Museum Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum Report - Essay Example One of the practitioners of this style of painting was Paul Cezanne, a French painter, though some critics put him in the post-impressionist period. However a study of his works show that many of his paintings have the characteristics associated with the impressionist style (Impressionist 3). One example of Cezanne's work that exemplifies his style of painting is the 'Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas-de-Bouffan' the Cezanne family estate at Aix in the south of France. Cezzane's early work did not meet with much success, and it is only later, once introduced to this style of art that the "black and morbid atmosphere of his paintings gradually changes as he concentrates on landscape subjects" (Expo, Paul Cezanne). Moreover, impressionist paintings feature "short 'broken' strokes of pure untinted and unmixed color" (Impressionism 2) and these characteristics are very much in evidence in this painting, especially in the manner in which the leaves have been painted. This aspect has to be viewed in the backdrop of the technique then in vogue of "having an almost smooth surface of the canvas without visible brush strokes" (Impressionism 2). Another feature of this painting which also fits the Impressionist style is the absence of define lines to determine the edges of various objects, which is true of the chestnut tree

Wynn Las Vegas Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wynn Las Vegas Business Plan - Essay Example The element is bond to enable Wynn Las Vegas Company to execute proper strategic thinking and strategic planning towards the achievement of competitiveness in the market. This is apparent since the strategy will enable the company to make sense of the emerging markets and technologies through seeing and understanding of the operating patterns and trends (Chabria, Green & Slutsky, 2006). Therefore, the strategy is essential as it will enable the company to design the organizations performance direction effectively, set priorities, perform effective budgeting, and allocate resources fairly. Environmental analysis entails evaluation of the key factors that influence effective operations of institutions. The factors that are popularly known as PESTEL include political, economic, social, technology, social, ecological, and legal aspects. Evaluation of the economic aspect is vital for the hospitality service provider, as it will obtain critical information that will facilitate its ability to dealing with the economic externalities in the environment. It will give the institution the greenlight on how the performance is likely to be during a period. Therefore, it is prudent for the company to evaluate and understand the political undertakings in the region (Chabria, Green & Slutsky, 2006). When it comes to technology, social, ecology and legal factors, the company will analyze the technological changes the environment embraces, the fairness of the existing laws and the favoritism of the ecosystem including social integration. Analysis of the aspects is to enable the company make an accurate decision on whether to continue executing its services or relocate to other destinations. High level of competitiveness is a key factor that Wynn Las Vegas seeks to achieve in the hotel industry. The company is planning to achieve this through provision of quality services and products real time, effective product

Factors influencing employee Affective Commitment

Factors influencing employee Affective Commitment In this era of globalization there is a dynamic business world which demands continuous change. Change in an organization is undeniable. Organizations have to make changes either due to external or internal factors. In the process of adaptation of change adaptive leader provides new roles, responsibilities, values and the ways of working to his employees. No doubt it is quite uneasy for employees to adopt change (Heifetz. R, Laurie, 2001). In order to manage these changes, understanding the process of change management is very important for the success of organization in the continuously changing business environment (Lowder, 2009). Change is defined as making something different in some particular way (Randle Flamholtz, 2008, p.3 ) Change is anything which is different from norms. Organizational change refers to activities associated with planning, designing, implementing and internalizing tools, procedures, routines, processes, or systems that will require people to perform their jobs differently (Mourier Smith, 2001, p.212). For successful implementation of change employees have to adopt new roles, new values, new relationships and new approaches to work. There are many different types of changes on the basis of different criteria. As Dunphy and Stace (as cited in Rafferty Simons, 2006) define four types of organizational changes,  ¬Ã‚ ne-tuning change, incremental adjustment, modular transformation and corporate transformation. Fine-tuning change means small changes adopted in the strategy, structure and the process of an organization. Background of the study When leader applies change in an organization he should not only check the performance of the firm but also check that how much employees are committed to change, because change has direct impact on employees (Heifetz.R. Laurie, 2001). If employees are committed they will support the change initiatives. Can commitment to change be obtained and, if so, will that help the implementation efforts (Parish Cadwallader, 2008). There is a need to understand how employees perceive change. How organizational change can be supported by employees commitment (Herscovitch Meyer, 2002). There is growing interest in estimating the role of employees commitment in the success of organizational change (Parish Cadwallader, 2008). To get employees commitment, leaders of an organization should understand the factors which enhance commitment to change. In Pakistan there are no significant research study conducted regarding change management. This study is conducted for sports goods manufacturing sector of Pakistan. In manufacturing sector transformational changes are usually considered to be capital intensive. In Pakistan sports goods manufacturing sector is labor intensive. So both fine tuning change and employee commitment can be measured in this sector by this study. Significance of study This study tries to explain the role of affective employee commitment for the success of organizational change. Basically this study is an attempt to fill the gap by adding new factors in the model which was proposed by Noble Mokwa, (1999) and then used by Parish Cadwallader, (2008). This study tests their model by adding new factors like self autonomy, trust in coworkers to add some knowledge in the literature. This study also provides factors responsible for successful implementation of fine tuning change in sports goods manufacturing sector of Pakistan. Broad Problem Area In Pakistan there is lack of research regarding change management practices. Major areas in which change management has implemented are federal board of revenue of Pakistan and irrigation system of Pakistan. There is a need of change in sports goods manufacturing sector of Pakistan for its progress in all over the world . There is gap for measuring organizational change with respect to employee commitment to organizational change Parish Cadwallader, (2008) and this study fills up that gap by adding some new factors from different studies. Research objective Main objective of this study is to measure the factors which can influence employee affective commitment to fine tuning change in sports goods manufacturing organization of Pakistan. Delimitations of the study Due to constraints of time, geographic area and little experience in the field of research this study limits itself to sports goods manufacturing organization in Sialkot. Literature review Change management is a painful process for almost any organization. In the form of change leaders and followers both take it as challenge. Changes in societies, markets, customers, competition, and technology around the globe are forcing to clarify their values, develop new strategies and learn new ways of operating (Heifetz, R. Laurie, 2001). Types of organizational changes There are many types of organizational changes on the different basis Dunphy, Stace (as cited in Rafferty Simons, 2006) define four types of organizational change on the basis of level of change, content of change, and the impact of change. Level of change means either the change is on big level or small level. Content of change means either changes is due to external factor or internal factors. Four types of changes are four types of change including  ¬Ã‚ ne-tuning change, incremental adjustment, modular transformation and corporate transformation. Fine tuning changes are done on small level of an organization usually at departmental or divisional levels. Incremental adjustments are those which are not radical but direct modifications in firms strategy, structure and management process. Modular transformation refers to realignment of one or more departments or divisions. Corporate transformation refers to change that is done on corporate level and revolutionary in its impact. I n many cases fine tuning change has positive and significant consequences as compare to other types. Employees are more adoptive and show commitment towards fine tuning change (Rafferty Simons, 2006). Employee commitment The extent to which a person identifies with and works toward organization-related goals and values (Noble Mokwa, 1999, p. 54). In the context of organizational change another definition is a force (mind-set) that binds an individual to a course of action deemed necessary for the successful implementation of a change initiative (Herscovitch Meyer, 2002, p. 476). Affective, continuance and normative commitment For deeply understanding the concept of commitment, Meyer Allen, (1991) gave a three component model having three categories of employee commitment, affective, continuance and normative commitment Meyer Allen, (1991) defines affective commitment (AC) as employees emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization in other words employees stay with a  ¬Ã‚ rm because they want to. Continuance commitment (CC) means that the employee is very much aware about the cost to leave the organization in other words employees stay with a firm because they need to. Normative commitment (NC) means feeling of obligation to continue employment in other words employees stay with a firm because they ought to. Some categories of commitment were also discussed by Bennett, (2000) in different way. Three psychological bases for organizational attachment are compliance commitment, identification commitment and internalization commitment. Compliance commitment (continuance commitment) means the employees are committed to the organization because there are high monetary and social costs to leave the organization. Identification commitment (affective commitment) is commitment based on an emotional bond with the organization and the persons desire to be affiliated with the organization. Internalization commitment (Normative commitment) is internalized norms shared with the organizations goals, values and mission. When change affects an organizations core values employees internalized organizational commitment will be eroded. Since internalized commitment can be associated with other behaviors key to the change process this can have serious implications to an organization (Bennett, 2000). On the basis of above three components model of commitment Herscovitch Meyer, (2002) proposed a three-component model of commitment to organizational change and suggested that it has advantages similar to those demonstrated in the organizational commitment literature (e.g. improved ability to predict employee behavior). Therefore, affective commitment to change refers to a desire to support a change; continuance commitment to change is based on recognition that there are costs associated with resisting change, and normative commitment to change reflects a sense of obligation to be supportive. To measure the employees commitment to change there are different factors proposed by several researchers. Some of them are discussed here. Factors influencing employee commitment to organizational change Participation Employee participation refers to a process in which in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence is shared among individuals who are hierarchical unequals. In participation process subordinates equally share decision making authority with their superiors (Wagner, 1994). Many researchers have found that employee participation in decision making process is very important for the success of change as it reduces the resistance to change. Participative management encourages employees to participate in the process of making those decisions which directly affect their working environments ( Erturk. A, 2008). In many organizations change process badly failed because top management not involved their employees in the change process decisions. Lack of employee participation leads to unawareness of change so middle and lower level employees could not manage themselves with change. Employees dont get enough time to socialize themselves with change (Stanleigh, 2008). Employee participation not only provides task clearance but also gives self satisfaction and learning to employee. Employee participation can be used as tool by which top management can reduce resistance to change (Tonnessen, 2005). Participation increases the job performance by reducing role conflict and role ambiguity (Rafferty Simons, 2006). From above point of views I can propose that there is positive relationship between employee participation and employee commitment. Trust in superiors Trust has been de ¬Ã‚ ned as the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action even in the absence of monitoring or controls (Mayer, Davis, Schoorman, 1995; Rafferty Simons, 2006). Trust in seniors decreases the fear of change and manage the mindset of employees (Cheramie, 2008). Basically changes are initiated and driven by senior organizational leaders and employees take these changes as a risk for themselves (klein, 2004) in such situation trust in top management is very much important to keep the employees on the correct track by telling them the benefits of change. I propose that that there is a positive relation between trust in top management leaders and employees job commitment. Role autonomy Role autonomy refers to the degree to which employees experience freedom, independence and discretional decision making in terms of scheduling their work, selecting their equipment they will use, and deciding on procedures to follow (Graham Nafukho, 2007). When employees report high level of autonomy they believe they are able to act independently and control their own work. Role autonomy refers to the extent to which one has freedom to make job decisions and adjust behaviors accordingly (Noble and Mokwa, 1999). A manager who grants employee autonomy is perceived as sharing control. Under conditions of greater Autonomy, employees tend to have greater commitment to change (Tonnessen, 2006). Employees who have a sense of autonomy about their role in implementing workplace change initiatives they will develop commitment to change. I propose that there is positive relation between employee role autonomy and employees commitment to change. Trust In coworkers Another factor which can be linked with employees commitment to change is an individuals trust in his coworkers. Researchers argued that high level of trust within a work group leads to better understanding of task, improved performance, high level of corporation within work group and psychological satisfaction (May, Gibson, Harter, 2004). When there is high level of trust within there is low stress and tension which increase the innovation and performance of employees (Spector Jones, 2004). When any change comes in the system work group with high level of trust can better understand and response to that change Stanleigh, (2007) explored the relationship of organizational justice and trust for implementing change. They investigated the nature of trust through depth interviews of employees. They found that there is a little difference between trusting and mistrustful employees perceptions of distributive justice. They claimed that employees who experienced trusting emerged to receiv e an emotion of being respected and esteemed from their societal relations with top management. Job motivation Motivation is an energizing force with implications for employees behavior (Meyeret al., 2004). We believe that job motivation also influences attitudes. Specifically, it has implications for employee commitment to organizational change. In fact, there is a growing body of literature that supports the positive relationship between job motivation and employees attitudes toward change (Coopey Hartley, 2004). Paton and McCalman (2006) argued that organizational success is generated by motivated people. Furthermore, the greater the job motivation the greater the likelihood of employee commitment to the organization and to organizational change (Mathieu and Zajac, 2007; Thorsurd, 2002). Thus, I propose that employees experiencing high job motivation develop employee effective commitment. Outcomes of employee commitment to organizational change There are very few research studies in which researchers attempt to link employee affective commitment with organizational outcome. According to Meyer and Allen, (1991) affective commitment is positively associated with organizational outcomes by using importance, scope, and support from senior management as a factors influencing employees commitment. On the basis of model presented by Noble and Mokwa, (1999) and further used by Parish and Cadwallader, (2008) this study suggests two outcomes of employee commitment to organizational change and these are Perceived implementation success and Individual learning. Perceived implementation success Noble and Mokwa , (1999) identified implementation success as a primary outcome of commitment to a change and defined it as the extent to which an implementation effort is considered successful by the organization. Although researchers often evaluate strategic success from the viewpoints of managers Noble and Mokwa, (1999), it is valuable to consider nonmanager perspectives as well. Implementation can be effective only when employees are committed (Paton McCalman, 2000). In fact, Conner and sPatterson, (2001) labeled the lack of employee commitment as the most prevalent factor contributing to failed change projects. I propose that affective employee commitment to change is positively related with implementation success. Individual learning Learning has been defined as a knowledge-creation process in which information interpretation leads to a change in behaviors (Lehesvirta, 2004). Learning is part of the change process. For example Gibb and Scott, (2003) found that firms change by solving problems as they arise and by learning from the problem-solution process. Employees committed to change efforts are more likely to learn from the process. Loyal employees want to contribute to and see the results of their efforts, and they can do so through learning Teare and Rayner, (2002).When employees learn from being involved in an organizational change, they consider that learning to affect the success of the implementation. I propose that affective employee commitment to change is positively related with individual learning. Proposed model Employee participation Role autonomy Trust in senior leaders Job motivation Employee affective commitment to fine tune change Individual learning Implementation success Employee affective commitment to fine tune change Implementation success Individual learning Limitation of the study Some limitations of this study that could lead to future research are following. For this study data gathered from sports goods manufacturing organization of Pakistan. The same study can also be conducted for services sector of any country. Model of study emphasis on fine tuning change and employee effective commitment it can further expand by adding two other types of employee commitment change, continuance and normative commitment. Other factors which could influence are organizational culture and leadership style.

Marcus Brutus as the Protagonist of William Shakespeares Julius Caesar

Marcus Brutus as the Protagonist of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar      Ã‚   All men have the power to reason.   Some men can reason better than others, nonetheless, all men can reason.   In order to reason, one must clear his mind, be completely impartial, and understand the situation to the best of his ability.   The play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, is the story of a man trying his best to make reasonable, rational decisions.   Marcus Brutus is this struggling character who evades constant pressure from all sides to gloriously pull through, yet dies at play's end.   Undoubtedly, Brutus is the main character, and driving force of the play, despite the misleading title of Julius Caesar.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Three separate, critical aspects help to show the reader how unimportant Julius Caesar is to the play.   Caesar appears, in dreams, and thoughts of multiple people, giving warnings and special messages.   Nobody seems to pay attention to him. Anotherexample is illustrated by the way that Brutus seems to dominate his own actions, whatever he is thinking.   Also, Antony declares war on Brutus, but not out of love for Caesar, but anger toward the conspirators.   As these aspects are explained in further detail one will be sure of the fact that Brutus, without question, clearly dominates the play as a whole.    Caesar warns numerous people of ensuing tragedies multiple times, and not once is he listened to.   Calpurnia cries out terrified three times during the night, "Help ho - they murder Caesar!"   The reader soon learns of a dream in which Caesar's wife visualizes her husband's death.   She begs and pleads Caesar to stay home that day, ... ...ad.   In every aspect of the play earlier mentioned, Brutus is the driving force of nearly everything that occurs.   Caesar is but an after-thought of the reader, and is realized as the inciting action, and nothing more.   Brutus is, by all means, the dominating force in the play.    "He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not, is a slave." - Sir William Drumman      Works Cited and Consulted: Hunter, G.K. "Shakespeare and the Traditions of Tragedy." Wells, Stanley, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994. Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar." Houghton Mifflin Company. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, 1974. Palmer, D. J. "Tragic Error in Julius Caesar." Shakespeare Quarterly. 21-22 (1970): 399.

Einstein Essay Essay

The reason she would have most likely be asking this question is probably because the world at the time is going through tough times such as The Depression and it also being post World War 1 era. Einstein’s response to Phyllis’s question was ineffective because it lacks ethos, pathos, and it did not give a straight forward answer to the question. The lack of ethos made the argument less effective because even though Albert Einstein is one of the most famous scientists of the twentieth century, he did not show any credibility that he had towards the argument. Yes he might have won a Nobel Prize for Physics, but that does not mean he knows anything about religion, also being the only scientist responding to Phyllis’s question, Einstein does not necessarily have the correct answer because he does not give the point-of-view of the other scientists. Yes, Einstein was most likely one of the only known scientist at the time, and for that reason he would be the â€Å"go-to† guy, for this question, but that does not give him much credibility for this question. The lack of pathos made the argument less effective because he did not show any emotion towards the reader, Phyllis Wright. Einstein should have showed more compassion towards Phyllis because she was merely a 6th grader, not one of his colleagues. Yes, Einstein had many facts on why scientists may or may not pray, but by the way he worded the response, it seemed that he did not take into consideration that Phyllis was just a young girl. He also says that â€Å"a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer,† thus making it seem that there was no reason for Phyllis to even ask the question, thus making her feel like she just wasted his time asking him the question. His answer too was not straightforward, due to how he would say one thing and then went on saying something else that would go against his first argument by doing this; he is making it difficult for Phyllis to comprehend what he is trying to say. If he were to use more pathos the argument would be more effective because it allows the reader to feel what the writer is feeling. Einstein did not lack logos, but he did fail to give a straight forward answer which in turn made the made the argument ineffective. He uses the â€Å"Red Herring Fallacy† in order to divert attention from the original question. For example he stated †the belief in the existence of basic all-embracing laws in Nature also rests on a sort of faith† which has nothing to do with the question on whether scientist pray or not. Using this fallacy makes Phyllis’s attention to her question divert from whether or not scientist pray to, whether or not there is a god. Einstein’s use of logos was used greatly throughout his argument, but he must remember that he is talking to a young girl and should not be talking to her as if it was one of his colleagues, so there is a chance that she did not comprehend the argument thoroughly. Because Einstein’s argument lacked ethos and pathos, as well as not giving a straight forward answer, it was ineffective. The fact that he lacked ethos, made this essay ineffective because being a scientist does not give him any credibility towards religion. The lack of pathos, made this argument ineffective because he needs to make the reader feel the way he felt while writing this response. The way he worded the response made the argument unclear of what he wanted to say, which made the reader unsure of what his stand on the question was. Ethos, pathos, and logos are all necessary when attempting to make an effective argument, but Einstein seemed to have left some of these key factors out of his argument.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 9. TARGET

ALICE DROPPED ME OFF IN THE MORNING, IN KEEPING with the slumber party charade. It wouldn't be long until Edward showed up, officially returning from his â€Å"hiking† trip. All of the pretenses were starting to wear on me. I wouldn't miss this part of being human. Charlie peeked through the front window when he heard me slam the car door. He waved to Alice, and then went to get the door for me. â€Å"Did you have fun?† Charlie asked. â€Å"Sure, it was great. Very . . . girlie.† I carried my stuff in, dumped it all at the foot of the stairs, and wandered into the kitchen to look for a snack. â€Å"You've got a message,† Charlie called after me. On the kitchen counter, the phone message pad was propped up conspicuously against a saucepan. Jacob called, Charlie had written. He said he didn't mean it, and that he's sorry. He wants you to call him. Be nice and give him a break. He sounded upset. I grimaced. Charlie didn't usually editorialize on my messages. Jacob could just go ahead and be upset. I didn't want to talk to him. Last I'd heard, they weren't big on allowing phone calls from the other side. If Jacob preferred me dead, then maybe he should get used to the silence. My appetite evaporated. I turned an about face and went to put my things away. â€Å"Aren't you going to call Jacob?† Charlie asked. He was leaning around the living room wall, watching me pick up. â€Å"No.† I started up the stairs. â€Å"That's not very attractive behavior, Bella,† he said. â€Å"Forgiveness is divine.† â€Å"Mind your own business,† I muttered under my breath, much too low for him to hear. I knew the laundry was building up, so after I put my toothpaste away and threw my dirty clothes in the hamper, I went to strip Charlie's bed. I left his sheets in a pile at the top of the stairs and went to get mine. I paused beside the bed, cocking my head to the side. Where was my pillow? I turned in a circle, scanning the room. No pillow. I noticed that my room looked oddly tidy. Hadn't my gray sweatshirt been draped over the low bedpost on the footboard? And I would swear there had been a pair of dirty socks behind the rocking chair, along with the red blouse I'd tried on two mornings ago, but decided was too dressy for school, hanging over the arm. . . . I spun around again. My hamper wasn't empty, but it wasn't overflowing, the way I thought it had been. Was Charlie doing laundry? That was out of character. â€Å"Dad, did you start the wash?† I shouted out my door. â€Å"Um, no,† he shouted back, sounding guilty. â€Å"Did you want me to?† â€Å"No, I got it. Were you looking for something in my room?† â€Å"No. Why?† â€Å"I can't find . . . a shirt. . . .† â€Å"I haven't been in there.† And then I remembered that Alice had been here to get my pajamas. I hadn't noticed that she'd borrowed my pillow, too – probably since I'd avoided the bed. It looked like she had cleaned while she was passing through. I blushed for my slovenly ways. But that red shirt really wasn't dirty, so I went to save it from the hamper. I expected to find it near the top, but it wasn't there. I dug through the whole pile and still couldn't find it. I knew I was probably getting paranoid, but it seemed like something else was missing, or maybe more than one something. I didn't even have half a load here. I ripped my sheets off and headed for the laundry closet, grabbing Charlie's on the way. The washing machine was empty. I checked the dryer, too, half-expecting to find a washed load waiting for me, courtesy of Alice. Nothing. I frowned, mystified. â€Å"Did you find what you were looking for?† Charlie yelled. â€Å"Not yet.† I went back upstairs to search under my bed. Nothing but dust bunnies. I started to dig through my dresser. Maybe I'd put the red shirt away and forgotten. I gave up when the doorbell rang. That would be Edward. â€Å"Door,† Charlie informed me from the couch as I skipped past him. â€Å"Don't strain yourself, Dad.† I pulled the door open with a big smile on my face. Edward's golden eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, his lips pulled back over his teeth. â€Å"Edward?† My voice was sharp with shock as I read his expression. â€Å"What -?† He put his finger to my lips. â€Å"Give me two seconds,† he whispered. â€Å"Don't move.† I stood frozen on the doorstep and he . . . disappeared. He moved so quickly that Charlie wouldn't even have seen him pass. Before I could compose myself enough to count to two, he was back. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me swiftly toward the kitchen. His eyes darted around the room, and he held me against his body as if he were shielding me from something. I threw a glance toward Charlie on the couch, but he was studiously ignoring us. â€Å"Someone's been here,† he murmured in my ear after he pulled me to the back of the kitchen. His voice was strained; it was difficult to hear him over the thumping of the washing machine. â€Å"I swear that no werewolves -† I started to say. â€Å"Not one of them,† he interrupted me quickly, shaking his head. â€Å"One of us.† His tone made it clear that he didn't mean a member of his family. I felt the blood empty from my face. â€Å"Victoria?† I choked. â€Å"It's not a scent I recognize.† â€Å"One of the Volturi,† I guessed. â€Å"Probably.† â€Å"When?† â€Å"That's why I think it must have been them – it wasn't long ago, early this morning while Charlie was sleeping. And whoever it was didn't touch him, so there must have been another purpose.† â€Å"Looking for me.† He didn't answer. His body was frozen, a statue. â€Å"What are you two hissing about in here?† Charlie asked suspiciously, rounding the corner with an empty popcorn bowl in his hands. I felt green. A vampire had been in the house looking for me while Charlie slept. Panic overwhelmed me, closed my throat. I couldn't answer, I just stared at him in horror. Charlie's expression changed. Abruptly, he was grinning. â€Å"If you two are having a fight . . . well, don't let me interrupt.† Still grinning, he put his bowl in the sink and sauntered out of the room. â€Å"Let's go,† Edward said in a low hard voice. â€Å"But Charlie!† The fear was squeezing my chest, making it hard to breathe. He deliberated for a short second, and then his phone was in his hand. â€Å"Emmett,† he muttered into the receiver. He began talking so fast that I couldn't understand the words. It was over in half a minute. He started pulling me toward the door. â€Å"Emmett and Jasper are on their way,† he whispered when he felt my resistance. â€Å"They'll sweep the woods. Charlie is fine.† I let him drag me along then, too panicked to think clearly. Charlie met my frightened eyes with a smug grin, which suddenly turned to confusion. Edward had me out the door before Charlie could say anything. â€Å"Where are we going?† I couldn't stop whispering, even after we were in the car. â€Å"We're going to talk to Alice,† he told me, his volume normal but his voice bleak. â€Å"You think maybe she saw something?† He stared at the road through narrowed eyes. â€Å"Maybe.† They were waiting for us, on alert after Edward's call. It was like walking into a museum, everyone still as statues in various poses of stress. â€Å"What happened?† Edward demanded as soon as we were through the door. I was shocked to see that he was glowering at Alice, his hands fisted in anger. Alice stood with her arms folded tight across her chest. Only her lips moved. â€Å"I have no idea. I didn't see anything.† â€Å"How is that possible?† he hissed. â€Å"Edward,† I said, a quiet reproof. I didn't like him talking to Alice this way. Carlisle interrupted in a calming voice. â€Å"It's not an exact science, Edward.† â€Å"He was in her room, Alice. He could have still been there – waiting for her.† â€Å"I would have seen that.† Edward threw his hands up in exasperation. â€Å"Really? You're sure?† Alice's voice was cold when she answered. â€Å"You've already got me watching the Volturis' decisions, watching for Victoria's return, watching Bella's every step. You want to add another? Do I just have to watch Charlie, or Bella's room, or the house, or the whole street, too? Edward, if I try to do too much, things are going to start slipping through the cracks.† â€Å"It looks like they already are,† Edward snapped. â€Å"She was never in any danger. There was nothing to see.† â€Å"If you're watching Italy, why didn't you see them send -â€Å" â€Å"I don't think it's them,† Alice insisted. â€Å"I would have seen that.† â€Å"Who else would leave Charlie alive?† I shuddered. â€Å"I don't know,† Alice said. â€Å"Helpful.† â€Å"Stop it, Edward,† I whispered. He turned on me, his face still livid, his teeth clenched together. He glared at me for half a second, and then, suddenly, he exhaled. His eyes widened and his jaw relaxed. â€Å"You're right, Bella. I'm sorry.† He looked at Alice. â€Å"Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable.† â€Å"I understand,† Alice assured him. â€Å"I'm not happy about it, either.† Edward took a deep breath. â€Å"Okay, let's look at this logically. What are the possibilities?† Everyone seemed to thaw out at once. Alice relaxed and leaned against the back of the couch. Carlisle walked slowly toward her, his eyes far away. Esme sat on the sofa in front of Alice, curling her legs up on the seat. Only Rosalie remained unmoving, her back to us, staring out the glass wall. Edward pulled me to the sofa and I sat next to Esme, who shifted to put her arm around me. He held one of my hands tightly in both of his. â€Å"Victoria?† Carlisle asked. Edward shook his head. â€Å"No. I didn't know the scent. He might have been from the Volturi, someone I've never met. . . .† Alice shook her head. â€Å"Aro hasn't asked anyone to look for her yet. I will see that. I'm waiting for it.† Edward's head snapped up. â€Å"You're watching for an official command.† â€Å"You think someone's acting on their own? Why?† â€Å"Caius's idea,† Edward suggested, his face tightening again. â€Å"Or Jane's . . . ,† Alice said. â€Å"They both have the resources to send an unfamiliar face. . . .† Edward scowled. â€Å"And the motivation.† â€Å"It doesn't make sense, though,† Esme said. â€Å"If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen that. He – or she – had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie, for that matter.† I cringed at my father's name. â€Å"It's going to be fine, Bella,† Esme murmured, smoothing my hair. â€Å"But what was the point then?† Carlisle mused. â€Å"Checking to see if I'm still human?† I guessed. â€Å"Possible,† Carlisle said. Rosalie breathed out a sigh, loud enough for me to hear. She'd unfrozen, and her face was turned expectantly toward the kitchen. Edward, on the other hand, looked discouraged. Emmett burst through the kitchen door, Jasper right behind him. â€Å"Long gone, hours ago,† Emmett announced, disappointed. â€Å"The trail went East, then South, and disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting.† â€Å"That's bad luck,† Edward muttered. â€Å"If he'd gone west . . . well, it would be nice for those dogs to make themselves useful.† I winced, and Esme rubbed my shoulder. Jasper looked at Carlisle. â€Å"Neither of us recognized him. But here.† He held out something green and crumpled. Carlisle took it from him and held it to his face. I saw, as it exchanged hands, that it was a broken fern frond. â€Å"Maybe you know the scent.† â€Å"No,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Not familiar. No one I've ever met.† â€Å"Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it's a coincidence . . . ,† Esme began, but stopped when she saw everyone else's incredulous expressions. â€Å"I don't mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick Bella's house to visit at random. I meant that maybe someone was just curious. Our scent is all around her. Was he wondering what draws us there?† â€Å"Why wouldn't he just come here then? If he was curious?† Emmett demanded. â€Å"You would,† Esme said with a sudden, fond smile. â€Å"The rest of us aren't always so direct. Our family is very large – he or she might be frightened. But Charlie wasn't harmed. This doesn't have to be an enemy.† Just curious. Like James and Victoria had been curious, in the beginning? The thought of Victoria made me tremble, though the one thing they seemed certain of was that it had not been her. Not this time. She would stick to her obsessed pattern. This was just someone else, a stranger. I was slowly realizing that vampires were much bigger participants in this world than I'd once thought. How many times did the average human cross paths with them, completely unaware? How many deaths, obliviously reported as crimes and accidents, were really due to their thirst? How crowded would this new world be when I finally joined it? The shrouded future sent a shiver down my spine. The Cullens pondered Esme's words with varying expressions. I could see that Edward did not accept her theory, and that Carlisle very much wanted to. Alice pursed her lips. â€Å"I don't think so. The timing of it was too perfect. . . . This visitor was so careful to make no contact. Almost like he or she knew that I would see. . . .† â€Å"He could have other reasons for not making contact,† Esme reminded her. â€Å"Does it really matter who it was?† I asked. â€Å"Just the chance that someone was looking for me . . . isn't that reason enough? We shouldn't wait for graduation.† â€Å"No, Bella,† Edward said quickly. â€Å"It's not that bad. If you're really in danger, we'll know.† â€Å"Think of Charlie,† Carlisle reminded me. â€Å"Think of how it would hurt him if you disappeared.† â€Å"I am thinking of Charlie! He's the one I'm worried about! What if my little guest had happened to be thirsty last night? As long as I'm around Charlie, he's a target, too. If anything happened to him, it would be all myfault!† â€Å"Hardly, Bella,† Esme said, patting my hair again. â€Å"And nothing will happen to Charlie. We're just going to have to be more careful.† â€Å"More careful?† I repeated in disbelief. â€Å"It's all going to be fine, Bella,† Alice promised; Edward squeezed my hand. And I could see, looking at all of their beautiful faces one by one, that nothing I could say was going to change their minds. It was a quiet ride home. I was frustrated. Against my better judgment, I was still human. â€Å"You won't be alone for a second,† Edward promised as he drove me to Charlie's. â€Å"Someone will always be there. Emmett, Alice, Jasper . . .† I sighed. â€Å"This is ridiculous. They'll get so bored, they'll have to kill me themselves, just for something to do.† Edward gave me a sour look. â€Å"Hilarious, Bella.† Charlie was in a good mood when we got back. He could see the tension between me and Edward, and he was misinterpreting it. He watched me throw together his dinner with a smug smile on his face. Edward had excused himself for a moment, to do some surveillance, I assumed, but Charlie waited till he was back to pass on my messages. â€Å"Jacob called again,† Charlie said as soon as Edward was in the room. I kept my face empty as I set the plate in front of him. â€Å"Is that a fact?† Charlie frowned. â€Å"Don't be petty, Bella. He sounded really low.† â€Å"Is Jacob paying you for all the P.R., or are you a volunteer?† Charlie grumbled incoherently at me until the food cut off his garbled complaint. Though he didn't realize it, he'd found his mark. My life was feeling a lot like a game of dice right now – would the next roll come up snake eyes? What if something did happen to me? It seemed worse than petty to leave Jacob feeling guilty about what he'd said. But I didn't want to talk to him with Charlie around, to have to watch my every word so I didn't let the wrong thing slip. Thinking about this made me jealous of Jacob and Billy's relationship. How easy it must be when you had no secrets from the person you lived with. So I would wait for the morning. I most likely wasn't going to die tonight, after all, and it wouldn't hurt him to feel guilty for twelve more hours. It might even be good for him. When Edward officially left for the evening, I wondered who was out in the downpour, keeping an eye on Charlie and me. I felt awful for Alice or whoever else it might be, but still comforted. I had to admit it was nice, knowing I wasn't alone. And Edward was back in record time. He sang me to sleep again and – aware even in unconsciousness that he was there – I slept free of nightmares. In the morning, Charlie left to go fishing with Deputy Mark before I was up. I decided to use this lack of supervision to be divine. â€Å"I'm going to let Jacob off the hook,† I warned Edward after I'd eaten breakfast. â€Å"I knew you'd forgive him,† he said with an easy smile. â€Å"Holding grudges is not one of your many talents.† I rolled my eyes, but I was pleased. It seemed like Edward really was over the whole anti-werewolf thing. I didn't look at the clock until after I'd dialed. It was a little early for calls, and I worried that I would wake Billy and Jake, but someone picked up before the second ring, so he couldn't have been too far from the phone. â€Å"Hello?† a dull voice said. â€Å"Jacob?† â€Å"Bella!† he exclaimed. â€Å"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry!† he tripped over the words as he hurried to get them out. â€Å"I swear I didn't mean it. I was just being stupid. I was angry – but that's no excuse. It was the stupidest thing I've ever said in my life and I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me, please? Please. Lifetime of servitude up for grabs – all you have to do is forgive me.† â€Å"I'm not mad. You're forgiven.† â€Å"Thank you,† he breathed fervently. â€Å"I can't believe I was such a jerk.† â€Å"Don't worry about that – I'm used to it.† He laughed, exuberant with relief. â€Å"Come down to see me,† he begged. â€Å"I want to make it up to you.† I frowned. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Anything you want. Cliff diving,† he suggested, laughing again. â€Å"Oh, there's a brilliant idea.† â€Å"I'll keep you safe,† he promised. â€Å"No matter what you want to do.† I glanced at Edward. His face was very calm, but I was sure this was not the time. â€Å"Not right now.† â€Å"He's not thrilled with me, is he?† Jacob's voice was ashamed, rather than bitter, for once. â€Å"That's not the problem. There's . . . well, there's this other problem that's slightly more worrisome than a bratty teenage werewolf. . . .† I tried to keep my tone joking, but I didn't fool him. â€Å"What's wrong?† he demanded. â€Å"Um.† I wasn't sure what I should tell him. Edward held his hand out for the phone. I looked at his face carefully. He seemed calm enough. â€Å"Bella?† Jacob asked. Edward sighed, holding his hand closer. â€Å"Do you mind speaking to Edward?† I asked apprehensively. â€Å"He wants to talk to you.† There was a long pause. â€Å"Okay,† Jacob finally agreed. â€Å"This should be interesting.† I handed the phone to Edward; I hoped he could read the warning in my eyes. â€Å"Hello, Jacob,† Edward said, perfectly polite. There was a silence. I bit my lip, trying to guess how Jacob would answer. â€Å"Someone was here – not a scent I know,† Edward explained. â€Å"Has your pack come across anything new?† Another pause, while Edward nodded to himself, unsurprised. â€Å"Here's the crux, Jacob. I won't be letting Bella out of my sight till I get this taken care of. It's nothing personal -â€Å" Jacob interrupted him then, and I could hear the buzz of his voice from the receiver. Whatever he was saying, he was more intense than before. I tried unsuccessfully to make out the words. â€Å"You might be right -,† Edward began, but Jacob was arguing again. Neither of them sounded angry, at least. â€Å"That's an interesting suggestion. We're quite willing to renegotiate. If Sam is amenable.† Jacob's voice was quieter now. I started chewing on my thumbnail as I tried to read Edward's expression. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward replied. Then Jacob said something that caused a surprised expression to flicker across Edward's face. â€Å"I'd planned to go alone, actually,† Edward said, answering the unexpected question. â€Å"And leave her with the others.† Jacob's voice rose in pitch, and it sounded to me like he was trying to be persuasive. â€Å"I'll try to consider it objectively,† Edward promised. â€Å"As objectively as I'm capable of.† The pause was shorter this time. â€Å"That's not a half-bad idea. When? . . . No, that's fine. I'd like a chance to follow the trail personally, anyway. Ten minutes . . . Certainly,† Edward said. He held the phone out to me. â€Å"Bella?† I took it slowly, feeling confused. â€Å"What was that all about?† I asked Jacob, my voice peeved. I knew it was juvenile, but I felt excluded. â€Å"A truce, I think. Hey, do me a favor,† Jacob suggested. â€Å"Try to convince your bloodsucker that the safest place for you to be – especially when he leaves – is on the reservation. We're well able to handle anything.† â€Å"Is that what you were trying to sell him?† â€Å"Yes. It makes sense. Charlie's probably better off here, too. As much as possible.† â€Å"Get Billy on it,† I agreed. I hated that I was putting Charlie within the range of the crosshairs that always seemed to be centered on me. â€Å"What else?† â€Å"Just rearranging some boundaries, so we can catch anyone who gets too near Forks. I'm not sure if Sam will go for it, but until he comes around, I'll keep an eye on things.† â€Å"What do you mean by ‘keep an eye on things'?† â€Å"I mean that if you see a wolf running around your house, don't shoot at it.† â€Å"Of course not. You really shouldn't do anything . . . risky, though.† He snorted. â€Å"Don't be stupid. I can take care of myself.† I sighed. â€Å"I also tried to convince him to let you visit. He's prejudiced, so don't let him give you any crap about safety. He knows as well as I do that you'd be safe here.† â€Å"I'll keep that in mind.† â€Å"See you in a few,† Jacob said. â€Å"You're coming up?† â€Å"Yeah. I'm going to get the scent of your visitor so we can track him if he comes back.† â€Å"Jake, I really don't like the idea of you tracking -â€Å" â€Å"Oh please, Bella,† he interrupted. Jacob laughed, and then hung up.

Introducing Your All-In-One Marketing Calendar [New Features] - CoSchedule Blog

Introducing Your All-In-One Marketing Calendar [New Features] Blog As a marketer, you want to be able to plan all  of your content in one  place, manage your workflow for a project with one  tool, and create content the way youre used to without messing with copy and paste (because dealing with formatting issues sucks). We listened  to your feedback to  build the editorial calendar you  needed. What you wanted: A  fluid workflow Managing and planning content  outside of WordPress Integration with more  tools like Google Docs We delivered. Now in : Manage all of your #marketing. All of it.  (New Features)Introducing  The All-In-One Marketing Calendar was, and will always be, your blog and social media editorial calendar, and  now its your  marketing calendar of record. Working on an  email marketing campaign or e-newsletter? Planning images for Pinterest or Instagram? Have a podcast or video blog? To do all of this, you need a few awesome features: Feature 1: A beautiful editing experience. A whole new experience with editing content. Its easy and intuitive. Easily add, drag, and drop content  like video, images, and other files  anywhere in  your text. Distraction-free writing mode? Dont worry, its coming soon! Maybe your team is working on an e-book, podcast, or video.  Now youll work on these projects in using the workflow youve already built in your calendar. This brand new editor is available for every user. Starting now. Feature 2:  Export your content to use it anywhere. Download as HTML Download as PDF Want it as a Word doc? Thats coming your way soon. Lets say you create a killer guest post.  Now you can send a link to your blog editor, and they can simply download your post  to HTML or PDF. Starting today, this is available for every user! Feature 3: Make magic with  Google Docs. Yes, you heard that right! Were connecting  s workflow with Google Docs. Create your content in Google Docs and  connect  it to , and go back to editing in just one click. Use your  Google Docs and connect your  workflow. Keep  your writers happy. Writers love working Google Docs, and you love working in . Now you both get what you need to create awesome content together! Say youre working on an e-book. Your writers will create the content in Google Docs and connect  it directly to . Your team will be able to upload images and graphics, and communicate through  . When your  editor needs to add in the graphics or your writer needs to write more, they can continue working in Google Docs with one easy click. All of you Marketing and Enterprise plan folks now have access to Google Docs with ! Oh, wait! Theres more!  Use your  social queue  to promote all of your content, not just blog posts. You still have comments to communicate with your team. You still have tasks to hit every deadline. And youll save a ton of time while planning awesome content. Enjoy. :)

Compare and Contrast «The Searchers» and «Dances with the Wolves»

Compare and Contrast  «The Searchers » and  «Dances with the Wolves » Introduction It seemed to be an American tradition to be fascinated by films that depict the western culture of the United States of America. During the 20th century, novels and movies that depicted the western culture of the country were widely spread and sold within the country.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast:  «The Searchers » and  «Dances with the Wolves » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Perhaps, The Searchers directed by John Ford and released in 1956 and Dances with the Wolves produced by Kevin Costner in 1990 were one of the best selling movies during the 20th century that gave an insight into the western culture and the interaction between the Native Americans and the settlers. In both of these movies, the similarities and differences between these two cultures are clearly presented. In addition, the relationships between the two nations are also exhibited in an almost exact man ner reflecting a true picture of the current state of affairs during the 19th and early 20th century. The main aim of this essay is, therefore, to compare and contrast these two films. An Analysis of the Films The film Dances with the Wolves was written by Michael Blake. It was directed and starred by Kevin Costner. The film is a western epic film that showcases the life and events of an army lieutenant named John J. Dunber (Kevin Costner) after the American Civil war of the 1860s. After finding out from the doctor that his leg is to be amputated because of the injury that he suffered in the course of the war, Dunbar sacrifices his life and leads the army against the enemy. This heroic act comes about after he saw that it was better for him to die for his country rather than to live with one leg. Ironically, his brave acts lead his people to victory over their enemies. As a result of his heroic deed, Dunber is asked to choose a place where he should be deployed after the war. In Cos tners film, Dunbar chooses Fort Sedgwick that is located in the southern part of Dakota. He says, â€Å"actually sir, am here at my own request. Ive always wanted to see the frontierbefore its gone† He is then posted to Fort Sedgwick as per his request. However, on arrival, he finds the fort abandoned. The area is also not secure since he is vulnerable to attacks from the nearby tribes. Despite the solitude, Dunbar decides to settle at the fort and rebuild it. For the first month, he spends all his time alone. It is during this time he makes friends with a wolf whom he names as Two Socks after the two white paws that it has on its fore limbs.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During this period, Dunbar encounters attacks from the members of the Sioux tribe who try to drive him out of his horse on several occasions. In response to this, he decides to go to their cam p and make peace with them. On his way, he meets with a Native American woman who is injured. Dunbar rescues her and takes her back to her village for treatment. This woman called Stand with a Fist is an adopted daughter of the chief. To show their gratitude, the members of the village accept Dunbar into their village. Due to the language barrier, they communicate using the signs with Stand with a Fist acting as a translator. After a while, Dunbar adopts the culture and lifestyle of the villagers. He even marries Stand with a Fist. Then he decides to return to the fort where he finds that American soldiers have taken over the place. He is arrested since he looks like an Indian. Since he refuses to give away the whereabouts of his tribesmen, he is taken back east for conviction. During this journey, Two Socks follows the convoy in a bid to rescue Dunbar. However, he is wounded in the process. The members of the Sioux tribe show up just in time, kill all the soldiers and rescue Dunbar . Because of the fear that he may be seen as a traitor, Dunbar abandons Stand with a Fist and the other tribesmen. On the close of the film, the American soldiers are seen searching the mountains for the Sioux but in vain. The Searchers is also a western epic film. The film is based on a 1954 novel by Alan le May and directed by John Ford. The film begins with the return of Ethan Edwards to his brothers home in Texas after the end of the Civil War in 1868. A few days after his return, he finds out that the cattle belong to his neighbour. Because of the rage that they have, they decide to retaliate by chasing after the cattle rustlers. However, this is only a diversion, and after they have left their homes, the Comanches come and steal things from their homesteads, kill the rest people, burn their houses and kidnap two underage girls; Debbie and Lucy. The whole film evolves with Ethan, Clayton and Martin searching for the girls. This pursue takes years. In the process, they manage to find the remain of Lucy in an abandoned cave. They also find Debbie who appears to be married to a local Comanche chief called Scar. After a confrontation with Ethan, Debbie refuses to leave her new life that makes Ethan want to shoot her.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast:  «The Searchers » and  «Dances with the Wolves » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, Martin shields her with her body. In Fords film, Ethan draws his gun and points it at Debbie who says, â€Å"go Martin, go.† Ethan keeps shouting, â€Å"Stand aside,† but Martin refuses. In the end, they let Debbie go. However, near the end of the movie, they manage to rescue Debbie against her will and kill Scar, the Comanche chief. From the above description, it is evident that both these films are western epic movies that show life as it was soon after the civil war. In these two movies, the hostility that existe d between the Native Americans and the settlers is also brought out clearly. This is shown when the members of the Sioux tribe try to rob Dunbars horse and when the Comanches steal cattle and kidnap the two girls. Although these are hypothetical events, many cases of the same nature were reported to happen during this era. For instance, there were approximately 90 child kidnappings in Texas during the first half of the 20th century (Chan 512). Both of these movies are also about love and passion. This reveals in the love and affection that Ethan has for Debbie and feelings of Dunbar to Stand with a Fist. However, in Dances with the Wolves, the heroism that is normally associated with the Americans and American soldiers is not shown. As a matter of fact, the American soldiers are seen as normal individuals who are prone to error. The warriors of the Sioux tribe kill them and when the reinforcements come, they are unable to locate their camp. On one hand, Dunbar is also assimilated in to their culture. This act is viewed as inferior to most people. On the other hand, The Searchers shows that the Americans are superior beings and more intelligent over the Comanches. They are able to track them easily down and use their brilliance to rescue Debbie. This is a theme that was used in most western epic films. Conclusion Both of these two films show the way of life of the American people and their neighbours just after the civil war. These movies are important since they give us an insight into the way of life of people during that era. They show the social, political and economic status of American society, especially the community that lived next to the Native Americans. Despite their similarities and differences, these films are a good representation of the American History after the Civil War.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chan, Rita. Directory of American Scholars: History. Boston: Sage, 1999. Print. Costner, Kevin, dir. Dances with the Wolves. Orion Pictures, 1990. Film Ford, John, Dir. The Searchers. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1956. Film

Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire

Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire Babur (born Zahir-ud-din Muhammad; February 14, 1483–December 26, 1530) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. His descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that covered much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to shape the culture of India to this day. Babur himself was of noble blood; on his fathers side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk descended from Timur the Lame, and on his mothers side he was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Fast Facts: Babur Known For: Babur conquered the Indian subcontinent and founded the Mughal Empire.Also Known As: Zahir-ud-din MuhammadBorn: February 14, 1483 in Andijan, Timurid EmpireParents: Umar Sheikh Mirza and Qutlaq Nigar KhanumDied: December 26, 1530 in Agra, Mughal EmpireSpouse(s): Aisha Sultan Begum, Zaynab Sultan Begum, Masuma Sultan Begum, Maham Begum, Dildar Begum, Gulnar Aghacha, Gulrukh Begum, Mubarika YousefzaiChildren: 17 Early Life Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, nicknamed Babur or Lion, was born into the Timurid royal family in Andijan, now in Uzbekistan, on February 14, 1483. His father Umar Sheikh Mirza was the Emir of Ferghana; his mother Qutlaq Nigar Khanum was the daughter of Moghuli King Yunus Khan. By the time of Baburs birth, the remaining Mongol descendants in western Central Asia had intermarried with Turkic and Persian peoples and assimilated into the local culture. They were strongly influenced by Persia (using Farsi as their official court language), and they had converted to Islam. Most favored the mystic Sufism-infused style of Sunni Islam. Taking the Throne In 1494, the Emir of Ferghana died suddenly and 11-year-old Babur ascended his fathers throne. His seat was anything but secure, however, with numerous uncles and cousins plotting to replace him. Evidently aware that a good offense is the best defense, the young emir set out to expand his holdings. By 1497, he had conquered the famous Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand. While he was thus engaged, however, his uncles and other nobles rose in rebellion back in Andijan. When Babur turned to defend his base, he once again lost control of Samarkand. The determined young emir had regained both cities by 1501, but the Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan challenged him over Samarkand and dealt Baburs forces a crushing defeat. This marked the end of Baburs rule in what is now Uzbekistan. Exile in Afghanistan For three years, the homeless prince wandered Central Asia, trying to attract followers to help him retake his fathers throne. Finally, in 1504, he and his small army turned to the southeast, marching over the snow-bound Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan. Babur, now 21 years old, besieged and conquered Kabul, establishing a base for his new kingdom. Ever optimistic, Babur would ally himself with the rulers of Herat and Persia and try to take back Fergana in 1510 to 1511. Once more, however, the Uzbeks utterly defeated the Mughul army, driving them back to Afghanistan. Thwarted, Babur began to look south once more. Invitation to Replace Lodi In 1521, a perfect opportunity for southern expansion presented itself to Babur. The sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Ibrahim Lodi, was hated and reviled by his citizens. He had shaken up the military and court ranks by installing his own followers in place of the old guard and ruled the lower classes with an arbitrary and tyrannical style. After just four years of Lodis rule, the Afghan nobility was so fed up with him that they invited the Timurid Babur to come to the Delhi Sultanate and depose him. Naturally, Babur was quite happy to comply. He gathered an army  and launched a siege on Kandahar. The Kandahar Citadel held out for much longer than Babur had anticipated. As the siege dragged on, however, important nobles and military men from the Delhi Sultanate such as Ibrahim Lodis uncle, Alam Khan, and the governor of Punjab allied themselves with Babur. First Battle of Panipat Five years after his initial invitation to the subcontinent, Babur finally launched an all-out assault on the Delhi Sultanate and Ibrahim Lodi in April 1526. On the plains of Punjab, Baburs army of 24,000- mostly cavalry- rode out against Sultan Ibrahim, who had 100,000 men and 1,000 war elephants. Although Babur appeared to be terribly outmatched, he had something that Lodi did not- guns. The battle that followed, now known as the First Battle of Panipat, marked the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. With superior tactics and firepower, Babur crushed Lodis army, killing the sultan and 20,000 of his men. Lodis fall signaled the beginning of the Mughal Empire (also known as the Timurid Empire) in India. Rajput Wars Babur had overcome his fellow Muslims in the Delhi Sultanate (and of course, most were happy to acknowledge his rule), but the mainly-Hindu Rajput princes were not so easily conquered. Unlike his ancestor Timur, Babur was dedicated to the idea of building a permanent empire in India- he was no mere raider. He decided to build his capital at Agra. The Rajputs, however, put up a spirited defense against this new Muslim and would-be overlord from the north. Knowing that the Mughal army had been weakened at the Battle of Panipat, the princes of Rajputana gathered an army even larger than Lodis and went to war behind Rana Sangam of Mewar. In March 1527 at the Battle of Khanwa, Baburs army managed to deal the Rajputs a huge defeat. The Rajputs were undaunted, however, and battles and skirmishes continued all over the northern and eastern sections of Baburs empire for the next several years. Death In the autumn of 1530, Babur fell ill. His brother-in-law conspired with some of the Mughal court nobles to seize the throne after Baburs death, bypassing Humayun, Baburs eldest son and appointed heir. Humayun hurried to Agra to defend his claim to the throne  but soon fell gravely ill himself. According to legend, Babur cried out to God to spare Humayuns life, offering his own in return. On December 26, 1530, Babur died at the age of 47. Humayun, 22 years old, inherited a rickety empire, beset by internal and external enemies. Like his father, Humayun would lose power and be forced into exile, only to return and stake his claim to India. By the end of his life, he had consolidated and expanded the empire, which would reach its height under his son Akbar the Great. Legacy Babur lived a difficult life, always battling to make a place for himself. In the end, however, he planted the seed for one of the worlds great empires. Babur was a devotee of poetry and gardens, and his descendants would raise all kinds of arts to their apogee during their long reign. The Mughal Empire lasted until 1868, at which point it finally fell to the colonial British Raj. Sources Moon, Farzana.  Babur: the First Moghul in India. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1997.Richards, John F.  The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Vitamin D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Vitamin D - Essay Example The production of this very specific sub-type of Vitamin D that is Vitamin D3, takes place in the human skin. It is produced in the skin when a chemical called 7-dehydrocholesterol is in a chemical reaction with ultraviolet rays.The bi-weekly requirement of a normal human being is ten to twenty minutes of exposure to the sunlight, on either their arms, hands, back or the face without the application of a sunscreen. For this exposure, the ultraviolet exposure index must reach more than three. The case where there is exposure for a longer time, the supply of the vitamin produced may degrade very quickly – as quickly as it may be produced, in most cases. Vitamin D3 plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the body. It also helps in the proper functioning of the minerals. Calcium and phosphorus form an important component of bones and teeth. The osteoclastic (bone breaking cells) cells break the bones to generate calcium when needed. Low levels of c alcium and phosphorus can hence cause different bone related disorders and dental problems. As a result, Vitamin D3 can also be an important factor in preventing rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis. The usage of Vitamin D3, at a normal rate, may not have any side effects; however, if taken in excess, it may make the user nauseate and may result in constipation. Vitamin D3 can be a source of causing kidney diseases, liver diseases and may result in causing a difficulty in absorbing nutrients from food.

London transport in decline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

London transport in decline - Essay Example nd provides travel tips, downloadable maps for all modes of transport and information about where and how to get various kinds of travel tickets/passes. First time visitors better study all the possible modes of transport and plan the itinerary carefully before starting to explore the enchanting beauty of the city† (The London Transport System, 2010). During the peak hours, that is between 9.00 and 10.30 a.m. and 4.00 and 5.30 pm, the traffic could be daunting as these are the rush hours and people travel to and from during these hours. Other than these timings, traveling is relatively peaceful and enjoyable during rest of the day. Traveling in London can get to the nerves when it slows down in certain places because of traffic congestion. But traffic congestion allows one to enjoy the sights even more. London has its share of stately buildings and parks. There is also the mighty river, Thames, flowing through the city. It is not for nothing that over 14 percent of the population in the United Kingdom lives in London. However, the high population and business life in London has frayed the traveling system in London. Almost around the year, there is some repair or modification work at an Underground site that slows down travel by Underground rails. â€Å"Travel experts feel that the underground is showing its age, resulting in frequent delays, escalators going out of action and some stations being closed for repairs, especially during weekends. Though crime is not rampant, tourists are advised to avoid empty carriages, especially in the late hours. Smoking is prohibited both at the station and on the carriage. Tickets can be purchased at the station before entering the tube† (The London Transport System, 2010). â€Å"The London Underground is Europes largest metro subway system and is the worlds oldest underground system. It was inaugurated in 1863. It covers 253 miles of track and transports 976 million people yearly. The Underground is also connected to a

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas - Essay Example That the human mind and brain are products of evolution is tough to contest, although some noticeable persons like the renowned linguist Chomsky seemingly disagree. Dennett also has an objectively conservative but at times confusing argument of the meme impression and the inferences of human learning ability. When Dennett gets into deliberations of his positions on the strong AI theory of mind and the nature of meaning, I don't think his suggestions of evolutionary theory are very strong and several of his arguments appear based more on equivalence than anything else. The book determines with a set of chapters on ethics. Part IIThe writer focused on the general evolutionary theories and comments about the theories rather than on the content of the videos. The writer focused on the arguments posed by the crusaders of other theories, for example the Christians who are strong advocates of the creation theory.   I agree with the writer’s explanation of natural selection and evol ution. The writer gives conclusive examples on the subject and goes on to compare it with the Christian belief. The writer’s understanding of the subject matter is irrefutable as he touches on all the aspects of Darwin’s work. The writer however could have focused more on the content of the videos to make his work totally conclusive. Dennett tries to raise evolutionary theory in an exertion to support his previous claim that the human is a "strong artificial intelligence (AI)" sort of architecture, a notion that has been battled dynamically.

International human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International human rights - Essay Example Consultation with employees is with their representatives and not individual employees. The definition and role of the representative body will depend on national legislation and workplace practices1. Collective bargaining is to be employed at the workplace, in order to resolve disputes between employers and employees. Various policies relating to workplace have been implemented by the statute, and the employer can include certain policies at his discretion. This directive was implemented by the Information and Consultation Regulations, whose precedent was the European Works Council Directive of 19942. The new directive will require the UK to provide a universal right to its employees in various establishments and undertakings. Integration of the new directive into the national legislation of the UK will require the government to enact a universal statutory framework for employees. â€Å"Transposition of the EU information and consultation Directive means that the UK now has, for the first time, a general statutory framework giving employees the right to insist on being informed and consulted by their employers on a range of key business, employment and restructuring issues3.†The existing legislative strategy of the government is providing greater flexibility to employers while responding to the EU Regulations. Employers can initiate negotiations on agreements that are specifically designed for organizations4. â€Å"Since the mid 1970’s – employers in the UK have faced legal obligations, emanating mainly from EU Directives, to inform and consult with employees on specific issues, such as redundancies and business transfers5.† They are under a legal duty to inform and consult with their employees, in respect of certain policy matters, such as redundancies and business transfers. In the year 1994, the ECJ ruled that employers were under an obligation to consult and

British Media and Cultural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Media and Cultural Studies - Essay Example It is often called as Pop culture or popular culture since this is followed by people irrespective of their class or religious affinities. Mass media plays a very importanty role in disseminating values or ideas of mass culture. In fact, mass culture is possibly acquired due to modern communications and electronic media. These agencies use their wide networks and mass reach to popularize and transmit ideas and values that are picked by the population. Thus mass culture is different from so called subcultures where there is a certain distinctiveness due to community or religious or regional concepts. This culture or concept actually gains recognition because it is loosely based on ideas of freedom and liberalization. People can choose to be free from their regional and religious disparities and gain common ground for interaction with each other. This could in a form of music, art, films, fashion or the form of language they use to comminicate with each other. Earlier. It was thought t his mass culture or pop culture is only associated with young population. But it is not so , even the adults or the older generation identifies itself with with the value system or the new ideas. Thus mass culture is the value system whose appeal cuts across all barriers of education, sex, age, religion or community. Paul Hodkinson talked about the concept of subcultural substance in h... These four criterias should be used to ascertain the worthiness of something being a subculture. Thus these criteria are used as a tool for description and analysis of different subcultures. A subculture is a distinct subset of a culture, which coexists within a culture and is distinguishable from the majority culture by its values, ideas and a common way of life. Fischer defines a subculture as, "...a large set of people who share a defining trait, associate with one another, are members of institutions associated with their defining trait, adhere to a distinct set of values, share a set of cultural tools and take part in a common way of life" (Fischer, 1995). Identity: The people of a subculture have a distinct feeling of identity which they share with other members.of their group. This feeling is the feeling of oneness amongst them. Commitment: The commitment of the members of a subculture towards a common shared way of life is another important factor. The people follow certain rules or set of practices that they follow in their everyday routine. And they show a particular commitment to guard or protect their unique practices or the values that make them distinct from others. This is passed on from generation to generation within the community. Consistent distinctiveness: The third criteria of consistent distinctiveness is the existence of a set of shared tastes and values which is distinctive from those of other groups and reasonably consistent, from one person to the next and over the years. This is again passed from generation to generation. Autonomy : As per Hodkinson, autonomy is the fourth criterion to be evaluated when defining something as a subculture. Autonomy is nothing but a action of self government. This is not a sort of

Trials and Verdicts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Trials and Verdicts - Research Paper Example This is the sixth year of the case and the reporter still refuses to identify the source of the story (Liptak, 2014). The matter in discussion involves the US intelligence particularly about a covert operation conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Iran that was meant to stop this country from having nuclear power. The mission was top government secret but the ex-CIA officer involved revealed it to the reporter who then wrote it in his published book as a whole chapter. The matter cannot therefore be handles by a state court as it involves the federal government and hence the reason the subpoena was from the Court of Appeals and the matter was later taken to the Supreme Court. If the case involved only the reporter and not a federal organization, then it would have been appropriately handled by the state courts but this was not the case. The case is about a soldier in Iraq that shot and killed 5 fellow soldiers two of whom were medical personnel in an open fire in their camp near the Baghdad airport. The man based on the murder charges was to be convicted to a death penalty but he instead took a plea bargain that would prevent him from being under death penalty but pleaded guilty of all the murder charges. The plea bargain deal was bargained by his lawyer and was accepted by the judge even though he would still face court trial. The plea bargain that was taken was solely as a result of his medical history and the diagnosis of a post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the shooting (Johnson, 2013). Not many people and especially the family of the murdered soldiers would accept that justice has been served but in this case it was served. According to the report by Johnson, (2013), Russell the defendant had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis at the time of the shooting and the maltreatment he received from the medical personnel triggered the violence streak which he could not

British Media and Cultural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Media and Cultural Studies - Essay Example It is often called as Pop culture or popular culture since this is followed by people irrespective of their class or religious affinities. Mass media plays a very importanty role in disseminating values or ideas of mass culture. In fact, mass culture is possibly acquired due to modern communications and electronic media. These agencies use their wide networks and mass reach to popularize and transmit ideas and values that are picked by the population. Thus mass culture is different from so called subcultures where there is a certain distinctiveness due to community or religious or regional concepts. This culture or concept actually gains recognition because it is loosely based on ideas of freedom and liberalization. People can choose to be free from their regional and religious disparities and gain common ground for interaction with each other. This could in a form of music, art, films, fashion or the form of language they use to comminicate with each other. Earlier. It was thought t his mass culture or pop culture is only associated with young population. But it is not so , even the adults or the older generation identifies itself with with the value system or the new ideas. Thus mass culture is the value system whose appeal cuts across all barriers of education, sex, age, religion or community. Paul Hodkinson talked about the concept of subcultural substance in h... These four criterias should be used to ascertain the worthiness of something being a subculture. Thus these criteria are used as a tool for description and analysis of different subcultures. A subculture is a distinct subset of a culture, which coexists within a culture and is distinguishable from the majority culture by its values, ideas and a common way of life. Fischer defines a subculture as, "...a large set of people who share a defining trait, associate with one another, are members of institutions associated with their defining trait, adhere to a distinct set of values, share a set of cultural tools and take part in a common way of life" (Fischer, 1995). Identity: The people of a subculture have a distinct feeling of identity which they share with other members.of their group. This feeling is the feeling of oneness amongst them. Commitment: The commitment of the members of a subculture towards a common shared way of life is another important factor. The people follow certain rules or set of practices that they follow in their everyday routine. And they show a particular commitment to guard or protect their unique practices or the values that make them distinct from others. This is passed on from generation to generation within the community. Consistent distinctiveness: The third criteria of consistent distinctiveness is the existence of a set of shared tastes and values which is distinctive from those of other groups and reasonably consistent, from one person to the next and over the years. This is again passed from generation to generation. Autonomy : As per Hodkinson, autonomy is the fourth criterion to be evaluated when defining something as a subculture. Autonomy is nothing but a action of self government. This is not a sort of

Stace & Dunphy Essay Example for Free

Stace Dunphy Essay Five dilemmas that have characterised decisions about organisational change: 1. Adaptive V rational strategy development 2. Cultural change V structural change 3. Continuous improvement V radical transformation 4. Empowerment V leadership and command. 5. Economic V Social goals Having discussed the five dilemmas, Dunphy and Stace (1996) differentiate them in terms of `soft and `hard approaches to managing change: Soft approaches are characterised by: adaptive strategy, cultural change, continuous improvement and empowerment. while hard approaches are characterised by: rational strategy, structural change, radical transformation and leadership and command. Introduction to Cultural Change Structural Success in business is often determined by how effective an organization manages cultural change. That is success is not achieved by an executives skills alone, nor by the visible features the strategy, structure and reward system of the organization. Every organization has an invisible quality a certain style, a character, a way of doing things that may be more powerful than the dictates of any one person or any formal system. This invisible quality the corporate culture dictates how effective the organization is in the marketplace. Achieving cultural change to maintain a prime market position has to be a key preoccupation of every chief executive. To understand the soul of the organization and the cultural change required necessitates us probing below the below what is visible, e.g., charts, rule books, machines and buildings and into the underground world of peoples feelings, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, only then can the corporate culture be defined and cultura l change initiatives be identified. To provide meaning, direction and mobilisation, i.e., the social energy that moves the corporation into either productive action or destruction requires constant cultural change to keep abreast of current management thinking and technology. Many organisations however simply do not recognise the need for cultural change and therefore this social energy has barely been tapped; whether diffused in all directions or even deactivated, it is not mobilised to help the company. Most members seem apathetic or depressed about their jobs and no longer pressure one another to do well. Even cultural change pronouncements by top managers that they will improve the situation fall on the deaf ears of employees who have heard these promises before. Consequently, without cultural change being itself part of the culture, the soul of the organisation slowly dies. The crucial role of corporate cultural change in shaping behaviour, and the especially powerful effects of group norms, one way to turn around a maladaptive company is to effect cultural change by managing its norms. Even cultural norms that dictate behaviour, opinions style and attitudes, etc., can be brought to the surface, discussed and altered by cultural change initiatives. Experience of corporate consulting work, has revealed it helpful to have all group members (generally in a cultural change workshop setting) list the actual norms that currently guide their behaviour and attitudes. This can be done for one or many cultural change groups, departments and divisions. Sometimes, it takes a little prodding and a few illustrations to get the process started, but once it begins, cultural change group members are quick to suggest many norms. In fact, they seem to delight in being able to articulate what was never written in any document and rarely mentioned even in casual conversation between themselves. What is Structural Change Structure is the place where culture grows. The structure of the organization, its physical structure, its work processes and systems support and create the behavior of the people who work there. Often organizations distribute new mission statements, beautiful posters with new values on them, but since the structure of the workplace does not support the mission or values, they are doomed to disappear. The networks of an organization function as culture maintainers organization members who communicate in predictable ways about predictable things based on history. Fundamental and lasting change requires the transformation of the networks that are the foundation for communication and relationships within the organization. By changing the way people sit, the processes they use, the structure of relationships between departments new networks form and old ones fade away. The structural changes should be small, many and high leverage. The changes should be small so that small numbers of volunteers can implement them quickly. Changing many things at the same time destabilizes the old, out-dated systems and processes. High leverage changes have a profound impact on the whole system. New structure forces new behaviors, just as changing the position of a wall in a room, or taking it away all together, causes people in the room to move and to change their focus. (Ref: Johnson Gerry and Scholes Kevan, (2002), exploring corporate strategy, 6 e/d, Printice Hall, UK) Structural change is enduring and difficult to undo. Once new walls, new systems and new processes are built to replace old structures, it is hard to return to the old way of doing things. Remember when the typewriter and the computer sat in side-by-side in the offices and how the people continued to use their typewriters? As soon as the typewriters were gone, people switched to computers. A test for structural change is an econometric test to determine whether the coefficients in a regression model are the same in separate subsamples. Often the subsamples come from different time periods. CNN has picked up on a report by the New York Federal Reserve Bank that suggests that the recovery is jobless because there is a restructuring beginning to happen. In a recent report, economists at the New York Fed suggest that what is happening is structural. In past recessions job losses were far more cyclical: The economy turned down, your company laid you off, but as soon as things got better you got hired back. Lets discuss an issue on structural and cultural change on The causes of Poverty in U.S. There are many competing theories about the causes of poverty in the United States with mountains of empirical evidence to justify support for each. The debate among theorists and policymakers is primarily divided between advocates who support cultural/behavioural arguments and those who support structural/economic arguments. This debate tends to manifest itself across political party lines with republicans supporting the cultural/behavioural thesis and democrats looking more to structural causes. (Ref: http://www.canberra.edu.au) Structural Causes Supporters of the structural school of thought argue that most poverty can be traced back to structural factors inherent to either the economy and/or to several interrelated institutional environments that serve to favor certain groups over others, generally based on gender, class, or race. Of the various institutional environments that tend to sustain a multitude of economic barriers to different groups, it is discrimination based on race and gender that create the most insidious obstructions. The disproportionately high rate of poverty among women may be viewed as the consequence of a patriarchal society that continues to resist their inclusion in a part of society that has been historically dominated by men, and as a consequence, welfare programs have been designed in ways that stigmatize public support for women as opposed to marital support; both arrangements tend to reinforce patriarchy. In this regard, the rise in poverty among women is an important structural level variable t o consider, but the lack of reliable data going back to 1947 makes testing difficult. This view is in part analogous to spatial mismatch theory, which generally hypothesizes that the location and relative access to jobs of the disadvantaged group is more operable than race per se. In a comprehensive literature review, Holzer concludes that spatial mismatch has a significant effect on Black employment and is primarily due to the low availability of well-paying jobs in the inner-city; a situation brought on by job decentralization and increasing commute times to distant jobs. However, Holzer suggests that the root cause of higher unemployment among inner-city Blacks may not be clearly distinguishable between the characteristics of the people who reside in each place as opposed to the problems created by location per se.. Structural economic factors include the level and variation in unemployment, median income, and measures of income inequality. The effects of unemployment and rises in median income are well documented and their relationship to poverty is intuitive. The rate of poverty tracks very closely with median income and in general, rises in median income has positive benefits for all classes, including the poor. Over the last half century, as median income has risen, the rate of poverty has decreased in close correlation. This relationship lends credibility to the argument that work is the best mechanism for lifting people out of poverty. Indeed, one of the clearest strategies for fighting poverty should be to focus on ensuring a strong and growing economy. However, for individuals to take full advantage of a strong and changing economy, they need education. Rises in income are positively correlated with educational attainment. Yet education is not equally accessible by all members of the pop ulation. Since property taxes represent the largest share of local school funding, the quality of education will necessarily vary relative the economic wealth of the locality. Federal and State funding represent smaller shares and are meant to level the playing fields somewhat, but they do not. It is education that allows people to adapt to changes in the economy and by extension changes in the demand for labour. During the latter half of the 20th Century, the American economy shifted from one based on manufacturing to one based on services. The gains in wages and working conditions that were made in the manufacturing sector have been weakened by the service economy. For example, Wal-Mart offers its employees one of the weakest wage/benefits packages of any corporation of its kind and continues to fend off unionization; it is now one the most powerful corporations with a huge market share and monopsony power over its suppliers. The gains in US GDP are in part due to the success of a consumer economy that rewards Wal-Mart and its cousin conglomerates, but at what cost to the Americans working low wage/benefit jobs. The barriers created by these trends are difficult for the poor to overcome. How is the poor parent supposed to take care of his/her family based on a near minimum wage job with poor and/or expensive health coverage and child care? A publication by the Institute of Womens Policy Research demonstrates that many among the poor rely on several sources of income in order to get by, including government assistance, income from other family members, child support, and job income. These multiple sources of income along with the stresses inherent to the pursuit of each would not be as needed if sufficient employment were available for livable wages and benefits. Economic Vs Social goals Some obstacles to the development of new forms of work organisation have been recently reported : low level of awareness, poor access to evidence-based resources, ountervailing trends, distribution of the relevant competencies. When thinking of the impact of industrial relations on organisational innovation, another sociological factor may be stressed: Whatever the necessary roles of the collective social actors in the work organisation, employees are now definitely the key actors in this respect. However, in many countries, the history of industrial relations systems, the actual balance of power between employers and employees in companies and the growing social insecurity based on flexibility, lead many employees to wonder about the aim and the effects of the new forms of work organisation. They consider that companies are asking them for more efforts in their single interests (productivity, quality of product) without any evidence that it may improve employees ones ( working conditions, job security, wages, industrial democracy). For them and for some of their unions, closing the gap with stakeholders is an illusion, and improving workers involvement requires a real balance between economic and social goals in organisational innovation. Therefore, in some industrial relations systems, even more than technical tools, learning processes, used rhetorics or formal provisions, this balance is a basic precondition for most employees to implement and develop new forms of work organisation. In order to meet this precondition, i.e. to ensure both economic and social goals in work organisation, a major tool is employee representatives participation in the decision making, the monitoring and the evaluation of organisational changes at every regulatory level. Proposals are already on the table that actors should build coalitions or should have a proactive role in developing these changes. But in many countries, such proposals cannot be implemented if employers or managers remain the only decision makers in work organisation. Confirming this approach, the EPOC results (Employee Participation in Organisational Change, a programme including a survey on 5800 European companies) reported that, from most managers point of views, the more employee representatives are involved in the regulation of direct participation, the more this participation is efficiently implemented, with a good impact on cost reduction, improvement of quality of product/service, absenteeism. In the same way , in France, reducing working time by law finally was, in many companies, the best way for actors to co-operate in changing work organisation. The deal was clear, with advantages for both partners. Such a social actors involvement in regulation of work organisation is now converging with a more general trend in industrial relations systems towards what may be called a multilevel model of regulated autonomy, involving social partners in co-producing rules at most interlinked levels of work regulation, from the European level to the workplace one. Moreover, this model itself between deregulation and old top-down regulation- is clearly aimed at introducing regulatory flexibility at local levels while common rules may be kept at upper levels. The Auroux Law was the first example in France of such a model. So, in order to establish balanced goals and advantages in organisational change, and more generally in order to co-produce work regulation, employees representatives are or should be at the core of the system. But a major problem then appear. Their weakness in many countries, specially at company level, is often leading to u nbalanced situations in which they dont have the power to play their roles of counterpower. In the long run, the results of the bargaining between unbalanced partners often look unbalanced and not satisfactory for workers, for instance about employment, precariousness or working conditions. (Ref: Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England.) Empowerment Leadership and command Empowerment evaluation is part of the intellectual landscape of evaluation. It has been adopted in higher education, government, inner-city public education, nonprofit corporations, and foundations throughout the United States and abroad. A wide range of program and policy sectors use empowerment evaluation, including substance abuse prevention, HIV prevention, crime prevention, environmental protection, welfare reform, battered womens shelters, agriculture and rural development, adult probation, adolescent pregnancy prevention, tribal partnership for substance abuse, self-determination and individuals with disabilities, doctoral programs, and educational reform (the Accelerated Schools Project a national educational reform movement). Descriptions of programs that use empowerment evaluation appear in Empowerment Evaluation: Knowledge and Tools for Self-assessment and Accountability (Fetterman, Kaftarian, and Wandersman 1996). Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation presents a complete description about how to conduct an empowerment evaluation (Fetterman, 2001). The definition of a leader is someone who has followers. To gain followers requires influence but doesnt exclude the lack of integrity in achieving this. Indeed, it can be argued that several of the worlds greatest leaders have lacked integrity and have adopted values that would not be shared by many people today. Empowerment evaluation has three steps. The first step is establishing a mission or vision statement about the program. Some groups do not like the terms mission or vision and instead prefer to focus on results. They state the results they would like to see, based on the outcome of the implemented program and map backwards endash;- specifying activities required to achieve those processes and outcomes. The second step, taking stock, involves identifying and prioritizing the most significant program activities. Then program staff members and participants rate how well the program is doing in each of those activities, typically on a 1 (low) to 10 (high) scale, and discuss the ratings. This helps to determine where the program stands, including strengths and weaknesses. The third step involves charting a course for the future. The group states goals and strategies to achieve their dreams. Goals help program staff members and participants determine where they want to go in the future with an explicit emphasis on program improvement. Strategies help them accomplish program goals. These efforts are monitored using credible documentation. Empowerment evaluators help program staff members and participants identify the type of evidence required to document progress toward their goals. Evaluation becomes a part of the normal planning and management of the program, which is a means of institutionalizing and internalizing evaluation. Empowerment evaluation is fundamentally a democratic process. The entire group not a single individual, not the external evaluator or an internal manager is responsible for conducting the evaluation. The group thus can serve as a check on its own members, moderating the various biases and agendas of individual members. The evaluator is a co-equal in this endeavor, not a superior and not a servant; as a critical friend, the evaluator can question shared biases or group think. Conclusion on Dilemmas While measurement issues remain, including the applicability of a national level analysis to various regions and cities each with potentially differentiated forms and causes of poverty, the final Model V of this analysis provides a useful framework for understanding the general causes of poverty at the national level. Contrary to the hypothesis of the paper, the cultural variables employed could not be integrated with the structural/political variables into a larger model that demonstrated the dynamic interrelation between the structural environment, cultural processes, and behavioral outcomes as theorized by Orlando Patterson Empowerment evaluation has three steps. The first step is establishing a mission or vision statement about the program. Some groups do not like the terms mission or vision and instead prefer to focus on results. They state the results they would like to see, based on the outcome of the implemented program and map backwards endash;- specifying activities required to achieve those processes and outcomes. The second step, taking stock, involves identifying and prioritizing the most significant program activities. Then program staff members and participants rate how well the program is doing in each of those activities, typically on a 1 (low) to 10 (high) scale, and discuss the ratings. This helps to determine where the program stands, including strengths and weaknesses. The third step involves charting a course for the future. The group states goals and strategies to achieve their dreams. Goals help program staff members and participants determine where they want to go in the future with an explicit emphasis on program improvement. Strategies help them accomplish program goals. These efforts are monitored using credible documentation. Empowerment evaluators help program staff members and participants identify the type of evidence required to document progress toward their goals. Evaluation becomes a part of the normal planning and management of the program, which is a means of institutionalizing and internalizing evaluation. Empowerment evaluation is fundamentally a democratic process. The entire group not a single individual, not the external evaluator or an internal manager is responsible for conducting the evaluation. The group thus can serve as a check on its own members, moderating the various biases and agendas of individual members. The evaluator is a co-equal in this endeavor, not a superior and not a servant; as a critical friend, the evaluator can question shared biases or group think. As is the case in traditional evaluation, everyone is accountable in one fashion or another and thus has an interest or agenda to protect. A school district may have a five-year plan designed by the superintendent; a graduate school may have to satisfy requirements of an accreditation association; an outside evaluator may have an important but demanding sponsor pushing either timelines or results, or may be influenced by training to use one theoretical approach rather than another. Empowerment evaluations, like all other evaluations, exist within a context. However, the range of intermediate objectives linking what most people do in their daily routine and macro goals is almost infinite. People often feel empowered and self-determined when they can select intermediate objectives that are linked to larger, global goals. In addition, a self-evaluation is more meaningful when linked to external requirements and demands. Empowerment evaluation also empowers external evaluators. Specifically, the external evaluators role and productivity is enhanced by the presence of an empowerment or internal evaluation process. Most evaluators operate significantly below their capacity in an evaluation because the program lacks even rudimentary evaluation mechanisms and processes. The external evaluator routinely devotes time to the development and maintenance of elementary evaluation systems. Programs that already have a basic self-evaluation process in place enable external evaluators to begin operating at a much more sophisticated level. References * Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * Channon Derek f., (1999), Encyclopedic Dictionary of strategy management, Blackwell Business, UK. * Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * Channon Derek f., (1999), Encyclopedic Dictionary of strategy management, Blackwell Business, UK. * Johnson Gerry and Scholes Kevan, (2002), exploring corporate strategy, 6 e/d, Printice Hall, UK. * Robson Wendy, (1997), strategic management and information system, 2 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * http://www.canberra.edu.au * http://www.drew-associates.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk