An overview of the International court of justice - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2444 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Argumentative essay Topics: Justice Essay Did you like this example? International court of justice History: The present history of global adjudication is, though, generally known as seeing from the alleged Jay Treaty of 1794 among the USA and Great Britain. This Treaty of Amity, Navigation and Commerce delivered for the formation of three assorted directives, consisted of American and British citizens in equal figures, whose job it would be to resolve a sum of exceptional queries between the two republics which it had not been probable to resolve by arbitration. Whereas it is right that these assorted contracts were not firmly speaking structures of third-party settlement, they were proposed to job to some degree as courts. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An overview of the International court of justice" essay for you Create order They revived interest in the procedure of adjudication. Through the nineteenth era, the United Kingdom and the United States had recourse to them, as did other Federations in America and the Europe. The Alabama Claims adjudication in 1872 among the United States and the United Kingdom marked the start of a next, and still more conclusive, stage. Underneath the Treaty of Washington of 1871, the United Kingdom and the United States decided to submit to adjudication rights by the latter for purported breaks of impartiality by the former through the American Civil War. The two nations specified certain rules leading the responsibilities of neutral administrations that were to be applied by the court, which they settled should contain five affiliates, to be chosen correspondingly by the Leaders of Government of the United States, Brazil, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy. The arbitral tribunalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s prize ordered the United Kingdom to pay reimbursement and it was a ccordingly fulfilled with. The actions aided as a demonstration of the efficiency of adjudication in the reimbursement of a main argument and it ran during the later years of the nineteenth period to progresses in various ways, namely: sharp development in the exercise of introducing in agreements clauses if for option to adjudication in the occasion of a clash between the parties; the deduction of general agreements of adjudication for the reimbursement of stated classes of inter-State clashes; struggles to build a common law of adjudication, so that states demanding to have alternative to this resources of resolving clashes would not be appreciative to settle each time on the process to be approved, the structure of the court, the procedures to be trailed and the issues to be taken into attention in making the award; Suggestions for the formation of an enduring international arbitral court in order to preclude the necessity to set up a distinctad hoccourt to resolve each arbitral difference. (history) Leadership: The Leader and the Vice-President are chosen by the Associates of the Law court each three years by top-secret poll. The balloting is apprehended on the date on which Associates of the Court designated at a triennial voting are to initiate their terms of workplace or shortly afterward. An entire majority is obligatory and there is no state of affairs with respect to nationality. The Leader and the Vice-President may be re-selected. The President supervises at all conferences of the Court; he/she guides its effort and oversees its management, with the help of an Administrative and Budgetary Committee and of numerous other boards, all collected of Members of the Court. Through judicial discussions, the Leader has a casting poll in the occasion of votes being correspondingly distributed. In The Hague, where he/she is grateful to exist in, the President of the Law court takes superiority over the notable of the diplomatic force. The President obtains a special a dditional grant of 15,000 dollars per annum, in totalling to his/her annual pay. The Vice-President substitutes the President in his/her absenteeism, in the occasion of his/her incapability to exercise his/her responsibilities, or in the occasion of a opening in the position. For this persistence he/she gets a daily payment. In the nonappearance of the Vice-President, this role delegates upon the high-ranking judge. (presidency) How the court works: The Law court may entertain two kinds of cases: legal clashes between States defer to it by them (contentious cases) and appeals for consultative opinions on lawful questions denoted to by United Nations organs and specific organizations (advisory proceedings). Contentious cases: Only Countries (States Memberships of the United Nations and other Countries which have become parties to the Act of the Court or which have believed its authority under definite conditions) may be revelries to argumentative cases. The Law court i s capable to entertain an argument only if the Countries worried have believed its authority in one or more of the subsequent ways: by arriving into a distinctive agreement to submit the argument to the Law court; by quality of a jurisdictional article, i.e., characteristically, when they are gatherings to a treaty comprising an establishment whereby, in the occasion of a argument of a given kind or difference over the clarification or submission of the treaty, one of them may raise the clash to the Law court; Through the reciprocal result of announcements made by them below the Statute whereby each has acknowledged the authority of the Court as necessary in the event of a clash with another State having made a similar statement. A sum of these statements, which must be placed with the UN Secretary-General, hold doubts eliminating certain classes of dispute. States have no enduring legislatures accredited to the Law court. They usually connect with the Registrar over the medium of their Minister for Foreign Affairs or their representative credited to the Netherlands. Wherever they are parties to a situation before the Law court they are characterized by a negotiator. A negotiator plays the similar role, and has the similar rights and duties, as a lawyer oravouÃÆ' ©with admiration to a nationwide court. But we are distributing here with worldwide relations, and the negotiator is also as it were the leader of a distinct political mission with controls to obligate a sovereign Government. He/she obtains communications from the Administrator regarding the case and forward to the Administrator all communication and pleadings duly contracted or qualified. In public trials the agent opens the dispute on behalf of the government he/she symbolizes and lodges the proposals. In overall, whenever an official act is to be complete by the governme nt signified, it is complete by the negotiator. Agents are occasionally aided by co-agents, deputy negotiators or assistant agents and at all times have guidance or advocates, whose effort they co-ordinate, to support them in the grounding of the pleadings and the distribution of oral dispute. Since there is no distinct International Court of Justice Bar, there are no situations that have to be satisfied for advice or advocates to relish the right of quarrelling before it excluding only that they must have been selected by a government to do so. Actions may be started in one of two ways: Through the announcement of a distinct contract: this file, which is of a joint nature, can be stuck with the Court by either of the Countries parties to the actions or by both of them. A special contract must show the matter of the argument and the revelries thereto. Since there is neither an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“applicantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Government nor a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“respondentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Government, in the Courtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s journals their names are parted by an slanted stroke at the end of the certified title of the case, e.g., Benin/Niger; By means of a claim: the application, which is of a autonomous nature, is submitted by an applicant Government against a defendant State. It is proposed for statement to the latter State and the Guidelines of Court contain firmer necessities with respect to its content. In totalling to the name of the revelry against which the statement is carried and the topic of the dispute, the candidate State must, as far as likely, indicate concisely on what basis an agreement or a declaration of approval of necessary jurisdiction, it entitles the Court has authority, and must concisely state the evidences and grounds on which it founds its claim. At the conclusion of the certified title of the case the terms of the two revelries are parted by the acronymà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“v.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ (For the Latinversus), for example Nicaraguav.Colombia. The date of the organization of actions, which is that of the receiving by the Administrator of the distinct agreement or request, marks the initial of actions before the Law court. Contentious proceedings comprise a written stage, in which the revelries file and interchange pleadings comprising a detailed proclamation of the points of fact and of rule on which each party depend on, and an oral stage consisting of public trials at which negotiators and counsel talk to the Court. As the Law court has two certified languages (French and English), entirety on paper or said in one linguistic is interpreted into the other. The printed pleadings are not made accessible to the media and public until the inaugural of the oral actions, and then only if the revelries have no complaint. After the oral actions the Court reflects in camera and then transports its judgment at a communal sitting. The decision is final, binding on the revelries to a case and deprived of plea (at most it may be issue to interpretation or review). Any judge desiring to do so may attach an opinion to the decision. By signing the Contract, a National Member of the United Nations assumes to obey with any decision of the Court in a situation to which it is revelry. Since, moreover, a case can only be acquiesced to the Court and definite by it if the revelries have in one manner or another concurred to its authority over the situation; it is infrequent for a conclusion not to be applied. A Government which struggles that the other side has been unsuccessful to achieve the duties obligatory upon it under a decision rendered by the Law court may lay the problem before the Security Council, which is authorized to endorse or decide upon the events to be taken to give result to the decision. Advisory proceedings: Advisory proceedings before the Law court are exposed solely to five organs of the UN and to 16expert agencies of the United Nations family. The UNs General Assembly and Security Council may demand advisory ideas on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“any legal questionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Other United Nations organs and expert agencies which have been approved to seek advisory sentiments can only do so with regard to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“legal questions rising within the possibility of their actionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . When it obtains a request for a counselling opinion, the Court, in command that it may give its judgment with full information of the facts, is authorized to hold printed and oral actions, certain features of which memorize the proceedings in argumentative cases. In philosophy, the Court may do deprived of such actions, but it has never distributed with them completely. A few days after the appeal is filed, the Court pulls up a list of those Countries and international administrations that will be able to equip information on the query before the Court. Those Countries are not in the same place as parties to contentious events: their legislatures before the Court are not recognized as agents and their contribution, if any, in the advisory events does not reduce the Courtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s opinion obligatory upon them. In common, the Countries listed are the Member States of the group requesting the judgment. Any Government not referred by the Court may ask to be. It is infrequent, though, for the ICJ to allow international administrations other than the one having demanded the judgment to contribute in advisory proceedings. With reverence to non-governmental global organizations, the only one ever approved by the ICJ to provide information did not in the conclusion do so (International Status of South West Africa). The Law court has rejected all such appeals by private revelries. The written records are shorter, then but as supple as in contentious actions between States. Members may file written declarations, which occasionally form the article of written commentaries by other members. The written declarations and comments are stared as private, but are commonly made available to the community at the start of the oral proceedings. Countries are then frequently invited to present oral declarations at public sessions. Advisory proceedings are decided by the distribution of the advisory view at a public sitting. It is of the spirit of such sentiments that they are advisory, i.e., that, different from the Courtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s decisions, they have no obligatory effect. The demanding organ, agency or group remains allowed to give result to the estimation by any means exposed to it, or not to do so. Confident instruments or rules can, though, provide earlier that an advisory judgment by the Court shall have obligatory force (e.g., agreements on the rights and protections of the United Nations). It remains however that the expert and respect of the Court ascribe to its advisory sentiments and that where the structure or agency worried endorses that view, that judgment is as it were authorized by international regulation. (how the court works) How it view the Cases: The Law court has a dual role: to resolve, in agreement with international law, legal arguments submitted to it by Countries (Contentious cases) and to give counselling views (Advisory proceedings) on legal queries denoted to it by duly approved United Nations structures and specialized organizations. In Contentious actions, when a clash is brought afore the Court by a one-sided application filed by one Government against another Government, the names of revelries in the official name of the case are parted by the abbreviationv.for the Latin versus (e.g., Cameroon v.Nigeria). When a clash is deferred to to the Court on the foundation of a distinct agreement between two Countries, the names of the revelries are parted by a slanted stroke (e.g., Indonesia/Malaysia). The first case go in the General List of the Law court (Corfu Channel(United Kingdomv.Albania)) was deferred to on 22 May 1947. From 22May 1947 to 16 February 2015, 161 cases were come into in the General List. Examples: In 2014 Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somaliav.Kenya) and Responsibilities regarding Conferences involving Termination of the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands v.United Kingdom) Bibliography cases. (n.d.). Retrieved from international court of justice: www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3 history. (n.d.). Retrieved from international court of justice: https://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1p2=1 how the court works. (n.d.). Retrieved from international court of justice: https://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1p2=6 presidency. (n.d.). Retrieved from international court of justice: https://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1p2=3

Free Will Vs. Determinism Is Tackled By Scott Meyers

Throughout history, scientists and philosophers have pondered the question, â€Å"Do we as humans really make our own choices, or rather are our choices predetermined by some sort of natural order? Our decisions and actions may, in fact, even be the result of chemical reactions occurring in the neurons residing in our brain. We as humans are curious as to what â€Å"free will† is truly defined as. Whatever the answer, the question posed is one that will result in many different varying opinions, many of which could impact the worlds of both science and philosophy. The subject of free will vs. determinism is tackled by Scott Meyers in his novel, Off to Be the Wizard, which was released in March of 2014. In Scott Meyer’s novel, Off to Be†¦show more content†¦He is baffled by this realization, and holds off from using his newly attained â€Å"powers† for a time, but the temptation of ultimate control eventually proves to be too much for him to manage. Ev entually Martin begins testing reality more and more via the program, and as a result, he discovers a variable that would allow him to change many different details pertaining to his exact location in space and time. These include, but are not limited to, his sea level, latitude and longitude location, as well as his precise location in history. Further testing his will, Martin increases the amount of money in his bank account. This move alerted the attention of the F.B.I., who in turn assigns two federal agents to go and question Martin Banks. The agents collect Martin and bring him to an interrogation room, where they adamantly and harshly question him as to how he deposited money into his bank account without making any transfers. Martin convinces the agents that if they’d allow him to use his phone, he could simply show them the answers they wanted from him. He uses this opportunity to escape, but not back home. Instead he decides to abandon the life he knew, and travels back in time, to the Medieval Era, so that he could live as a â€Å"wizard.† Once there, Martin discovers that he is not the first to come upon the all-powerful computer program. In the following excerpt from Off to Be the Wizard, two characters, Martin and

Death of a salesman on the American Dream Free Essays

The American dream has stood to be each person’s idea of success. The American dream is usually associated with 1940’s America depiction of the ideal family, as can be depicted from television shows such as Leave it to Beaver. However, this is one aspect and shallow analysis of the American dream that is not appropriate for all reaching to achieve their American dream. We will write a custom essay sample on Death of a salesman on the American Dream or any similar topic only for you Order Now In Arthur Miller’s Death ofa Salesman, Miller succeeds in portraying this through the characters Willy and Biff. Their conflict represents two varying perspectives of the American dream, and this very struggle eads to the conclusion that the American dream is rooted in the pursuit of a better life. Throughout Death of a Salesman, Miller portrays two ideas of the American dreams and it is definite that they are â€Å"American dreams† as they both deal with success and that character’s idea of success. Though, this is where characters’ views differ and conflict with one another. Willys American dream is to have his children succeed and to leave his imprint on the society which he was unable to succeed in doing so in a life long career as a salesman. Furthermore, Willy lived in the ideology that being well liked† was far more important and and necessary than being a Bernard type of person and make a living based on his studies. Willys belief and encouragement of this ideology upon his sons influenced Biff immensely. As a result, Biff did not put the effort into his studies that would have enabled him to pass math and graduate high school and move on to a university. Willy says, â€Å"Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. Willy Loman is here! † That’s all they have to know and I go right through. † (Act 1) According to Willy, someone who is capable of invoking personal interest in those around them will be more successful regardless of one’s knowledge or intelligence. Biffs American dream is to free himself from the barriers of expectations, specifically those of his father. To free himself from his father’s desired dream for him and move towards his own chosen life which is to live and own a ranch is the country. However, Biff only came to realize his dream later in his adult life as opposed to only pleasing is father as he did as a child. It was only after the calamity of discover his father’s affair did Biff drift away from Willys expectations. It is as he becomes resolute to follow his own dreams rather than his father’s expectations he says, â€Å"Will you let me go, for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens. † (Act 2) This statement come from his final conversation with his father as Biff shows his last attempt to show Willy the he is not the person he thought Biff would be. Nevertheless, it was fear of Biff defecting from becoming the ideal person Willy dreamed Biff would be that lead Willy to his downfall. As well as the crumbling of Willys American dream for Biff. The final message of Death of a Salesman is that a person’s American dream is whatever one perceives it means be successful. Fear of displacement from that Biff not becoming successful defined by Willys expectations for him, and such fear can destroy one’s American dream. Had it not been for Willys insistence on Biff to follow his ideology and become his father’s expectations, Biff would not have disregarded his studies and would have been able to graduate high school, and ecome successful in his own way. Biffs American dream differs from that of the standard set by the†American dream† of 1940s America. The lifestyle viewed as being the family of an American citizen of that time would be a young man, a young woman, with three adorable children in the suburbs. However, Biff seems content with living like this, as the lifestyle depicted to be the goals of the American people are not suitable to him. The American dream depicted by the society of that time is Just one of many interpretations of the true American dream: the pursuit of a happy life. How to cite Death of a salesman on the American Dream, Papers

The Conqueror Worm Essay Example For Students

The Conqueror Worm Essay To understand the type of worm referred to in â€Å"The Conqueror Worm,† by Edgar Allen Poe, we must first analyze the poem. It is actually a play for the muses: That the play is the tragedy â€Å"Man†The everyday death of man is a show for the angels. Our hero worm represents death and people are the actors. The worm of death is from the Phylum Nematoda. Many roundworms cause diseases in humans, which can lead to death. I have, however, reason to believe this is actually the blood fluke, Schistosoma of the Class Trematoda in Phylum Platyhelminthes. The blood red thing that writhes from out The first line tells us the worm is motile. Poe is an artist and not a biologist. This is why we don’t expect him to know the difference between crawling and the movement of the schistosoma larva. â€Å"The blood red thing† is an obvious reference to its common name, the blood fluke, as well as the blood red color observable under a microscope. â€Å"The scenic solitud e† directly speaks of the play, but indirectly refers to the fact that this particular worm has not copulated with a female worm yet and therefore is alone, as one in solitude would be. The â€Å"vermin† is actually the metabolically active epicuticle and the â€Å"fangs† are actually suckers. There are two to be exact, one oral and one ventral. Once again, we don’t expect a poet to know the biological difference between fangs and suckers. â€Å"In human gore imbued† is a reference to the parasitic nature of this Trematode when it attaches itself to the â€Å"human gore† known as liver, spleen, bladder, or other organs. The conqueror worm is obviously a parasitic flatworm from Phylum Platyhelminthes. Our hero worm represents death/parasitism and people are the actors/hosts. It infects more than 200 million people, so Schistosoma can still be considered the worm of death. The description of the suckers, the blood red color, the motile ability, the possibility of copulation, the parasitic qualities and the digestive epicuticle are all characteristics of Schistosoma. Bibliography:

Anarchists and the Spanish Civil War essays

Anarchists and the Spanish Civil War essays The Spanish Civil War laid the groundwork for the mass destruction and turmoil that was to come with World War II. The Civil war was a battle among the left, pitting communism versus fascism. There were many different groups fighting for each side, the most important, anarchists. Anarchists believe in a classless society. It is their ideas that oppose capitalism as a system that profits the small minority and not the majority. Government, army, and police, are seen through their eyes as an institution whose purpose is to enforce the ways of these minority groups. Instaed of letting these small minority groups lead, they feel that the workers have the power and strength, in numbers, to change society. It is through their ability to organize and fight that the anarchists made the biggest impact on the war. Collectivization and industrialization were ideas shared by the CNT (Condeferacion Nacional de Trabajo), and were extensive. The peasants had come together in order to gain control of the land that they had worked on. Ronald Fraser states, that the anarchists would go to a large village and clean it up in the name of the CNT(60). The clean-up would take place by any means necessary, and force and terror were tactics that were used. It was through the terror that many villagers joined the side of the anarchists in their views for collectivization. It is through the collectives that production greatly increased the yield of the lands, in some cases as much as a 50% increase. Workplaces were taken over to increase the production of materials needed to aid the revolution. Often these factories were abandoned by the owners in order to sabotage the revolution. The biggest contribution that the anarchists made was in the form of their militia. The militia was guerilla-like there were no uniforms, or officers just a group of revolutionaries. It was this revolutionary army that took the country by s...

A list of good problem solution essay topics for students

A list of good problem solution essay topics for students When writing problem solution essays, the primary concern of every student is to pick an interesting theme after careful thinking. Choose an issue and an effective way to solve it. Look for the one you’re enthusiastic about. Consider excellent problem solution essay topics and pick the one that comes with its practical solution or significant action plan. This choice may seem easy, but many students of every academic level face a number of challenges when making it. Keep reading this guide because it will provide helpful ways. ORDER SOLUTION ESSAY A list of useful examples If you find it hard to choose good problem solution essay topics, pay attention to such areas as sports, politics, family life, environment issues, government, technology, media school, and others. There’s a lot of information about them over the Internet. Use the following ideas  of essay writing for your inspiration. Themes for your problem solution paper about relationships How to stop bullying on social media platforms, Effective methods to deal with overbearing individuals, Face-to-face relationships vs texting in the world today, Understanding existing differences in cultures and races, How people can make a difference as a whole society. Transportation and driving Smoking while driving: quieting this bad habit, Training to be careful drivers: the necessary changes in current laws, How to encourage the inhabitants of your town to take public transportation, The best strategy to prevent deaths and DUI because of drunk driving, What is the fastest way to find the right route to a new place? Family life How parents should help teens avoid eating disorders and have a positive body image, Effective ways to increase the number of adopted kids, How families can teach money management to a child, Parents are responsible for their children’s obesity: what to do about that, Helping young people create a healthy family. Topics for a problem solution essay on poverty and social matters Address the need for support for homeless people in your community, How to put a stop to high teen pregnancy rates, Experiments with illegal drugs in high schools: ways to make it hard for teenagers to get their drug access, Rehabilitation process for prisoners to be functional members of the society, How to help victims of gun or family violence? Sports Children tend to train   hard at their young age: what to do about that, How colleges can get a good balance of athletics and education, How to increase attendance at sporting events, What to do to make your local sports team more effective, What games should sports networks cover? Other interesting problem solution essay topics for college students Effective tips that can help you improve your grades, How a long-distance relationship can work if you’re in different colleges, Simple ways for international education to become more affordable, How parents can give their kids freedom and let them show that they’re independent, How to stay in shape and balance your class studies? Find a solution to any issue Feel free to make a difference with this type of paper and write about something that really means to you. It should force readers to make a change. The call for action starts with your idea. That’s why you should for the problem solution essay topics that you feel passionate about (it’s a sure way to make a difference). Picking the subject you like is not the only factor that determines the future success of your piece of writing. Consider a few other pointers. Select a specific issue and stick to it. There are many themes to choose from, including terrorism, human rights, sexual trafficking, or unemployment, but your subject should neither be very narrow or too broad. Take a word count into consideration. Sticking to one specific question is a good idea. Your next step is stating a strong thesis that should be present in a final part of the introductory paragraph. It’s an assumption that you’ll further analyze in your paper. Look for reliable sources and make sure that you can find enough data to support and prove your thesis statement. The main body usually contains 3-5 paragraphs. Their number depends on your paper size. Every paragraph should analyze a separate point and all of your ideas must connect to each other in a logical manner. Avoid a common mistake of many students in the conclusion. You may find it logical to sum up everything in a concluding section to earn high grades and impress your teachers  with academic paper writing, but it’s necessary to try harder. The main thing that you should do when wrapping up your paper is to restate a thesis and prove that it’s right. It’s the whole point of writing it. Top characteristics of a good problem solution essay topic When looking for a perfect topic for your problem solution paper, consider these important characteristics: Providing an accurate indication of what you’ll say in the rest of your paper, Containing a controlling idea, Being easy and clear to follow, Not including any supporting details or evidence, Engaging target readers by using original vocabulary. Do you need additional help? Use the above-mentioned problem solution paper ideas as your helpful suggestions because they’ll inspire you while searching for a perfect subject. If you feel that this undertaking is difficult, don’t worry about anything because you can count on the online services of professional writers. It’s easy to contact them and place your order. ORDER SOLUTION ESSAY HERE Get expert assistance and turn to qualified specialists to be confident that your assignment and academic performance are in good hands. Let them relieve your workload and regular stress. The best part is that their high-quality services are affordable for every student.

How do employment relationships impact on the overall success of an Essay

How do employment relationships impact on the overall success of an organisation - Essay Example Although it might be argued that the employer is the source of all the funds which makes the firm operational, the firm is still, by and large, operated by the employee. The increase in international competition and the rapid technological advances are favoring organizations which are more efficient, innovative and productive. These external factors are forcing firms to alter their administrative and management structures. The intensified pressures have generated major challenges in managing employment relationship (Noer, 1993; Herriot, Manning and Kidd, 1997). The basic principle behind the concern for this field is the ‘friendlier’ and ‘more responsive’ the employee governance system is, the greater will be the probability of employees being actively engaged in their work. The idea stems from the notion that, as you build trust and friendship with and among the employees, the employee will reciprocate the effort thru his work. In this paper, we will be exploring whether there is truth in this claim. Employees joining an organization are usually characterized by enthusiasm, commitment and advocacy for their new employer partly because of the thought of receiving a salary and partly due to the pride of belonging to an organization and doing something productive. Suffice it to say, at the start of employment, they are highly engaged. When we say highly engaged, we mean that they are actively participating in the organization. 2. Not-engaged employees are those who have essentially become disinterested with their work. They spend time but not energy and passion into their work. They are not necessarily negative or positive about their company but they take a wait-and-see attitude toward their job, their employer, and their co-workers. The commitment is simply not there anymore. Many empirical studies have demonstrated a relationship between

SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFITABILITY OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN Thesis

SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFITABILITY OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA - Thesis Example Such organizations are able to grant small micro loans to members of the lower class who can both demonstrate a need and a means to pay back the loan. In addition, the findings of this report indicate that microfinance institutions are beginning to provide needed financial services to help individuals begin to save and get themselves on the path towards financial independence. At the same time, microfinance institutions in Nigeria are facing difficult challenges to their own sustainability and profitability moving forward, so the recommendations contained in this study are designed to push the institution in a more successful future. Throughout the world, it has become increasingly noticeable in recent decades that the gap between the developed and developing nations of the world continues to widen to an almost unfathomable proportion. This truth is not only been seen from an individual wage earner’s perspective, as it is truly a regional and global economic phenomenon1. In an increasingly competitive, modern, and globally connected society, developing nations are often left behind in the movement towards progress and economic expansion. With this reality in mind, it can be seen that the gap is now increasing almost exponentially, with individuals and businesses in the poorest regions of the world left wondering how they will ever find the financial and human capital necessary to improve upon and provide for their own eventual economic freedom2. It is no secret that much of the world has been concerned over the course of the past century with the amount of poverty that is existent in various parts of the globe, and how the rate of poverty seems to only be increasing. Consider the abject poverty and poor economic infrastructure that has been endemic to the countries of West Africa for all of the modern era. One of the primary reasons limiting economic expansion in countries such as Nigeria is that basic lack of access

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 12

Strategic Management - Essay Example The most controversial acquisition of Patrick by toll Holding in Austrilia though through acrimonious court cases is to improve the losistic effecieny of the company and the industry, technically align it with supply chain management and improved customer responsiveness. The acquisition was aimed to invest in future infrastructure, increase industriy syngeries, leverage scale of economics, improve competitive positioning and thereby reduce operational and management costs. The business of airlines being very volatile and Toll’s competitor having the majority shareholding in Virgin Blue,overcapacity in the shipping business and problematic rail business it was difficult for Toll to establish a firm foothold toward leadership position in the logistics industry. Toll had only two alternatives to either to merge with some bigger international transport company to achieve its strategic goal or acquire related business of high standing to get business opportunities to expand further and consolidate its position. Toll had the vision to get advantage by acquiring Patrick but still there were several internal risk involved. Whether the acquisition would generate synergy and integrated cost saving. Whether investment in an aging infrastructure of Patrick corporation would prove productive or turn negative in future. Will the acquisition build competitive advantage for Toll’s business in the logistic industry. Patrick corporation themselves needed to be reorganized and restructured with injection of massive funds of $1.1 billion to stablize. These were challenging questions for the leadership to answer. However, the oportunity in the industry after acquisition was great to hold about 15% of the market share with the revenues of both the transport giants that was about $5.1 billion in 2005. This market share would transform them to formidable position in the domestic and international transport and storage market. Toll and Patrick both had

The history of theories of sociology

The history of theories of sociology Many theorists state that the development of 19th century sociology was the response to the dramatic social change of the time. The social upheaval caused by Enlightenment, and the Industrial and French revolutions caused social theorists to develop sociology as a method of explaining, analysing and understanding the social upheaval following these events. Sociology could explain the reasons behind increasing public discontent with traditional values, aristocracy and religion, and also sought to understand and rationalize new societies that subsequently emerged. The nineteenth century was also the century in which sociology would become recognised as an academic discipline. Sociology is defined as The study of human social life, groups and societies (Giddens, 1989). French philosopher Auguste Comte (Waters and Crook, 1993) coined the term; he considered sociology the final stage in the historical development of ideas (Babbie, 2002). Sociology involves describing and analysing how forces, such as social, political, economic and cultural arrangements shape and, influence behaviour and, the impact they have on individual identity construction (van Krieken et al. 2000). Sociology then, has society as its subject matter (Najman and Western, 2000). The assertion that sociological theory arose in the 19th century as an attempt to explain social change can be examined by assessing the influence of historical events, occurring immediately before, during and following briefly that century, had on the development of sociology. The Enlightenment, and the French and Industrial revolutions prompted sociologist to query or challenge the social, economic and political composition of the time. Berger (1970) stated that sociology evolved through the need for understanding the confusion that followed these events. The French revolution began in 1789 as the result of political and social unrest. The underlying factors that influenced the revolution were the corruption of the ruling government regime that led to worker impoverishment. Additionally, to the extortion of taxes from the peasantry and, the hierarchies insistence that they and, the religious sectors remain the owners of political power. This insistence prompted the public to revolt against the ruling regime and the clergy (Giddens, 1997:6-7), the result was the expulsion of the Bourbon monarchy and the establishment of the first republic. The religious sector also suffered with the overthrow of the Divine Rights of Kings, which previously formed the crux of religious belief during this period (van Krieken et al, 2000:23). The sweeping changes that resulted from the French revolution impacted upon the emergence of sociology because there became a sudden need for intellectual awareness in order to cope with the ramifications of the chan ges that had taken place (Berger, 1970:55). The second transformation to occur during the period was the Industrial revolution in the late eighteenth century. This revolution began in Britain and subsequently spread throughout Western Europe and the United States in the nineteenth century (Giddens, 1997:7). The Industrial revolution was a time of massive technological change, before this people had simply produced their own forms of sustenance by way of the barter system or living off of the land (Bilton et al, 1996:33). They were now faced with rapid movement from traditional rural areas to urban areas due to a need to obtain employment and earn a wage to survive. Sustaining their previous lifestyles was no longer possible (van Krieken et al, 2000:23). Sudden urbanisation brought on by the revolution lead to changes in living and working conditions. There was a decline in the number of workers and a reduction in adequate living conditions. Unequal income distribution followed, due to the mass production of goods required to obtain a surplus that could support the lagging economies. The social and political upheaval created by the industrial revolution heavily influenced the work of earlier sociological thinker Karl Marx. Marx believed that under capitalism society would be divided into two classes, the ruling class who owned the means of production (bourgeoisie) and the workers or the oppressed who would be forced to sell their labour (proletariat) (Grabb. 1984:20-21). The result according to Marx is the exploitation of the workforce by the bourgeoisie through the modes of production (Crompton, 1998:27). In turn Marx believed this would lead to what he called the alienation of the workforce, where workers would become disenchanted and no longer be able to derive any pride or satisfaction from their work (Grabb, 1984:24). This revolution spawned some of the most influential sociological work in history. The impact of sociologys emergence in the nineteenth century because of social change is no more evident than in Marxs class analysis. The social forces that lead to the two revolutions provided the context in which sociology would emerge and prosper during the nineteenth century, as a means for understanding the new societies that were being created (Waters and Crook, 1993:7). A further social movement that influenced sociologys emergence was Enlightenment. Enlightenment not only helped to influence the French and Industrial revolutions it was simultaneously influenced by them. Enlightenment was a period during the eighteenth century that was committed to the rise of human knowledge and rationality in evaluating society (Waters and Crook, 1993). During this period, there was an increase in the belief in science that sought to challenge traditions and more specifically religion. The objective was to replace them with rational and scientific principles (van Krieken et al, 2000:23). Sociologists such as Marx, Weber, and Durkheim believed that the changes, which heralded modernity, would make religion obsolete (Giddens, 1997:349). This belief in secularisation made it possible for people to pursue a belief in science and to seek the solution to societies perils through the application and progress of human knowledge (Bilton et al, 1996:37). The idea that sociology was a science based on the same principles as the natural sciences led to the appearance of positivism. Positivism brought with it a way to apply the methodology used in the natural sciences to the study of society (Haralambos et al, 1996: 17). The two revolutions and Enlightenment signaled the arrival of modernity and with this newfound existence came a need to understand these events and the impact they would have in the future (Giddens, 1997:7). Thus, sociology was finally gaining academic legitimacy. Sociology was not recognised as an academic discipline until the late nineteenth, early twentieth century (van Kneken et al. 2000:24). Two of the founding fathers Emile Durkheim and Max Weber are credited with transforming the study into an academic discipline. Before being recognised as a legitimate field of study, sociology was practiced outside of the academic realm (van Krieken et al. 2000:24). In part, sociology was made an academic discipline because people expected that this newly discovered insight could help explain why society changed during the great transformation and could advise on how to improve it (van Krieken et al, 2000:24). The late inception of sociology as an academic discipline may be one of the reasons that sociologists argue that its appearance in the nineteenth century was the result of social forces prevailing at the time. The assertion that sociology appeared in the nineteenth century due to the social forces prevailing at the time is also evident when comp aring structuralism favoured during modernity to post modernism. Although sociology is already an established academic discipline in contemporary societies, current social forces are still transforming it in the same way that it was created to explain and understand them. The structuralist perspective that developed during sociologys initial stages presumed that individuals were the product of their social world, with fixed identities and a universal set of norms and values (van Krieken et al. 2000:22). Structuralism seeks to explain human actions as being produced by social structures. This is in stark contrast to post modern theorists who believe that people shape their own lives and whilst social structures do play a part in an individuals life chances they are by-no means the sole determinant. Post modernists believe that people are able to create and control their own lives (by way of free will and alternative lifestyle choices) more extensively than their earlier counterparts (van Krieken et al, 2000:22). The notion of positivism that was so widely advocated during Enlightenment has fallen by the way in contemporary sociology. Academics in the discipline now believe that human beings cannot be studied in the same way as the natural sciences because the complexities of sociological framework and findings cannot be understood in comparison with the natural sciences (Giddens, 1989:17). Durkheims idea that sociology should not be concerned with an individuals subjective interpretation of society (van Krieken et al, 2000:24) has given way to an avid interest in how people perceive their social world. Moreover, the meanings they attach to that world. A concept known as interpretivism (Bilton et al, 1996:494). Traditionally, structuralist sociology addressed economic issues and how they affected society; this has changed in the post-modern era because of other movements that have formed. For example, the feminist movement, which led to a shift in sociological thought from the economic aspects to analysing how cultural aspects impact on society (van Krieken et al, 2000:28). Postmodern sociological thought has also had to contend with prevailing social forces. Increasing globalisation has produced a need for understanding how and why various forms of consumerism and, consumption have influenced not only society but also, how they create and affect popular culture. Additionally to understand how the growing interaction between the markets and ideals of other countries, influence our own society (van Krieken et al, 2000:28-29). A further aspect of the change from structuralism to postmodernism is the fact that contemporary sociology does not focus purely on social forces. Rather it is also concerned with how individuals construct their identities. Post modernism does not assume that identities are fixed. Nor does it assume that there is a single set of norms or values present in contemporary society. Social factors are no longer considered the only issues that shape, an individuals life chances, there are broader issues of a biological and psychological nature that are central to a persons identity construction (Bilton et al, 1996:7-17). The agency or free will aspect of an individuals life facilitates greater choice in life direction. Traditional notions of marriage, sex roles, religiosity, conceptions of gender and family have changed and are specific to the individual (van Krieken et al, 2000:22). The comparison between structuralist sociology and postmodern sociology illustrates that sociology as a discipline has evolved from its initial form because of contemporary social forces that have materialised. The comparison attempts to demonstrate not only how social forces have changed sociology over time but. It allso shows how social forces prevailing in the centuries leading up to the nineteenth century could account for the emergence of sociology during this period. Anthony Giddens (1989:25) suggests that sociology emerged as a distinct intellectual endeavour with the early development of modern industrialized societies, and the study of such societies remains its principle concern. Thus, sociology continues to survive for the same reasons it emerged, to analyse and explain social phenomena. In summary, there are numerous reasons that sociologists argue that the appearance of sociology in the nineteenth century was itself a result of social forces prevailing at the time. The majority of which can be traced back to the French and Industrial revolutions, Enlightenment, and sociologys acceptance as an academic discipline. Sociology gained momentum during this period as an intellectual alternative to explain the struggles that were taking place in the French revolution. To explain how and why the changes during the Industrial revolution occurred and the affect they would have. These revolutions along with Enlightenment hit society with such force and resulting turmoil that even today they remain firmly entrenched in discussions about the origins of sociology. Sociology found its place among this turmoil by way of the awareness it could provide in analysing and evaluating the new societies that were being formed. The argument that sociology appeared in the nineteenth century because of social forces prevailing at the time gains further legitimacy when considering that it was not accepted into the academic sphere until this period. The social, political and economic upheaval generated between the 17th and 19th centuries accounts for the appearance of sociology largely because it was thrust into prominence during this time and subsequently gained notoriety as an academic discipline.

Undercover marketing :: essays research papers

Undercover Marketing Undercover Marketing is an unconventional strategy used to attract consumers. It is where the consumer doesn’t realize they’re being marketed to. The goal of any undercover campaign is to generate a â€Å"buzz† about a new product. The largest appeal of undercover marketing is that it offers free â€Å"word of mouth† that can reach many consumers. There are a few ways to implement this kind of marketing. One way is to hire models or celebrities to be seen drinking a particular new beverage at a bar. Another way is to use fake â€Å"tourists. These fake tourists ask someone to take their picture with a new high tech camera and then they explain the benefits of the new camera they are using. There are a few companies who have done this type of marketing. One company, called Essential Reality, launched a new type of video game glove. With the glove on, you can fly planes and fire weapons all with the movement of your fingers. The idea was to market the glove at coffee shops and crowded places. All the company did to market there new glove was go out and have fun with their latest toy and wait to be approached by consumers. When approached, they would ask other people to give the glove a try. They would also say clever sound bites similar to: â€Å"It’s like you are actually in the game.† The marketers would then tell them how well they are doing with the glove on. No one is trying to selling you anything. The companies just want to get you to want their new product and to tell your friends about it. They want to get you involved with it. They pretend to be your friends and offer information about the products. When Sony Ericsson released its new phone that took pictures, they launched a program called â€Å"fake tourists.† Sixty actors took to the streets in ten cities. They would approach people and ask then to take there picture with their new phone. Once the phone was in the consumers’ hand, the fake tourist would say something like, â€Å"Thanks for taking our picture. That phone is cool, right?† And then they would explain some of the phones features. The companies who employ undercover marketing are feeding off of the â€Å"word of mouth† tactic to sell products and get the word out. The problem is, their â€Å"word of mouth† tactic is not genuine.

How Does Tourism Affect Hong Kong?

In this piece of coursework, I will keep a diary of primary and secondary data and analyze them so that it can explain to me the circumstances which Hong Kong tourism is facing and how it can be improved in the future. It also explains the advantages and disadvantages which tourism brings to Hong Kong. How I did it? What information was needed? In my piece of coursework, I will use a mixture of primary data such as questionnaires for tourists which I have designed and secondary data such as cuttings from newspaper and magazines. The questionnaire which I designed was used at hot tourist attractions in Hong Kong such as the Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, Stanley and the Star Ferry. My questionnaire was designed to get an impression of Hong Kong from a tourist's point of view. The secondary data such as newspaper and internet articles which I collected explains to me the current state of tourism in Hong Kong. How does tourism affect Hong Kong economically? Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Hong Kong. In fact from research, Hong Kong is one of the most popular single destinations for tourists in the world. Hong Kong relies very heavily on tourism. Without tourism there wouldn't be Hong Kong. Each year, Hong Kong brings in more than 10 million tourists. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages of the large tourism industry in Hong Kong. Social Costs and Benefits Firstly, tourism brings to Hong Kong both private costs benefits, as well as social costs benefits. Private costs are costs paid by economic decision makers. Private benefit is benefit received by economic decision makers. Social costs and social benefits are costs and benefits associated with the society. * Private Benefit + External Benefit = Social Benefit * Private Cost + External Cost = Social Cost You can read also Classifications of Restaurants This Social Cost and Benefit graph clearly shows the system of tourism. The private cost of tourism is the money spent by the government or private sectors to lure more tourists into Hong Kong. This could mean building more landmarks and tourist attractions or improving the surrounding environment. On the other hand, private benefit is when bringing in more tourists, a higher level of employment level could be achieved as the companies would be much more likely co hire more labour to improve the company's service and efficiency to make more money from the tourists. The external cost of tourism is resulted from the usage of Hong Kong's land to produce landmarks to attract coming tourists. External cost of tourism also includes environment damage or loss of greenery. The external benefits of tourism is when the local companies improves their services in order to attract tourists, there would be a higher standard of living for the local residents. The opportunity cost of the tourism industry is the next best alternative. If land is not used up to create build landmarks for tourists, the next best more might be to build better schools for improved education. For the society, the total benefit is the private benefit + external benefit, or in other words the social benefit. Only when the social benefit exceeds pass social cost will the tourism industry be beneficial to Hong Kong. Therefore, the role of both the government and private sectors is to decide to produce the right amount of services to make the tourism industry beneficial to Hong Kong. Circular Flow of Income A circular flow of income could be suited to the tourism industry. In a circular flow of income diagram, it shows the flow of money around the economy as it as passed between consumers and producers over time. The withdrawals from an economy is the money which is paid for goods and services what are produced within the economy such as tax and savings. Injections are the government expenditures, investments or exports. Sometimes in the short term, withdrawals might exceed injection, however if the injection in the long run is more than that of withdrawals, there will be economic growth. National Income The tourism industry plays a large role in contributing to the national income of Hong Kong. It is researched that a tourist is more likely to spend more money during their holiday weeks than any other week of the year. Therefore when tourists visit Hong Kong, they tend to spend a large proportion of their savings all in the particular visit to Hong Kong. The income from the tourism industry is mainly contributed by hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, shopping, and tourist attractions. From research, in the year 2001, each tourist visiting Hong Kong spent an average of $4532HKD. This extra spending from tourists leads to a total addition to the GDP of Hong Kong. It also leads to more income by both private and public sectors. As more income is made by private sectors, the government would therefore tend to collect more tax revenue. They can use this money to spend of schools and colleges, hospitals, roads and many other services which would benefit us all. When the National Income per capita exceeds the number from the previous year, we say there is economic growth. Economic Growth Hong Kong, like any other economies grows from booms and suffers from slumps. But in the long term the economy continues to grow. During a boom, the standards of living are high because the unemployment level is low meaning everyone has a job to earn money. More money means more spending to satisfy people's needs and wants. However during a boom, there is also a high inflation rate and a high deficit for the balance of payment. In a slump, or in other words a recession, the standards of living are low because of a high unemployment level. Less people are hired for services meaning less people have money to spend for satisfying their needs and wants. But on the other hand, the inflation level is low and there is also a low deficit for balance of payment. As you probably know, the impact of SARS on Hong Kong tourism industry has been greatly damaging. During the SARS period, Hong Kong headed into a slump, in other words a recession. When a recession occurs, there are many negative effects to the economy. For example, the standard of living might drop, demand for goods might decrease, high unemployment level, deflation and much more. From the graph below, it clearly shows that during April 2003 to July 2003, the average visitor arrival has dropped magnificently from a monthly average of 1,347,386 to 493,666. This was due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Because the tourists were tried their best to avoid nearing not only Hong Kong but the Asian region as well where SARS was most devastating, there was a huge decrease in the tourism industry in the South East Asian Region. A lot less income was received by the local firms from tourists coming into Hong Kong. Even if tourists were to visit Hong Kong, they stayed for much shorter periods. However, the tourism industry as shown from below has begun to bounce back earlier than many expected. Attractions offered to Overseas Visitors Hong Kong has known to be â€Å"The City of Life†. But has Hong Kong lived to its reputation? Are tourists who visit Hong Kong satisfied by the attractions which Hong Kong has to offer? According to the primary data which I collected from my surveys at different tourist points. I have found out that most tourists like to visit attractions such as The Peak, Stanley and the Big Buddha located on Lantau Island. These are the three most popular attractions in Hong Kong. However, the list goes on. Whether it's the museums, great restaurants or the exciting nightlife, the Hong Kong tourism association tries their best to guarantee to offer a tourist an unforgettable experience. Tourist Attractions – Hong Kong provides fun-filled experiences for tourists. The top tourist attractions include: * The Peak Tower- The peak tower is definitely the place for tourists to visit if they want to take an overview of the magnificent infrastructures of Hong Kong. The Peak Tower has a wide range of restaurants and food outlets plus novelty shops where visitors can get a souvenir to preserve their memories of their exciting experience. A good idea of reaching The Peak Tower could be taking a ride on the Peak Tram where on the way up, a good overview of Hong Kong could be captured. * Stanley Market – The Stanley Market is one of Hong Kong's most popular destinations for overseas visitors. It fulfills a tourist's day with both fun-filled shopping and relaxation. The Stanley Market is an open-aired market where souvenirs could be bought at a bargainable price. * The Big Buddha – The Big Buddha is located on one of the out lying islands in Lantau. The Big Buddha statue weighs more than 220 tonnes and sits 24.6 meters high opposite the Po Lin Monetary on the hillside of Ngong Ping in Lantau Island. * Ocean Park – Ocean Park is the one and only joint zoo and amusement park in Hong Kong. Located in the southern part of Hong Kong, the Park exceeds more than 200 acre of land. Ocean Park provides a mixed experience of education and fun. Built in 1977, it was primarily to promote animal preservation in Hong Kong. Very soon, it became very popular with both tourists and local residents developing into an amusement park. Overtime, the park has been renovated and updated with the top entertainment facilities. Shopping – Hong Kong has grown into the reputation for a shopping paradise. The shopping malls such as Times Square and Pacific Place provide tourists with famous designer labels at a reasonable price. On the other hand the open-air market places such as Stanley and Temple Street gives tourists a taste of the cultural life in Hong Kong as well as providing memorable souvenirs which could be bought at a low price. Cuisine – The international city of Hong Kong provides tourists with a rich variety of cuisines ranging from Asian dishes to Western buffets. You name it, Hong Kong has it. Restaurants are located everywhere in Hong Kong. * Lan Kwai Fong – Lan Kwai Fong is a very popular destination among incoming tourists as it provides many western style restaurants along with bars and nightclubs. * Jumbo Floating Restaurant – The Jumbo Restaurant is the world's largest floating restaurant. At anytime, the ship can hold up to 3200 customers and employed with more than 300 staff members. At the Jumbo Restaurant, tourists have a chance to try the sea-food of which local residents would normally eat. Neighboring Cities – The neighboring cities of Hong Kong, including Macau and Shenzhen adds to a tourist's to-do list during their visit to Hong Kong. Tourists can take advantage of the convenient transportation to and from these cities. What needs to be improved and how can this be done? What is being done already and how successful has it been? Although Hong Kong already has sufficient top tourist attractions, in order for them to lure tourists into come again, many things have to be done and improved. For example, improve the quality of the provided attractions or even to build new landmarks. In the past few years, the Hong Kong Government has planned to develop five major tourism clusters in the territory with a view to enhancing the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. The five tourism clusters cover a wide range of projects, which are at various stages of development. A number of enhancement projects are being carried out to give a facelift to the existing popular tourist areas including the Central and Western District, Sai Kung waterfront and Lei Yue Mun. Other improvement schemes coming on stream include those at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Stanley waterfront and the Peak. Visitor signage is being installed in all 18 districts to make Hong Kong more tourists friendly. A number of major projects are also under way. Phase 1 of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tung Chung Cable Car and Hong Kong Wetland Park are all scheduled for completion in 2005. To enrich the heritage tourism products, the Government has awarded to the private sector the development right to restore and convert the former Marine Police Headquarters (MPHQ) compound into a tourism-themed development. Planning work is being conducted for the development of the south-east Kowloon tourism node, the integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district at West Kowloon Reclamation and the preservation and conservation of the Central Police Station, Victoria Prison and the former Central Magistracy compound into a heritage-themed development. The Hong Kong Government is also working with the Ocean Park in the strategic development plan of the park, which will form the basis for the development plan of the Aberdeen Harbour tourism node. Also taking forward a Harbour Lighting Plan to enhance the night vista of Victoria Harbour with the use of modern, energy efficient technology. The promotion of tourism is not simply about construction of new facilities. The Government has not lost sight of the fact that Hong Kong's traditions, offering visitors a fascinating insight into Hong Kong and Chinese history by providing museums and other The HKTB also offers a culture and lifestyle experience program called Cultural Kaleidoscope, enabling visitors to try out tai chi and kung fu, or appreciate the arts of Cantonese opera, Chinese tea preparation, Chinese antiques and feng shui. With the building of the World's third Disney theme park outside the United States, millions of people are sure to want to have a taste of the action. Tourists who have visited Hong Kong once already would probably come back again to visit this new theme park. This project would surely attract more overseas tourists to transit to Hong Kong. Mr. Donald Tsang, the financial secretary spoke of the many benefits to Hong Kong's economy from this Disneyland project. He describes the project as an infrastructure investment and he said it would cause returns not only for the government, â€Å"but for ordinary people who are operating restaurants in Hong Kong. Our hotels will benefit. Our tourist industry will benefit. Our airlines will benefit. And all the retail shops will benefit as a result of more tourists coming to Hong Kong†. The construction of the new Disney Land will definitely bring more tourists into Hong Kong by 2005. Although the Park is mainly aimed at mainland Chinese tourists rather than western tourists, mainland Chinese tourists already make up more than 85% of the total visiting tourist. The Hong Kong Government has also planned many campaigns recently after the SARS period to boost its economy. The campaigns included the Hong Kong Super Draw and the Harbour Fest. Through August and September, the Hong Kong government held a Super Draw campaign to encourage spending within both local residents and tourists. The draw allows a chance to prizes totaling up to $15 million. To enter the super draw, participants must spend at least $100 in three different areas; dining, shopping and transport. For each $100 they spend, they will be given a stamp. A collection of all three stamps will be eligible to enter the super draw. The second campaign which the government held after the SARS crisis was Harbour Fest. The Harbour Fest is music festival featuring both International and Local pop stars. The aim was to attract tourists to visit Hong Kong to watch this fantastic music festival. It also tries to prove to people that Hong Kong is now SARs free and would rise again to be one of the top international tourist destinations. On July 27th 2003, the Hong Kong Stadium hosted a football match between the top class English Premiere League team Liverpool and the Hong Kong National Football Team. Following this event, the less than 2 weeks later, it again hosted another football match against the even more famous Real Madrid as the Government-sponsored mega-events of the Relaunch Hong Kong campaign. The Hong Kong Government has raised all these campaigns to prove that Hong Kong is now SARs free and is capable of hosting international mega events. Conclusion In conclusion, the government has done a great job trying to boost its tourism industry especially after the SARS epidemics. In the meantime, it has raised many campaigns and promoted Hong Kong's tourism in various ways. As most Hong Kong's economist predicted, the tourism industry in Hong Kong will hopefully bounce back to its original state by the end of 2003.

Mean Creek Essay Example

Mean Creek Essay Example Mean Creek Essay Mean Creek Essay In the film ‘Mean Creek’, the director Jacob Aaron Estes uses visual and verbal techniques to successfully convey the main idea of loss of innocence; this idea is relevant today to teenagers and shows their actions due to it. The main idea is presented to the viewer in three vignettes; banks of the river, burial site, and taking the police to the burial site. In the vignette ‘Banks of the river’ the director successfully displayed the use of verbal and visual techniques to show the relevant idea of loss of innocence.For instance, the visual technique blue filter shows that the characters have become sorrowful because of the death of George; it also makes the setting dark grey-blue which reflects how the characters lost their innocence. Another visual technique was the pull focus from George’s face to other main characters; it creates the effect that George is the centre of attention and he will be engraved in their minds, as they grow up they will rem ember how they lost their innocence and are guilty for George’s death. Further on, the director also uses verbal techniques.For example, Millie frantically screaming â€Å"wake up† to George, previously she was a polite and cheerful girl. This vignette shows her inner anger and sadness resulting in her to lose innocence. Another two verbal techniques that were used were the Foley effect and Lament music. The ‘Foley effect’ was used on the flies making them louder; this emphasises death and that the swarm of flies are on George’s dead body. The Lament music was played by the cello instrument in the background which made the vignette more funereal like.It shows to the viewer that the death is the main focus and that loss of innocence is relevant today because it shows how teenagers can lose it easily as they grow up and the consequences they will face in the present and future mentally. Another vignette that the director used to portray the idea of lo ss of innocence and successfully developed by visual and verbal techniques was the ‘burial site’. The director used the visual technique close up shot. It was used to express the facial features of the main characters.All of the characters were red yet getting pale; it also shows how the characters were hyperventilating because of the death of George. In addition, the director also used an establishing shot of the burial site, the setting at first was fresh and pure green but as the events occurred the vignette became dark and suspenseful. The verbal techniques that the director used were lack of dialogue and sudden silence. In this vignette lack of dialogue was evident as no characters were speaking, only heavily breathing; it shows that the characters were astonished and grieving over George’s death.The sudden silence technique was used when Millie stabbed the slug, nothing was to be heard for a moments. This reflects Millie’s loss of innocence because b efore the death of George she was peaceful and calm. The vignette is relevant today as it shows how an incident can ruin anyone’s life; it also accentuates that It can change the personality of one as they grow up. The ‘taking police to the burial site’ was also a vignette that the director effectively presented the main idea of loss of innocence through visual and verbal techniques.The visual technique mid-shot was used on the creek it shows that the creek was extremely misty and full of shadows giving the viewer the impression that death is present. Another visual technique was the p. a. n shot of the burial site; this shows to the viewer that death of George was official and it also suggests that characters have chosen the right pathway by telling the police what had happened. The director also presents the visual technique slowness of the water, at first during the day the water was rapid and the sunlight was reflecting off of it.In this vignette it is in con trast the water began to drift slowly across the creek which gives the impression of a tranquil mood. The verbal techniques of lament and synthetic music was also used. This really connects to the main idea as it emphasises the relevance of death and loss of innocence to real life situations today; it also shows that it can ruin someone’s life. ‘Digetic voice over cuts to non-digetic scene’ this suggests that the character George did not deserve this and also that he was different.He also says in his voice over â€Å" People that do not see inside my mind don’t get there are gazzilion things going on† This is relevant today as people should not judge one’s personality through looking at him or by his actions but to look inside and see his inner feelings. In conclusion, the director Jacob Aaron Estes successfully conveyed the idea of loss of innocence sing visual and verbal techniques in the three vignettes Banks of the river, Burial site and taking police to the burial site. The viewer’s learn the relevance of losing innocence and how it can affect them.

Serpens

The constellation Serpens is very unique in many different ways. The most noticeable is that it lays in two parts; Serpens Caput which is the head of the serpent and Serpens Cauda, the tail of the serpent. These two separate constellations are joined to form one of the largest constellations in the sky. Serpens is also very unique because it is joined by another constellation, Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus is a man holding onto the serpent. These two constellations appear right next to the Milky Way causing many star formations and exciting stellar activity within the two constellations. (Moore, 128) In 1604, a supernova with a magnitude of 2.5 appeared next to the right leg of Ophiuchus and dissipated in 1605. This supernova is known as Keplers Supernova. There are only three records of supernovas appearing in this galaxy, and this one is included. Because Ophiuchus and Serpens occupy such a wide celestial field in the West Side of the Milky Way, it is constantly being o! A mortal woman named Eoronius lay on a hillside preparing to give birth and she was with a man named Ischys. As Coronius waited for her son, the babys father, Apollo, looked down upon earth and witnessed Ischys with his lover. Apollo became insanely jealous and strung a bow piercing Coronius with an arrow. Coronius cried out You could have let me bear your child. Now, in my one person, two will parish. Apollo, not meaning to kill his unborn son as well, quickly swooped down and snatched the boy from Coronius lifeless womb. Apollo took his newly born son, Ophiuchus (also called Aesculapius in Greek mythology), to the cave of Chiron, the Centaur. During Ophiuchuss stay with Chiron, he taught the young boy the art of healing and of medicine. One day as Ophiuchus practiced his lesson, he came upon a snake which looked very deadly and poisonous. He quickly reacted and killed the snake at once. Not long ...

Video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Video games - Essay Example The player develops the sportsman spirit and learns to take failures into stride. Instead of going to sleep during daytime, it is better to play some inspiring video games that boost the energy level as they enliven the spirits of the player. The thinking capacity of the mind sharpens as you think of moves and counter moves. One also develops a challenging trait which enables an individual to face difficulties with courage in real-life situations. With the theory/practical knowledge available through the internet, an individual gets the knowledge of different types of games from many countries. To play a game, an individual need not leave the place of residence, and waste time and money on conveyance and relax in the homely atmosphere and adjust the playing time according to convenience. Drew Guarinà ­ (2013) writes â€Å"A study from the University of Padua throws cold water on the idea that video games are bad for the brains of young children. In February, the Italian researchers presented evidence that playing fast-paced video games can improve the reading skills of children with dyslexia†. By playing the same videogame a number of times, we attain perfection and speed. Winning the games provides the satisfaction and confidence and that will help us in real-life situations. So we should develop the art of playing video games without getting addicted to

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Term Paper

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Term Paper Example Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services The people that need these services are directly affected when the health sector is not up to their task (Thorpe and Cascio, 2013). Therefore, it is in the best interests of the health care sector to guarantee it has contained all its challenges and setbacks in ensuring the public is getting the much needed services without delay. The stagnating problem in the health care sector is provision of high quality services that are affordable by all the people in the region. According to the recent statistics, many people find it hard to afford the health care services and in most cases, they have to struggle in acquiring such services (Elliott, 2012). They have constrained budgets and have to minimize these budgets to continue living. As such, some people find it a prudent idea to forego healthcare services as they find these resources useful in other needy situations. This is a repulsive problem in many populations that find health care services expensive (Shortell, Casalino and Fisher, 2010). Similarly, there is a stagnating problem when governing bodies try to improve the quality of health care and delivery of these services. The health care is marred with costs that are increasing with every move they take to improve the delivery of health care services (Rogers, 2006). As such, the healthcare sector is in a biza rre situation where it is trying to reduce costs in delivering affordable health care, but on the other hand, the costs keep bulging due to the need to improve the service delivery. (CMS Innovation Center, 2012). How Addressed by ACA The ACA created the centre for Medicare and Medicaid innovation to deal with the issue. The institution is crafted for the ostensible reason of perfecting health care delivery and focusing on the payment systems (The Center for Medicare and Medicaid, 2012). Similarly, the institution is mandated to support care coordination in the health care sector and enhancing professional practice in healthcare. This institution was instated to deal with the menace of high spending in the health care sector while dealing with provision of high quality services. There are various approaches that are used by the CMS (Sharamotaro, 2011). First, it was to test the delivery and payment models in the institutions which would be used to measure the improvement in service d elivery. Secondly, the institutions considered relaxing some laws that were governing relationships in the financial sector especially directed towards the providers (Cosgrove, 2012). Thirdly, there was waiving of some acts in order to enhance testing. Some of the acts that were affected include the social security act. Pros and Cons There is both positivity and negativity in the approach taken by the institution. To begin with, there is positivity in that many people will have access to affordable medical care. The people that need these services will only spend part of their income in acquiring high quality healthcare services (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2012). Secondly, there is positivity in that people will have access to high quality services that are provided in the institution (Baron, 2012). Many institutions will step up

Theoretical Perspective Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theoretical Perspective - Research Paper Example Project managers usually use emails and video conferencing techniques for a two way communication with his team members. Apart from this, special 3D and 2D satellite images are used by project managers for detecting the areas of oil spills and the working condition of the pumps. The manager then schedules the maintenance plan for the same. The oil and gas field can also be detected under the sea or on ground through 3D images of Stereo satellites. The companies are injecting the most advanced technologies to increase the efficiency of the workforce and also maximize the profit. Increasing use of these VPM tools is also helping the industry to decrease their operating expenses and this might also affect the price of oil and gases in the global market in future. Table of Contents Virtual Project Management 4 Virtual Project Management (VPM) Tools 4 VPM Tools in Oil Producing Environment 5 Current and Future Abilities for Project Implementation 6 Effect of New Technology on Projects and Members round the World 7 References 8 Virtual Project Management We often see that, the project teams are generally dispersed in many different locations of the world. The projects in MNCs are generally given to team, in which the members might be working from different parts of the world. Sometimes a single project is carried out by different companies. The geographically dispersed work or project is often called virtual projects. Virtual projects are called so because most of the communication regarding the project is done through email, video conferencing, telephone or using other forms of technology. The long distance communication methods and techniques are no longer expensive or prohibited. It helps the project managers to communicate with his project team frequently and openly (Mantel, Meredith, & Shafer, 2006, p. 56). Virtual Project Management (VPM) Tools In Virtual Management, the whole team is mainly depended upon the technological aspects. As such most of the work and decision making functions are undertaken through web-based technology such as internet. The tools that are used in virtual project management need to fit in the teams from all round the world. The main function that any VPM tool should have, is to allow the project team members to communicate with one another efficiently, as all the team member are in separate locations. Moreover, they might not have knowledge of each other's prior work experiences. In this case communication becomes the only key for discussing and formulating plans regarding the project. Secondly, the tools should also allow the team members to collaborate in the virtual space. The tools should also help the project manager to manage the project functions, schedule the resources and also track the progress of the tasks. The VPM tools are usually web based applications, which are used to create schedules and assign tasks. The resources and activities of team members are monitored and important documents are also exc hanged through these tools. VPM Tools in Oil Producing Environment Virtual project management tools are very useful in the field of natural resources such as minerals, oil and gas. Since, these natural resources are usually found in remote areas, so technological tools play a very important role in detecting and planning out the projects. In such cases, satellite, and airborne remote sensing technology is often used to select the oil and gas

Hume and his contemporaries Essay Example for Free

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