Enlightenment and Modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enlightenment and Modernity - Essay Example Intellectuals emerged and new knowledge permeated every facet of educated life. The Enlightenment period welcomed Industrial Revolution. This created jobs for the rural and educated dwellers. The advancements of Enlightenment transformed the European nations into more intelligent and self-aware civilization. The thinkers and writers believed that they were more enlightened than their fellow citizens were and therefore took the initiative to educate them. They held that through reasoning people could build a better world. People could solve problems through rational thought and experimentation. This was because a reasonable person could eradicate ignorance, superstition, and autocracy (Beales, 2005:81). People increased their reading habits because of availability of books from the publishing firms. This paper will endeavour to establish the role that publishers and readers played in the dissemination of enlightenment thought. The principles of enlightenment spread throughout Europe a nd America mainly through reading and writings. Debating societies, coffeehouses, salons, and literary circles came into being all over Europe. People interacted through studying and discussing wide rage of topics. The inquiry of knowledge led to emergence of big academies such as the Royal Society of London and Academy of Sciences in Paris. The academy concentrated on sciences such as biology, anatomy, botany, and astronomy. The academies gave little consideration on religious and spiritual studies. In Germany, only aristocracy and bourgeoisie studied in the academies. Conversely, French academies allowed all the citizens to participate in learning regardless of religious beliefs, social classes, and gender (Beales, 2005:83). Great writers, readers, and publishers came up to disseminate information on enlightenment thoughts. Authors passed their ideas to the readers in form of plays, essays, newspapers, journals, pamphlets, and books. Many people craved for knowledge and wanted fre e access to the literary works of the intellectuals who spearheaded enlightenment. Public libraries remained accessible to all people due to increasing demand to fight illiteracy. People could participate in society of Enlightenment. The publishers and readers were very active in dissemination of the writings of the scholars such as Baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The availability of publication machines in Europe was an indispensable tool for quick dissemination of enlightenment thoughts. The expansion of large printing machines generated journals, reviews, letters ensuring faster transmission of information and images in coffee rooms, salons, lodgings, scientific societies, provincial academies, and debating clubs (Brewer, 2006:10). With this information in their midst, people could read for themselves, interrogate, and chat the way forward to achieve the benefits of Enlightenment. Intellectual people imparted new knowledge to the masses thus decolonisin g their primitive and backward thoughts. The vast information in form of printed materials expanded the comprehension base of the readers. The intellectuals criticised the church for misleading the people. The views in the print materials acted as guiding principles for creation of strong nations that embraced reasoning. Continued reading and publication of enlightenment materials brought significant changes in Europe. People could challenge the church and monarchies. Intellectuals viewed the church as an impediment to the forward march of human

Organisational Change Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Change - Case Study Example Since its inception in 2003, the company found itself as relatively young in the industry. However it emerged as a market leader in the industry going over 225 destinations with 6 cruises. The company has taken the necessary strategies to ensure that it responds to the external changes in the industry. It is one of the leading players currently in the cruise industry and has been able to create a competitive edge in the industry which many operators have not been able to create although they have been in the industry for along time now. The company is serving more than 2050 passengers going for journeys of more than 100 nights in the sea. The company has already expressed its interest in Asia and European markets.Like other companies P & O Cruise was challenged by the changes that were taking place in the external environment. Let us look at some of the changes that led to implementation of the current changes in the operation of the company that affected the tourism industry. One of the security threats that have affected the industry has been the issue of terrorism. The attacks by IRL in Britain’s transport industry have been one of the threats that the industry has been facing. Many people have feared that the attacks would be diverted from railway travelling system to the cruise industry. But the September 11 attack in the US affected the industry in a way that all people feared travelling. The subsequent attack of the British Railway system on July 7th was like a final blow to the industry. There were record low booking in the cruise industry. Social changes The cruise industry has been led by the social changes taking place in the market. Changes in customer's preference have been instrument in instating social changes that have affected the operations of the cruise industry. Since 1997, it has been observed that there has been more preference to group and family travelling in the cruise industry. Technological changes Cruise industry has been forced to respond to technological changes that directly or indirectly affects the industry. Since 1997, technology has reduced face to face business transaction especially in making the bookings. Many people also take their holidays and at the same time continue with their business. Environmental changes There have been changes in the marine pollution laws that have made the industry to put in place new strategies in order to manage these changes and operate within the new marine pollution laws. Several laws have been put in place by International Maritime Organization which has affected the industry. Political and government policies New legislation concerning the maintenance of ports and the subsequent new changers that have been put in place has been a challenge to the industry. Acts like Crimes at Sea Act 2000 and others like Admiralty Act has continued to be a challenge for the industry. (Jolene 2000, p. 4)) Political stability has been a big challenge for the

Business decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business decisions - Essay Example The company is also finding it difficult to undertake product differentiation. Moreover with the present global financial crisis, the company is also facing the problem of lower spending by the customer. Finally due to the housing crisis, rising unemployment rate (9.9%) and the steady depreciation of the dollar has led to a huge current account deficit for the country. Larsen must conduct proper research to understand the customer. The company should continue with its marketing research programs. This would give knowledge of the customer’s needs and wants during these recessionary periods. The company must continue with its advertising budget. This strategy follows from a popular theory that states that companies who advertise during recession are the leaders when the economy bounces back. It should prepare ads which tend to focus on family values rather than the extreme fun and humor ads. In order to cut costs the company can resort to reduce the duration of the ads rather than scrapping them as a whole. The company can also put emphasis on direct marketing as a promotional tool. Larson must also reforecast its demand estimates. These estimates should be made on the basis of actual market conditions. The demand estimates must be made on the basis of scenario planning where different scenarios would be considered while forecasting the demand estimates. Larson must also change its pricing strategies. Instead of a cost plus pricing strategy it can adopt a marginal cost pricing approach in which the company would charge only the additional amount apart from the total cost coming from labor and materials. The advantage of this strategy is that the company can set up prices of the products near the marginal costs during the periods of poor sale. . (Weinburg College of Arts and Sciences, n.d.) Finally the firm must look towards expanding into newer markets like Asia which offer tremendous opportunities. Lastly it can also identify its business

To what extent does your workplace conform with the requirements of a Essay

To what extent does your workplace conform with the requirements of a learning organisation - Essay Example The organisation mainly works around the parameter that sustainable living must be promoted and that science and technology should be harnessed in the most effective way in order to achieve this purpose. I believe that DERM, my organisation, is a learning organisation. I will explain in this paper why this is so. In order to demonstrate that the Department of Environment and Resource Management is a learning organisation, it is necessary to provide some form of benchmark or standards that would set clear requirements and criteria to credibly assess DERM’s organisational capability in the context of the learning organisation concept. For this purpose I have collated some authoritative insights from experts and academics. What is a Learning Organisation? According to Forest, a learning organisation is one that purposely applies its resources towards â€Å"the acquisition of knowledge about itself and its environment† and is continually expanding its capacity to meet prese nt and future challenges with increasing sophistication and success. (p391) Central to this definition is the idea that the organisation can learn and not some individual employees or groups of employees, the management, and so forth. The organisation is recognized to have the capability to acquire knowledge and use it for its own good. Another interesting insight that adds dimension to the learning organisation concept is the variable of change or the concept of organisational change as suggested by many academics. For instance, Caldwell (2006) stressed that learning organisation is a model of a team approach to change agency and organisational change because it views organisations â€Å"not as highly formalized hierarchical structures, but as macro-systems and micro-processes of learning and knowledge creation that give primacy to leadership and change agency at all levels.† (p155) The organisation in the entire process is characterized by all employees who work together as a whole – cooperating, coordinating and collaborating – acquiring knowledge and applying them for common organisational goals. This point of view has been supported by Rosell (1995) who explained that a learning organisation is able to adapt over time to changing conditions in a way that is productive to itself and its members by having the so-called â€Å"distributive intelligence†, which calls for horizontal information flow and less vertical decision making. (p83) Senge (2006), one of those credited to have brought the learning organisation concept to mainstream attention, talked about the role that people/employees play in this framework. According to him, the learning organisation is a place â€Å"where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people are continually learning how to learn together.† (p3 ) Lunenberg and Ornstein (2007) summed up the five disciplines posited by Senge that collectively create the learning organisation. These are: Personal mastery: the process of personal commitment, vision, excellence, and lifelong learning. Shared vision: Sharing an image of the future one want to realize together. Team learning: The process of learning collectively. Mental models: the ingrained assumption that influence personal and

Continuity and Change of Scribal Education Essay

Continuity and Change of Scribal Education - Essay Example ole in the dissemination of cuneiform literacy, which firstly appeared as an educational institution in the Old Babylonian period and was referred as Eduba, a Sumerian word meaning ‘the tablet house’ (Sjà ¶berg, 1974). One of the literary sources frequently mentioned is the royal Hymn dedicated to Ã…  ulgi, the king of The Third Dynasty of Ur. Ã…  ulgi is presented describing his scribal education and proclaiming himself a perfect scribe. The passage became a background for the supposition that scribal schools had already existed in the twenty first century BC, however this is unlikely since all preserved versions of this Hymn came from the Old Babylonian period and primary from the school tablets in 18th century BC (Kuhrt, 1995). Archaeological evidence provides the tablets mostly referred to the administration system (lists of agricultural items, receipts, taxation documents etc.). Therefore, both the archaeological and literary sources hardly allow locating the appearance of the organized school practices earlier than the Old Babylonian epoch. However we can speculate that some scribal training was provided. A wide range of administration tablets could not be produced without the extensive knowledge of cuneiform literacy. Moreover, the texts from Ebla mention that the group of young scribes arrived from North Babylonian Mari. These tablets possibly indicate that Babylonian scribes were sent to teach their foreign colleagues, as Mieroop suggested. His assumption allows the suggestion that scribal schools probably existed already in the third millennium, and this is only not proved because of the absence of archaeological evidence (Mieroop, 2007). We know old Babylonian Eduba due to the references found in literary sources. Apart from royal hymns, Eduba is mentioned in Eduba-Dialogues, describing the student life. Examination Text A provides information about exams in scribal school. Another frequently quoted source is ‘Schooldays’ that contains a vivid

South Koreas Constitutional Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

South Koreas Constitutional Court - Essay Example As such, the judicial court systems operate independently despite the profile of the case or the people involved. The constitution in the US caters for the restriction of gun and marijuana. The national fire arm act (1934), the gun control act and the Brady bill among others stated the rules and set regulation of ownership. However, in 2009, the US begun considering a review of these regulations just like in South Korea. The motive behind the gun control, however, is more political and elite influenced than neutrally viewed. For instance, Chicago mayor Daley’s protection is catered for by the taxpayer’s money in hiring the bodyguards, but the citizens are denied by law to defend themselves using guns. The drug controls on the other side in the US traffickers are hunted down more than the users. It is evident that the elites who take part in most court cases have political motives rather than the quest for justice. As for this issue, a politician may decide to pick on a case in court for the purpose of gaining political ground or fame. Cases in Korea of such kinds arise when there is disagreement between different parties or individuals in the line of politics (Dae & Tae-gyu, 1990, p. 138). As such, the constitution is often defied by the political systems. In the US, this is not the case. The influence of â€Å"parties† is not let in any way except for the amicus curiae in common terms â€Å"friend of the court† This requires filing. Court is viewed as an option in the effect that the political influence is hindered. When the political strong holders cannot have any influence in achieving their interest, the court can be used in ensuring balanced justice. In the case of varied opinion on issues under controversy, the political influence and interest may overpower any other option. Taking an example of the gun ownership and marijuana use in the US, the political sides have always been against them thus influencing most cases in court.

It has been said that modern developments such as ABC are sometimes Essay - 1

It has been said that modern developments such as ABC are sometimes implemented because they are fashionable and not because they provide extra information to management. (Discuss the above statement) - Essay Example Job costing is another modern development, where the management gets information concerning the costs for each job order, their specifications and scope. Contract costing is yet another development that provides the management with information concerning heavy expenditure which takes a long period of time (Brimson, J. A. 1991). Historically, most of the companies placed their focus on the creation of value rather than investing in assets and organization. The dramatic development of companies led to the realization of the need to have practical accounting systems. The development of the ABC system has led to a positive change in productivity by espousing the identification of inefficient products, the allocation of more profits on resources, and cost reduction (Gosselin, M. 2005). However, most firms are experiencing problems ascribed to the implementation of ABC and in extreme cases; the implementation of the system fails to work out. For instance, in highly developed countries, some of the companies fail to grow and became stagnant owing to the use of ABC. Most companies that carry out a cost-benefit analysis on the use of ABC discontinue the implementation of the system since it is costly. The management should get constant updates on a company’s cost performance (Grieco, P. L., & Pilachowski, M. 1995). In using ABC system, some of the overhead costs are difficult to separate and the allocation of the cost on a product unit poses difficulties. An example of such an overhead cost is the Chief Executive Officer’s salary; this does not provide the management with appropriate reports on costs (Hansen, D. R., & Mowen, M. M. 2000). The ABC method allocates business costs to its products on a proportionate basis or based on assumptions. This translates into the generation of inaccurate reports on costs by the management. Affording the management accurate information