Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Growth - Essay Example Other countries like the US have been fortunate to have a series of good leaders to take the country to the apogee of technological advancement and economic growth where they are today. History provides many examples of such countries and their leaders that have played a fundamental role in their economic growth and have brought a radical change in the nations’ fortunes. The decade following the new millennium’s turn is marked by the BRICS countries’ emergence and economic empowerment. These countries include â€Å"Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa—which have come to account for a significant share of economic growth, demand expansion, industrial production and wealth creation in today’s world† (â€Å"Structural Change, Poverty† III). These regional economic powers’ success in the achievement of sustained growth of economy serves as a point of reference for other developing countries to emulate as wel l as for the advanced counrties to regain the dynamism of economy. The pace of a country’s economic growth can be better explained by the policy choices of its leaders than underlying structural conditions, and China provides a potential example of that. ... The three phases are discussed as follows: Rule taking phase China’s leaders have been very cautious in litigation of WTO since the country’s accession in 2006. Owing to its lack of familiarity with WTO’s legal rules in the capacity of a newcomer, China placed emphasis upon grabbing the rules rather than winning any disputes. Aimed at avoiding litigation, the Chinese leaders would settle the disputes with the complainants immediately after the cases were filed even if they were capable of using good arguments to defend their position. An example of this is the settlement of the dispute within four months when in March 2004, the US wanted to consult about a matter involving value-added tax’s rebate over integrated circuits (Gao). Likewise, the government of China announced to scrap the Duties of Anti-dumping within three days of the complaint raised by the US about China’s lack of consistence with the Anti-dumping Agreement in the case of Kraft Liner board in the year 2005 (Nakagawa 48). China’s eagerness to settle the disputes and flexibility of attitude reflect the country’s presence in the rule taking phase in the start of the 21st century. Rule shaking phase Chinese leaders resolved to develop a better understanding of the dispute settlement process by actively participating as a third party in real WTO cases. For instance, China was present as a third party in nearly every panel between 2003 and 2006 (Birkbeck 168). The improved confidence reflects from the answer of Bo Xilai, the Minister of MOFCOM when he was asked if there was any intention of complaining against the countries that were limiting the textile exports of China in the WTO, â€Å"First, China has the right to

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Abortion - Essay Example Canada has totally different policies regarding abortion. It has been legal since 1969 and women have a right to decide whether they want to keep a child or not. Restrictions are imposed by Canadian health regulations and they vary in different provinces of Canada. Abortions were illegal before 1969; however, in 1969 new regulations allowed women to resort to abortion if their pregnancy threatened them by mental or physical harm. In 1989 Canadian Supreme court rules that existing criminal laws restricting abortion were unfair; as a result Canada is one of the nations were there are no criminal restrictions to abortion (Norman, 2012). Even though there are still difficulties in access of therapeutic abortion, it is quite common in Canada. According to Norman (2012), almost one third of Canadian women experience abortion in their reproductive years. Around 50-52% of these women are in their 20-s. There is a tendency that young people tends not to risk their health and do abortion being pregnant for the first time. Overall, women in Canada can do abortion if child birth threatens their health. It is very liberal as women can access quality medical services and care if they happen to be in this situation. The situation in South Korea is totally different because abortions are illegal there. According to Sung (2012), there are 440,000 childbirths registered in South Korea every year. At the same time, there are 340,000 abortions performed each year. There is a controversy between legal background in South Korea and reality because many women search for illegal opportunities to do abortion. Moreover, Korean women want to legalize abortion since they are becoming more important for social and political life in the country but social expectations and role of females in Korean society. Despite great progress of Korean women they are still oppressed by these expectations. The truth is that being technically

Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Growth - Essay Example Other countries like the US have been fortunate to have a series of good leaders to take the country to the apogee of technological advancement and economic growth where they are today. History provides many examples of such countries and their leaders that have played a fundamental role in their economic growth and have brought a radical change in the nations’ fortunes. The decade following the new millennium’s turn is marked by the BRICS countries’ emergence and economic empowerment. These countries include â€Å"Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa—which have come to account for a significant share of economic growth, demand expansion, industrial production and wealth creation in today’s world† (â€Å"Structural Change, Poverty† III). These regional economic powers’ success in the achievement of sustained growth of economy serves as a point of reference for other developing countries to emulate as wel l as for the advanced counrties to regain the dynamism of economy. The pace of a country’s economic growth can be better explained by the policy choices of its leaders than underlying structural conditions, and China provides a potential example of that. ... The three phases are discussed as follows: Rule taking phase China’s leaders have been very cautious in litigation of WTO since the country’s accession in 2006. Owing to its lack of familiarity with WTO’s legal rules in the capacity of a newcomer, China placed emphasis upon grabbing the rules rather than winning any disputes. Aimed at avoiding litigation, the Chinese leaders would settle the disputes with the complainants immediately after the cases were filed even if they were capable of using good arguments to defend their position. An example of this is the settlement of the dispute within four months when in March 2004, the US wanted to consult about a matter involving value-added tax’s rebate over integrated circuits (Gao). Likewise, the government of China announced to scrap the Duties of Anti-dumping within three days of the complaint raised by the US about China’s lack of consistence with the Anti-dumping Agreement in the case of Kraft Liner board in the year 2005 (Nakagawa 48). China’s eagerness to settle the disputes and flexibility of attitude reflect the country’s presence in the rule taking phase in the start of the 21st century. Rule shaking phase Chinese leaders resolved to develop a better understanding of the dispute settlement process by actively participating as a third party in real WTO cases. For instance, China was present as a third party in nearly every panel between 2003 and 2006 (Birkbeck 168). The improved confidence reflects from the answer of Bo Xilai, the Minister of MOFCOM when he was asked if there was any intention of complaining against the countries that were limiting the textile exports of China in the WTO, â€Å"First, China has the right to

Value Based Management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Value Based Management - Research Proposal Example This project is therefore an effort to find out the importance of value based management and how companies are doing it. The realisation for a need to identify the key stakeholders in order to optimise their contributions towards the cause arose when the modern management principles were experimented with. Stakeholder concept was originally defined as, "those groups without whose support the organization would cease to exist". But the term 'stakeholder' as such was introduced by the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, for generalising the notion of 'stockholder' when the term was made a part of the internal memo (Zsolnai, 2006). These days management encompasses a range of issues involving various aspects like environment friendliness, adherence to rules and regulations, management of the human resources, ethical business practices and of course the profitability of the operations. Japanese management philosophy of commitment to serving the timely needs of a stakeholder has been at the back of the concepts like JIT, and Kaizen. Value based management, in a way is termed to carry forward these very p rinciples. Koller (1994) finds out that one of the key reasons behind the failure in delivering the objectives is the setting of unrealistic performance targets. While underlining the fact that value is created only when companies are able to invest the capital at rates exceeding the cost of that capital, Koller (1994) state that value based management helps companies in devising the targets in such a manner that they get strategic as well as operating advantages. Even an ordinary individual investor expects profits from investing in shares of an enterprise. As a result, the investor keeps comparing his or her holdings with other such investment opportunities. It is for the company and its management to retain the interest of such investors into the enterprise. While devising suitable strategies for value based management, it is equally important that the enterprise is able to take stock of the outcome as a result of implementing certain policies and decisions. Therefore, the search for suitable metrics in order to measure economic performance represents an essential area in theory and practice of company management. In these times of globalization, liberalization, market deregulation, cut-throat competition and industry consolidation, value-based company management becomes all the more important. The manner in which some of the reputed banks and companies have melted during the ongoing recession around the world, is an indicator that if the company is not able to make itself strong enough to take on uncertain times, it will have to face the heat. Rationale of the Study As the industrial activities see an upsurge on global scale, it requires the stakeholders to be more conscious about their investments, risks and operating conditions. For example, when the Lehman Brothers announced bankruptcy in 2008, the world community was taken aback. But, subsequently, stakeholders started taking more active interest and becoming more aware about the operational details and financial health of the companies. With an objective of maximizing the market value and using the 'shareholder value' enterprises have now started resorting to newer evaluation models. The idea

Course Project Essay Example for Free

Course Project Essay They are Public Website, Manufacturing Support System (MSS), Human Resources System (HRS), and Sales and Marketing System (SMS). Public Website provides information about each of the products, locations where someone can purchase them, and information about how to get warranty support. Details of warranty support and defect rates are not tracked, but the staff has anecdotal stories. The Manufacturing Support System (MSS) maintains the supply chain information necessary for manufacturing the companys products, such as raw materials, vendors, and prices. The Human Resources System (HRS) maintains and tracks personnel and benefits information. And the Sales and Marketing System (SMS) track the sales and marketing efforts of the company’s sales force. Orders from this system are printed and sent daily to the MSS to be filled. As a senior member of the IT Management Team for SAI Toys, I agree with the Board of Directors and the CEO decision to stay on the forefront of geekness, and therefore the company should integrate all of  its IT systems. In addition, they want to develop a more robust Web presence and sell their products directly to individual customers in addition to selling through traditional retailers, as they currently are doing. My recommendation is that we need to hire more staff if SAI Toys want to stay on the forefront. The company needs to hire professional computer specialist. The integration of new the software into a newly expanded IT system which utilizes in some cases first generation coding on legacy hardware can create operational problems which in-house IT staff may be nable to solve. SAI Toys is not in the computer business. While computers are essential to the design, manufacture and marketing of their products, SAI Toys would be well served by having their IT systems vertically integrated and maintained in a cloud computing environment, eliminating most of their IT department employees in the process (Butcher, 2011). In this report, I will show how the company should go about implementing this ex ecutive directive. The report should include the following sections. The report will also outline the situation, weighs various alternatives, and I will presents a final recommendation for the company. The report will also include the current IT system, overview of the recommended system, the difference between In House and Outsourcing development, the stakeholders’ buy-in, the ERP project failed with lessons learned, and the company’s ROL ;amp; TCO. Current IT Situation To evaluate SAI Toys, using the basic analysis techniques will help us to have an overview of the company and its environment. SWOT is a tool that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. SAI Toys SWOT Analysis is to take the information from an environmental analysis and separate it into internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external issues (opportunities and threats). The Strengths of SAI Toys are: Experienced and successful marketing team, High brand recognition for their unique products, Substantial 25 member IT team, and Quality control ensuring positive consumer feedback. The Weaknesses of SAI Toys are: Highly competitive marketplace, Extensive and continuing R;amp;D investment, Cost containment, and Personnel costs for IT staff (Butcher, 2011). The Opportunities of SAI Toys are: Direct marketing and sales to consumers through company operated websites, Emerging international markets immediately accessible through the internet, and Substantial IT cost reduction through use of cloud computing. The Threats of SAI Toys are: Loss of market share, Major competitors integrating vertically and selling direct, and Changing technology requiring escalating engineering costs (Butcher, 2011). The Competitive Strategy Analysis is the second basis analysis technique to help us to have an overview of the company and its environment. SAI cannot afford the possibility of IT system failure given the highly competitive market in which they operate. New product design, manufacture, and marketing require that their IT system be fully functional 24/7 with no downtime. To sustain growth and revenue and stay ahead of potential competition SAI Toys will need to invest heavily in Research and Development (R;amp;D) on an ongoing basis (Butcher, 2011). This will include further investment in hiring skilled engineering personnel. Because SAI Toys creates unique products which may exclusively dominate a small segment of the market from which all of its revenue is derived, the introduction into the market of a competitor’s similar product with enhanced features and lower retail pricing may severely impact SAI Toys ability to generate sales and revenue (Butcher, 2011). Swimlanes Diagram: AS-IS Diagram Overview of Recommended System The various systems currently in place will be replaced or integrated into the new system. Assuming that SAI Toys has elected to develop an integrated IT system in-house utilizing its current IT structure but expanding operability to allow all four (4) distinct IT systems to communicate with each other, an Organizational Process Performance system evaluation is necessary which will derive quantitative objectives for quality and process performance from the organization’s business objectives (Butcher, 2011). The new system will be the ERP Implementation. There is a Process of ERP Implementation. While ERP is clearly a software solution for SAI, its implementation must be done on an incremental basis to limit interruptions to the existing business structure at SAI. Like all IT changes, problems can and will develop. To minimize the impact on SAI’s ongoing business operation the implementation of ERP should occur during the lapses between product launches or product design and development stages and implementation should be accomplished on a step-by-step basis, one application at a time. Limiting IT installations and disruptions to non-critical time periods will permit the least stressful adoption of the IT structure and allow SAI to maintain its revenue stream without incurring a loss (Butcher, 2011). There are numerous vendors who offer ERP software which would be easily configurable for SAI’s specific requirements. Microsoft, Oracle, Sage, Exact, SAP, and Intuitive each offer ERP software solutions which can manage companies like SAI with up to 1,000 users. Each of these can incorporate e-commerce platforms into the production and supply chain and provide SAI Toys management with instantaneous information reports including warranty claims, product claims, and defective product losses to together with consumer feedback in real-time (Butcher, 2011). Some new features in this system will include: 1) Improved customer satisfaction 2) Increased profitability 3) Reduced costs ) Improved quality and processing times 5) Improved business culture by bridging the gap between the production line and management 6) Improved business performance by focusing team members on eliminating waste across key business processes and workflows (Butcher, 2011). There are many companies out there that have successfully made the transition from a brick and mortar business to an E-Commerce. The E-Commerce can help the company grow and expand. An e-commerce platform can be used for advertising, production, supplier enquiries, negotiations, contracts, orders, billing, payments, and after sales service and other business activities in the process of interactive program management that can simplify the transaction process (Butcher, 2011). SOA would be of benefit to this project. A Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) design principle can be utilized during the phases of systems development and integration. A system based on SOA will package functionality as suite of interoperable services that can be used within multiple separate systems from the four separate systems. SOA also generally provides a way for consumers of services such as web-based applications to be aware of available SOA based services. For example, several disparate departments within a company may develop and deploy SOA services in different implementation languages and their respective clients will benefit from a well understood, well defined interface to access them. SOA defines integration for widely disparate applications for a web-based environment and uses multiple implementation platforms (Butcher, 2011). Rather than defining an API, SOA defines the interface in terms of protocols and functionality. An endpoint is the entry point for such a SOA implementation. Service-orientation requires loose coupling of services with operating systems and other technologies that underlies applications. SOA separates functions into distinct units, or services, which developers make accessible over a network in order to allow users to combine and reuse them in the production of applications. These services and their corresponding consumers communicate with each other by passing data in a well-defined, shared format, or by corresponding an activity between two or more services. SOA is therefore a continuum as opposed to distributed computing or modular programming (Butcher, 2011). Swimlanes diagrams- TO-BE diagram In-House versus Outsourcing Development The benefits and costs of developing this system in-house versus outsourcing the development or purchasing off-the-shelf are very important to consider. Off-the-shelf ERP packages are tested and proven performers which are an essential requirement for a company like SAI Toys which cannot afford the inevitable downtime associated with fragmented software design and installation. On a cost benefit analysis basis the investment in purchasing an off-the-shelf ERP software package is substantially less than the cost of downtime and system inoperability where an in-house software design fails (Butcher, 2011). The ability of the software vendor to de-bug an off-the-shelf system can be measured in minutes or hours versus the possibility and probability of several days of downtime with in-house developed software. The purchase price of an ERP software package can be amortized over a useful lifespan of five years or more and when compared to the prospective recurring downtime of in-house developed software the advantages of an ERP off-the-shelf solution cannot be ignored (Butcher, 2011). To avoid as many pitfalls as possible in the overhaul of SAI’s IT system it is recommended that SAI avoid in-house software development of this magnitude. While some of SAI’s IT staff may be proficient in software development there are the issues of minimum and exacting standards employed in the industry which may not be a consideration for in-house development. CCMI and ISO certifications should also impact the decision here. CMMI and ISO certification are an inherent part of these off-the-shelf software solutions which eliminates the uncertain standards that may be employed in in-house software development (Butcher, 2011). We should develop the system by Some best practices for managing the project type to having a better chance of success are Stakeholder Buy-in and Internal Politics The stakeholders of this system are essential. Once stakeholders are on board with the system development, they are likely to remain involved, supporting the program over its lifetime. We can get them to buy-in and support the system development by keeping them informed throughout the process of the system, including during the evaluation planning, implementation, and reporting phases (Innovation Network, 2002-2012). Stakeholders are valuable assets in evaluation planning, offering: * Assistance in decision-making about continued and prospective funding; * Perspective that helps the program learn, grow, and improve, and * Experience that informs program replication at other sites or organizations. The Stakeholders fall into three levels of program participation or involvement. There are: * Primary stakeholders  are typically major decision makers within a program, and are often the motivators behind an evaluation effort. They are often program staff, supervisors, senior managers, and funders. * Secondary stakeholders  have less contact with the administrative side of the program, but are still important to the evaluation effort. They include program participants and their families; direct service staff; and possibly other professionals providing subsequent services to program participants. Tertiary stakeholders  are more distant but are likely to be interested in evaluation findings for example, potential program participants, the general public, or members of the same profession (Innovation Network, 2002-2012). There are other issues that may arise as a result of the internal politics in our company that could have a negative impact on the project. The best thing to do is to reduce the risk of project failure due to internal issues. Many systems development problems are in practice caused by a failure to perceive that specific stakeholders’ viewpoints were relevant. That failure causes whole groups of requirements, typically those related to scenarios involving the missing stakeholders to be missed. A similar result is obtained when one stakeholder assumes one scope for a product while another stakeholder assumes another. This occurs when a developer assumes that it will be sufficient to design, code, and test software but the purchaser hopes to have everything set-up and operators trained (Butcher, 2011). Stakeholder composition is a good predictor of project risk and therefore it should be cost-effective to characterize projects at their initiation according to their stakeholder impact. SAI can minimize internal politics by fully evaluating each stakeholder and assuring them that their input is critical to the overall success of the project. Each stakeholder then becomes part of the project team and has a vested interest in ensuring the ultimate success of the project. Team meetings bring all of the stakeholders together to discuss differences and eliminate issues which would delay or derail the project. Each team member realizes that their participation is equally important within their area of specialization or expertise fully under their direct control and unchallenged by direct confrontation. In this manner, each team member must demonstrate how their participation and overall cooperation contributes to the overall success of the project (Butcher, 2011). ERP Project Failures and Lessons Learned Studying ERP project failures is an essential part of project success. By identifying the same or similar issues that lead to failure in one company, SAI can take steps to avoid or eliminate those problems as they arise. Case studies also provide a precursor to the foreseeable problems that occur in ERP implementation allowing SAI management an opportunity to prepare for these problems by formulating a contingency plan. ERP project failures are common but this not unique to ERP. Every system has glitches regardless of the quality of design or the expertise of design personnel (Butcher, 2011). In the Case Study for Implementation Failure at Hershey’s Chocolate it was established that Hershey’s failed to use an incremental method of implementation, instead installing full software during periods of peak business. The resulting disaster from inoperability due to bugs and glitches resulted in a loss of peak season revenue for Hershey’s. Both corporate management and IT staff developed an immediate dislike for the ERP implementation. This could easily have been avoided had Hershey’s implemented the new software on a step-by-step basis during the off season when sales and revenue would have been less dramatically affected (Butcher, 2011). Hershey’s also tried to implement a variety of enterprise applications simultaneously which added to the stress of a seemingly failed project. In fact, there was nothing wrong with the ERP software but its implementation was a complete failure as the company tried to modify their business processes to suit the enterprise application which created further problems. The lesson learned is that implementation should be conducted one step at a time, each successful Installation reinforcing management’s initial decision to purchase. The ERP problems at Hershey’s are commonly repeated where management fails to realize the complexity of implementation and the necessity to proceed cautiously and maintain focus (Butcher, 2011). Return on Investment and Total Cost of Ownership Some metrics that we can use to determine if the system was a success is a disciplined methodology has been developed called  total cost of ownership  (TCO). It is designed to properly analyze the full cost of an IT investment. In order to calculate TCO properly, all related costs must be identified and captured. TCO models organize costs into two broad categories: 1. Direct costs:  Costs in this category are usually for activities and investments that are related to IT or support. They can usually be calculated by examining the actual or projected costs of hardware, software, people, and facilities. 2. Indirect costs:  These costs are not always visible and can be very difficult to measure and quantify. This type of cost crosses the entire organizations business operations. Some examples of these indirect costs are Administration, Downtime, and End-user operations (Devry, unknown). In order to measure the metrics and figure out when baselines should be determined, we should developed methodologies for determining TCO. The first methodology is the Project initiation. This can be one of the most critical phases of a project. The reason why is because the following are determined: the expectations of the client, the type of relationship the organization will ave with the client (This can influence the management costs. ), and the projects scope. Ideally, the objectives of the project should be defined at this stage, and the categories for TCO can be aligned with these project objectives. To determine the impact of any deviations from initial projections, an up-to-date TCO should be maintained at all times (Devry, unknown). The second methodology is the Cost Modeling. Through the entire TCO process a major activity is the TCO cost analysis. This continues to be refined as new information becomes available during the project. This activity includes classifying the costs according to the financial policies of an organization as well as defining the financial model for the project. The third methodology is the Cost Collection. Once the financial and cost model has been determined, all available cost estimates are collected. Once these are entered into the financial model, a baseline is determined. The total cost of ownership that is presented in this deliverable should be considered a snapshot in time. It is important that all stakeholders understand this and that the TCO may or may not change substantially from this point forward (Devry, unknown). The fourth methodology is Evaluation/Final Report. This is the development of a TCO project deliverable that goes to the organizations stakeholders and decision makers. It typically includes the final project evaluation and a correlation of all finding recommendations and results. The last methodology is Ongoing Refinement of the TCO Model. It is very rare for all costs and contract negotiations in a large project to be finalized at the same time. Additionally, an implementation plan usually cannot be determined at the same time as, or even immediately after, delivery of the final report. As a result, the TCO is an estimate of project costs based on the data and decisions available when the report was researched and written. As key decisions regarding rollout and implementation strategy are reached, the TCO model should be refined to include the most current project cost estimates (Devry, unknown). Another metrics that we can use to determine if the system was a success is Return on Investment (ROI). The ROI (return on investment) is how much profit or cost savings is gained. An ROI calculation is sometimes used along with other business practices to develop a business case for an IT proposal. The overall ROI for an enterprise is sometimes used to determine how well a company is managed. The work performed to determine the TCO can be used to calculate the ROI. Even though many TCO costs are long term, they can be applied solely to the initial investment or divided between the initial investment and serve as an adjustment to the final value. While both methods are valid, they can give different results; it is important that the organization establish a policy for ROI computations across all projects (Devry, unknown). One of the more difficult aspects of an ROI calculation is determining the soft, or people benefits. Three considerations that impact these soft benefits follow: * Speed of adoption:  This benefit considers how quickly employees come up to speed using the new process, system, technology, or tools provided by the implementation. It indicates how quickly employees demonstrate the new skills or behaviors and adapt to the new roles that are required by a change. * Ultimate utilization or participation rate:  This evaluates the percentage of employees that are engaged and practicing the new way of doing things. Surprisingly, in many implementations, employees can avoid actively participating in workflows and procedures, and this can undermine the project in subtle ways. * Proficiency:  As the change is implemented, this examines how proficient and effective the employees have become. Many times, this proficiency, or ability to better perform their job function, is a significant part of the changes original motivation. It measures not just the status after the change, but the ongoing improvement to the organization with the new systems, tools, and processes in place and the organizational and job changes fully implemented. Some examples include the time saved in performing a particular operation while using the new system, the improved close rate for sales and contracts brought by the use of a competitive information database, and the amount of waste reduced by new streamlined activities or processes (Devry, unknown). Conclusion In conclusion, my recommendation to SAI Toys is that they need to hire more staff if they want to implement this executive directive. If they can’t afford it or can cope with integrating all of their IT systems, then I would suggest they stick to manufacturing the toys in-house and shipped to brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Best Buy and Target, as well as e-Commerce only sites, such as ThinkGeek. com and Buy. com.

Images of Women in European Art

Images of Women in European Art John Berger is a critic of art, a novelist and a writer. He is also a painter. Berger is known for his book, The G which has won may awards. Berger is also known for his feature an art stick on Ways of seeing. He was born in England in 1926. He attended schools in England and then joined the army. His critic tradition stemmed while teaching drawing in London schools. After dropping from the army he avoided criticizing the Soviet Union but eventually his views of the same union became more acute. It is also beneficial to know that, in 1962, Berger drove himself out of Britain to a self imposed exile. The reason he exiled himself from Britain was because he had considered days in this country distasteful. The article Images of women in European Art is part of Bergers book Ways of Seeing. In this book, Berger has made the reader see art in a different dimension. He argues that the view of the world is not similar with the way it actually is. He uses pictures and not words in first chapters to try to make readers see themselves in a different dimension. An image of Women in European Art has different fallacies that portray the way he sees women in society. He argues in this article that women are sensuous objects that are there to arouse the male audience. He argues that there is a variance in being naked and being nude. Being naked is to be oneself but being nude is to be seen naked by other people. Berger asserts that women are inactive objects that are always available. The article is, therefore, criticized in several ways because of its portrayal of women in the European art. In this article, John Berger reconstructs the way of seeing and attends to perspective and conventions for visual dialogue based on the peoples collective and personal belief constructs. He analyzes the origin of art and the way in which people look at art which he specifies are affected by a chain of learnt assumptions about truth, genius and civilization form. He deals with geometric perspective; the setting of a vanishing point in paintings and the way in which man was induced to believe, he was the center of the uniqueness in the world as the spectator. His discussion of perspective and mans position, as a sole viewer with universal seeing power, informs his discussion of the inherent gender divisions initiated in early works of art. Not only was the viewers perspective god-like and all knowing, but it was overwhelmingly male. More specifically he demonstrates this point i n reference to European art. In the form, of European art, the spectator-owners and painters were always men and these men always saw women as objects. This unequal relationship is so deeply rooted in culture that it still shapes the consciousness of many women. Women in the society always see themselves in the manner in which men see them. They also treat themselves the way men treat them. They explore their own femininity. This is the chief legacy that he points out in this article. It also shapes the way in which the artists view women. Berger was a painter and, therefore, most of his opinions stemmed from his paintings. He clearly distinguished himself as a painter. The paintings of nude women hanged on museum walls were considered as some form of immoral act. They were seen as images of sex. They were considered as images that were there to be used and violated. The male nude forms of male paintings in museums had a different perspective according to Berger. He argued that in the past nude male paintings were seen as a way in which the imitated Christians messiah. They were seen as striving to be like Jesus. In todays paintings, male nudity is seen as not a way of immoral act but as a form of strength. They are considered to be exuding some form of virility. In these present days women, pictures that are nude are seen as a phonographic. These present opinions stem from the past portrayal of women. The question is, is there a difference in a nude man and a nude woman. They are both nude. Why is the woman portrayed in a negative form then? From the deep discussions of the past to the analysis of the present in the use of publicity images, Bergers ideas about the social and beauty assumptions that inform the way we see are fundamental to understanding the image saturated environment and media consumed lifestyle. From art history, and the basics about the changing nature of perspective to spectator viewing and notions of intimacy revealed in European nudes and modern publicity images, promoting lifestyle and brand identities, Ways of Seeing is complete in its dissection of the complexities of the visual culture and comprehensive in its exploration of our reality. Berger has played a role in modern female thinking by exploring how women are portrayed in classical painting and advertising. He takes on the subject so straightforwardly, taking into question the entirety of the womens classical images. Bergers conclusion and that of his interviewees are that the nude womens paintings hanging in the best European museums is nothing more than pornography. The women in those paintings are nothing but objects that can be consumed or violated. He so forcefully speaks against this part of the western canon. However, Berger is not without faults. His appeal of oil paintings portrays them as the highest of visual forms. This may not be the case. In history, photography is somewhat fuzzy, but according to Berger, photography, as a work of art, was finding its way into the finest galleries and museums in the world. Photography is now in the same class with other visual forms of art as almost equal. Bergers reliance on his own arguments and opinions, too, br ings problems. In almost half of his arguments, he has not had a single female critic discussing the subject. Berger proficiently weaves the visual with discussions on the subject of the visual in clear-cut and jargon less language. He clearly presents his views making cautious observations about the visual without looking into art school discussion-style solipsism, ambiguity, tautology, or prevarication. Berger also argues that judging women as beautiful is a way of an artists perspective. In Paris, a woman is judged by how beautiful she looks. Men are the ones who view and judge women as whether they are beautiful or not. This has been incorporated with judgment. A present is awarded to a woman who is tremendously beautiful. This judgment has given birth to what is normally considered like a beauty contest. Those women who are considered to be beautiful, gets the price, and those who are not, do not get any reward. This is how men have set standards for women to use in judging themselves. Does this mean that only women who are considered beautiful by men always win? Is it possible that there are other ways of judging women? Why is it that men are never evaluated in terms of their beauty? Women can also be evaluated a variety of other abilities and not how beautiful they are. There are women writers, painters who have excelled in this field and have won themselves prices (Berger, 197 2). The prizes to be won in beauty contests are owned by the judge. These judges are, in most cases, men. This means that women are available to them. It is also to say that these nude pictures have been placed to satisfy male urge and their desire to possess. Berger argues that, most of the nude paintings in museums have been hung to satisfy the sexuality of a man looking at the picture. Does it mean, then, that nude paintings are hung to satisfy the male sexuality only? Berger also argues that the womans sexuality should be minimized so that the male audience has control of passion being exuded. He further says that women are there to fuel and feed the males appetite. Who will feed the womans appetite if it is only the males that has to be fed? It is hypocrisy that men paint nude pictures of women because they enjoy looking at them and then shove picture to the woman to look at her shame. This is condemning the woman whose picture he had painted to amuse himself. While men look at women, women also look at themselves the way men are looking at them thus making a double audience for themselves. They, therefore, look at themselves as intensely conscious of how they are presented and how they look in the male eyes. He says that a woman who looks at herself is considered as a narcissist while a man who looks at whatever he likes is considered an art connoisseur. Berger argues that only a person can turn someone into being nude. This is taken a step further when Berger points out that the fan owner of a painting becomes the spectator owner of a representation of a woman; therefore, the spectator is depicted as the male and the nude image as the woman who is intended to flatter the man. Male spectators are applied in two ways in the following example that represents a picture: the exchange between Gerty and Bloom and the mention in the painting which was painted in the twentieth century. In Making a spectacle of Herself, Gerty MacDowell in the painting, Katherine Mullin Joyces; suggestive and arousal Gerty are compared to modest and sexually pure Flint of Cummins. She is seen like she is conscious of her beauty and her power to provoke the mans attention, but, Flint is totally unconscious of her beauty. This device is used most of the times to pass on a message to young ones. The prude and modest Flint serves as the role model for youthful Irish women. Mullin states that her reward for her diffidence is her u ltimate marriage to her childhood darling. On the other hand, the sexually open and provoking Gerty is left at the end not married. Why is it, then, that men paint pictures of nude women and later on condemns them? In this example, a naked woman was not married later. It is true even to date that those women who are portrayed as naked in the websites or televisions are rarely married. This is because men believe that they have exposed their nudity in a truly sinful way. Why then did they paint these pictures if they were not destroying the moral reputation of women? Bergers discussions of nakedness are taken further when he asserts that, in western Christian art, nakedness of male is a symbol of a struggle to be more like Christ, while that of female symbolizes lust and sin. The male nudity is, therefore, closer to perfection than that of female. The discussions by Miles, about Adam and Eve, are based on this argument, emphasizing that Eves believed guilt in the fall of man and her creation from the body of Adam have been conventionally treated as the reasons of Eves weakness to Adam. If Eve is a representation of every woman, her imperfections speak to the common limitation of women and their shared sinfulness. Based on Bergers Miles views, the treatment of all women by Christianity as potential witches and the credence of their expected vulnerability to evil are seen as unfairness paid to the depiction of women. There is, therefore, a great reason for the need of a new form of feminist art. Representation of women according to Berger has fallen victim to two systems a) The use of their bodies to provoke the male gaze and the ultimate objectification of women b) The aversive and negative treatment in western Christianity. The two systems are crucial factors that have contributed to the agenda approach used in art, literature, and on screens major types used in gender depiction, which was created by men for themselves. When these are examined, the hidden agenda in representation is exposed, and it sparks one of the most castigatory actions to sexual category politics: women discontinue watching the men in suits and embark on their own representation. In the Judgment of Paris, a story presumably originated by men, starts by displaying the, vanity of female: a dispute of three goddesses over their individual beauty triggers the meeting with Paris, the inducement and the consequences. Then their characters are with vindictiveness and conceit fleshed out, so there is no way that a safe decision can be made by Paris, let alone one that is just. The goddesses are blamed for all of it. Yet this story gives possibilities for the artist (who is not apprehensive with blame) to scrutinize the relationships between power and sexuality. Supposedly, as Berger suggests, Paris and other male viewers have the authority of judgment over the female beauty, but inside the world of the story, the real authority is with the goddesses. In the after effects the argument at Troy was about goddesses who were always responsible for the defeats and victories of men, by their unswerving divine intervention. The goddesss divinity has been artistically represented in various ways. Cranach decided to make their figures bright, but also weak and wife like. They are then infused with vigor by Reuben, but they are on display clearly, for us, as well as for Paris. The figures for Raphael are extremely powerful. They are nude; a world that is naked and filled with parity, but none of the representations undoubtedly represents the power of the power of goddesses over Paris to the level that is achieved by Watteau. The iconographic essentials are in this picture just as they are in Cranach and Raphael. Paris is shown sitting on the lower part of the picture before the key form of Aphrodite. Athena is on the right, and she is already dressed. Hera is retreating at the top of the picture and is followed by Peacock, having said all these. The picture is quite contrary in its components from any that had gone before this because it is representing a valuable genius in this painting; the power of Paris is utterly destroyed. Paris almost cowers, and the way she puts her hands humbly over her head is not a gesture of a judge who is conferring an accolade but that of a supplicant making a submission. Athena and Hera see this too with Hera conceding already and Athena appearing to be shielding herself from the power of the winning goddess. The situation is more intricate that this, for the power that Aphrodite has is openly sexual. All attention is on her as she disrobes (except for Hermes turned away, of course). However, all that can be observed by the spectators in the representation is her lower half. Cupid makes sure that Paris gets a clear view of the genitals of Aphrodites, and that, it seems that it is enough to secure h er victory. Berger considers nudity as a process and not an act. The question is what process? A European humanism, which tried to view nakedness in terms of individuality, argued that nudity should be arrived at by piecing different parts of the body. The reason for this argument is that painting pictures of nude women is a personal interest. There are parts, that he likes most, and, therefore, will want those parts painted for him. Conclusion Bergers representation of these facts about women; can be generalized as fallacies that try to define nudity of women. It is not fair that Berger has these opinions on women. The nude presentation of women poses several discussions on whether women are quite sensual objects that are just there for the amusement of men. The techniques, which Berger has used, are not a fair representation of women. Contrary to Bergers believes, women are not passive in the society and are not sexual symbols. The oil paintings of naked people of whether male or female constitute nudity and should be viewed in the same way as nudity in women is viewed.

Pro Death Penalty Essay -- Capital Punishment essays research papers

Capital punishment and the practice of the death penalty is an issue that is passionately debated in the United States. Opponents of the death penalty claim that capital punishment is unnecessary since a life sentence accomplishes the same objective. What death penalty opponents neglect to tell you is that convicted murders and child rapists escape from prison every year(List of prison escapes, 2015). As I write this essay, police are searching for two convicted murders who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York on June 6th, 2015. The ONLY punishment from which one cannot escape is the death penalty. Opponents of the death penalty believe capital punishment is unnecessary and inappropriate in our modern society. In their minds, such an act by the government serves no positive social purpose and only denigrates life (Death Penalty Focus, 2015). On the other hand, those in favor of capital punishment, including the US Supreme Court, see the death penalty as the proper punishment for certain criminals who have committed specific crimes. Supporters also argue that the death penalty is a necessary deterrent to saving innocent lives (Pro-Death Penalty, 2014). Based on my research of this issue I tend to agree with the death penalty advocates and believe that execution is the appropriate sentence and punishment for capital offenses. There are six main rationales for abolishing the practice of capital punishment that are commonly heard. One reason is that capital punishment does not deter crime. Anti-death penalty advocates contend that scientific studies consistently fail to demonstrate that executions discourage people from committing crime (Death Penalty Focus, 2015). Another reason for stopping the death penalty is because it can and has been inflicted on innocent people. In addition, abolitionists suggest that the US is unable to prevent such occurrences (Death Penalty Focus, 2015). A third rationale is that the death penalty discriminates against certain ethnic and racial groups. According to Justice Department figures, nearly 80 percent of inmates on death row are Black, Hispanic or from another minority group (Eddlem, 2002). Yet another reason for abolishing capital punishment is that the death penalty is often applied at random. â€Å"Politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction where a crime is committed are more... ... it achieves justice. In my opinion, people who commit heinous crimes against humanity should be executed. Regardless of cost or how long it takes I believe that putting these people to death is the correct sentence, not only because I feel that they deserve to die but because the death penalty is a deterrent and society is better off without these criminals. Therefore I agree with supporters of capital punishment and that the death penalty should remain in existence. My research further solidified my position because I felt that the arguments in favor of capital punishment clearly debunked many of the reasons for abolishment by the anti-death penalty movement. References Death Penalty Focus (2015). Facts. Web. 8 June 2015. http://www.deathpenalty.org/index.php?pid=facts Eddlem, T. R. (2004). Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies.The New American. 2002. Web. 10 June 2015. http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2002/06-03-2002/vo18no11_fallacies.htm Pro-Death Penalty (2014). Death Penalty Paper. Web. 8 June 2015. http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/DP.html "List of prison escapes" Wikipedia 2015. Web. 8 June 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prison_escapes