Gmr Case Study: Managing Hr in a Global Environment Essay

I. TERMS OF REFERENCE This report is a case study of GMR International Company, which analyzes the different components and challenges of Human Resources Management faced by GMR in a global environment and through a theoretical review, establishes possible improvement strategies towards the creation of best practices. II. METHODOLOGY This report is part based on the interview held with the HR manager of the company complemented with primary research from books and electronic sources listed at the references and lecture and seminar’s contents. 1. INTRODUCTION In a global market, how companies manage and handle their employees determines a key strategic role that ultimately creates a competitive advantage. Companies operate on an international operational level locating outbreaks in different countries and facing different cultural challenges. â€Å"Managing resourceful humans requires a constant balancing between meeting the human aspirations of the people and meeting the strategic and financial needs of the business.† (Torrington, Hall and Taylor, 2008, p.3) A company through any domestic and internationalization process must identify the basic needs of its employees in relation to their business guidelines, creating a balance between strategic and operational resource management. Businesses are valued for their intellectual capital and are projected by the management of intangible assets The purpose of this report lies in the evaluation of the different variables that a global company such as GMR must study, understand and reflect on its corporate strategy for the optimal development of their global operations, based on a adequate personnel management and the creation of sustainable policies for the management and development of intangible capital. 2. GMR INTERNATIONAL: COUNTRY PROFILE GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in the Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure, with its International Headquarters based in London. GMR holds interests, directly and through its part ownership of InterGen, in 15 operating power plants with over 8,800MW of generating capacity. In addition an impressive portfolio of approximately 12,000MW of gas, coal and hydro plants are in various stages of construction and development both in India and internationally. GMR has shareholding interests in 4 international airports (New Delhi International (P) Limited; GMR Hyderabad International Airport; Sabiha Gokcen Airport LTD; GMR Male International Airport Ltd)) handling 40 million passengers p.a and 9 road projects exceeding 700 kms of paved roads. GMR is fully committed to the development of infrastructure assets, and in the past two years has raised over US$ 3 billion for the development of airports and another US$ 2.2 billion for the development of power and infrastructure assets including US$1.1 billion for the acquisition of 50% of InterGen N.V, a global power generator. The Group through the dedicated GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, manned by committed professionals is actively engaged in Education, Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Empowerment & Livelihoods and Community-Based Programs, reaffirming its grass root presence as change agents of society in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. 3. RECRUITMENT â€Å"Recruitment is defined as searching for and obtaining potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that organization can select the most appropriate people to fill its job needs.† (Dowling, Engle and Festing, 2008) â€Å"Recruitment is the discovery of potential applicants for actual or anticipated organizational activities. Two conditions must exist for selection to occur, (1) the organization must have a candidate whom it is willing to employ; (2) the candidate must be willing to accept an employment offer. Recruitment is the process of finding applicants who meet both of these conditions.† (Andrews 1993) â€Å"Organizations do not operate in a vacuum, and recruitment drives are one of the times an organization has direct contact with the outside world. Amongst other factors affecting recruitment, are the framework imposed on legislation and that no organization will want to spend money on unnecessary activities.† (Foot and Hook, 2005) 3.1 Recruitment Strategies There are 4 recruitment strategies, which are defined as such. These are 1. Ethnocentric 2. Polycentric 3. Geocentric] 4. Regiocentric Ethnocentric| Polycentric| Geocentric| Regiocentric| Ethnocentric is a belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. The firm basically believes that parent-country nationals are better qualified and trustworthy than host country nationals.| Polycentric is a belief that local people know the local environment better than outsiders.| Geocentric is the notion that the best people should be employed, regardless of their nationality.| Regiocentric is the variation of staffing policy to suit particular geographic areas.| 1.Based on Paul Coldwell’s seminar slides, 2011. GMR International uses all four of the above-mentioned strategies, depending upon factors mentioned below, * The requirements of the job position to be filled in. * The position of the job in the hierarchy of the firm. If the job were a high position one, they would use the geocentric approach; and if it were for a more junior position, they would probably use a polycentric approach. * They would not like to waste too much time or money on the hunt for the right candidate. * Even when they are looking for a candidate for a high position job, they have certain restrictions to be cautious about from the UK Border Authority and the Government. When using the geocentric approach. E.g. The Head of Airport is an Italian working in South Africa and would report to the UK. Because he was an expert on airports, he was hired for the job. E.g. recently, when trying to bring in a Malaysian to UK, the UK Border Authority refused his sponsorship, so it did not work out. When using the polycentric approach. E.g. When looking for administrative support, GMR looks for local people to do the local jobs, as they would not like to waste the time and money to do a whole UK or EU based search for something small such as skills. 3.2 Challenges for hiring people at GMR International * GMR, as a brand, is not that well known in the UK and tit is also not as strong as some of their competitors, therefore, there is a hurdle of recognition. * GMR International is a non EU and non US organization * People are varying of working for a company, which is Indian by origin, yet headquartered in London. * People are not prepared to leave their jobs to work for a company with less work experience; limited recognition as a brand; and with limited track record. 3.3 Outlining the Recruitment Process â€Å"In the process of recruitment, in the first instance, sources of prospective employees are located. In other words, from where the employees would be available. Thereafter, these sources are approached and efforts are made to attract the interested people to the organization.† (Foot and Hook, 2005) The recruitment process at GMR International is not too different from those of other companies in UK. They look at the activities set out for the year ahead and map it out according to the capacity that they have in their organization. When they do this, there are obviously, some gaps that need to be filled in, in order for them to work on some projects. In order to fill in these gaps, the organization makes certain decisions as to how to do this. This can be done by 4 methods, 1. They could recruit temporary people 2. They could get people on contract 3. They could get that particular piece of work done somewhere else (outsource) 4. They could hire someone to do that job When they go ahead and choose the fourth option, they look at as to how to approach the market, in the following ways, * E- enabled vehicles – for the more junior staff as a lot of such recruitment takes place on web based applications. * They do not give much importance to the employees referral program * They tend to use agencies; search firms for the bigger, more senior positions * For the more junior staff, they recruit within UK. * As the position increases with seniority, they tend to engage colleagues from other offices to help them out, in case it can be managed within the GMR family. 3.4 Post Recruitment & Selection At GMR, they are not very firm in their services to keep an employee with them. They do not have a support system or an evaluation program. â€Å"Normally, at a firm, there is an evaluation program and a support system for the first 6 months. In this program, they make a check on the new employee on day 1; week 1; month 1; month 6. While, they have tried to be stricter in this aspect and tried different techniques for keeping an employee happy and with them, it has not always worked well with them. 4. EXPATRIATES With globalization shaping our world, organisations are trying to expand their marketplace in order to increase their competitiveness. In the industrialized countries, international working has become a common feature and the contact between different cultures becomes a regular thing in people’s social and professional lives. â€Å"International HRM involves striking an appropriate balance between global integration and local adaptation in terms of resourcing, training and developing personnel, reward and performance management, employment relations including communications, and health and welfare† (Porter, Bingham and Simmonds, 2008, p.400). So in this process of internationalisation, companies need to move people around and they have to make sure that they do it in an effective way because of the high costs involved. Expatriates have to deal with the changing they are going to occur, in culture, workplace, country and many more, the company must be sure to prepare them appropriately in order to get the best from their experience both in the new location and back home when they finish their period. According to Tayeb (1996), some companies such as Natwest in the UK, Philips in the Netherlands and Groupe Total in France conduct extensive international in-house seminars. In these courses they cover national culture differences, family adaptation, local politics and laws and international finance, more over some firms send their future expatriates, together with their family, to special language courses. Paul Colwell, former lecturer and HRM manager at Regents College states that an expatriate cost on average $250.000, or even more, which shows the importance of a good HRM strategy. An expatriate should receive the right support before, in the mean while and after his experience abroad. Before he leaves, the company should prepare him to live in another country, through teaching the culture aspects (food, climate, politics and laws, standard behaviour etc.), suggesting him not to sell his house in his home town, because if something goes wrong with his experience it would be way better to have some place in which he can to return. The language is an important factor in order to make him effective in his new workplace and the company should provide him the possibility of language classes to attend. All of these pre-departure trainings should be joined by the whole family, in fact while for the local employees the company don’t care about their family affairs, when you take in examination an expatriate the whole family becomes the company’s business. Experience shows that the majority failures in expatriate’s program come from family problem and complaints. After the departure, a good way of managing expatriate, according to the theory, is to take care about their house in the origin country (rent it or doing the maintenance needed) and to find a house where they are going to live in the new country, taking in consideration the location and the comfort they might need. A good communication with the expatriate during the whole experience should be maintained in order to prevent possible problems and to show him that the company doesn’t leave him alone. The company should take care of the partner job in the new country (or/and hobbies) and register their children in schools in order to make sure that the employee’s family is comfortable in the new location. The return of the expatriate is an important moment, too often underestimated. The company priority is to make sure not to lose all the money it has invested on him by making him decide to change job. An interview at the return it is a necessary step, as offering him the right position deserved in the company and not the same job he had before he left in order to maintain him motivated and happy, so they are not losing all the know how he gained through his years abroad. The period of the experience abroad it is variable, but following Paul Coldwell experience 3 years is and ideal length, because after that the employee may lose some of the attraction and interest in the job and start to decrease his learning. 4.1 GMR Policy Following the interview with the GMR HRM Manager, we found out that they do very little for their expatriates, mostly because they just started their internationalisation and they are a medium entity in the business. They don’t offer any pre-departure preparation, leaving it to the employee’s arbitrariness, they only thing they offer is a period of time that they could spend in the new country with their family in order to decide or not to go. GMR take about their VISA and immigration laws, moreover they find and pay the house in the new country, making sure that it is nice and well located. Moreover they pay for the double taxation (when it occurs) and they offer help in moving their employee’s furniture when requested, paying for it. Their typical expatriate appointment last 2 years, according with GMR HRM manager. As seen so far their expatriate strategy is very poor and just offer little helps to their employees, leaving a high risk of failure and waste of money. 4.2 Proposed Plan GMR in order to increase their competitiveness should set a better strategy for its expatriates. First of all the pre-departure preparation should be compulsory for everyone who decides to apply for an expatriate experience and should comprehend the whole family (especially for language classes), because they shouldn’t take the risk that their employees arrive in the new country and they are not able to integrate in the new position. GMR services to their expatriates, such as find a house, take care of the VISA and pay for the possible double taxation, are a good starting point but it is not enough if they want to make sure their expatriate’s program will be more effective. The company should take care of their expatriates’ proprieties in their home country, they definitively have to be more connected with their employees’ partners, in order to find them a job in the new country that would fit their current position, or/and taking care about their hobbies and their children necessities (such as school and sports). Eventually they have to develop a better repatriation system with complete feedback interviews and placing them in the position they deserve in order to gain value from their experience. 5. CULTURE â€Å"The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the member of one category of people from another† (Lewis, 2006, p. 17) 5.1 Organizational Culture â€Å"The culture of an organisation refers to the unique configuration of norms, values, beliefs, ways of behaving and so on that characterize the manner in which groups and individuals combine to get things done. The distinctiveness of a particular organisation is intimately bound up with. (Brown, 1998) It is always said that the knowledge sharing culture is part of good knowledge management initiative. It is said that effective collaboration and communication across a whole organisational structure spreads knowledge throughout. In order to change the current culture of the organisation the change needs to be initiated at individual level. Employees have a sphere of influence along with their own individual knowledge, and this is where he believes a knowledge sharing culture can begin. GMR as an Indian based company, headquartered in Bangalore with offices in different countries as well such as U.K, Turkey, Singapore and Dubai, have identified the need of bring the different cultures together. As this company has to hire multicultural staff as part of their induction programme, most of their staff goes to India, to learn GMR history, values and operations through education workshop and its annual performance reviews. Working for an Indian company, which has strong culture and values and beliefs, employees have to manage the transition from their experiences. GMR has employees from the multicultural regions. Whereas, it is an Indian family business organisation and they glue the bonds whether it is Singapore, Turkey or Dubai. They share their values to India and initially they engage with their employees for first 4-5 years of the company to give them awareness about the company whether they can live by them and able to promote them to other positions. That is how they bring multicultural nationalities under the GMR brand. Therefore, there is a lot of difference between the 2 cultures. There are a lot of differences and similarities between the companies in which people have seen few things before in their previous organisations or the things they haven’t seen before, in GMR. â€Å"Individuals will have to adjust for the organisation but organisations will not adjust for individuals.† As GMR is an entrepreneur company, it has a very high regard for social responsibility. It has a set of values and cultures that can be shared and they are not company confidential. 5.2 Shared knowledge Culture is a shared phenomenon that people develop over time in response to shared experiences, which engender agreed values and mode of behaviours and which foster a similar outlook on the world. Working patterns that encourage people to engage in closed co-ordination and communication, which encourage them to identify the same problem and share the certain solution, and goals will be conducive to the formation of sub culture. (Brown, 1998) In GMR has focused knowledge transference culture among their 500 employees on the multiple layers. Employees have ongoing dialogues with the CEO on the day-to-day basis and once in a month everyone comes over for a breakfast in order to promote feedback in two-way direction. The biggest challenge for GMR is that how they leverage the knowledge within the Indian organisation with international organisation and back and forth. As Indian organisation is very process orientated and has a lot of process put in place around knowledge sharing. It hasn’t gained that much attraction outside India as it could have. The company is still improving in the knowledge sharing aspect. The firm still need to put some enthusiasm in the knowledge sharing as knowledge sharing is not a common concept in UK, Turkey, Singapore and with the Bangalore colleagues and then back to the international locations. Whereas, people think it’s a burden instead of an opportunity. They need to change the mindset of the people that they can learn something by being a recipient of knowledge.

Developing the Global Dimension in Schools and in Classrooms Essay

The School The school where I carried out the research for my report is St Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic High School in Oldham. The pupils come from a wide variety of backgrounds including English and Irish working class, Pakistani, Indian, Black Caribbean, Black African, Travellers, Polish and pupils who are of mixed race. The religions I encountered included Roman Catholic, other Christian, Muslim and Hindu. Many of the Pupils at St Augustine’s have very limited experience of the outside world due to the poorer backgrounds that they come from. The Lessons This report is based on a series of four lessons I taught to a Year 11 Citizenship class. The topic of the lesson is the continent of Africa, problems within the continent, possible solutions to the problems and their complications. The purpose of the lessons is also to create a sense of empathy in the pupils, improve their research skills, and give them the opportunity to present their findings at the end of the unit. In the first lesson, the pupils are given a map of Africa and a list of countries. They have to use the internet to find out where the countries are situated on the map. This provokes discussion over how countries in Africa were formed and how their borders were affected by Western Colonisation and the World Wars. The second part of the lesson involves a brief discussion over some of the well known problems in Africa such as Civil War, Corruption, HIV, Poverty and Famine after which the pupils will start their own powerpoint presentation describing these. The pupils are assisted in starting this with fact sheets on HIV and AIDS in Africa and on Corruption in Africa. The second lesson focuses on Civil War in Africa. The pupils are given worksheets with the names of four countries that have faced Civil War, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Sierra Leone and questions on the impact of war in these countries. The pupils watch a trailer for the film Hotel Rwanda which focuses on the Rwandan Genocide. There is discussion on what they have seen, which expands into related topics such as refugees before they are allowed to go on the internet and research the answers to the questions for two of the countries. The second half of the lesson is spent working on the powerpoint presentations and adding some of the facts they have researched into their own presentation. The third lesson focuses on Fairtrade in Africa. The pupils are given a worksheet asking questions about Fairtrade and shown a short video on the projector promoting and explaining what Fairtrade does for African producers. The pupils are directed to the Fairtrade website in order to answer any remaining questions on their sheet. The second half of the lesson is spent finishing off their powerpoint presentations and adding facts about Fairtrade. In the fourth lesson, the pupils present their findings to the rest of the class and discuss the issues as a class, each having the opportunity to express their opinions on the topic and the different aspects they have covered. The Focus Group What did pupils learn from the lesson and how do they feel school prepares them to be part of an ethnically and religiously diverse society? I chose 4 pupils to take part in my focus group, Jodie who was very opinionated, from a white, working class background; Priya, a Hindu, Indian girl who was more quiet but got caught up in the debate; John who is from a mixed Black Caribbean and White background; and Mlala, a boy from a West African background. Jodie felt very resentful about being â€Å"forced to take Citizenship†. She felt it was a waste of time as there is no qualification or exam to sit in this subject. She felt it was a waste of time and she had very little interest in what happened in Africa, she felt it would be more relevant to study problems occurring in the UK during Citizenship lessons. During the class discussions she was unsympathetic to the plight of refugees and had strong feelings regarding their presence in the UK and on immigration as a whole. John was of a similar opinion, he thought that Africans should â€Å"sort out their own problems†. Priya defended refugees and their need to come to this country pointing out that it is not always possible for refugees to go to the next nearest country as there may be trouble within that country as well and that if there are a lot of refugees coming from countries that are close to each other that one or two countries that are stable enough to accept refugees cannot take all of the refugees. Mlala also pointed out that some of the problems that occur in Africa are a direct result of European colonisation and war. I understand why Priya and Mlala are more reluctant to get involved in the debate. To some extent they may feel that the comments are directed at them or their friends or families. They see the issues of developing countries from a different perspective. Mlala only came to the UK in the last year and has grown up in West Africa. He and his family are immigrants themselves, he dislikes the picture painted in the media but does not want to get into direct confrontation over it. Priya was born here but has strong roots in India; she has friends and family there who she visits and who have come to live in the UK more recently. I also understand where these feelings are coming from in Jodie and John in the sense that they are growing up in working class, white households which are targeted in the media to feel that immigrants and refugees are coming to the UK and making life more difficult for them affecting housing, jobs, schooling the NHS and opinions within their families are being reflected through them. Jodie and John did appear to enjoy having the opportunity to express their opinions about issues that are highlighted in the media and discussed at home. Priya and Mlala, were more reluctant to talk about the issue, I believe they may have felt uncomfortable at times about some of the issues raised and the strength of other peoples opinions, however as the debate went on they were motivated to speak to get across their own different points of view. My Reflections I felt at the end of the lessons and the focus group that something had been achieved in the sense that Jodie and John’s opinions appeared to soften and they had learned some facts that they were previously unaware of. Priya and Mlala, I hope came out of it mor confident for speaking their minds and making their opinions known. I feel that the lessons were a success in the sense that they created a framework for debate and got the pupils thinking about these issues instead of just accepting what they read in the Tabloids and hear from the people around them. When I prepared the lessons I had to stick within the framework of the the topic for problems within Africa but I feel it would be good to have the opportunity to use the topic of Africa to challenge peoples’ preconceptions of the continent and the people, perhaps by focussing on the more positive aspects of Africa in order to give the pupils a more balanced viewpoint.

Kinship Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kinship Organizations - Essay Example They place in-laws in similar groups as consanguineal family members, though appropriate names can be prearranged to them. Preferably, husbands and wives are connected to each other as family, although it can be in a classificatory manner rather than actual kinship (Williams, 1981). Secondly, indigenous Australia uses classificatory relationship. For instance, if a man talks to another gentleman with a particular kind word he will use the same kind word for his real brother. A kinfolk term used to a lady will also pertain to all her real sisters. This arrangement is an official construction, in the execution of it in real cases differences are identified and in practice the correspondence is hardly ever exact or absolute, at least as it regards grownups. Thirdly, they regard some associations to be more requisite than others. This is the phenomenon with similar sex siblings. Difference is in the lowest amount - although brothers contend for the same females, and, this condition is worsened in many fields by the levirate (The inheritance of a widow to her deceased spouses younger brother). They customize them by common spiritual interests that are of overriding concern. Sisters are frequently close allies, and, this is strengthened when they are married to the same husband. Opposition for lovers is not manifest between sisters, because they can have the same companion. A gentleman can have as many wives if he wants. In polygamous relationships, there is only one man. As a consequence, rivalry is more among men. Children of similar sex siblings are grouped together, while different sex siblings are differentiated by dissimilar terms (Miller, Vandome, McBrewster, 2010). Fourthly, a spouse’s opposite sex siblings is an addition to the sibling association. This position entails special obligations and tasks in almost all Aboriginal communities that could be joined with evasion taboos. In

Racial segregation in schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racial segregation in schools - Essay Example This case had been by parents of Topeka city and called for the Board of Education to reverse racial segregation since educational in these schools were unequal (Miller, 3). The Mendez case of 1947 challenged segregation in education successfully. It involved Mexican-American California farmers who took their children to a local school but were rejected by the administration (Straum, 1). The parents had to take their children to a separate school reserved for Mexican Americans. The Plessy case legalized the establishment of separate schools for different races. These schools were supposed to have equal facilities but the races would never mix. The Brown and Mendez cases challenged racial segregation in the educational sector in Kansas and California states. Racial segregation in the education center has existed for several years since the legalization of separate public facilities in the ruling of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case. Racial segregation is a violation of the Fourteenth const itutional amendment that gives every child the full protection by the law. The separate public facilities were supposed to have equal resources. ... These conditions undermine student achievement and can be blamed for the small number of Latinos and Africans in higher learning institutions (Camille and Siebens, 5). White schools have qualified teachers, appropriate learning materials and environment, and adequate facilities. According to the educational report, majority of the students in colleges and universities are white (Camille and Siebens, 4). Blacks and Latinos have the lowest number in the overall number of citizens who have a bachelor’s degree, masters, doctorate or professional degree. This can be termed as the racial opportunity gap that disadvantages African American and Latino students. Asians have the highest percentage of people with bachelors, masters, professional, and doctorate degrees among nonwhite citizens. This opportunity gap greatly undermines the educational and career life chances of California Black and Latin students. This crisis can be attributed to under qualified teachers, little access to le arning materials, and few instruction days due to overcrowding. Racially segregated schools have lower API scores compared to those recorded in white schools. The state emphasizes the use of standards-based tests to evaluate schools, which requires sophisticated teaching, learning materials, and uncrowded school buildings (ULCA, pp.8). According to Strum, segregated education is damaging to Mexican-American children on the grounds of psychological, social, and pedagogical costs (Strum, 1). The struggle between Mendez and Westminster provided Latinos with equal educational opportunities in public schools. These students were considered to be white but experience a language deficiency. The ULCA report indicates that most segregated schools have few text books and

Whether Qumran was a Male Only Celibate Community or Not Research Paper

Whether Qumran was a Male Only Celibate Community or Not - Research Paper Example However, Qumran was not a male dominated society according to my intuition and analysis of some documented evidence regarding this community and in reading the arguments of other scholars. Research that has been done on the scrolls indicated the there is a linkage between the site and building complex, found immediately below the cliffs, and the caves, including the scrolls found inside them. The evidence gathered also does establish the way of life for this community. Qumran has been depicted as an aristocratic society as is opposed to the sectarian center. The available data shows that the inhabitants of this area took part in some communal activities and certain rites of religion. We need to establish the way this site could have influenced the lives of the community of Qumran as seen in some sectarian scrolls (Magness 8-56). Qumran and the issue of celibacy based on scrolls Qumran was initially established due to the need for a fortress for Hasmonaean, according to some scholars. It was then given to the Essenes following the taking over of power by Herod and immediately rituals of sacrifices came to rise up to until the period when the Essenes did leave the sacrifice rituals. This led to the use of the site by the Essenes as a cult center and was fully occupied with temple affairs and sacrifices. The coming of Judea’s destruction by romans led to the Essenes abandoning the sacrifices. Central to the purposes of this study are the cemeteries. This is because they have been singled out as being pivotal to verifying that indeed the sect occupying this site was celibate. In the main cemetery, there are 1100 graves that have been discovered marked with piles of stones and are neatly arranged. Twenty-six graves were excavated at the time of Jordanian occupation and found to have only males. However, female and children’s graves were identified outside the main cemetery. Other graves from secondary cemetery on the north side of Khirbet Qumran were e xcavated and out of the two that were opened, there was one male and one female. Another cemetery was located on the south of Wadi Qumran and noted to have thirty graves. One of these graves was found to have remains of a woman and three were for children. One question though still remains as to how this community would not have practiced celibacy when there is evidence of misappropriate male numbers. It is possible that Qumran did serve as the center for studies for the sectarians and thus the men did leave their families away to go for studies at Qumran. To that extend, we could argue that there was only a limited number of people who decided to fully live there and run family life hence the small number of women and children discovered (Charlesworth 213–33). It is true that we cannot dismiss the eventual emergence of the Essenes in the Qumran community. The only fact is that scholars who try to push for a celibacy thought as far as this community is concerned seem to have some inherent interest that could be alien to the practice of the mainstream Judaism. Even if we do tie the community to the existence of Essenes, we still reach a point where there is no congruency in our argument based on the two when it comes to the topic of marriage and celibacy. From the studies I have done on papers presented on the same issue, I find that the depiction of this community as one that had a total rejection of marriage is not founded on strong grounds since there have been records of those Essenes who were not ready nor willing to abandon marriage for the

Research paper about an artist and one of his artwork - 1

About an artist and one of his artwork - Research Paper Example This is what David Hockney faced in Bradford, West Yorkshire, where he came from (The Telegraph). He was a young gay guy with fantasies and longings that did not fit with where he was (Dorment). Being gay was not the only trait that made him different. He was also a conscientious objector (The Telegraph). Of course he was also an artist, and it was said that he broke all the rules (Dorment). The early days of his career in art were situated in an interesting time, historically. His art was part of the exhibition that ushered in British Pop Art (The Telegraph). In 1963, he visited New York and connected with Andy Warhol (The Telegraph). He visited Los Angeles, fell in love with it, and he became intrigued with swimming pools and the relaxed Southern California culture (Walker Art Gallery). He painted a series of pool theme pictures, including â€Å"Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool† in 1966 (Liverpool National Museums). In a review of an exhibition of this and Hockney’s other Los Angeles works from this period, it is stated that Hockney’s arrival in Los Angeles was like an airplane taking off, the way his career so quickly gathered force and lifted off to become one of the great artistic careers of the 20th century (Dorment). The Hippie movement was happening at the time. The structure of the family, gender roles, sexual expression, standards of privacy and openness were all subjects of experimentation. David was young enough to be influenced by the waves of social change but old enough to be a little more mature than some. The painting perfectly affirmed what he loved and aspects of life he wanted to hold up for the pleasure of others (Dorment). However, he expressed himself honestly while maintaining respect and decorum. One of the main techniques he used to do this was leaving a border or frame of unpainted canvas around the painting. Hockney wanted to emphasise the process of picture-making and the artifice

Can Information Technology change Organisational Behaviour Essay

Can Information Technology change Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example The main purpose of the research is to present that in this era of globalisation and industrialisation, innovation of information technogy (IT) is one of the most significant and emerging concepts which facilitated the transmition of large scale of information or knowledge very easily from one place to the other. The development of information technology concept offered revolution in the world of technology which rather proved to be highly beneficial. The term Information technology (IT) mainly deals with technology or knowledge to treat varied information. The acquirement, managing, storing and propagation of vocal, picturesque, documented and numerical information by a microelectronics-based arrangement of electronic telecommunications. This is a modern concept of transmition of information of recent times which proved to be efficient in each and every sector such as banking, retail or telecommunication. Moreover, Inforamtion technology helps in controlling technology and wide exte nt of areas including computer software, information technology, computer hardware, programming languages’ but are not restricted to aspects namely processes, and assemblance of data. In addition, information technology (IT) is defined as the concept that transfers data, knowledge or facts in any visual configuration with the help of multimedia distribution instrument, which is often considered as one of the significant components of IT domain. In addition, introduction of information technology not only improved the productivity of the organisations but also augmented human activities as well. IT augmented the skills and knowledge of employees thereby improving the productivity and profitability of the organisations. Therefore, introduction of IT improved both organisational behaviour along with the culture thereby enhancing its sustainability in long run (Forester, 1985). This is a report which highlights the influences and benefits of information technology (IT) in mainly three sectors namely retail, telecommunication and banking in a concise and structured way. It is divided into three parts namely introduction, discussion and conclusion. The discussion part is again sub–divided into three fractions namely case 1, case 2 and case 3 spotlighting the impact of IT on organisational behaviour (OB) in three sectors. 1.1.DISCUSSION Information technology (IT) is that area of engineering which works with the utilisation of varied electronic computers and telecommunications in order to retrieve, accumulate and convey large amount of information from one part to the other in a simple and trouble–free way(The Mathematical Association of America, 2012). The term ‘OB’ is described as the study of the employees actions or performances in a specific workplace. Moreover, it is

Krause Corporation Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Krause Corporation Investigation - Essay Example They will take responsibility only if the system is installed exactly as per their instructions without any modifications. On the other hand, Steve is 100% sure that such an installation may create problems in future. In short, Steve will not get the proper services from the supplier in future if something goes wrong and only the mutual blaming and accusations will take place. Steve’s headaches will become doubled under such circumstances. On the other hand, if Steve fabricates the whole things in his workshop, he will definitely have the better ideas about the functioning of each part and in future also, if some problems arise they can rectify the problems easily. A little pain took before the installation will reduce larger pains after the installation. The second thing about the case is about the offered prices. It is somewhat difficult to believe that how can a supplier supply high-quality pipes for such low rates when the prices of others are 5 to 10 dollar above per linear foot. It is not evident from the case study that whether this low priced pipe has been used somewhere for a long time without any problems or not. If this supplier is able to meet all the quality requirements, it is difficult for other suppliers to exist in the market. Such huge differences in price per linear foot are definitely doubtful and Steve should consider that factor also. In short, in my opinion, Steve should not purchase the cheaper pipe from the above supplier in order to avoid future problems. It is better for Steve to fabricate the whole HVAC system in-house using their own pieces of equipment in order to avoid future  problems.  

The secret life of walter mitty Essay Example for Free

The secret life of walter mitty Essay The Secret Life of Walter Mitty The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a story about an individual that constantly seems to be caught up in numerous daydreams and thoughts that have nothing to do with everyday matters. James Thurber treats Mittys actions very entertaining, and at the same time his humor catches our attention to the need of communication and the importance of human relationships. In marriage relationships is critical that we know how to communicate. Imagination is the human power that shapes artistic xpression; it enables a writers work to become an expression of meaning in our world, allow readers to engage in identifying with what the writers work has to say about things that matter (Clugston, 2010). Imagination is your sensation, and your ability to picture and dream about settings, people, or places in your mind. In this particular story The Secret Life of Water Mitty, imagination played a huge role and mainly showed the importance for communication in marital relationships. Mr. Mitty is a character who fills his mind with crazy fantasies, in which he always play the uper hero role, save lives, and makes sound decisions. Mr. Mitty uses the daydreams of exciting adventure to escape from his boring life with his wife. She is so boring to the point she is afraid to drive over the speed limit. Thurbers amusing depictions of Walter Mittys issues allow people to connect with the person in our lives who constantly daydream and once again live with everyday matters. Mrs. Mitty is Walters controlling wife. She is always harassing him about putting on his gloves while driving, buying overshoes, and to slow down. In the story Walters wife was ondering why he didnt put in his shoes. At this moment in time he was getting aggravated. Even though in this story it may seem his wife his somewhat dominating. Walter is lacking the ability and rejects the responsibility of being an adult. Honestly in this short story she prevents any type of accidents and helps Mr. Mitty focus on everyday lite in general. M tty is a daydreamer who constantly imagines himselt as a big hero with his fantasies as commander in the navy, a surgeon, accused witness, bomber pilot, and a victim of a firing squad. Walter is married to a woman ho actually treats him like a child than a husband. This is due to his childish ways and the crazy fantasies rather than live a normal life in the real world. He is continuously getting scolded by parking lot attendants, policeman, and his wife for his sidetracked behavior. James Thurber characterizes this man whose wife who basically controls him, who lives and daydreams all the time has became an ineffectual and lazy male fgure in American culture. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tells a story of an older man who goes on numerous trips into town with his harassing wife, Mrs. Mitty. Mr. Mitty is very incompetent with many things; hes an absent minded driver, and he cant fix simple mechanical issues, and has a horrible memory. While Walter goes through a day of ordinary tasks and errands, he escapes into a series of romantic fantasies, each spurred on by some mundane reality. As he drives his car, he imagines he is commanding a Navvy hydroplane through a terrible storm (1). When he rides past a hospital, he imagines he is a world-famous surgeon saving a VIPs life. When he hears a newsboy shouting about a trial, he imagines he is crack shot being interrogated in the courtroom. As he waits for his wife to finish at the hairdressers, Walter sees pictures of German plane and imagines he is a British pilot willing to sacrifice his life for his country. Lastly, as Mitty waits outside against a wall for his wife to buy something in a drugstore, he fantasizes that he is a bold and brave man about to be shot by a firing squad. The story ends with the inscrutable Walter Mitty awaiting this romantic death. reveals a marriage in which his wife is dominating, controlling, mean, bossy, and efinitely wears the pants Walter is a humble, passive, and will not say anything to his wife about how he actually feels. A point of view that stood out to me the most was how James Thurber, gives the impression that Mrs. Mitty is a sexist individual. Its a strong possibility that he is saying all women are bossy and unloving at times. Form: Third Person Omnscient The Secret of Walter Mitty is told by an uninvolved third person narrator. In the story they are Just following Walter Mitty on his everyday duties and see only what he ctually sees or continue to do. Even though the point of view is in third person, Walterss character widens the influence in the narration. Plot: The short story deals with a vague and mild-mannered man who drives into Waterbury, Connecticut with his wife for their regular weekly shopping and his wifes visit to the beauty parlor. During this time he has five heroic daydream episodes. The first is as a pilot ofa U. S. Navvy flying boat in a storm, then he is a magnificent surgeon performing a one-of-a-kind surgery, then as a deadly assassin testifying in a ourtroom, and then as a Royal Air Force pilot volunteering for a daring, secret suicide mission to bomb an ammunition dump.

Analyse and comment on the success Essay Example for Free

Analyse and comment on the success Essay Analyse and comment on the success of the title sequence of Baz Luhrmanns 1997 film adaptation of Romeo Juliet  The 1997 adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann was attempting to reach out to a younger audience by modernising the old play with new ideas, even though the old text was kept. Set in modern times with modern things that a young audience could relate to, Luhrmann successfully hauled Shakespeares text from 16th century Verona, Italy to late 20th century Miami, USA. The purpose of this essay is to review, analyse and comment on the use of Luhrmanns background to help him in making the movie, the success of the film but most importantly the cinematic success of the title scene. The location was specifically chosen to represent modern times. America was the most modern country available. Although Luhrmann wanted to shoot the film in Miami, it was seen by the mayor of Miami as unrealistic to put the city on hold while they shot the movie; Mexicos capital city, Mexico City was used instead. It had everything the crew needed, it had a typical city milieu; it was perfect. As the movie was going to be originally set in Miami, the characters had to at least look like they were from Miami. The Montague household wore very casual Hawaiian t-shirts, which were not buttoned up but hung loosely on the wearer. The Capulets wore very serious, cool clothes, mostly dark colours like black and grey. The choices of clothes used were to symbolise gangsters and mob mentality. from ancient grudge break to new mutiny were being portrayed by Luhrmann, as two rival gangs. Casting was very much a big thing in Luhrmanns version. He had to pick actors that young people could relate to. It was hard finding such actors, as the young and popular ones had problems reading Shakespeares diverse and complicated old English text. Luhrmann knew that Leonardo Di Caprio would be perfect for Romeo, as he was a heartthrob worldwide, and would bring in the young girls, who adored him. Throughout the movie we are shown images of power. These images are more abundant in the opening title scene. Images of guns, violence and police are shown to create an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy. The guns are used, again to create a modernised version of the old play. The guns represent the swords used by the people in the sixteenth century, and they are referred to as swords by the actors, put up thy swords. Religion is one of the main themes in the play, and Luhrmann uses many powerful images to show this in the opening title scene. Two statues of Jesus are filmed round about either side of the city. The statues are opposite each other with their faces facing inwards, as if looking over the people of Verona and keeping guard. Also the Christian crucifix is used to replace some of the Ts in the scripture which occasionally flash between the montage of images of police, violent riots and arrests; the scripture is repeating the important parts of the sonnet that opens the play. Cinematography is used to great effect in the opening scene. Zooming and panning left and right all help to create the effect of disorder and chaos. Before the title of the movie is actually shown there is a montage of images; each clip lasts only for a split second. Each clip is taken from the movie to show the audience that it isnt an old fashioned soppy love story, but a violent, tragic blockbuster. Using the scenes of gun fights and violence the montage really creates an adrenalin rush. The music and the backing track for the title scene really goes with the visual picture on the screen. Fast tempo gets the blood pumping and again it helps to cause chaos. It has real power as it builds up towards the end of the title scene; during the montage of images it speeds up and the power of it envelops you. Then finally we see the title of the movie and the music stops after a few seconds after the title falls into view and the audience is left in silence. In conclusion, considering all the areas of the title scene, Baz Luhrmann has successfully given birth to a fantastic opening to Romeo and Juliet. The title scene underlines key aspects of the sonnet which opens the play, to help the people in the audience who dont understand Shakespeare and even the ones who do. He introduces the principle characters, again to stop the audience from getting confused. The use of exciting images, such as the gun and the images of police and violence makes certain people in the audience stay and not walk out because they may believe it to be boring; many teenagers would believe Shakespeare to be boring. The opening scene had a very strong effect on me personally. It really made me want to see the movie again, even though I had already seen it about three times. The scene gripped me and not many title scenes have done that to me. Baz Luhrmanns version of Romeo and Juliet was a complete success.

Links between Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation

Links between Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation Name: Jane Sheehan. Title of Assignment: Nature is the foundation of business. Ecology sets the rules for economy. Thus, damaging nature is damaging business. Like cutting the branch we sit on. Part I: Evaluate the links between Biodiversity and poverty alleviation in underdeveloped countries. Part II: Discuss whether economic development activities aimed at income generation in emerging nations are likely to have a negative impact on biodiversity. Part I: Evaluate the links between Biodiversity and poverty alleviation in underdevloping countries. The issue of poverty and biodiversity in developing countries are intrinsically linked, almost in a paradoxical way. The ideology of biodiversity is one which is constantly under debate, however, a concise definition is that it encompasses all variety of life, from genes, to species, ecosystems and habitats. Undeveloped countries depend on biodiversity as a means of survival. In their case, biodiversity refers to local resources (such as livestock for food and transport, crop for shelter and produce, fuel). These are known as ecosystem goods (Irish Aid Factsheet). Biodiversity is also measured as a type of service, such as the level of climate regulation, and water resources. Biodiversity is a means of wealth in these countries, or insurance. Countries which are impoverished are then therefore the first to be affected when there is a loss in biodiversity. Poverty reduction is referred is an ideal that it is moving a population behind a so-called defined poverty line. In most cases, poverty is usually not reduced, but alleviated or prevented in some areas. The poor in majority of alleviation studies refer to rural communities which live close to biodiverse areas, or small populations which inhabit inaccessible areas. These rural populations depend on local biodiversity for their basic human needs. This can be historically traced, where populations live off of low impact intrusion of biodiversity. It is often the low value, typically inferior goods which are highly significant to the poor, providing them with basic human needs. Richer areas access more significant resources through a series of markets, such as the global economy and international trading. Moving onto the topic of poverty alleviation and biodiversity, it is hypothesised that there are links between the two. Biodiversity, in relation to poorer nations, is often measured as an abundance of natural resources such as the following: fish, mangroves, forests, wild animals and plants. These are often found in tropical environments. An interest in biodiversity and conservation may lead to a decrease in poverty levels in an area. Certain services or employment opportunities may be deep rooted in conservation processes, such as nature based tourism, protected area jobs, non-timber forest products (NTFP). These can target both problems, often providing poverty reduction methods, or preventing people from falling deeper into poverty. When conditions are optimum, these services lead to an increase in income and a level of poverty alleviation. Tourism = well known means of alleviating poverty. Instead of degrading a resource, seek to improve the knowledge surrounding it. Not only conserving, but gaining money. Part 2: Discuss whether economic development activities aimed at income generation in emerging nations are likely to have a negative impact on biodiversity. The economic development activities which nations undertake as a means of generating income in turn affects biodiversity. Loss in biodiversity can be linked to economy growth. As income per capita rises, so does the depletion of natural resources, and the degradation of natural habitats. Increase in industrialisation in countries leads to a correlation of pollution levels, however these processes may be key to employment opportunities and income. Though the area may be moving away from poverty, it is also moving towards a greater loss of biodiversity. There is also the issue of biodiversity loss in an underdeveloped area due to demand of product from developing countries. There is a high level of exportations from impoverished states to other countries of greater economic wealth, for example goods such as coffee, bananas, and sugar. There is also the problem of endangered animal trading.ÂÂ   Therefore loss is not only primarily linked to processes happening within a country, but as a result of processes happening in considerably better off areas. Therefore these areas are being exploited. As biodiversity loss increases in an area, as does public concern. An overall increase in income per capita means that the government of these areas have more expenditure for the protection of species and habitats. It can also be considered that, households which have a higher income rate, have more money to use as a part of conservation effort. One could even say, as the primary need of local resources for survival declines, conservation becomes a national issue. Biodiversity becomes economically important. Resources can be manufactured on an agricultural and pharmaceutical basis. People also begin to look towards the aesthetic properties of biodiversity, such as tourism, recreation space, and genetic diversity. As the economy develops, therefore so does environmental policy. Conservation effort can be measured by the state protection of the land, and the halt on the trade of endangered species. In developing areas, plants can be economically important due to their emerging importance in modern day medicine. Therefore certain valuable species are cultivated on a large scale for production measures in monoculture plantations. This method of increasing income leads to a volume of resources and an increase in the species biomass, but does not directly increase diversity, but abundance. Therefore a significant stabilisation in biodiversity loss can be witnessed in these developed areas. Though biodiversity loss comes to a slight standstill, the original effects are not seen to be reversed, nor will biodiversity be increased. Its hard to say whether these methods will improve biodiversity, or degrade it.

Machiavelli’s The Prince as a Modern Political Guidebook Essay

The Prince as a Modern Political Guidebook       "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Shakespeare, 2 Henry IV 111.1.31) Kingship and leadership is a human concept.   Contraptions and   fiction invented by human beings that hold the fabric of   society together.   It is the job of the leader to make the fiction work for the good of all.   The quote above evokes the overall feeling about kingship held by both Prince Hal and his father in Shakespeare's Henry plays.   Being a leader is perhaps the most difficult position one can ever attain.   And in the same vein that King Henry IV says this above line, so does his son King Henry V offer this lament:      The slave, a member of the country's peace, Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots What watch the King keeps to maintain the peace, Whose hours the peasant best advantages.   (Henry V:   IV.i 280-4)    Shakespeare was acutely aware that there was little difference between a real king and a player-king.   He gives us Henry V, a prince who knows how to be both.   We see him as a politician dealing with ambassadors and a diplomat dealing with his advisors.   He dispenses justice and mercy.   He must know when to execute traitors and thieves and when to free drunks who insult him in the streets.   He is a warrior and an oratorical wizard.   He inspires courage in the face of desperate circumstances and perhaps most importantly he knows how to seem one thing while he is another.   All these qualities make Hal Shakespeare's quintessential prince and these are the qualities that Niccolo Machiavelli saw as necessities for any "good" leader of a people.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prince, written in Florence in the year 1513, by Machiavelli, is one of t... ...cause he didn't teach anything that wasn't already known to powerful leaders.   In fact, in his address to Lorenzo de Medici, as I noted earlier, he states that the conclusions he makes are drawn from his knowledge of history.   Throughout the book he makes references to historical situations and events that employ the very means to political success he describes.   What is great about The Prince is not its original content but that it mirrors the politics of his time as well as our time.   The book is a product of the Italian Renaissance in that it attempts to explain how things really are rather than how they are perceived.    WORKS   CITED Machiavelli, Niccolo.   The Prince.   Trans.   Christian E. Detmold.   New York:   Airmont, 1965. Strauss, Leo.   "Machiavelli the Immoralist."   The Prince:   A Norton Critical Edition.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1977.   180-185.

The Holocaust and Aushwitz :: European Europe History

The Holocaust and Aushwitz INTRODUCTION The Holocaust is the most horrifying crime against humanity of all times. "Hitler, in an attempt to establish the pure Aryan race, decided that all mentally ill, gypsies, non supporters of Nazism, and Jews were to be eliminated from the German population.He proceeded to reach his goal in a systematic scheme." One of his main methods of "doing away" with these "undesirable" was through the use of concentration camps. "In January 1941, in a meeting with his top officials the 'final solution' was decided". Jews were to be eliminated from the population. Auschwitz was the concentration camp that carried out Hitler's "final solution" in greater numbers than any other. In this paper I will discuss concentration camps with a detailed description of the most well-known one, Auschwitz. CONCENTRATION CAMPS The first concentration camps were set up in 1933. In the early days of Hitler, concentration camps were places that held people in protective custody. Victims for protective custody included those who were both physically and mentally ill, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Jews and anyone against the Nazi regime. "Gypsies were classified as people with atleast two gypsy great grandparents." By the end of 1933 there were atleast fifty concentration camps throughout occupied Europe. "At first, the camps were controlled by the Gestapo (police), but by 1934 the S.S. (Hitler's personal security force) were ordered, by Hitler, to control the camps." Camps were set up for different purposes. Some for forced labor, others for medical experiments and, later on, for death/ extermination. Transition camps were set up as holding places for death camps. "Henrick Himmler, chief of the German police, the Gestapo, thought that the camps would provide an economic base for the soldiers." This did not happen. The work force was poorly organized and working conditions were inhumane. Therefore, productivity was minimal. Camps were set up along railroad lines, so that the prisoners would be conveniently close to their destination. As they were being transported, the soldiers kept telling the Jews to have hope. When the camps were finally opened, most of the families who were shipped out together ended up being separated. Often, the transports were a sampling of what went on in the camps, cruelty by the officers, near starvation of those being transported, fetid and unsanitary conditions on the trains. "On the trains, Jews were starved of food and water for days.

Physical books Essay

The answer to this question is a simple yes. We shall prove in our discussion why we have chosen this answer. With advances in technology the word ‘paper’ no longer implies a material made of cellulose pulp, derived mainly from wood. As we make further advances, we see that the definition of paper has changed. Physical books that were made of paper have morphed into digital copies called e-books that are available over various mediums of communication such as the Internet or even our very mobile phones. We know that everything has a certain shelf life and if continue to use it beyond that period we will cause ourselves harm, this is also true for physical paper books, time has come to move over the paper books and to enter the world of e-books. Two of the most important factors supporting the cause of the e-book are that it saves: 1. Time and 2. Money 1. Time: In this rapid moving world we are all constantly on the move and we require information immediately, with e-books we can find the information we want immediately. Money: We all want to save money; e-books will be available at only a fraction of the price of the paper books since it will be cheap for the publishers to produce and this benefit will in turn be passed on to the consumer. Reasons for decline of paper books and the popularity of e-books are obvious: 1. E-books can be view almost instantaneously: One can browse through the thousands of e-books available on the Internet by just typing the keywords and purchase the e-book we want by using our credit cards and download the e-book immediately, thus we are saving a lot of overhead costs. 2. E-books cheaper for the publisher to publish as various overhead costs are minimized: Various overheads costs such as huge and expensive printing machinery and their maintenance will disappear; also there will not be need of a large work force to manufacture e-books. 3. E-books cheaper for the consumer to purchase than physical paper books: Since the manufacturing costs of the publishers will be minimized, this will be passed down to the consumer. Thus the consumer will enjoy great savings. 4. E-books can reach a much larger audience worldwide: E-books can be launched instantaneously through out the world; there will be no waiting to buy our copy of the e-book. Also many times a physical paper book is not available in all parts of the world, but this will not be a problem with e-books. 5. E-books are environment friendly: Unlike physical books made from paper, which is derived from timber, e-books don’t need the resources of nature to be made. Thus we will be saving thousands of trees every year and thus reducing the greenhouse effect and making the earth a green place to live in. 6. We can have thousands e-books in our digital device: We can literally have thousands of e-books in our digital device such as a laptop or a computer. The number of e-books is only limited by the storage capacity of our computer or laptop. This is impossible with physical paper books. Can you imagine a person moving around with a library of paper books? But we can move around with our library of e-books on our laptop anywhere! Conclusion: We as humans should be ready to accept the change of books from the physical to the virtual. Are we truly ready to leave the paper copies of the great novels and instead view them as e-books? Some have even said that if we do this we’ll be disrespecting the great authors and poets, but as we wait, the world around us rapidly changing. In the end we may have no choice but to accept the e-book as it gains popularity and following every passing day. This it’s only a matter of time before the paper books are replaced by e-books. Thus we have observed and noted from the above examples that the books made of paper are on their way out and the time of the e-book has arrived. (Sam Kleinman 2007) Works Cited 1. ZATZ Publishing (2007) Print books vs. e-books by Sam Kleinman, page 1[last updated 2007] [Online] Available from: 2. ZATZ Publishing (2007) ZATZ Publishing (2007) Print books vs. e-books by Sam Kleinman, page 2 [last updated 2007] [Online] Available from:

Importance of Colloidal Dispersion in Pharmacy

Importance of colloidal dispersion in pharmacy Pharmaceutical Applications of colloids: Colloids are extensively used for modifying the properties of pharmaceutical agents. The most common property that is affected is the solubility of a drug . However, colloidal forms of many drugs exhibits substantially different properties when compared with traditional forms of these drugs. Certain medicinals have been found to possess unusual or increased therapeutic properties when formulated in the colloidal state.Another important pharmaceutical application of colloid is their use as drug delivery system. The most often used colloid type drug delivery systems include hydrogels, microspheres, microemulsions, liposomes, micelles, nanoparticles and nanocrystals. Here we mention the main characteristics of each colloidal delivery system. Hydrogels: Hydrogel is a colloidal gel in which water is the dispersion medium. It (also called aquagel) is a network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, som etimes found as a colloidal gel in which water is the dispersion medium.Hydrogels are highly absorbent (they can contain over 99% water) natural or synthetic polymers. Hydrogels also possess a degree of flexibility very similar to natural tissue, due to their significant water content. These hydrogels have the ability to sense changes of pH, temperature, or the concentration of metabolite and release their load as result of such a change Natural and synthetic hydrogels are used for wound healing, as scaffolds in tissue engineering, and as sustained- release delivery systems.When used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, hydrogels may contain human cells to stimulate tissue repair, since they are loaded with pharmaceutical ingredients, hydrogels provide a sustained drug release. Light-sensitive, pressure- responsive, and electro-sensitive hydrogels also have the potential to be used in drug delivery. Environmentally sensitive hydrogels include slow response time, limited biocompatibi lity, and biodegradability. Hydrogel used as sustained-release drug delivery systems. it provide absorption, desloughing and debriding capacities of necrotics and fibrotic tissue. ydrogels that are responsive to specific molecules, such as glucose or antigens can be used as biosensors, as well as in DDS. Also used in disposable diapers where they â€Å"capture† urine, or in sanitary napkins, contact lenses (silicone hydrogels, polyacrylamides). Medical electrodes using hydrogels composed of cross-linked polymers (polyethylene oxide, polyAMPS and polyvinylpyrrolidone). hydrogel used as water gel explosives, rectal drug delivery and diagnosis. Other, less common uses include, breast implants, granules for holding soil moisture in arid areas, dressings for healing of burn or other hard-to-heal wounds.Wound gels are excellent for helping to create or maintain a moist environment, reservoirs in topical drug delivery; particularly ionic drugs, delivered by iontophoresis (see ion ex change resin), Common ingredients are e. g. polyvinyl alcohol, sodium polyacrylate, acrylate polymers and copolymers with an abundance of hydrophilic groups. Natural hydrogel materials are being investigated for tissue engineering; these materials include agarose, methylcellulose, hyaluronan, and other naturally derived polymers. However if the achievements of the past can be extrapolated into the future, it is likely that responsive hydrogels with a wide array of desirable properties will be forthcoming. Microparticles: Microparticles are small loaded microspheres of natural or synthetic polymers. Microparticles was initially developed as carriers for vaccines and anti-cancer drugs. More recently, novel properties of Microparticles have been developed to increase the efficiency of drug delivery and improve release profiles and drug targeting.Several investigations have focused on the development of methods of reducing the uptake of the nanoparticles by the cells of the reticuloendo thelial system and enhance their uptake by the targeted cells. Functional surface coatings of non-biodegradable carboxylated polystyrene or biodegradable poly (D,L- lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres with poly(L-lysine)-g-poly (ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) were investigated in attempts to shield them from nonspecific phagocytosis and to allow ligand- specific interactions via molecular recognisition.It was found that coatings of PLL-g-PEG- ligand conjugates provided for the specific targeting of microspheres to human blood- derived macrophages and dendritic cells while reducing non- specific phagocytosis. Microparticles can also be used to facilitate nontraditional routes of drug administration. It was found that Microparticles can be used to improve immunization using the mucosal route of administration of therapeutics. It was found in this study that mucosal route of administration of therapeutics can translocate to tissues in the systemic compartment of the immune system and prov oke immunological reactions. Micro & Nano-Emulsions:Microemulsions are excellent candidates as potential drug delivery systems because of their improved drug solubilization, long shelf life, and ease of preparation and administration. Three distinct Microemulsions- oil external, water external, and middle phase- can be used for drug delivery, depending upon the type of the dug and the site of action. In contrast to Microparticles, which demonstrate distinct differences between the outer shell and core, microemulsions are usually formed with more or less homogeneous particles. Microemulsions are use for controlled release and targeted delivery of different pharmaceutics agents.For instance, microemulsions were used to deliver oligonucleotides (small fragments of DNA) specifically to ovarian cancer cells. In contrast to microemulsions, Nanoemulsions consist in very fine oil-in-water dispersions, having droplets diameter smaller than 100 nm. Compared to microemulsions, they are in a me ta stable state, and their structure depends on the history of the system. Nanoemulsions are very fragile systems. The nanoemulsions can find applications in skin care due to their good sensorial properties (rapid penetration, merging textures) and their biophysical properties (especially their hydrating power).Liposomes: Liposomes consist of an outer uni – or multilamellar membrane and an inner liquid core. In most cases liposomes are formed with natural or synthetic phospholipids similar to those in cellular plasma membrane, because of this similarity, liposomes are easily utilized by cells. Liposomes can be loaded by pharmaceutical or other ingredients by two principal ways: Lipophilic substances can be associated with liposomal membrane, and hydrophilic substances can be dissolved in the inner liquid core of liposomes.To decrease uptake by the cells of the reticuloendothelial system and/or enhance their uptake by the targeted cells, the membrane of liposomes can be modifi ed by polymeric chains and/or targeting moieties or antibodies specific to the targeted cells, because they are relatively easy to prepare, biodegradable, and non- toxic, liposomes have found numerous applications as drug delivery systems. Liposomes are of colloidal dimensions and are preferentially taken up by the liver and spleen. Hence, principle of colloids is also used in targeted drug delivery system. Liposomes are used for drug delivery due to their unique properties.A liposome encapsulates a region on aqueous solution inside a hydrophobic membrane; dissolved hydrophilic solutes cannot readily pass through the lipids. Hydrophobic chemicals can be dissolved into the membrane, and in this way liposome can carry both hydrophobic molecules and hydrophilic molecules. To deliver the molecules to sites of action, the lipid bilayer can fuse with other bilayers such as the cell membrane, thus delivering the liposome contents. By making liposomes in a solution of DNA or drugs (which wo uld normally be unable to diffuse through the membrane) they can be (indiscriminately) delivered past the lipid bilayer.There are three types of liposomes – MLV (multilamellar vesicles) SUV (Small Unilamellar Vesicles) and LUV (Large Unilamellar Vesicles). These are used to deliver different types of drugs. Liposomes are used as models for artificial cells. Liposomes can also be designed to deliver drugs in other ways. Liposomes that contain low (or high) pH can be constructed such that dissolved aqueous drugs will be charged in solution (i. e. , the pH is outside the drug's pI range). As the pH naturally neutralizes within the liposome (protons can pass through some membranes), the drug will also be neutralized, allowing it to freely pass through a membrane.These liposomes work to deliver drug by diffusion rather than by direct cell fusion. Another strategy for liposome drug delivery is to target endocytosis events. Liposomes can be made in a particular size range that makes them viable targets for natural macrophage phagocytosis. These liposomes may be digested while in the macrophage's phagosome, thus releasing its drug. Liposomes can also be decorated with opsonins and ligands to activate endocytosis in other cell types. The use of liposomes for transformation or transfection of DNA into a host cell is known as lipofection.In addition to gene and drug delivery applications, liposomes can be used as carriers for the delivery of dyes to textiles, pesticides to plants, enzymes and nutritional supplements to foods, and cosmetics to the skin. Another interesting property of liposomes is their natural ability to target cancer. The endothelial wall of all healthy human blood vessels is encapsulated by endothelial cells that are bound together by tight junctions. These tight junctions stop any large particles in the blood from leaking out of the vessel.Tumour vessels do not contain the same level of seal between cells and are diagnostically leaky. This abil ity is known as the Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect. Liposomes of certain sizes, typically less than 200 nm, can rapidly enter tumour sites from the blood, but are kept in the bloodstream by the endothelial wall in healthy tissue vasculature. Anti-cancer drugs such as Doxorubicin (Doxil), Camptothecin and Daunorubicin (Daunoxome) are currently being marketed in liposome delivery systems. Micelles: Micelles are similar to liposomes but they do not have an inner liquid compartment.Therefore they can be used as water- soluble biocompatible micro containers for the delivery of poorly soluble hydrophobic pharmaceuticals. Similar to liposomes their surface can be modified with antibodies (immunomicelles) or other targeting moieties providing the ability of micelles to specifically interact with their antigens. One type of micelles pluronic block copolymers, are recognized as pharmaceutical excipients listed in the U. S and British Pharmacopoeia. They have been extensively used in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations including delivery of low molecular mass drugs, polypeptides, and DNA.Furthermore, Pluronic block copolymers are versatile molecules that can be used as structural elements of polycation- based gene delivery system. Nanoparticles: Nanocapsules are sub-microscopic colloidal carrier systems composed of an oily or an aqueous core surrounded by a thin polymer membrane. Nanoparticles are the colloidal particulate systems with size ranging between 1-1000 nm. Based on the arrangement of drug and polymer matrix, nanoparticles can be classified into two types: nanospheres and nanocapsules . In nanospheres, rugs are either adsorbed or entrapped inside the polymeric matrix. In nanocapsules, drugs are confined to the inner liquid core while the external surface of nanoparticles is covered by the polymeric membrane. polymeric nanoparticles have gained considerable attention as potential drug delivery systems due to its targetability to particular organ /tissue and ability to deliver protein and peptide via oral route. Nanoparticles for drug delivery are generally made up of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers obtained from either natural or synthetic source.Natural polymers include chitosan, albumin, rosin, sodium alginate and gelatin while, synthetic polymers include poly (lactic acid) PLA, poly (D, L-glycolide), poly (lactide-co-glycolide), poly (caprolactones) (PCL) and poly (cyanoacrylates). The kinetics of drug release from nanoparticles depends on the strength of hydrophobic interactions between the polymer and drug and polymer degradation rate. The uptake and distribution of nanoparticles depend on its size. Nanoparticles of size ~10 nm are utilized for extended circulation, while ~100 and ~200 nm particles are utilized for passive targeting and intracellular drug delivery respectively.Though nanoparticles have many advantages over other conventional drug delivery systems certain properties like surface hydrophobicity and surface charge needs to be altered so as to increase the uptake of nanoparticles into cells. This can be done by judiciously manipulating the use of polymers. Coating the nanoparticles with chitosan which is positively charged significantly enhances the uptake and modulates the drug efflux of anticancer agents. Moreover, attachment of poly (ethylene glycol) moieties to the surface of nanoparticles increases the hydrophilicity and hence decreases the uptake by macrophages.Recent studies by Yoncheva et al. concluded that amino-pegylated poly (methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride) nanoparticles were able to cross the cell membrane of the absorptive enterocytes in a better way. Nanoparticles are characterized by a variety of techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), electron microscopy (TEM or SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), matrix-assisted laser de sorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), and magnetic resonance (NMR).Two technologies can be used to develop such Nanocapsules: the interfacial polymerization of a monomer or the interfacial nano deposition of a performed polymer. Solid lipid nanoparticles are developed at the beginning of the 1990’s as an alternative carrier system to emulsions, liposomes, and polymeric nanoparticles. They are used in particular in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations. A novel nano-particle based drug carrier for photodynamic therapy has been developed.This carrier can provide stable aqueous dispersion of hydrophobic photo-sensitizers; yet preserve the key step of photo generation of singlet oxygen, necessary for photodynamic action. Nanoparticles have also found applications as nonviral gene delivery systems. Advantages of nanoparticles a) Longer shelf-stability b) High carrier capacity c) Ability to incorporate hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug molecules d) Can be administered via different routes e) Longer clearance time f) Ability to sustain the release of drug ) Can be utilized for imaging studies h) Increase the bioavailability of drugs i) Targeted delivery of drugs at cellular and nuclear level j) Development of new medicines which are safer k) Prevent the multi-drug resistance mediated efflux of chemotherapeutic agents l) Product life extension Nanocrystals: Inorganic crystals that interface with biologic systems have recently attracted widespread interest in biology and medicine. To explore the feasibility of in vivo targeting by using semiconductor quantum dots (qdots), which are small (

The Chrysalids Essay (How Characters React in Desperate Moments)

Characters Reactions in Moments of Desperation in The Chrysalids People react differently in moments of desperation. There are generally many different kinds of reactions towards moments of desperation in the world. Joseph Strorm and David Strorm (his son) had different reactions in moments of desperation. Joseph and his son had opposite reactions in the novel. Joseph Strorm and his son had opposite reactions in the book.Joseph Strorm reacts to deviants very seriously and without sympathy. He is also portrayed to be very religious. David Strorm on the other hand, is the only son of Joseph Strorm. He possesses a telepathic ability which is unacceptable in his community, Waknuk. David’s reactions towards deviations are quite different from his father. He makes certain decisions wisely. He is very considerate unlike his father. Joseph Storm shows no sympathy towards mutants because he believes that they are sent from the devil. In the Chrysalids, how characters react in moments o f desperation reveals insights into their true nature.Joseph Strorm’s reactions in moments of desperation show his true nature in The Chrysalids. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards David was very extreme because he was associating with a deviation. David befriends Sophie and discovered that she had six toes on each foot. David promised to keep her secret. However, when Sophie and David were fishing, another boy in the district discovered Sophie’s footprint on a rock and reveals it to everyone. Joseph Strorm becomes very angry with David and he interrogates him. â€Å"Who was this child-this blasphemy-you were with yesterday?†Joseph Strorm also beat David because he despises mutants and he believes that a mutant comes from the devil. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards David, who wished for a third hand, shows the religious views of Joseph. Joseph was mad at his son because David made a sinful statement. â€Å"You –my own son- were calling upon t he Devil to give you another hand!† Joseph Strorm took this statement very seriously which shows how serious deviants are taken. He is a very strict person and uncompassionate to his son. Joseph Strorm was so distraught with his son because of his despitefulness towards mutants. Joseph Strorm’s reaction towards Aunt Harriet was embarrassing.Aunt Harriet was Joseph’s sister-in-law who bore a blasphemed child. She wanted to switch babies with her sister (Mrs. Strorm) to get a certificate for her baby. Although she  didn’t feel the same way whatsoever about her child as Joseph does. â€Å"She is not ashamed.† He uttered a lot of negative and bitter words to her. â€Å"I don’t understand how you dared to come here, to God-fearing house, with such a suggestion. Worse still, you don’t show an atom of shame or remorse.† In conclusion, Joseph Strorm is very religious and he is the only character in the novel that has the greatest disl iking towards mutants, deviations and blasphemies.David Strorm also had some reactions in moments of desperation in The Chrysalids. David Strorm’s reaction towards Aunt Harriet’s death was very frightening. David is very scared because his aunt died as a result of hiding a deviant baby. He is frightened that he might get killed if he is discovered. Therefore, he prays to God to take away his telepathic gift so he could be like every normal person. â€Å"Oh God†¦please, please let me be like the other people, on’t you make it so that I wake up in the morning, I’ll be just like everyone else, please, God please!†David Strorm’s reaction towards Anne’s marriage was shocking. Anne was part of the telepathic group who decided to get married. David was very shocked that Anne was going to marry a norm. â€Å"For one thing, the man was Alan Ervin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is also very frightened because she would reveal to her husband, her secret and the group’s secret. Therefore, David meets his uncle and decides to take a grave decision. He decides to kill Anne but his uncle decides to kill Alan so the group might be free.David Strorm’s reaction towards his father and the Inspector interrogating him about Sophie showed David’s loyalty for Sophie. He promised to keep her secret no matter the circumstances. Joseph Strorm shouted at his son because he knows his son was lying. David knows that his father was going to beat him. â€Å"†¦I knew too that with my father’s present mood, it would happen whether I told or not. David was beaten for hiding Sophie. In conclusion, David is a very considerate boy. He had desperate reactions in The Chrysalids, which he had to take certain decisions wisely.ConclusionIn the Chrysalids by John Wyndham, how characters react in moments of desperation reveals insights into their true nature. John Wyndham stated a lot of characters with their reactions in moments of desperation. Joseph Strorm and David Storm are part of the examples of characters in The Chrysalids that had reactions in moments of desperation. These are the two major characters in the book that had many reactions in desperate moments. Generally, everyone in the world have different reactions either good or bad towards moments of desperation. This occurs in John Wyndham’s novel, The Chrysalids.

Myanmar

Myanmar is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Despite its lush natural resources, the country formerly known as Burma has remained among Asia’s struggling economies, notwithstanding the fact that its neighbor, Thailand, has periodically rebounded from the boom-bust cycle of the international economy, including 1990s Asian Financial Crisis. Even if there be economic pitfalls like these, Myanmar has always been known for its two social pillars – the Buddhist monks and the Burmese military. For years, the these two socio-political institutions have always been embroiled in a love-hate relationship especially in amassing the support of the Burmese people, as evidenced in the current political crisis engulfing all of Myanmar today. On the other hand, it is important to note that Myanmar was a former direct British colony, from 1824-1886 and subsequently became a province of India until it gained full independence in 1948. Burmese history post-independence though may be best described as a waltz between the exercise of democracy and the iron grip of the Burmese military institution, as the Burmese military junta has always wielded political and economic power in Burma since the time of Gen. Ne Win until today, under the leadership of Gen. Than Shwe. Presently, several indicators may serve to show the level of development Burma has reached – the Per Capita Gross Domestic Product (PCGDP), Literacy Rate, and the Life Expectancy. These three are very important indices in determining whether or not the Burmese government and its people are successful in substantially improving the lives of members of their society. The Burmese PCGDP is pegged at $1,800 (2006 est.), a far cry from the $9,200 (2006 est.) PCGDP of its neighbor Thailand and even its similarly situated neighbor Laos whose PCGDP is at $ 2,200. (cia.gov) On the other hand, Burma has been successful in ensuring that majority of its population can read and write, as its 89.9% literacy rate is only a few percentages lower than Thailand’s 92.6%. Life expectancy in Burma is also very low at 62.52 years old, while Thailand’s life expectancy is at 72.55 years old. Actually, the life expectancy in more underdeveloped neighbor Bangladesh is slightly higher than the Burmese average, at 62.84 years old. (cia.gov) Over and above the usual economic explanations as to the depressing levels of poverty in Burma, a major basis for the continuing economic underdevelopment in Burma shall always be the authoritarian rule of the Burmese government and the patent lack of democracy and freedom in the country. A main factor for the stunting of the Burmese economy is the strict government controls on all sectors of the economy by the ruling junta. Even as the world has already started embracing the principle of eliminating barriers to international trade, the Burmese economy continues to institute questionable economic policies such as a distorted interest rate regime and multiple official exchange rates. (cia.gov) Moreover, the discredited image of the Burmese military junta to the world has also resulted in a lukewarm investment climate, diminishing foreign assistance by developed countries, and economic sanctions, especially due to its protracted and continued crackdown on pro-democracy dissidents including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Such an unfortunate economic and political situation would definitely lead to dire results insofar as human development is concerned, the result of which would be the low life expectancy of the Burmese people. To a certain extent, it is very safe to surmise that the low life expectancy can be logically attributed to the failures of years of military junta rule in delivering basic social services to the people. Had the Burmese government been very effective in delivering primary healthcare to its impoverished countryside notwithstanding ensuring sustained food security, the necessary consequence of such a situation would perhaps lead to a higher life expectancy rate than what Burma currently faces. Apparently, if one looks at the CIA world ranking on life expectancy, Burma at 168th place would find itself in the company of countries and states which had histories of problematic governments and states which do not necessarily hold the interest of their peoples at heart due to pervasive corruption, civil strife, among others. (cia.gov) On the other hand, it would seem surprising that an impoverished country like Burma would have such a high literacy rate of 89.9%, especially as similarly situated underdeveloped countries such as Haiti and Cambodia have very low literacy rates, at 52.9% and 50.2%, respectively. The explanation for this would perhaps lie on the fundamental interest of the Burmese junta to educate and consolidate the people towards assimilating themselves to the legitimacy of the authoritarian regime, as an uneducated people would definitely plant the seeds of civil unrest and challenge the regime. This conjecture is offered in the light of similarly high literacy rates in other authoritarian yet impoverished regimes the world over, such as Cuba and North Korea, both of which have literacy rate of 99%. (cia.gov) The primordial prerequisite for the economic development of Burma today needs more than a simple implementation of liberalization measures in its economy, as the basic problem lies in the very structure of its institutions, particularly the manner by which the Burmese government wields power. If there is no room for discussion of different economic theories and policies which have worked for countless other impoverished nations, no shift towards economic liberalization and deregulation policies can ever be hoped in Burma as an authoritarian government shall always tend to believe only the policies and theories which it would want to pursue and implement. While a vast majority of the Burmese people is literate enough, it cannot be said fully at this point whether their literacy actually amounts to the development of countless professionals, scientists, engineers and skilled workers, as their poorly planned economy remains in shambles. In the ultimate analysis, prior to any economic cure which may be instituted to jumpstart its economic for the development of its resources and its people, a political solution must decisively be done if Burma is to move progressively and proactively forwards as a nation. Works Cited: Burma. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 20, 2007. November 15, 2007. Thailand. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   November 20, 2007. November 15, 2007. Rank Order – GDP – per capita (PPP). CIA World Factbook.       November 20, 2007. November 15, 2007. Rank Order – Life expectancy at birth. CIA World Factbook.             November 20, 2007. November 15, 2007. Myanmar This essay will investigate the role of images in the media’s presentation of current events using the example of Myanmar/Burma protests. It is a well-known scientific fact that humans absorb the greatest amount of information through the visual channel; therefore, contemporary media places a significant emphasis on the use of effective images in the presentation of news. Images coupled with specific vocabulary are the most powerful tool of framing public discourse concerning current events. As for the background information about the crisis in Myanmar/Burma, there has been a series of protests against human rights abuses and crackdown on ethnic minorities going on in the country since late August. The protests have been started by monks and supported by ordinary citizens. In late September, the military government of Myanmar/Burma responded with the police violence and arrests. Such a response sparked a wave of international indignation, and both Myanmar/Burma activists and their supporters abroad call upon the international institutions to take a decisive action to solve the crisis that has not been fully settled yet. For the purposes of this essay, three most influential news media providers were selected, namely CNN, BBC, and Reuters. There is little variation in their representation of the events in Myanmar/Burma, yet each news provider uses its own set of images to communicate its message to its target audience. CNN launched a series of articles tracking down all the developments of the situation in Myanmar/Burma. The article ‘Satellite photos may prove abuses in Myanmar/Burma, researchers say’ (CNN, 2007) is accompanied by a photograph showing a crowd of monks on a demonstration who are surrounded by other citizens. Deep red apparel of the monks contrasts with predominantly white clothes of other citizens, yet this photograph communicates a powerful message that many Myanmar/Burma citizens are united around the noble cause of confronting their government because of human rights abuses. The photograph is probably taken from the plane or any spot high above the Earth surface. This very fact reminds the Western viewer that many media channels are banned from doing on-the-ground reporting from Myanmar/Burma. It further amplifies the perception of the Myanmar/Burma government as authoritarian and undemocratic one. The thing that is probably missing from the image is the presence of authorities. It is well-known that streets of major Myanmar/Burma cities are flooded with the police and sometimes special forces. While the image effectively captures the peaceful spirit of the protests and high level of self-organization, it fails to convey the atmosphere of confrontation between citizens and authorities. BBC frames the story with a noticeable human touch. British media is known to focus on the human factor before examining international political implications of a certain event. The story titled ‘Monks trying to escape Rangoon’ (BBC, 2007) goes together with a photograph of two young monks fleeing away at the top of a truck. In the background it is possible to spot several other trucks carrying other exiles away. This image communicates a dual message: first of all, it persuasively portrays Buddhist monks as innocent victims of the oppressive regime rather than violent protesters; secondly, it indicates that the number of exiles exceeds the number of transport facilities available to them. Furthermore, it makes viewers think about the future of the protesters who are forced to leave their home country because of their political beliefs. It also puts the story in the wider regional context, since the conflict in Myanmar/Burma will also affect all the neighboring countries if exile becomes mass. The inscription under the image reads ‘Many monks are desperate to leave Rangoon, witnesses say.’ The image advances the story by showing that the protesters are ready to trade the risk and insecurity of fleeing to another country from relative political freedom they can enjoy abroad. Another BBC story, ‘Burmese play tense waiting game’ (BBC, 2007), also features an effective use of visual images. One of the images that accompany the story features Gen Than Shwe who heads the ruling junta and controls the army. The facial expression of Gen Than Shwe is conspicuously aggressive and hostile. To the Western viewer, such an image reminds of other historical forms of military dictatorship, ranging from Soviet-era military buildup to juntas in Latin America. Perhaps the most effective use of visual images has been done by the Reuters (2007). Together with a series of stories, it offers a slideshow of 25 photographs representing the course of development of events in Myanmar/Burma. One of the photographs features a Buddhist monk standing by a placard that reads ‘Free Political Prisoners, Listen to the People.’ Young man is wearing glasses (the fact that resonates with the collective image of ‘intelligentsia’ from developing countries) and has a very determined expression on his face. While there is a grammatical mistake in the word ‘Political,’ the image still credits the protesters for their brave attempts to attract the attention of international community. In such a way, Western media frames the public discourse about the events in Myanmar/Burma is a sympathetic way and calls upon Western governments and international organizations to render necessary support to the peaceful protesters and population of the country. References CNN. ‘Satellite photos may prove abuses in Myanmar, researchers say.’ September 28, 2007. October 3, 2007. BBC. ‘Monks ‘trying to escape Rangoon’.’ October 3, 2007. October 3, 2007. BBC. October 3, 2007. ‘Burmese play tense waiting game. October 3, 2007. October 3, 2007. The Reuters. ‘Myanmar junta arrests more.’ October 3, 2007. October 3, 2007.