari’at Allah) is not Muslim, however ardently its individuals may proclaim themselves Muslim, even if they pray, fast and make the pilgrimage. What we did not know was that Sayyid Qutb was soon to be the mentor of the notorious Osama Bin Laden, who would come later to be known for terrorist activites. Ethics – Sexual Ethics The Qur’an is the basic source of ethical teachings, such as judgements, statements in it either remind humanity of the basic common sense created by God, or extend this common sense to specific examples or situations and present specific behavioural expectations. Another teaching is the Hadith; it contains the teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad that explain the teachings of the Qur’an. It places the Qur’an into the context of daily life. The Sirah is a similar collection of works aiming to clarify the teachings within the Qur’an; however the collection of stories has none of the prophet’s original work. Islam considers sexuality to be a part of a person’s divinely created identity with the ideal goal being marriage and procreation. It is considered that sex is an essential human behaviour that needs to be satisfied but properly and lawfully. Islam prohibits any deprivation of human behaviour – looks at the proper (legal) use of sex as an act of worship (Ibadah). The Hadith contains quotes that relate to the sexual practice and correct application of Allah’s gift of sexuality. â€Å"They are your garments and you are their garments. † (2. 187) the metaphor of the garment is a very powerful one as it brings home the message. It creates in the mind a picture of the relationship needed for a happy and healthy marriage. Clothes are a basic necessity for humans. They are used for warmth as well as beauty. Sex is the ultimate expression of love and is total physical and emotional encounter. The ethical teachings that surrounds Islamic life, are determined by the Al’ Qur’an, the sacred writing brought by the last prophet Muhammad word by word from the Islamic god Allah. This sacred writing is taught through the 114 Sura’s (chapters) of the Al’ Qur’an. The Hadith, second to the Qur’an in importance and authority, are collections of Islamic traditions and laws (Sunnah). The Sharia refers to how Muslims should live or the path they must follow. This includes traditional sayings of Muhammad. Fiqh† Arabic for the world Islamic jurisprudence, Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic Law based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, it complements Sharia with evolving rulings and interpretations of Islamic Jurists. The Fiqh deals with the observance of the rituals, morals and social obligations. (Jurisprudence) states that you must surrender to the will of Allah; it is the most fundamental Islamic value. A Muslim must try ones hardest to establish good according to the order fixed by Allah because each person is God’s agent on earth and has responsibility to Allah, Muhammad’s teachings gives specifics for Marriage and Pre-marital sex. The ideal goal being marriage and procreation, marriage is a legally binding contractual arrangement (called Nikah), sex outside of marriage is forbidden and seen as an attack on the community as well as a breach of this contract. If a Muslim engages in premarital sex, he/she are seen as not submitting to the will of Allah, very harsh penalties will be advised if this act is carried out. Muslims treat marriage as the norm and whilst celibacy is discouraged, fornication is absolutely condemned; this act can lead to the touching, kissing, or the exposing of their bodies of Islamic people. The quote below explains how to do this in an acceptable and legal way for Islamic adherence. â€Å"Marriage is my tradition. He who rejects my tradition is not of me. Marriage is half of religion. The other half is being God fearing† Qur’an 4:3 In Allah’s rulings, there is no fixed rule as to the age of marriage. It is becoming fashionable for young Muslim men not to marry until they have completed their education, have a job, or reached age 26-30 or more. Similarly young Muslim girls say they want to marry after age 24. Conversely the teachings of the Qur’an Homosexuality are condemned to all of Islam. The aims of natural sexuality are procreation and homosexuality does not permit this. Islam accepts no justification for the unnatural sin of homosexuality. Punishment is encouraged but not prescribed. The Qur’an has an oblique reference of lesbian behaviour (lutiyya) â€Å"And those of your women, who commit legal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some other way. †

Case analysis for Bank of America Essay

Expand current app to include basic credit card and mortgage functions to increase market share of expanding mobile transaction market and shift customer activity to cost-effective channels. BOA’s entrance into local mobile payment and person-to-person P2P mobile shopping market (tap a large and growing market that currently lacks the regulation of banks and â€Å"added security†. I would like to divide strategy into two parts, short term and long term. The short term strategy is to solve the problem that how we define our market, and define population to be targeted with mobile strategy. Retain existing functionality. Enhance current app by adding basic credit card and mortgage features (increase passive customer engagement and minimize complexity). Increased customer engagement and cross-selling to make sure increasing transactions and save money. The long term strategy has three steps to executive. (1 Integrate Credit Card and Mortgage business into current Bank of America Mobile App. (2 Introduce Bank of America e-commerce app which includes local mobile payment and person to person capabilities. (3 Expand to international markets using existing mobile apps to create â€Å"virtual banking† regardless of physical branch presence. For local mobile payment, Bank of America should reduce transaction cost to Bank of America and merchants. Merchants reduce costs associated with current point of sale credit card services. Instant access via Bank of America e-commerce to business accounts and transaction history. Eliminating more expensive consumer and merchant transactions could save cost to Bank of America. For person-to-person, it should cut out the middleman which means reduced transactional costs. Secure payment system that is regulated and insured like a bank, unlike the currently the only established competitor,  PayPal. P2P market has a large potential for growth, estimate 2.4 billion e-commerce transaction in 2014 and 78 million active PayPal users, 3 billion â€Å"under-banked† consumers worldwide. The benefits of its app are at following sentences. 1) Leverage Bank of America as first online and mobile bank. 2) Cost efficient way to provide additional services to existing consumers and reach previously unreachable customers. 3) Without the existing company, PayPal, there is a few competitors in this market. 4) Costs include programming and maintenance of application after roll-out. There are other additional benefits. 1) New customers poached from other bank is 38 million transactions in 2010 and 119 in 2014. 2) Expand its reach into mobile transaction market as all customer groups experience increased convenience and streamlining of banking needs. 3) App for free = limits the barriers to entry. 4) Enhance features increase the likelihood of customers finding value in mobile banking. Bank of America’s market share of mobile transactions will increase as credit card and mortgage customers from all groups utilize the app and extend their activities with the bank (as seen in Bank of America’s lessons from online banking). Incremental transactions made by mobile customers will come at a reduced expense to Bank of America.

Plagiarism (research-effects, causes, solutions) Essay

Plagiarism (research-effects, causes, solutions) - Essay Example (Power F C, et al., 2008, p.338.). Obviously all these factors encourage students to commit deliberate cheating in their works. However, there are situations when inadvertent plagiarism occurs. It may happen if the student does not know the proper rules of citation or the general convention of plagiarism. Instructors have the moral responsibility to educate students about the right method of using sources. Although students are always considered as the perpetrators, to a great extent, plagiarism is the failure of schooling system. To illustrate, monotonous lectures, uninteresting assignments, useless or repeated works are some of the causes why students tend to plagiarize in their course. Many schools are not concerned about the quality of the coursework they assign to their students. Teachers often use the same assignment semester after semester which inevitably prompt students to copy from others. If teachers are not innovative in designing course work, they can not insist students to be serious about their work. Hence, plagiarism is unintentionally promoted in many institutions. It happens as we forget the basic objectives of education. The sole objective of education is to create potential and responsible citizens. If the system fails to generate trained professionals, in the long run, it would destruct the overall stability of the nation. In fact, plagiarism is a multifaceted issue that has far reaching effects on the society. Initially, it hampers the creativity of the students who plagiarize. Since the plagiarist does not initiate any effort to the assignment, his/her intellectual abilities will not be enhanced. Secondly, the act would cause relationship breakdown between student and teacher. (Eisner & Vicinus, 2008, p.190). Moreover, students miss the opportunity to acquire further knowledge in their subjects. Although cheating would

Answering the paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Answering the paragraph - Essay Example Ceramics- Nowadays advanced ceramic materials are used for building to make turbine engines as they work more efficiently. Nowadays heat resistant ceramic tiles are used to protect during re – entry. Modern ceramics contain more components that before and are known as ceramic oxides.High temperature ceramics are also lately used in air craft making. â€Å"Engineered ceramics are increasingly being used in commercial and military aircraft, and have been used in the space shuttle and its equipment for many years†. Polymers – In modern aircrafts polymers are used to built airframe, window protection, interior trim, lightly stressed parts, and electrical insulators. The current invented polymer fibers are high in strength and can equal steel. New progression in polymer is the production of low cost polymers as polyethylene.. Composites – composites are an integral part of aircraft structure and there had been a great progression in this material within years. Composites like ceramic composites, polymer composites, carbon- fiber composites all have made the air craft develop vastly. Carbon fiber, aramid fiber is also common composites used for aircraft. Most of the airframe are made of composites and are highly cost – effective and durable. ... Since decades, aircraft technology has changed and the desire of humans for better quality and service has motivated the engineering world to find materials that are advanced. Now all the materials used for aircraft building have been progressed and many are less costing and have high durability. One of the advantages is that, new materials need less of maintenance and last for longer time. As the scientific world is improving the researchers want to make best use of nature and technology to satisfy customer needs and wants. Question 2. List 3 different nano materials and explain why they have become the major buzzword in Science over the last 20 years. Nanomaterials are things that are made with nano particles and are produced using nanotechnology. They are chemical substance which has increased strength, conductivity and light weight. Nano materials are new invention in engineering field and are highly demanded for their sophistication. The different nanomaterials are as follows. F ullerenes Fullerenes are carbon structures made with nanotechnology and have hollow cage like form. It has 60 atoms of carbon and is composed of pure carbon molecule. It has a shape of that of a soccer ball or a dome. It is a highly promising element in material science as it can be used for medical applications, fiber optics and super conductors. Fullerenes are similar to graphite in structure and can also come in spherical shapes. Carbon Nanotubes Carbon nanotube is another nanomaterial which is made of carbon and comes in tube shape. They have a diameter which measures on a nanometer scale. Carbon nanotubes come in many shapes and sizes with number of layers. They are formed from graphite

The WTO has been hijacked by rich country interests, thereby worsening Essay

The WTO has been hijacked by rich country interests, thereby worsening the conditions of the poor in less prosperous countries - Essay Example Taking the case of Zimbabwe as case in point, one can see how the WTO seeks to exploit this resource rich area of the globe for its mineral wealth while at the same time rejecting the market value of finished goods or food that Zimbabwe is capable of producing (Baumberg & Anderson, 2008). As such, the relationship is only a one way relationship in which Zimbabwe, and many nations like it, are forced to sell their products at lower prices to the richer members of the WTO. Further, even the goods that might exist to be traded on the global market are disproportionately priced and locked out of key global markets as a result of the actions that entities such as the WTO engage. Yes, it must not be the understanding of the reader that such a situation of raw material extraction and price setting is somehow unique with regards to sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that developed nations around the globe utilize price setting and currency wars, as well as pro duct dumping, to ensure that this particular approach to global supremacy and economic power are maintained at a systemic level. Further, taking the example of Burma, a nation that has only recently stepped out of military dictatorship, it can be understood that the WTO also seeks to take advantage of this nation; not only with respect to its surplus of cheap labor but with regards to its agricultural exports. As a direct result of the combined benefit of preferential trade, WTO member nations, specifically the wealthy ones, are able to pay their own farmers a subsidy in order that they might be able to compete with the low cost exports of nations such as Burma. In such a manner, entities such as the WTO are able to exploit poorer/less developed nations by forcing them to sell the products that are desired at a given price as well as ensuring that they are not able to gorow their own domestic economy by subsidizing any industry or agricultural sector that runs the risk of being over taken by the cheap exports that such a nation might provide to the market (Williams, 2001). One need look no further than the way in which heavy levels of subsidies exist throughout Western Europe and the United States in order to understand the way in which offenses maneuvers are continually engaged to ensure that the third world is unable to compete with the first. As such, the take away understanding that can be provided from this brief analysis is the fact that the WTO is ultimately like any other organization is made up of a large number of stakeholders (Antell & Coleman, 2011). Rather than determining that the WTO is brought to human ethics and should be dissolved immediately and forth with, the more reasonable and rational understanding that should be engaged is the fact that a disproportionate level of power and determinacy is given to those nations that hold the wealth throughout the global system; enabling them to take advantage of the poorer nations and set prices rather than engaging in a level of true economic freedom and cooperation. Ironically, this level of freedom and economic cooperation is the cornerstone upon which the WTO was originally founded. However, as can be seen from the preceding

How could television be used to improve social and political life in Essay

How could television be used to improve social and political life in the United States - Essay Example Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are the leading methods of getting social and political information to a massive audience. These announcements exist on channels that are usually controlled by the city, and they cover current political information and other goings-on throughout America. â€Å"The best way to improve social life in the United States is to let the vast majority of the population know what is going on in America’s social life (Womack, 2009).† Most of these channels run 24/7, always updating their information so that those that watch these announcements stay up to date. While these announcements usually have their own designated television stations, there are some counties that prefer to air the announcements during news broadcasts or popular television shows - times when there is a good chance that there are already a massive number of people sitting in front of their televisions. Similarly, another popular method of using the television to improve social and political life is the news. A little more formal than Public Service Announcements, the news informs people of numerous goings-on in the world, influencing the social and political side of television viewers, especially the political side. People are able to view the different debates going on in politics and decide for themselves which side of the argument they are more in agreement with. They can also conclude their own argument if the ones on television do not please them. They are able to build a political opinion by watching the news on television. As a large majority of people do watch the news, many news companies make sure to feed the important, need-to-know information in the first half-hour (Calavita, 2005). A method that is used to guarantee a large audience when it comes to viewing either Public Service Announcements or a news broadcast is by placing the program immediately after a popular television show. This method is implemented with the belief that

You can decide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

You can decide - Essay Example Smith Woodward is the Keeper of Geology. He has joined Dawson in carrying out excavations at the Piltdown site at the end of May and during June 1912. Dawson and Woodward found remains of a fossil man dating from early Ice Age with ape-like jawbone with two teeth, more bits of skull, and several fossil animal teeth, bones, and flint tools. Disbelief was the first reaction of the scientific community, especially among Professor David Waterston of King’s College London, Dr. Gerrit Miller in America, and Professor Boule in France. According to them, anatomically speaking, the jaw could not have worked as a part of human skull when it is constructed in a different way. They also questioned the extraordinary wear of the teeth and the coincidence of finding all the fragments or specimen together. Weiner learned that the Piltdown man’s fragments were faked – the teeth had been chiseled down to resemble a human-like chewing pattern and stained with ordinary house paint to look like patina of age and ancient elephant and hippopotamus teeth were planted to the site. The same goes through for the Paleolithic tools, skull, and jaw fragments. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the man behind Sherlock Holmes. His possible involvement pointed out to the reasons that he lived near the Piltdown discovery site and had plenty of access to the fossils. In addition, majority of his works of fiction include familiarity with archeology and paleontology. His motive includes obsession to spiritualism and resentment towards scientists who mocked spiritualism. Aside from being the first person to discover the Piltdown man, Dawson’s involvement to the hoax was closely rooted to his personality. Dawson was ambitious and desperate to have a place in the scientific elite in the Royal Society. He has records of frauds in the field of archeology and his writings showed plagiarized content. Woodward has been considered a

Modern day America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Modern day America - Essay Example Therefore, the culture of any community in any part of the world is superior regarding the operations of people. It should be understood that there is no culture that is superior to the other; all cultures are superior in their different ways. Culture in all of its forms concerns itself with religion, food, and even on what to wear and the way of wearing it. Furthermore, different people from different origins have a language of communication that forms part of its culture. Marriage and music including the way people greet visitors are also some of the dimensions of culture. Therefore, culture is everything common and acceptable to a group of people. It is, therefore, the intention of this paper to provide a detailed discussion of the similarities and differences of cultures at the colonies to that of modern day America. In addition, the paper seeks to provide a brief description of John Adams movie. The culture of certain communities within the colonies and that of the modern day America remain different in a number of ways. The difference is, more so, regarding the so many communities living in these places. In addition, food and clothing of the different groups bring to the forefront the diversity of cultures even in areas that people may look at and think they are minute. The United States of America has a diverse culture of its people because of the large population of more than three hundred and twenty million people. In addition, the Native Americans, Latin Americans and the Africans and the Asians influenced the culture of United States because of migrations. To a larger extent, the United States is called the melting point because of the meeting of so many different cultures that meet and stand influencing other cultures. For instance, it is because of the diversity of cultures in America that the word â€Å"western culture† often refers to cultures in the United States and Europe. On the other hand, the culture of the communities in the

Social Order Essay Example for Free

Social Order Essay Discuss the role of primary and secondary groups in the maintenance of social order and the emergence of deviance in Caribbean societies. Through the evolution of sociology as a discipline, several ‘big questions’ have dominated discourse in the subject. Such questions surround how social order is obtained and maintained in society as well as the factors that account for a movement away from the social order and engage in behaviour thought to be deviant. This discussion will seek to give an account of the treatment various sociologists have given to the issue of social order in society; and the role primary and secondary groups play in the maintenance of order. In the wake of such major revolutions as the French Revolution of 1789 as well as the Industrial Revolution that was also in progress in Europe, society as was conceived at the time experienced massive transformations. Questions arose that needed to be answered. â€Å"The types of questions these nineteenth-century thinkers sought to answer – what is human nature? Why is society structured like it is? How and why do societies change? – are the same questions sociologists try to answer today† (Giddens 1997). This statement further elucidates the central notion of this essay; that the problem of social order has always been at the forefront of the minds of sociologists. O’Donnell (1997) describes social order simply as â€Å"†¦a state in which social life – actions and interactions – can be conducted without major interruptions†. While there are breaches of the social order by and large collective life is able to happen without chaos. It is this relative uniformity in social action, on a macro level, that has pre-occupied the minds of sociologists for some time. A defining fact of human social life is that people will gravitate to each other in various ways. Macionis and Plummer (2008) defines a social group as â€Å"†¦two or more people who identify and interact with one another.† Social Groups range from married couples to friendship groups, to gangs, to churches, to multi- national corporations. Macionis Plummer (2008) go on to define a primary group as â€Å"†¦a small group whose members share personal and enduring relationships.† They argue that â€Å"†¦individuals in primary groups typically spend a great deal of time together, engage in a wide range of common activities and feel they know one another well.† Essentially, primary groups are small and – due to their size – they are able to allow members a considerable measure of familiarity. The opposite is true of secondary groups. These may be defined as â€Å"†¦large and impersonal social group[s] whose members pursue a specific interest or activity†¦Secondary relationships usually involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another† (Macionis Plummer, 2008). Weaker social ties allow secondary groups to facilitate a much larger membership that would obtain in a primary group setting. By this token, we are able understand that membership in primary and secondary groups, serves to facilitate different needs. They achieve different ends in completely different ways. In primary groups, members define themselves in relation to who they are, while in secondary groups persons are defined in relation to what they offer and what the others receive in return. Before we can understand sources of deviance, we must understand order. Order becomes manifest when people conform to social norms and values. The social order is maintained through the presence and implementation of sanctions. A sanction is â€Å"†¦any response to a behaviour that serves to reinforce the norms of a society or social group.† Sanctions may be positive or negative. Positive sanctions or rewards, are implemented to encourage a desired behaviour, whereas negative sanctions are implemented to deter or discourage undesired behaviour. Social order is maintained by the work of the agents of social control. These include such social institutions as the family and the peer group, as well as the education system, religious institutions, the mass media as well as such institutions as the security forces and the justice system. As we become exposed to these institutions, we become aware of what our social group expects of us. We gradually learn what appropriate behaviour is and get an idea of the consequences of each. In this regard, we can better understand the practical framework within which properly ordered collective order happens. This question of how it is that humans are able to cooperate and engaged in structured behaviour is taken by this writer to be central to sociology, largely due to the fact that it manifests itself in the work of such writers as Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, Karl Marx, Max Weber and even W.E.B. Dubois. Emile Durkheim postulated that the basis of social order was, in fact, wide scale agreement and shared morality. Bilton et al (1981) states that Durkheim and fellow functionalist, Talcott Parsons, were talking about the same idea when they used the terms â€Å"collective conscience† and â€Å"value consensus† respectively. Essentially they were both suggesting that human beings submit to a set of social rules because they believe in their validity to a greater or lesser extent. The difference between them was that â€Å"†¦in Durkheim the source of this belief was society itself but in†¦Parsons, society is described as a social system† (Bilton et al, 19 81). Haralambos et al (2002) states that â€Å"†¦Durkheim assumes that society has certain functional prerequisites, the most important of which is the need for social order.† Haralmbos et al (2002) go on to further explain that, â€Å"without this consensus or agreement on fundamental moral issues, social solidarity would be impossible and individuals could not be bound together to form a social unit.† Parsons’ treatment of society as a social system has been seen as foundational to his other ideas, but the fact importance he placed on society as a social system was crucial to his broader understanding of social order and cannot be understated. This treatment of social order became central to functionalist writing, since common values produce common goals. This is largely because writers in the functionalist school posit that since society is a system of interrelated parts, there is a need for there to a certain amount of agreement in society in order to make the system work. Thus, from a functionalist perspective, social groups and institutions are effective in shaping social order by virtue of the ways in which they ensure conformity to the consensus on values that exists in society. The challenge with this functionalist analysis of order is that it presents a very idealistic and almost utopic picture of how society works. It suggests that we all come together because we happily agree upon a certain set of values there is no element of coercion or exploitation involved. Another perspective that gives a different treatment to the issue is that of the Marist school of thought. The work of Karl Marx presents a sharply contrasting picture of the order problem in society. Rather than seeing social order as the result of collective agreement and harmony in society, Marxist sociology presents a radical alternative to this view. Jessop (1999) highlights the importance of seeing Marx in a material determinist framework. He did not see society and its institutions as emerging from the wide scale on a set of values, beliefs and ideas. Rather, he saw the society as emerging from economic forces. Primacy was given to the economic system of society rather than the value system. A major argument postulated by Marx is that conflict emerges in society with the emergence of private ownership (Jessop 1998). For Marx, the bottom line behaviour of man is the pursuit of subsistence. Thus, in order to survive one must engage in some form of work. By working, we engage in different types of relationships with each other. Marx highlights two basic states of being; owners of the means of their production and owners of their labour. Essentially there are the haves and the have nots, the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. These, according to him, are the two basic classes of society. Marx postulates that it is the bourgeoisie who – by virtue of having control of the means of production – have ideological control over the society. They can therefore exert their idea of values, norms, etc on the wider society, seeing that the superstructure of society is biased in their favour. Although there is conflict in society, the effect of that conflict is sublimated as a result of ruling class dominance. Charon (1999) summarizes Marx’s take on the issue as suggesting that social order is maintained through force and manipulation of a subordinate class of people. From this perspective, we see that in society, it is possible for social groups to work to conspire to hold masses of people in check. The agents of social control represent the ruling class agenda and ideology. In this regard, some persons fall into deviance, because the ruling class agenda, which dictates what is acceptable or not, conspires against them. As such, it is the capitalist system that creates deviants, rather than the deviants themselves. Thus far, the writers examined have subscribed to a macro or structuralist approach to society and the individuals in it. They postulate ideas that suggest that the society creates the individuals and therefore emphasis is placed on understanding the work of social structures in maintaining social order. However, a large body of sociological work subscribes to a micro or interpretive approach. They suggest that the structuralist stance underestimates the abilities of the individual and treats them as less than autonomous beings. Conversely, interpretive theorists seek to understand structured, relatively uniform behaviour against the backdrop of humans being purposeful and rational beings. They do not merely seek to know that a behaviour has been committed, but more so, the interpretations of the meanings behind the behaviours in question. Max Weber, though influenced by Marx, was highly critical of his approach to understanding society. He did not subscribe to the one-sided idealism of functionalism, but at the same time, rejected the one-sided materialism of Marx. For him, both of these forces worked in tandem and were crucial in shaping social cohesion and change (Jessop 1998). He drew his analysis from his research into The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism† (1904) which explored the ways in which religious beliefs shaped the development of capitalist system while, at the same time emphasizing that the capitalist system could shape the course of religious beliefs. In rejecting the more structuralist approach, Weber presents the idea that society and the social order does not exist in isolation of the purposeful actions of the individuals in it. He suggests that it is individuals in interaction who give rise to a social structure. The social action approach to understanding behaviour relies heavily on the concept of rationality. He identified different types of rationality, namely: traditional, affective and value-free rationality and emphasized that societies progressed towards deeper more rational behaviour with development. According to Jessop, Weber saw social change as the rationalization of social life. This rationalization became culminated in the creation the bureaucracy in modern society. Thus far, the perspectives that have presented have been colour-blind in the examination of society. They have either presented a vision of society that is either too harmonious to fathom any idea of conflict and division or examined a conflict that emphasizes wealth-based conflict so far that it understates the presence of any other form of conflict that might be abundant in society. It can be argued no perspective best explains the dynamics of Caribbean social order on its own. As such, a more Caribbean perspective must be sought. M.G. Smith, in his seminal work, The Plural Society in the West Indies advanced the argument that the Caribbean societies are several cultures co-existing without blending to form one. Smith (1955) begins his analysis with the basic functionalist premise that society begins with shared values and common social institutions. As a functionalist, he sought to apply this basic principle to a diverse Caribbean cultural landscape with slaves, mulattoes and whites living alongside each-other. When Smith (1955) examined such social institutions as Family, Religion, Education and Economy, he concluded that there is no single collective value system among the three major cultural groups. Rather, he argued that each group had a value system of its own and that the Colonial system was responsible for holding the societies together. This idea of ‘cultural pluralism’ as he described it was quite popular in Caribbean thought for some time, as it helped to explain the divided and divisive of Caribbean social relations. Hence, through the work of M.G. Smith, we are better able to see how social order is in the Caribbean is achieved. On the other hand, other Caribbean writers in the structural functionalist tradition have disagreed with Smith. Edward Braithwaite (in Barrow and Reddock, 2002) argues that the Caribbean does indeed have a common value system. He posits that there has emerged in the region a common ascriptive base, upon which values are built. For instance, he believes that over time, blacks came to accept white dominance, as did the whites and, hence, the argument that there were absolutely no common values does not hold. He suggests that, while stark differences exist in the way cultural institutions are practiced by different sections of the society, it cannot be denied that underlying commonalities abound. Hence, from this perspective, we are again able to appreciate, another perspective of Caribbean order. Yet another Caribbean sociologist worth examining is Edward Kamau Brathwaite (1971). In his work, Creolisation in Jamaica, Brathwaite advances the argument that the cultures which were flung together and helped to shape Caribbean culture have indeed mixed, blended and fused to form one. In providing a working definition, Edward Kamau Brathwaite in, Creolisation in Jamaica (1971) states that creolisation is â€Å"†¦a cultural action – material, psychological, and spiritual – based upon the stimulus/response of individuals within the society to their environment and – as white/black †¦to each other.† As such, creolisation theory posits that when the Africans were thrown together in social arrangement with the Europeans, there was a cultural fusion and this fusion of cultural elements came to form something new. The assumption is that the two cultures were flung together but one was the ‘dominant’ culture (Europe) and the other was subo rdinate (Africa). Simple exposure to linguistics will explain that a ‘creole’ is a fusion of two or more languages to form a new one. In this way, the new language – though influenced by both – is neither of the pre-existent languages. For example, Haitian creole is heavily influenced by French, but is by no means understood by a native French speaker living in France. The point is that, when the process of creolisation takes place, a new social order is formed. Ken Pryce in Barrow Reddock (2004) questions whether or not ‘mainstream approaches’ to understanding order and deviance be readily applied to the Caribbean. As post-plantation societies, the Caribbean region has been shaped by the complex dynamics of its cultural experience. In his piece entitled, Towards a Caribbean Criminology he posits that Caribbean experience is complicated and hence, scholars must examine the peculiarities of the region and the ways in which social groups contribute to deviance in the culture. Pryce (in Barrow Reddock 2004) suggests that more attention must be placed on the lumpen proletariat class (as described by Karl Marx) and the ways in which they’ve been exploited by the capitalist class; resulting in a certain level of deviance. He also discusses the ways in which modernization of Caribbean societies has contributed to the modernization of deviance and crime in the locality. For his part, Anthony Harriot (in Barrow Reddock, 2004) critically analyzes the changing trends of crime and deviance in Jamaica. He highlights the trending down of property related crimes which have happened alongside a rise in violent crime. He also notes that the gun has increased in prominence in violent crimes over the last three decades. Harriot (in Barrow Reddock, 2004) focuses attention at two major sources of violent crime in Jamaica. These are ‘domestic violence’ and ‘gang violence’. These two categories have accounted for the overwhelming majority of violent crimes (particularly murders) in Jamaica. What this reveals is that, membership in primary groups, in which persons are familiar with each other, does not exclude one from perpetuating and being the victims of violence. Domestic violence takes place among persons who share familial bonds. Couples and wider family members are often the perpetrators as well as the victims of deviant activity. Similarly, gang violence in has been cited in annual statistics are the largest contributor to violent crime statistics. In the final analysis, it is beyond doubt that groups – both small and large – are fundamental to human social experience. We turn to them for a sense of collective identity and belonging. Because of this reality, social groups help to promote social cohesion, solidarity and facilitate social order. However, while group life is instrumental in preserving order in society, it is also a fact that social groups do contribute to deviant behaviour in societies everywhere. References †¢ †¢ Barrow, C. and Reddock, R. Caribbean Sociology  © 2002 Bilton, T., Bonnet, K.,Jones, P., Stanworth, M., Introduction to Sociology,  © 1981 Macmillan Publishers, Londin †¢ †¢ †¢ Coser, Lewis, Key Sociological Thinkers,  © 1977 Chevannes, B. Rastafari: Roots and Ideology,  © 1995 Giddens, Anthony, Sociology (3rd Ed.)  © 1999 Blackwell Publishers, Cambridge †¢ Giddens, Anthony, What is Sociology? A Definition and Some Preliminary Considerations,  © 1986 Macmillan Publishers, London. †¢ Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives  © 2004. †¢ Macionis, J. and Plummer, K., Sociology: A Global Introduction,  © 2008 Prentice Hall.

Bureaucratic organization

Bureaucratic organization 2.1.0 Developing change process using a change models Unfreezing ) Movement ) Refreezing 2.2.0 Stakeholder Involvement in Change Process:- Customers Employees Owner/operators Suppliers Share holders Local communities Managing Change is a structured approach to Individuals, Team and Organizations from a current state to a desired future state. Introduction is a British-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share with profits exceeding  £6 billion. It is currently the third largest global retailer based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart and Frances Carrefour but second largest based on profit, ahead of Carrefour. Originally specializing in food and drink, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms, home, health and car insurance, dental plans, retailing and renting DVDs, CDs, music downloads, Internet services, and software. Organizational Structure Jack Cohen founded Tesco in 1919 when he began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. The name came about after Jack Cohen bought a shipment of tea from T.E. Stock well. He made new labels using the first three letters of the suppliers name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO), forming the word TESCO. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, Middlesex. Tesco floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1947 as Tesco Stores (Holdings) Limited. The first self service store opened in St Albans in 1951 (still operational in 2008 as a Metro), and the first supermarket in Maldon in 1956. During the 1950s and the 1960s Tesco grew organically, but also through acquisitions until it owned more than 800 stores. The company purchased 70 Williamsons stores (1957), 200 Harrow Stores outlets (1959), 212 Irwins stores (1960).. 1.1.2 Product Originally specializing in food and drink, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms, home, health and car insurance, dental plans, retailing and renting DVDs, CDs, music downloads, Internet services, and software. 1.1.3 Market characteristics As mentioned above, any super market can be analyzed for its attractiveness to a particular company or organization on a number of different characteristics. Some of the more significant market characteristics that should be considered are actual market size, market growth rate, number of competitors, Intensity of competition, Production level. Tescos UK stores are divided into six formats, differentiated by size and the range of products sold. Which is One stop, Tesco Express, Tesco Metro, Tesco super stores, Tesco Extra and now they are planning to open a Mega Tesco. Where customers will have more availability and they can get everything they 1.1.4 Operating Strategies. There are few competitors in the market so that Tesco has become much more competitive in the recent years. Tesco always changes its strategies to remain No.1 in UK. I Past Strategy. Almost a decade ago Tesco strategy was to beat other competitors prices and become the UKs cheapest brand. Tescos was fully focused on selling large quantities of poor quality products on low prices. II Current Strategy. Currently Tescos marketing strategy has been based around a database strategy driving a huge direct marketing campaign. There customer base (as recorded by the details provided by the hugely successful Club Card Scheme) almost exactly mirrors the demographic make-up of the UK. Simply this means they have somehow managed to be all things to all men. They have between 7m and 8m different variations on the mailings going out to their clients based upon demographic and transactional data. The objective has always been to up-sell to their existing customers through acquiring better customer data and meeting their needs. Now, through providing customers with what they want, the most significant strategy has been aimed at increasing the non-food section by capitalising on the growing need for one-stop-shopping created by an increasingly time-starved population. Drives of changes in todays economy As organizations evolve and come to be seen as dynamic, coping systems, the concept of how they change and methods by which they manage change has continued to be refined. Managing a process of change in an organization can be a highly complex task and is often essential for effective organizational development (OD). This article will provide an overview of the change process faced by many organizations. Different models of change will be highlighted and the resistance to change displayed by many employees will be examined. 1.2.1 Factors of Change Organizations face huge pressures to change, from both internal and external sources, internal forces to change are often as a result of long-term external forces. For example, a banks internal pressure to adopt an Internet banking system, as a result of more and more other banks going online. Internal factors of change The factors internal to an organization that force changes can be identified through a formal analysis method. Most common among these methods is S.W.O.T. analysis. Strengths An organizations strengths, which help identify a competitive advantage or unique selling point, are of vital importance when deciding on changing the focus of the company. Deciding to push certain products or features in favor of dropping others, (like Apple did in recent) years can reinvent the organization. Weaknesses An organizations weaknesses are a real motivation to change. Weaknesses identified internally in a companys product or service, will require immediate attention and changing. Quite often (especially with service based companies), the weakness would be resolved by a cultural change. Opportunities Opportunities that present themselves, like new contracts on other continents will force changes in the company, sometimes as simple as new working hours. With the differences in different customer expectations, modern companies need to remain flexible. Flexibility is a major cultural change that needs to be introduced. Threats Threats to an organization, usually in the form of competitors and substitution products force a company to react. To react effectively companies have to react quickly, which is a cultural change in a company. External Factors of change The factors external to an organization that force changes can be identified through the PESTELI acronym. Political Political factors would include the current and potential influences from political pressures such as unions and national pay agreements. Economic The local, national and world economy impact can force an organization into changing their work practices or even product prices. Social Changes in lifestyle absolutely force changes in organizations (e.g. iPod), but at a cultural level, socially changing attitudes towards work or ethical issues can also have effects on the culture inside an organization. Technical The ever-changing technical world in which we live has probably the most profound effect on organizational culture of all external factors. Technical advancements that allow employees to work from home, working teams to be separated by great distances and for customers to be located on the opposite side of the world from their suppliers. Anything that changes the day-to-day work of the employees has a profound effect on the organizations culture. Ecological The local, national and world ecological and environmental issues that have effects on culture at national levels filter down into the organizational culture within a company. Legislative The legal issues both locally and at an EU level, such as taxes and working time regulations also have effects on culture at a national level, filter down into the organizational culture within a company. Industry Industry changes have a huge effect on national culture. The move away from agriculture into industrial and now information economies has greatly changed the national working culture. Organizational Structure (Bureaucratic organization) Purpose: to track changes in management paradigms from the bureaucratic to the post-bureaucratic to the learning organization model, highlighting core differentiating features of each paradigm as well as necessary ingredients for successful evolution. Design/methodology/approach: the article takes the form of a literature review and critical analysis. Findings: the complexity of the learning organization necessitates gradual evolution. The successful integration of the characteristics of post-bureaucratic firms empowerment, teamwork, trust, communication, commitment, and flexibility coupled with an emergent systems perspective can provide improved understanding of how the learning organization disciplines may actually materialize. Originality/value: linking two traditionally encapsulated areas of research namely post-bureaucratic organizations and learning organizations, highlighting an interesting roadmap for successful convergence of post-bureaucratic organizations towards learni ng organizations The strengths of a bureaucratic organization are: More control over the employees with clear rules and regulations No confusion as the reporting relationships is clear and well defined. The system is centralized and all the decisions can be monitored There is standardization and everyone has to follow the same procedure The weaknesses are: The decision making and all the other processes are very slow The jobs may become boring for the employees The communication has to go through so many levels that it gets distorted. Too much control discourages innovation and creativity. There are too many levels in the hierarchy. The bureaucracy itself encourages political behavior and people try to use other means to go up the hierarchy 2.1.0 Developing change process using a change models Lewins (1951) initiated a model of the change process as one consisting of the three phases which are. i) Unfreezing, reducing the factors and behaviors which maintain the status quo. ii) Movement, creating and developing new behaviors and implementing the change. iii) Refreezing, stabilizing the new behaviors and structure. The first change implemented by the management takeover, which of replacing the HR and Engineering Manager for individuals versed in Japanese philosophy and production methods, sent out a company-wide signal that change could, and would impact everyone at any level within the company. Whether this was intentional or not, this marked the true starting block for cultural change in Byrashi Mouldings. The subsequent changes implemented by the management team, were widespread, with no facet of the company remaining untouched. The changes can be broken down into the following areas -Adoption of Japanese manufacturing systems modernization of plant, which implied by â€Å"two years of rebuilding the plant investment in company, it implies a future -Reshaping work practices cell manufacturing process, industrial workforce into work teams, skills training for all staff Everybody applied for the Team Leader position Flattening and streamlining the organization by eliminating unnecessary tiers of management, â€Å"redundancies, bit heavily into the middle management cadre.† Due to the unprofitability of Byrashi Mouldings, which was commonly known, the voluntary and compulsory redundancies, this created a ‘do or die culture, and assisted in creating an environment where the only viable option for all the employees was to embrace change. All these movements/changes from all over the company are implemented to assist the first stage of managing change, that of unfreezing the existing structure. Computer Room implies continuous learning and change, which is normal for Japanese companies, which do Continuous Improvement equal-opportunity to all the employees of the company. The continuous-training programme gives a stable refreezing stage upon the organisation. Cultural change is not incremental and each stage of the change is important to impact the organisational cultural change. On the respect of the cultural norms of workforce, on the short or medium term, the first two stage takes a more significant impact on; while on the long term, the last stage which establishes a continuous improving system will take a more important impact on. Stakeholder Involvement in Change Process:- Customers: Explain the customers at the shop level, every time they come for shopping they should be told about the change by cashiers or at customer service desk. At the same time toll-free numbers, email or website should be able to explain all the queries. Employees: Line managers should arrange one to one meetings with the staff and explain the change process. Also Free company magazine (Tescos One Team), Staff benefits website, weekly news, daily updates and Team 5 messages should be used to answers all the questions and communicate to everyone in the business. Owner/operators: Company owner/operator explain the benefits for long or short run in directors meeting and also sending them special notes or emails. Suppliers: Company directors/Area Managers have one to one meetings with suppliers and their representatives. Arrange the workshops or training if necessary. Shareholders: Share holders should be able to find information on websites. And also they should be told by their monthly reports and through the Agents. Local communities: Making sure local communities are also on boat by contacting them through their club card statements and displaying banners or posters inside the shops.