Francisco Goya as Representative of Modern Art Essay

The culture of the museum, as well as its patrons, determines the vision of modern art. However, it is limited not simply due to the fact that tit negates or contradicts the aberrant and the other, but also because the preferences and interests of the patrons of the modern art have been peculiar or unusual with all the familiar concerns and obsessions of modern artists themselves. This consists of their concern with radical difference, their search for alternative forms of representation and their aspirations to demystify the classicism that inspired and shaped European art† (Doyle and Winkiel, 36). In order to understand the concerns of modern art through the artists, it is best to look at the life of Franciso Goya and the influences which shaped his brilliant art and masterpieces which gives emphasis to his right to be considered as the representative of Modern Art. In March 30, 1746, a young boy, future artist was born in Fuendetodos, which is considered to be a small town which is located close to Saragossa. The parents of this young boy, who was named Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes were Jose Francisco de Paula and Gracia Lucientes. The former was a gilder while the latter was a member of a poor but noble family. Even if Francisco Goya was only fourteen years old, he already took a four-year apprenticeship under the tutelage of Jose Luzan, who was considered to be an undistinguished who honed his painter skills through rigorous studies in Naples. Francisco Goya was part of the competitions which were sponsored by the Real Academia de San Fernando. It took place in Madrid in the year 1770 to 1771, but during that time, he was not that triumphant or victorious. In addition to this, when he participated in a competition which was sponsored by the Academia de Parma, he was only able to receive or obtain an honorable mention. However, this honorable mention cannot be taken for granted because it helped him receive pious commissions. These commissions were mainly from Saragossa, where Francisco Goya decided to settle by June in the year 1771. Franciso Goya’s wife is Madrid Josefa Bayeu, and they got married in July 25 1773. Madrid Josefa Bayeu is the sister of Franciso Bayeu, who is known to be the leading Spanish artist at the court. Josefa Bayeu was a very big help for Franciso Goya’s career. She helped him receive a position at the royal tapestry factory, for which Franciso Goya executed sixty-three cartoons by1792, wherein thirty nine are considered to be created before 1780. Franciso Goya has a competitive advantage against other painters because he is able to effectively use vivid colors and intense luminosity in his cartoons. In July 1778, Franciso Goya was able to publish his first serious groups of prints. Nine etchings in these prints were after the paintings created by Velasquez which can be found in the royal collection. In May 1780, he was unanimously voted or elected to the Academia in Madrid. His â€Å"Christ on the Cross† (Prado, Madrid), a conventional neoclassical painting was a great help for Franciso Goya to receive such position. In March 1785, he was chosen to be the deputy director of the Academia (Brown and Mann, 3) Approaching the end of the year in 1792, Francisco Goya suffered a mysterious illness which disabled him for much of the following year. This mysterious illness also caused him to become permanently deaf and eventually, reevaluate his goals as an artist. Francisco Goya’s powerful social commentary which is the result of his developed fantasy and invention can be observed in â€Å"Caprichos†. â€Å"Caprichos† is a series of eighty etchings which Franciso Goya offered for sale. Francisco Goya’s brilliant use of realistic observation mixed with brutal distortion creates an extraordinary power to the scenes which Goya had drawn from both the daily life and his own imagination. However, the sardonic criticisms that was received by Franciso Goya regarding his works, especially those from the existing social order, made him decide to remove them for sale. Between 1797 and 1798, Franciso Goya was able to receive the commission for the frescoes in the hermitage church which is located in San Antonio de la Florida in Madrid. He was able to receive this because of the help of Jovellanos who was the Minister of Grace and Justice, from November 1797 until the August of 1799. Franciso Goya inverted the customary baroque display or arrangement by illustrating the angels under the dome in which he characterized Saint Anthony conducting a miracle. Unlike the works of the other artists, â€Å"vigorous brushwork and the definitions of the figures primarily in terms of large, flat planes of intense color, unprecedented in church decorative schemes† were observed in Franciso Goya’s works. (Brown and Mann, 4) In 1819, Francisco Goya suffered a relapse of his illness. He again endured this illness which nearly cost him his life. This traumatic experience of Francisco Goya can be observed or is most likely reflected in the fourteen Black Paintings which he created in Prado, Madrid, in the year 1820 or 1823. Using oil as a medium, he painted directly on the walls of two rooms in the country house on the periphery of Madrid, generally known as Quinto del Sordo which is translated as the house of the deaf man. It was named after him, â€Å"the deaf man†, because he had purchased it in February 1819. His rough handling of paint and expressionistic distortions intensify or gave emphasis the violence of his works, particularly in the image of â€Å"Saturn Devouring His Son†. Several attempts have been made just to interpret Franciso Goya’s works, but these highly personal paintings challenged and disregarded any rational explanation (Brown and Mann, 5). Designing tapestries during the time of Francisco Goya was not a highly regarded task. In addition to this, it is not even well paid. However, designing tapestries offered Francisco Goya a chance or the break to start in the big city. The commissions that he received from designing tapestries came directly from the Court. After five years, Franciso Goya presented his designs to the King and the Crown Prince and Princesses in person. In this manner, he had the privilege of kissing their majesties’ hands, which is definitely one good indication or sign for a man who is eager to rise to the top (Hagen, 7). The prince, Charles IV, was particularly fascinated with the hunted, broadly with themes of the hunting. As a result, Francisco Goya mainly designed hunting scenes. When the heir to the throne took Maria Luisa of Parma as his wife, Francisco Goya’s art was changed. Maria Luisa wanted her tapestries to show the popular diversions, or scenes which show ordinary people enjoying pleasurable pursuits, which the temperamental Italian princess was not allowed to indulge at the strict Spanish court. Charles IV’s wife yearned to surround herself with light-hearted scenes which depicts everyday life also influenced the trend which is being acted out in the theaters of Madrid; â€Å"between the acts of classical dramas, the public would be entertained with comic scenes from the daily lives of the lower classes† (Hagen, 7). Not like the religious or pious themes of Franciso Goya’s Saragossa work and the hunting scenes which he created for the Crown Prince, the work of art which he created for the Maria Luisa now provided Francisco Goya the motivation. It also gave Francisco Goya the chance to illustrate how people behaved and how they treated each other, as well as the opportunity to show his representation of these things in his own perspective. Moreover, it can be said that he expounds these themes humorously and light-heartedly, which he would later present in a completely different light. From this early stage or phase stems the self-portrait of Francisco Goya, in which he is looking neither skeptical nor gloomy. It is not actually a self-portrait of Francisco Goya, but the broad, flat face with high cheek-bones, undoubtedly shows that it is him. Unmistakably at a â€Å"novillada†, Francisco Goya can be observed to be standing with a number of other young men situated near a bull. â€Å"Novillada† means a bloodless fight with a young bull. Goya himself testified to have engaged in such risk-laden chase or recreation, though speculations that it is just a rumor he spread himself are present. Considering the fact that bullfighting fascinated him right up to the end of his life, it would look that it is not out of his character. A strong indication or support for this would be the time when he signed one of his letters using the title â€Å"Franciso de los Toros†, which is considered or translated as â€Å"Francisco of the bulls† (Hagen, 10). Francisco Goya, however, was not only familiar with the bulls but also the majos and the majas or the men and women from the lower quarters of Madrid. These majos or majas unlike the other residents of Madrid, have a particular style of dress and conduct. The typical majo is said to be proud, easily offended and quick to pull a knife. In addition to this, he is relished with eye-catching costume and, as far as he could help it, the majos never worked. This unwillingness to perform any type of work at all known to be widespread among Spanish men in the 18th century, dated back to the time when Columbus discovered America. The new colonies sent their gold back to the king. The king in return, gave it to his favorites and his far too many officials and officers. Although this â€Å"Golden Age† was long gone, the pretension to idleness and redundancy had remained, even among those classes who had never directly profited from the king’s gold (Hagen, 10). The female pendant to the majo was the maja. The maja is considered to be a woman with passionate nature who took a delight in being provocative. In his representations or interpretations of majas, Francisco Goya challenges the concerns and issues of class and race. He also emphasizes the power of the gaze itself. Based on the writings of the French Ambassador of Spain in 1788, according to the accounts of J. E. de Bourgoing, the majas are indeed considered as the lower class but, for the bewitched majo, the maja was â€Å"the most seducing priestess that ever presided at the altars of Venus† (Mahon, 42). The limitation of the real majas would be the majism. Majism is the sub-cultural style of life and the way of dress, considered to be a significant aspect during the revolutionary call for democracy in the nineteenth century. Francisco Goya’s â€Å"The Naked Maja† (1798-1805) as well as her counterpart, â€Å"The Clothed Maja† (1800-1803), represents the power of the majism during their times. For the â€Å"Naked Maja† and the â€Å"Clothed Maja†, they boldly or shamelessly face the viewer. The majas posed heir hands in order to maximize the erotic effect which they inflict on their viewers. The maja’s fashionably coquettish shoes, shimmering dress and lace bolero in the â€Å"Clothed Maja† appears all the more tantalizing or enticing as compared to her bare flesh which can be observed in the â€Å"Naked Maja†. She is not, however, idealized or innocent due to her charms. Rather, she is a daringly erotic portrait or representation in an era when nudes are considered to be illegal or banned in Spain because of the influences of the all-powerful Church on erotic fashion or masterpieces. The erotic messages conveyed by fashion involve the interplay of their whole body and the perspective of both sexes. More particularly, it can be said that they are most acutely focused in the proportions of the female torso. It is the most considerable field of fashionable alteration and at the same time the one where the shape of fashion most willingly comes into view to wear the genuine look of nature. The placement, the depth and width of the pelvis, the relative girth and length of the rib cage, size and shape of the breasts, the set of the neck and shoulders, and the exact disposition of its fleshy upholstery, front and back, all these, along with the styles of posture both seated and upright, are continuously shifting visually, according to the way clothes have been variously considered in history to help the female body give the impression of being more beautiful and natural on their terms. Nude art, inescapably dedicated or devoted to Eros, recognizes those terms. Francisco Goya’s â€Å"Naked Maja† and â€Å"Clothed Maja† in Prado, Madrid are generally recognized as erotic. They are considered as such not just because of the shadowy suggestion of pubic hair. One of the most significant characteristics of the naked maja’s body is that it gives the impression of showing the effects of corseting without the corset, which on the other hand, is very positively present in the clothed maja. The high, widely separated breasts and rigid spine of the recumbent naked maja are as erotic as her pubic fuzz or sexy smile. Her breasts certainly disobey the law of gravity and her legs, comfortable or accustomed to emerging through the light-weight and to a certain extent, narrow skirts of the day, are self-consciously disposed for effect, comparable to that of a twentieth-century woman. It is the definite effect of her missing fashionable dress or costume that makes her a purposely or deliberately a sexual image (Hollander, 91). In this way, Francisco Goya’s majas can be observed within the context of his 1796-1797 â€Å"Caprichos†. The term â€Å"capricho† was coined after the Italian word â€Å"capriccio†, which means â€Å"a caprice or jeu d’esprit† outside the usual rules. In the year 1790s, capricho was referred particularly to the arts and to the power of imaginative and creative initiative and resourcefulness rather than observance of the traditions, norms or custom. Locally, the term was also utilized to illustrate or exemplify the moral points created in Spanish comedies. Francisco Goya, being a a keen theatre-goer, it is this understanding of the term that critics often use when reading his art. The paintings of the majas are part of this â€Å"capricho spirit† too, as they refer to the personal and the political. Goya create distortions in his patron, the Duchess of Alba and her courtly lifestyle wherein the Duchess was rumored or thought to be the model of the Naked Maja, due to the speculation that both have rich black hair. On the other hand, Francisco Goya’s â€Å"Caprichos† illustrate his faith in the power of fantasy not merely to lead art into a brave new world but to help depict and represent the hidden desires and fears of a politically corrupt society, and so to enlighten it too (Mahon, 43). Francisco Goya has been renowned as one of the greatest artists of all times and as an essential and a pivotal figure in the expansion and maturity of modern art. Francisco Goya’s utilization and management of the textual qualities of paint and the expressive and emotional intensity of much of his imagery to a great extent influenced later painters. Impressionists, romantics, symbolists, realists, and surrealists have all considered him as their spiritual ancestor. Francisco Goya’s oeuvre, which has been considered or contemplated to be consisted of 688 (Gassier and Wilson) to772 (Gudiol) paintings, is as diverse as it is large (Brown and Mann, 5). Francisco Goya also represents additional feminine sensitiveness and it is imbued or drenched with temperament. This is the quality of Francisco Goya’s impressionism which makes it modern (Caffin, 203). Francisco Goya as an artist is perceived and understood as being critical or even disapproving of conventional portraiture, which is considered as socially elevating, consistentand in large measure, banal. This analysis of the recipes of portraiture is frequently construed as an analysis of class-based society itself. Tradition in portraiture is not at all monolithic, if one considers the work of Francisco Goya where the communicative and expressive range inside the genre is adequately or sufficiently grand to act as precedent or example for almost any modern portrait (Brettell, 169). Works Cited Brettell, Richard R. Modern Art, 1851-1929: Capitalism and Representation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Brown, Jonathan, and Richard Mann. Spanish Paintings of the Fifteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. USA: National Gallery of Art, 1990. Caffin, Charles Henry. The Story of Spanish Painting. Michigan: University of Michigan, 1910. Doyle, Laura, and Laura A. Winkiel. Geomodernisms: Race, Modernism, Modernity. USA: Indiana University Press, 2005.

Evaluation of Leadership Development Plan of Maersk Oil in Qatar

1.0 Introduction One of the biggest challenges of the modern business era is the retention of a talented and skilled workforce for business organizations, and the development of future leaders within a company. Business organizations are required to employ a dynamic strategy to respond to the needs and aspirations of their workforce. A smart, well-designed employee development program can benefit a business organization to great extent in this regard and shape the future of the company by individually shaping the leaders of the future. Prior research indicates that employee development program is linked to higher levels of performance and output. It can create a reservoir of knowledge that can enable business organizations to do better than their competitors. The most important development aspect of any employee is training them in leadership skills which can benefit the business as a whole. Transformational Leadership is a framework which, according to Barling, Christie and Hoption, promotes the qua lities of â€Å"idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration† (reference). By displaying motivational qualities and attitudes a leader can improve the efficiency, proficiency and well-being of employees. The aim of the proposed dissertation would be to investigate employees’ leadership development plan at ‘Maersk Oil’, particularly in reference to transformational leadership training. Maersk Oil has been operating in Qatar since the 1990s as a major oil company. It works on the Al-Shaheen Field which produces significant amount of petroleum. The company’s current production level stands at 300,000 barrels of oil per day. As a result of that, Al-Shaheen Field is predicted to be the biggest contributor to oil production in Qatar, making the company significant for the Oil industry and the overall economy of the country. Maersk Oil is a multinational company which is part of A.P. Moller â€⠀œ Maersk Group, operating in various parts of the world. Like any major multinational firm, Maersk Oil Qatar has a diverse workforce belonging to various nationalities (Maersk Oil, 2012). The diverse workforce present in the organization needs to be managed in an efficient and effective manner. The dissertation will try to identify the importance of a leadership development plan, investigate the current practices of the company, evaluate its effectiveness, and identify common obstacles for employee’s leadership development plan at the company. The dissertation will also propose some recommendations based on its findings for creating a viable improvement to the leadership development program. The dissertation will be divided into five chapters. The first chapter will be comprised of the introduction, overview of the research, background, and research objectives. The second chapter will detail the research methodology. The third chapter will present a literature review and the oretical background of the research. Fourth chapter will present the findings and analyze the data. Finally, chapter five will present the results and conclusions of the research. 1.1 Research Objectives Investigate to what extent does the company care for its employees through its leadership development plan Identify the significance of employees leadership development plan Investigate practices of employees leadership development plan Evaluate the effectiveness of employees leadership development Identify most common barriers for employees leadership development plan 1.2 Research Questions What is the employees’ attitude towards the company regarding its transformational leadership development program? Is transformational leadership more efficient than other forms of leadership? How does the transformational leadership benefit the objectives and goals of the company? What is the significance of the transformational leadership development plan for both the company and its employees? To what extent do the employees consider the development plan at the company efficient? What are the common barriers associated with the transformational leadership development plan at the company ? 1.3 Rationale for the Current Research Although there is a large array of literature on human resource development, practitioners often come under criticism for doing very little to evaluate the learning and development solutions that have been designed to deliver whereby significant and often scarce resources are allocated blindly in development plans that are considered to be effective (Harisson, 2005). When undergoing financial stress, organizations often downsize human resource development budgets. Human resource development personnel undergo tight scrutiny in justifying their expenditures and are required to prove the effectiveness of their employee development plans. Thus evaluation of employee leadership development plan is a viable solution. The importance of evaluation in further signified as the learning and development theory and practices in the modern day is undergoing a considerable change in order to keep up with new circumstantial requirements. In fact, one of the major changes occurring nowadays and in th e upcoming years is the organizational changes driven by ‘higher integration between coaching, organisational development (OD) and performance management’ (CIPD survey, 2010: pg.6). Similarly Sloman (2007) made several important propositions regarding the ongoing change in the employee development practices and approaches (see appendix 1). The shift in the learning and development approach and employee development practices signifies the importance of evaluating the current practices of an organization to see whether they are abreast with the prevailing best practices. Additionally, employee development approaches and practices of the oil and gas rich Middle Eastern countries and the Gulf Nations is an under-researched area in HRM literature. Moreover, the available literature regarding employee development practices generalizes the Middle East and the Arab World rather than addressing individual countries or companies (Harry, 2007). The existing gap in the literature p ays way for the current proposed study to evaluate the leadership development plan at Maesrk Oil in Qatar. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of employee leadership development Employee development plans have been defined as a set of planned efforts by an organization which facilitates the learning and acquaintance of knowledge, specific skills and behaviors for its employees; all of which are essential for them to be successful in their current jobs (Goldstein, 1993). Dotta (2009) defines it as a â€Å"sequence of concurrent activities, initiatives and programs that an organization is involved with to maintain, improve and enhance the skills, capabilities and performance levels of its workforce and other staff members†. Employee development plan encapsulates various individual development plans. A leadership development plan goes one step further than this: as well as providing all of the support listed above the employee is also being trained for a management role through the subtle development of the most desirable qualities. According to Department of Defense of USA (2006), an individual employee development plan is â€Å"a tailored written plan developed by the supervisor and employee outlining the employee’s developmental objectives and the developmental activity for achieving these objectives. The purpose of an employee development plan is to increase the current proficiency, development, and progression of the employee through a systematic development plan†. The personal progression of an employee can only be realized if they have been instructed in the transformational leadership qualities which will optimize the business as a whole. Based on aforementioned definitions, several important points can be stated: Employees’ development plan is aimed at enhancing the capabilities and competencies of an organization’s workforce. Employees’ development plan is also crucial for the progression of a career path. Through leadership development it is common for organizations to train and develop their employees to occupy critical positions in future. A transformational leadership development pro gram helps employees to understand the key roles of leadership and develop qualities which will make them an inspirational motivator to their workforce. 2.2 Significance of transformational leadership development In today’s business environment, which is characterized as multi-faced, highly complex, extremely competitive, and dynamic, organizations are required to be very flexible and adaptable in order to survive and succeed. Employee development, a practice that seeks to assist organizations in meeting their business goals through continuous learning and development (Harisson, 2009) is a critical element for achieving that flexibility and adaptability. So much that often human resource development personnel are qualified as ‘agents of change’ (Harisson, 2009). It is only through continuous, effective learning and development of employees that modern day organizations can acquire the essential competencies to adapt to a new conjuncture. Transformational leadership is significant as it not only benefits the leader in question, but also the morale of the employees. Candidates for the development program will be taught the traditional methods of leadership, such as how to ta ke responsibility and effectively manage a team, while also being taught to be motivational, inspirational and influential among their colleagues (Barling, Christie and Hoption). 2.3 Best Practices in Employee Development Plan Numerous studies have recommended several successful approaches towards employee development programs. There is a general consensus among researchers regarding the foremost need for an organization to conduct an analysis of its existing needs and requirements (Jacobs and Jones, 1995; Clegg et al, 2005). According to Jacobs, (1995) an employee development can be rendered meaningless if it does not respond to the organizational needs. Existing needs and requirements can be identified through an effective market analysis, analysis of existing and future labor trends. (Clegg et al, 2005). Since every organization needs to secure its’ future in the business industry it stands to reason that leadership is a high priority in the organizations needs, and transformational leadership can arguably give the best opportunity for employees to grow and develop along with the requirements of the company. Apart from the needs’ assessment, several best practices have been identified by h uman resource practitioners and researchers. A survey of best practices of 71 companies practicing employee development activities identified three underlying factors important for an effective employee development plan. These are: (1) individual development plans should be developed for key and high potential employees with the ability to become future leaders (2) the individual development plans and practices should be strictly aligned with organizational strategies and goals, with the future of the company in mind and (3) the entire workforce should be facilitated for its progression through the developmental process (Reynolds, 2005). 3.0 Research Methods and Approach 3.1 Research Philosophy Identifying a research philosophy is imperative for designing a viable research method as it determines the manner in which information regarding a research problem/question is collected, evaluated and applied. Researcher have identified mainly three research philosophies namely positivist and interpretivist and realist (Galliers, 1991). A positivist research philosophy perceives reality as a constant phenomenon; something that can be perceived objectively (Levin, 1988). It is a stance of a natural scientist. According to Hirschheim (1985 p.33), â€Å"positivism has a long and rich historical tradition. It is so embedded in our society that knowledge claims not grounded in positivist thoughts are simply dismissed as ascientific and therefore invalid†. Interpretivism, on the other hand, seeks to understand reality from a subjective perception in order to make sense of motives, actions and intentions of those that they study. They emphasize the social construct of the reality (H usserl, 1965). Interpretivists contend that reality and its perceptions can be better understood by placing people in their social contexts (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). Realists believe that the existence of reality is independent of human thoughts, emotions and beliefs. The research philosophy underpinning the proposed research is interpretivism. The research aims to evaluate the employee leadership development plan of Maersk Oil through the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of its employees, managers, and executives; thus it aims to gain subjective insights for evaluation. 3.2 Research Approach and Strategy A research approach can be either deductive or inductive. The premise of a deductive approach is to test a hypothesis, explain casual relationships and enable generalization of a theory. On the other hand, inductive approach focuses upon building a theory by understanding a phenomenon seeking an answer for a question. The approach adopted for the proposed research is inductive, as this study will look to identify the weaknesses or strengths or the current employee development plan at Maersk Oil Qatar, and answer several proposed questions pertaining to its evaluation. The research strategy for this study will be exploratory as it will aim at providing insights and understanding of the nature of the phenomenon under study in new light. Within the exploratory approach, this study will utilize both qualitative and quantitative data. On one hand, statistical analysis will carried out for the survey responses which will be distributed among the employees of a company, whilst interviews wi ll be conducted with some senior officials and employees in order to gain insights regarding the evaluation of the employee development program. It will complement the understanding gained through the data analysis results. 3.3 Data Collection According to Yin (1994), there are five ways of collecting data; these are â€Å"experimental, surveys, archival analysis, history, and case studies†. This research will utilize a survey strategy. According to Kelley et. al, (2003) â€Å"the survey strategy refers to the selection of a relatively large sample of people from a pre-determined population, followed by the collection of data from those individuals. The researcher therefore uses information from a sample of individuals to make some inference about the wider population†. For the purpose of evaluating the employee leadership development plan, a questionnaire will be prepared, reviewed, and distributed to a random sample of Maersk Oil Qatar employees and people in leadership roles. Survey strategy will allow the researcher to collect a large amount of data within in short time with minimum costs and efforts (Naresh et.al, 2003). Interviews, the qualitative form of collecting data within survey method will be use d concurrently. Semi-structured interviews will be designed and conducted of several senior officials at the company. References CIPD (2010), ‘Annual Survey Report : Learning and Talent Development’, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, {online} http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/BC060DD1-EEA7-4929-9142-1AD7333F95E7/0/5215_Learning_talent_development_survey_report.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Clegg ,S. et all, 2005: Managing Organizations: An introduction to Theory and Practice. Sage Cohen N., 2002?Pressure on AP Moller to Be Open,† Australasian Business Intelligence, April 23, Department of Defense of USA (2006) The individual development. {online} http://www.usuhs.mil/chr/idp.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Dotta, P.(2009) ‘What Is an Employee Development Plan?’ {online}: http://www.ehow.com/about_5161579_employee-development-plan.html (cited on 13th September, 2012) Goldstein I. L., 1993 â€Å"Training in Organizations† (3rd Ed.) Pacific Grove, California: Books Cole Harrison, R. (2005) Learning and development. 4th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Harrison, R. (2009) Learning and development. 5th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development . Harry. W (2007) Employment Creation and Localization. The crucial human resource issue for GCC. Int Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 18, no.1, pp 132-146. Husserl, E. (1965), Phenomenology and the crisis of philosophy, New York: Harper Torchbooks. Hussey, J. & Hussey, R. (1997), Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and post-graduate students, London: MacMillan Press Ltd Jacob, R L and Jones, M J. (1995) Structures on Job Training- Unleashing Expertise in the Work Place. San Francisco. Berrett Koehler. Kelley, K., Clark, B., Brown, V., and Sitzia, J (2003) Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research. Int. Journal for Quality in Health Care. Volume 15, Issue 3 Pp. 261-266. Levin, D. M. (1988). The opening of vision: Nihilism and the postmodern situation. London: Routledge. LSA Global (2008) ‘Top 10 training best practices for effective learning and development programs’. {online} http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?do cid=375846 (cited on 13th September, 2012) Maersk Oil (2012) ‘About Us’ {online} http://www.maerskoil.com/ABOUTUS/Pages/AboutUs.aspx (cited on 13th September, 2012) Naresh,M. et.al.,(2003) Methodological issues in cross-cultural marketing research. International Marketing Review. 13 (5) 7-43 Reynolds, S.(2005) Training and development managers share best practices and courseware through LearnShare. Toledo Business Journal. 5(2) 155-163. Sloman, M. (2007) ‘The changing world of the trainer: emerging good practice’, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Yin, R. K. (1994) Case Study Research. Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

UNEMPLYMENT AND INFLATION essays

UNEMPLYMENT AND INFLATION essays In this report I will illustrate how unemployment and inflation in the UK has changed since 1980 to the present day. I will also analyse the Governments current strategies for dealing with inflation and unemployment. Unemployment is when people are joblessness. The measure of unemployment is the number of jobless people who are available for work and are actively seeking jobs. There is a waste of scare economic goods when there is unemployment and this reduces the long run growth potential of the economy. When there is high unemployment, the economy is producing within its production possibility frontier. However if there is a reduction in unemployment, the total national output can increase leading to an improvement in economic welfare. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes two unemployment rate measures. There is the rate based on the claimant count, which includes all those who are unemployed and actually claiming benefit from Jobseekers Allowance; and the Government's preferred International Labour Organisation total, which includes people not eligible for benefit. The following diagram uses the claimant count to see how many people are unemployed between 1992-1999. Long-term unemployment occurs when workers fail to find employment after 6 months and the long term claimant count above shows that unemployment was at its highest in the UK at the end of 1994 at around 39%. Unemployment fluctuated at around 9% in the late 1980s, and then dropped to a low count of 6%. During the recession of the early 90s, the jobless rate shot up again, to 8%, but has been falling ever since The number of people claiming jobless benefits fell last month, decreasing by 3,300 to 926,900 to reach it lowest since 1980 as the U.K jobs market remained firm. However since June 2003, unemployment has risen by 12,000 to 1.48 million, keeping the jobless rate at 5%, also the manufacturing industries has lost 121,000 jobs since ...

How the British and Kazakhstan Political Systems Differ †Government Essay

How the British and Kazakhstan Political Systems Differ – Government Essay Free Online Research Papers How the British and Kazakhstan Political Systems Differ Government Essay In this essay I will discuss the differences and similarities between Kazakhstan and Britain. I will write about economical and political differences. The UK is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. Its system of government* has directly inspired the government of other countries, such as Canada, India, Australia and Jamaica. The constitution is unmodified and some is unwritten, being made up of constitutional conventions, and various elements of statutory law and common law which are collectively referred to as British constitutional law. The head of state and theoretical ultimate source of power in the UK is the British monarch. Queen Elisabeth || become to Queen since 1952, now Queen less powerfully than Prime Minister. In reality, the Queen has an essentially ceremonial role, restricted in exercise of power by convention and public opinion, though the monarch does exercise three essential rights: the right to be consulted, the right to advice and the right to warn. Governments and prime ministers have weekly confidential meetings with the monarch. The longer the monarch reigns the greater the degree of his or he experience and knowledge becomes, and so the meetings become more and more useful .In practical terms, the political head of the UK is the Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is leader of strongest party in UK, who must have the support of the House of Commons in formal terms

External Environmental Factors that Effect Education

External Environmental Factors that Effect Education Free Online Research Papers Environment is made of different elements. These elements are called environmental elements. Such elements directly and indirectly influence the ability to achieve organizational goals. These elements can be classified in two groups. They are: internal environmental elements and external environmental elements. The same classification is also called the types of environment. The following figure clarifies the types of environment: Internal environment An organization has internal environment which includes owner, board of directors, employees, and culture. Such elements directly influence a business organization. As these elements remain under the control of the organization, the management should utilize them in favor of the organization by using their ability, experience and skill. The components of internal environment are Owners, Culture, Employees, and Board of Directors and so on. External environment External environment of an organization can also be classified in two categories. They are general environment and task environment. The general environment is not related to organization but task environment is related. 1. General environment: The elements of general environment do not remain under the control of organization but they directly affect the organizations. Economic, political, legal, social, cultural and technological elements are general elements. These elements remain out of organization but greatly affect an organization. Organization should make favorable by monitoring and analyzing these external elements. Following figure clearly shows the general environmental elements: a. Economic environment: Economic environment is an important element of general environment. Inflation, interest rate, unemployment etc. are its main elements. As these elements directly affect the business organizations, decisions should be taken after having deeply studied and analyzed them. These elements do not remain under control of business . so, the business organizations cannot affect these elements. Rather the organizations are affected by them. i. Inflation: The price of goods and services goes high during the time of inflation. Companies have to pay high price for the necessary resources to produce goods or services. As a result, the cost of goods or services increases. The companies compulsorily increase the price of their goods or services to recover their investment. In this way, the price hike of goods or services directly affects the demand, or demand goes down. ii. Interest rate: If the rate of interest increases, the customers do not like to borrow money. Similarly, the companies also have to pay the interest rate if thy borrow. In this way, the cost of only increases resulting to price hike of goods or services. This affects demand or demand goes gown. iii. Unemployment: the unemployment situation also affects the demand of goods or services. So, this is also one of the important elements of economic environment. Companies get good chances to select employees. As only a small number of people decreases. As a result, the demand declines. b. Political-legal environment: Political and legal environment is also included in general environment. Political philosophy, political system, political organizations, legal system, court, legal administration etc. are included in this. Theses elements also do not remain under the control of organizations. So, decisions should be taken after deep study and analysis of these elements. i. Political philosophy: Political philosophy may be democratic or socialist or mixed. In democratic countries private companies play important roles. In the socialist philosophy the government plays important roles. In the mixed political philosophy, the political philosophy, the role of both the private sector and state play important roles. So, business organizations should analyze political philosophy also. In Nepal, both the private and government sectors have important roles. ii. Political system: Political system includes political ideology, election prices, the process of government formation etc. Besides, political stability or instability also consists in it. This factor also affects business organization. iii. Political institution: This includes executive (Government), legislative (Parliament) and judiciary (court of law). These political institutions also affect business organizations. iv. Legal System: The things what business organizations can do and what they cannot do are stated in legal system. Besides, the rights and interests of labors and consumers are also clearly explained. v. Court: Court is also included in the environment of business. Court solves the legal problems. There may be different types of courts according to the level and nature of legal problems, court settle disputes. vi. Administration of law: Administration of law is also one of the elements to affect business organization. This includes th law implementation bodies. They are government bodies, police, advocates etc. c. Socio-cultural environment: Socio-cultural environment is one of the important elements of general environment. This include population, pressure groups, reference groups, lifestyle, social classes, religion, language etc. these elements directly affect organizations, so decisions should be taken only after their deep study and analysis. i. Demography: The elements such as growth of population, size of population, age group, population distribution, urbanization, migration, etc. are included in demography. These elements affect business organizations. So a manager should analyze such demographic elements for taking rational decision. ii. Pressure groups: Pressure groups do different activities for different social and group interests. Such activities affect business organizations. Consumer, civil society, human rights organizations, woman organization, environment protection group etc. are the pressure groups. So a manager should also analyze the pressure groups and their activities for taking proper decisions. iii. Reference groups: Reference group is also called affecting group. Such group binges change in the consumers behavior. For example: famous film stars, musicians, other popular personalities fall in reference group. They can bring changes in consumer’s life style, fashion, behavior belief etc. iv. Life style: Social change brings change in the life style of people. The life style of people is expressed in their activities, behavior, interest views or ideas etc. such changes in people affect business organizations. Os, a manager should also study and analyze such things. v. Social class: All the people do not belong to the same class in any society. Some are rich and some others are poor. On the basis of middle class and lower class. Generally the interest, capacity of expenses and behavior of the people of same class become similar. Such social classes affect business organizations. vi. Religion: Religion is an element of socio- cultural environment. Religion also affects business organization. Os, business organization should think over this element. The consumer’s groups may be Hindu, Muslim, and Christian etc. so, a business organization should think over religion also. vii. Language: the other important element of socio-cultural environment is language. Language works as the communication media. It directly affects organizational activities. English, Chinese, French, Sanskrit, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali etc. are the languages used by consumers. Languages are different in different countries. Various languages can be spoken in a country. So, language is also and important element of socio- cultural environment. d. Technological environment: The other important elements of general environment are technological environment. The level of technology, pace of technology, researches and development budget technology transfer etc. are included in technological environment. These elements also directly affect business decision. So, the managers should regularly study and analyze technological environment. i. Level of technology: The level of technology is labour and capital dominated. Labor dominated technology uses much manpower whereas capital dominated technology uses modern machineries and equipments. ii. Pace of technology: Technology is dynamic. Its pace of change is very fast. So a manager should adopt changing technological environment. iii. R D budget: Customer’s needs keep on changing. Old technology may be useless to fulfill the changing needs. So it is necessary to develop new technology. Research and development is the main basis of development of new technology. So a manager should pay attention towards this aspect. iv. Technology transfer: Top import new technology from developed countries to technologically poor countries is called technology transfer. Technology can be transferred trough projects, multinational companies, technical assistance, trade etc. 2. The task environment: Task environment is one of the important elements of external environment. This includes competitors, customers, suppliers, regulators and strategic allies. These elements directly affect the activities of an organization. a. Competitors: Competition is very important element of task environment. It directly affects organizations. Organizations should analyze competition to form clear strategy for giving satisfaction and expansion of market share. The competitors of an organization are other organizations which compare for resources. b. Suppliers: Suppliers are those organizations which provide resources to business organizations. It is good for any organization to keep long term relationship with suppliers for quality, effective and prompt delivery of resources. Suppliers may be of different types. They are raw material supplier, machinery supplier, human resource supplier, financial resource suppler etc. c. Customer: Those who purchase the products or services of an organization are called customers. Customer may be individuals or organization. Schools, hospitals, government agencies, whole sellers, retailers, producer etc. are the organizations which are the customers of other organizations. Organizations develop different programs to satisfy their customers. d. Regulators: Regulator controls the policy and behavior of an organization. So the organization is affected by his activities. The regulators are also of two types. They are Regulatory Agencies and Interest groups. Regulatory agency is a unit formed by government which provides protection to people an organization by curbing unfair business practices. It protects consumer rights. Interest groups are formed to influence an organization. Such groups works for the interest of its members or group. e. Strategic allies: when two or more companies work together as join venture, it is called strategic allies. Such allies are formed for doing important works. One company / organization can learn special skill and knowledge from other. Along with this, risk is shared among companies. Ford and Mazda Company have jointly established Probe Automobile. This is called as strategic allies. Research Papers on External Environmental Factors that Effect EducationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalStandardized TestingAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeGenetic Engineering

Probability of a Small Straight in Yahtzee in One Roll

Probability of a Small Straight in Yahtzee in One Roll Yahtzee is a dice game that uses five standard six-sided dice. On each turn, players are given three rolls to obtain several different objectives. After each roll, a player may decide which of the dice (if any) are to be retained and which are to be rerolled. The objectives include a variety of different kinds of combinations, many of which are taken from poker. Every different kind of combination is worth a different amount of points. Two of the types of combinations that players must roll are called straights: a small straight and a large straight. Like poker straights, these combinations consist of sequential dice. Small straights employ four of the five dice and large straights use all five dice. Due to the randomness of the rolling of dice, the probability can be used to analyze how likely it is to roll a small straight in a single roll. Assumptions We assume that the dice used are fair and independent of one another. Thus there is a uniform sample space consisting of all possible rolls of the five dice. Although Yahtzee allows three rolls, for simplicity we will only consider the case that we obtain a small straight in a single roll. Sample Space Since we are working with a uniform sample space, the calculation of our probability becomes a calculation of a couple of counting problems. The probability of a small straight is the number of ways to roll a small straight, divided by the number of outcomes in the sample space. It is very easy to count the number of outcomes in the sample space. We are rolling five dice and each of these dice can have one of six different outcomes. A basic application of the multiplication principle tells us that the sample space has 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 6 65 7776 outcomes. This number will be the denominator of the fractions that we use for our probability. Number of Straights Next, we need to know how many ways there are to roll a small straight. This is more difficult than calculating the size of the sample space. We begin by counting how many straights are possible. A small straight is easier to roll than a large straight, however, it is harder to count the number of ways of rolling this type of straight. A small straight consists of exactly four sequential numbers. Since there are six different faces of the die, there are three possible small straights: {1, 2, 3, 4}, {2, 3, 4, 5} and {3, 4, 5, 6}. The difficulty arises in considering what happens with the fifth die. In each of these cases, the fifth die must be a number that does not create a large straight. For example, if the first four dice were 1, 2, 3, and 4, the fifth die could be anything other than 5. If the fifth die was a 5, then we would have a large straight rather than a small straight. This means that there are five possible rolls that give the small straight {1, 2, 3, 4}, five possible rolls that give the small straight {3, 4, 5, 6} and four possible rolls that give the small straight {2, 3, 4, 5}. This last case is different because rolling a 1 or a 6 for the fifth die will change {2, 3, 4, 5} into a large straight. This means that there are 14 different ways that five dice can give us a small straight. Now we determine the different number of ways to roll a particular set of dice that give us a straight. Since we only need to know how many ways there are to do this, we can use some basic counting techniques. Of the 14 distinct ways to obtain small straights, only two of these {1,2,3,4,6} and {1,3,4,5,6} are sets with distinct elements. There are 5! 120 ways to roll each for a total of 2 x 5! 240 small straights. The other 12 ways to have a small straight are technically multisets as they all contain a repeated element. For one particular multiset, such as [1,1,2,3,4], we will count the number od different ways to roll this. Think of the dice as five positions in a row: There are C(5,2) 10 ways to position the two repeated elements among the five dice.There are 3! 6 ways to arrange the three distinct elements. By the multiplication principle, there are 6 x 10 60 different ways to roll the dice 1,1,2,3,4 in a single roll. There are 60 ways to roll one such small straight with this particular fifth die. Since there are 12 multisets giving a different listing of five dice, there are 60 x 12 720 ways to roll a small straight in which two dice match. In total there are 2 x 5! 12 x 60 960 ways to roll a small straight. Probability Now the probability of rolling a small straight is a simple division calculation. Since there are 960 different ways to roll a small straight in a single roll and there are 7776 rolls of five dice possible, the probability of rolling a small straight is 960/7776, which is close to 1/8 and 12.3%. Of course, it is more likely than not that the first roll is not a straight. If this is the case, then we are allowed two more rolls making a small straight much more likely. The probability of this is much more complicated to determine because of all of the possible situations that would need to be considered.

Universal Design for Learning As It Applies to Early Childhood Special Essay

Universal Design for Learning As It Applies to Early Childhood Special Education - Essay Example Universal design for learning does not offer single solution however, it is a combination of various approaches designed to meet the requirements of children with different kinds of disabilities. One of the major challenges that the universal design for learning faces is the concept of inclusion. Inclusion refers to innovative forms of teaching methods in a regular classroom setup that caters to the educational requirements of the children with disabilities. This method does not involve the movement of children in a set up that offers these services rather it brings these innovative methods of teaching in a regular classroom set up. This new form of teaching ensures that all children attain education equally and understand the contents of the syllabus more effectively. There is lot of controversy about inclusion of universal design for learning in a regular classroom setup. Some consider that it is not a good practice to enforce inclusion on all children while others consider it most appropriate since it meets the requirements of all children irrespective of their disabilities. The educational institutions are recognizing the need for identifying innovative methods of education service delivery. These new techniques of teaching practices will help in imparting equal opportunity of education for the disabled children. ... Moreover, it is not ethical to enforce a certain kind of teaching to students in order to cater the needs of certain segment of students. Since new challenges emerge everyday for the teacher in teaching the disabled children, there has to be reforms made in the field of education. There are both positive and negative impacts of inclusion of the universal design for learning on the current education system. Hence, a holistic understanding of this issue is required in providing effective education to both the categories of children. The proposed study will investigate the students and teachers concepts and beliefs about universal design for learning and the data will be generated using qualitative research method. Artifacts, simple observation and interviews will be the main strategies utilized to generate data. The data generated will be analyzed on an ongoing basis so that new ideas emerge from the data accumulated. This study will be of utmost importance to the children with disabilities and without it. It will also be relevant to the special educators and general teachers. Literary review According to Doty, a strong supporter of Universal design for learning recommends that it should be implemented for all children in a classroom. All the children have different ways of learning. Universal design for learning will provide a broader opportunity of learning to children with disabilities and without it. [Jaehnert, O Malley and Robinson, n. d]. The concept of educational equality can only be attained from a regular classroom setup by introducing universal method of learning. There are teachers who are implementing this technique of teaching