Czech Literature Essay

1. Characterize the main defining points of Czech pre 19th century history. Czech literature encompasses the provinces of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. The Czech literature is divided into many periods, the Middle Ages, the Hussite Period, the Baroque period and the enlightenment that ushered in the 19th century Czech literature. Czech literature is unusually tri-lingual, utilizing Czech, Latin then German. Most of the writers before wrote in other languages (i. e. German) that’s why some of these writers and their works were classified as Austrian Literature. Early evidences of Czech poetic work around 12th centuries are the two songs, Hospodine, pomiluj ny (Lord Have Mercy Upon Us) and Svaty Vaclave (Saint Wenceslas). In the 13th century, various political, social and cultural changes happened. Epics such as Alexandreis, the Chronicles of Dalimil, the lyrical pieces Island Song and Cunigund’s Prayer, signaled the birth of a unique Czech literature. Enters the Hussite Era wherein the sole purpose of the literature was to expand and spread the arguments and doctrines of Jan Hus. Jan Hus was a theological writer at the beginning of the 15th century wherein he wrote mostly in Latin, and then Czech later on. Nonetheless, he published a compilation of his sermons in Czech and created rules of orthography and grammar that would later on be the foundation of modern Czech. Jan Hus’ works catered to the masses and mostly consist of social situations. This period truly developed Czech religious songs as alternates for Latin hymns and liturgy. However, Hussite Literature was oftentimes invalidated by works defending Catholicism just like Jan Rokycana’s works. Humanism, a new trend in Bohemia replaced the Hussite era. This form of literature mainly dealt about rival writings of Catholics in Latin and Protestants in Czech. However, the Catholics finally emerged victorious after the Protestants were defeated in the Battle of the White Mountain. Therefore, there was persuasive re-Catholicization that leads to confiscations and eviction of all Protestants. There was a splitting of literature, the domestic Catholic and the exiled Protestants. This was known as the Baroque period. However, the Bohemian nobility was unlike any European nobility during that time, they held special courts for the nobles separate from the public. This division resulted to the inability of the Baroque period of literature to expand and develop. The best known figure in Baroque Czech writing was John Commenius, a teacher, theologian, and philosopher. He grew up in Bohemia but was later on exiled due to Protestantism; and with his death, Protestant literature died away with him. After the demise of Protestantism and the power of Catholicism, a new development occurred with the declaration of Emperor Josef II to end feudalism and to tolerate freedom of religion and ideas. This ushered enlightened classicism, or the application of rational reasoning to all aspects of life. Having a national language and a literature in one’s own language was seen as necessary to build an identity for the nation. A renewed interest in Czech folk literature and prose novels that relates the history and evolution of the nation of Czech, and a certain Czech poetic style was developed. 2. Describe the first phase of national revival. Major Figures The national revival was a spin-off from the enlightenment of Czech literature. These ideas were all about renewal of everything Czech; from science to the arts and theater. However, there would still be a long way to go from being independent from the German style and develop a unique Czech style. This task was especially hard since German influence had span for so many years and the Czech language was already losing out. Hence, the solidarity among Czech citizens was greatly established and its connection with Russia, as well as restoration of the historicism and instilling nationalism amongst its people. Step by step, promotion of Czech’s unique culture and traditions finally escalated to the point of politics. This means that Czech’s status as a government is equal to Germany, with Czech having its own constitutions and local autonomy. However, in 1848, there was an outbreak of revolution all over Europe and Germany had demanded unification of other European countries with them. This involved the lesser Germany or a greater Germany wherein Czech would be a part of, supposedly. However, Chancellor Matternich of Austria resigned a month before the first Austrian Constitution was proclaimed. Nevertheless, uprisings were still adamant and a convention met in Vienna aiming to end the Viennese revolution and Slavic nations who resists Germany’s offer of incorporating Austria into Germany as part of its greater Germany concept. Upon so many debacles an Austro-Hungarian Settlement was reached, but this agreement totally ignored Czech’s demands, which led to an assembly of people at significant sites in Czech history. So, an agreement between Austria and Czech was develop in 1871 and it included increased authority of Czechs assemblies. However this agreement was flawed such that it increased discontent of Germans and Hungarians living in Czech and further negotiations for the treaty was stopped. The relationship among Czechs and Germans worsen eventually, that this led to the formation of Germans in Bohemia their own enclosed German territory wherein German is the official language. 3. Early 19th century poets After the enlightenment period and the national revival struggle, Romanticism entered the Czech literature scene. Frantisek Palacky was the leading Slavic scholar with Vaclav Hanka (1791–1861) who produced Slavic texts that became part of Czech’s literary tradition and culture. Moreover, the entrance of three literary figures such as Svatopluk Cech, Jan Neruda, and Joseph V. Sladek introduced poetry that was leaning towards the rich and the aristocrats. Svatopluk Cech (1846-1908) was a Czech poet and novelist. He became famous for his love for freedom and democracy and his inclination to Pan-Slavism. This enthusiasm with politics was observed through out his many writings; just like The Adamites (1873), Zizka (1879), and Vaclav of Michalovice (1880). His satirical novel Excursion of Mr. Broucek to the Moon (1886) was also well-regarded as well as his idyllic prose In the Shade of the Linden Tree (1879). Jan Neruda (1834-1891) was a Czech essayist and poet. A native of Prague, his famous Stories from Mala Strana (1878) were derived from his childhood in Prague. It also showed ridiculous interpretation of the Czech middle class that illustrates Czech realism. Joseph V. Sladek (1845-1912) was a Czech poet and translator. His works were influenced by Shakespearean plays since he lived in the United States for two years and the taught English in Prague and translated much American and English writings into Czech. Sladek’s poetry were free-verses and short at some point, demonstrating his personal sorrows and nationalistic ideology. His collections were entitled Basne [poems] (1875) and Sluncem a stinem [in sun and shade] (1887). 4. Development of Czech Theater Early theater in Czech was mainly composed of secular and liturgical dramas that present religious themes. These dramas were usually performed by professional actors and magicians. The Baroque Jesuit Drama was usually school plays that were run by the Jesuit Order of Priests in the 16th and 17th century. The theme was usually about country folk as presented to the urbanized public. Professional theater was made available by foreign performers who traveled from one country to another. They are usually Germans and English, some others Italians, as well as French. Theater, did not escape the National Revival Project of the Czechs. Performances are to be executed using primarily the Czech language. Vlastenecke divadlo or the Patriotic Theater, the Bouda or the Shack, and the Nostitz Building of the National Theater, were the beginning of Czech Porfessional Theater. Czech professional theater reached the countrysides through J. A. Prokop’s company theater where they made their performances using puppets in 1849. Finally, the opening of the Prozatimni Divadlo or Provisional Theater in 1862, Czech Theater created its own identity apart from German Theater. Consequently, the first generation of Czech Porfessional actors emerged like Josef Jiri Kolar and Anna Kolarova-Manetinska. Czech Opera also grew unexpectedly with seven premieres by Bedrich Smetana and five Antonin Dvorak (Czech Republic Website). The opening of the National Theater in Prague in 1883 introduced Czech Theater to the whole of Europe. Performances in Czech language started to increase and styles such as realism and naturalism developed. Then in the beginning of the 20th century the avant-garde of Czech theater materialized and the works of Jiri Mahen, Frana Sramek and Viktor Dyk, ushered the symbolist and impressionist dramas. A new style of acting was also developing through focusing on the mind and pysche of the character, and this was presented by Hana Kvapilova and Eduard Vojan, among many others. The Municipal Theater at Kralovske Vinohradyopened in Prague in 1907, and Karel Hugo Hilar performed the art of expressionism in theater. The development of Czech Theater was accompanied by the growth of Czech Theater Critics as well as magazines such as Scena were published. In 1918, wherein the development of an Independent Czechoslovakia was starting to brew, litearary works became rampant representing nationalistic ideas and usage of Czech language. Styles such as Avant-garde in Fantasy and Comedy also emerged. However, when the Nazi Occupation reached Czechoslovakia, all theaters were closed in 1944. Then in 1948, Czech theater emerged again with a new purpose, Socialist Realism. This was mainly a propaganda of the communist regime to spread out their doctrines. But, in 1950s, small theaters took forms apart from the â€Å"official† theater, that fascinated a larger group of non-conformist audiences. This is where the famous Czech writer Milan Kundera began writing for theater. 5. Compare city and village prose Czech literature was not clearly divided accordingly as city and village prose. Through out the thorough research, no mention as to the theme about city or village was encountered, however, an inkling that the oral literature of Czech could perhaps be defined as village prose. Since Czech literature in its oral form existed before the coming of any influence, from the urban cities or from the west, folk poetry was used. Another is the emergence of Catholic themes that could probably date back as far as 863 A. D. when Moravia and Bohemia were converted into Christianity through the labors of St. Cyril and St. Methodius. All Czech literature began in this era and with the exception of Bulgarian literature, Czech literature is the oldest and the richest. Themes range from secular and religious prose and liturgies of the Catholic Church. As with the city prose, conceivably emerged through the influx of other styles as Czech literature moved on. With the addition of the romanticism that relates knight’s tales and crusaders and the feasts that were held in honor of them. Humanism that copied Roman and Greek literature, and Avant-garde styles such as impressionism and expressionism and political themes could also be referred to as city prose. 6. Compare the literary groups Ruch and Lumir In the 1840s, with the rise of Czech literature, publications and journalism were also growing on its own. These publications contributed a lot for the political liberation of Czech from Austria. Literary periodicals that are closely connected with this political theme are the Lumir and Ruch. Lumir begun c. 1875, focused on the need to develop a Czech literature that would reach the level of international standards through the writings of Jaroslav Vrchlicky and Julius Zeyer. Ruch, who started in 1868, however, focused on strengthening national traditions and themes through the writings of Josef Vaclav Sladek and Svatopluk Cech. Both periodicals were directed towards patriotism and nationalism through publishing writers that have some say about the political situation of the country. These writers, expressed their love for Czechoslovakia by creating historical novels such of Alois Jirasek or was commonly known as ‘the Czech Walter Scott’, (1851–1930). Works Cited Czech and Slovak literature. † Crystal Reference Encyclopedia. Crystal Reference Systems Limited. 06 Dec. 2007. Reference. com http://www. reference. com/browse/crystal/08865

Comparison Between Joe Keller and Willy Loman Essay

Death of a Salesman and All of My Sons, two different plays written by distinguished playwright Arthur Miller, yet the two main characters Joe Keller and Willy Loman are notably identical to one another. Although both are not faced with similar situations, both Keller and Loman handle their situations with an ignorant and shallow mindset towards the world. Keller and Loman have significant tragic flaws which ultimately lead to their demise. Both characters are unable to accept reality the way others are capable of, the â€Å"American dream† has been corrupted and misinterpreted in their feeble minds, and abandonment has plagued them throughout their lives. The â€Å"American dream† seems to play a monumental role in distinguishing what is essential to be successful. Joe Keller believes that his son, Chris, deserves the business he built from the ground, up and does absolutely everything in his power to ensure that Chris will obtain Joe’s business. In Joe’s eyes, risking the lives of soldiers, making an abomination out of his former â€Å"best friend†, and separating a family in order to keep his business running smoothly is deemed more worthy than doing the right thing. Joe feels that he has done the right thing because he carried out these actions for his family. Willy Loman’s interpretation of the â€Å"American dream† is a tad bit more extravagant; Willy believes that the key to success is a matter of whether a person is well-liked or not. Throughout the course of his professional career as a salesman, Willy constantly concocts lies stating how he is well-liked all over the Northeast, as well as his weekly salary. Willy also tried to bring the dream upon his son Biff. While Willy’s son Biff was a student in high school, Willy continuously fed Biff these fantasies that one day, Biff would become a great football player. Willy preferred brawn over brains in Biff. Willy was unable to live the American dream and thus ventured on through Biff vicariously. When Biff decided not to finish summer school and then explore new endeavors out west, Willy began to grow furious with Biff because he was unable to hover over Biff and â€Å"lead† him toward success. In All of My Sons, Joe Keller is unable to perceive reality with his involvement in the busted airplane heads which led to the death of twenty-one soldiers of the Air Force. We the readers notice that the lie Joe tells to others has been so commonly practiced that it’s no longer a fabrication of Joe’s imagination, but in his opinion, the genuine truth. Joe becomes obsessive over Chris inheritance of Joe’s business and it seems as though he does this so that in the event that someone reveals the truth to Chris, there is no possible way that Chris could be ashamed after what his father did for him. Unfortunately for Joe, the truth is revealed too soon and Chris no longer is willing to follow in his father’s â€Å"murderous† footsteps; instead Chris is enraged by his father’s past actions and vows to either turn his father in or kill him. Willy Loman is beaten down by his failure of him and his son to live up to his expectations. Unlike Joe, Willy’s altered perception of reality conflicts with his everyday life. He is over exhausted and constantly has flashbacks which deceive Willy’s perception of reality. His flashbacks usually consist of Willy’s overbearing confidence in Biff’s future. Willy also has flashbacks where his successful brother shows up. To stack himself up against his brother’s success, Willy lies about how his business is prospering and how he nearly at the top of the metaphorical food chain in the sales world. In reality however, Willy is a struggling business man who barely makes ends meet. He needs to ask his friend Charley for money just to pay bills and make it seem like he is still making money so he is not a failure in the eyes of others. Willy resorts to these flashbacks when he faces adversity or when things are no longer in his control. Another common theme that leads to both characters fatal demise is their life of abandonment. Joe Keller faced abandonment from his sons Chris and Larry. Chris stood by Joe until he figured out Joe’s lies and mishandling of his business. Joe caused the death of twenty-one other soldiers to Chris and Joe could not be forgiven. Chris abandoned him and was even willing to let Joe rot in prison for the rest of his life. Larry, although now deceased, also abandoned Joe. After hearing news that Joe’s business was responsible for the deaths of his comrades in the Air Force, Larry decided to take his own life because he could not bear the fact that his father had done such a terrible thing. Chris read Larry’s suicide note to his father and this ultimately lead to Joe finally succumbing to all the pressure around him and forced him to end his life. Joe’s mistakes led to those around him abandoning him in the end, even though he did everything in his power to keep his loved ones surrounding him. Willy Loman’s whole life was masked by abandonment. Willy grew up without ever really knowing his father, his brother and role model could care less if Willy were to rot in Hell, and most importantly to him, his sons seem to be embarrassed by him and refuse to stand by him through all of his troubles. Also his boss, Howard, fires Willy when Willy is no longer of use to him and can no longer contribute positively towards the sales company. When at the restaurant, Willy’s son Happy goes as far as to say that Willy is not his father when trying to â€Å"pick up† a bunch of girls to later sleep with. Biff abandon’s Willy in the sense that Willy is trying to escape reality and that Willy is not extraordinary, but merely ordinary. Willy, with all his loved ones no longer standing by his side, decides to end his life and make one final attempt at fulfilling the American Dream by collecting life insurance to help support Biff start up a business that Biff is unwilling to succeed in. Both Joe Keller and Willy Loman were both the typical, hard working Americans. Unfortunately for them, they both contracted horrific tragic flaws which the common person can relate to. Their incapability to properly perceive reality, their misinterpretation of the American Dream, and the constant abandonment they had encountered ultimately led to their own demise.

A Review of Cadburys Supply Chain

A Review of Cadbury’s Supply Chain: Literature Review: ‘Man of Dairy Milk and Money’. Elaine Watson Article Summary: * This article begins by highlighting how Cadbury’s have had their fair share of problems: * Salmonella outbreak in 2006 * Decision to close Somerdale factory and switch production to Poland. * Factory issues in Sheffield: river quite literally flowing through the factory. * But as the article highlights, the firm has a strong and strategically placed supply chain. Areas of Competitive Advantage: * Factory Network: They recently built a new factory in Poland.They have an established network with two other factories there, and a gum plant. * Cost effective Supply Chain: By strategically placing the factories in Poland they were able to achieved cost savings in two key areas: * Cheaper wages (despite the fact that they are increasing). * A reduction in labour by 15%, which resulted in boosting operating margins from 10% to the mid-teens. * Alig nment of Supply Chain: Cadbury’s treat the supply chain as a whole; â€Å"It is very easy to think in terms of manufacturing, logistics, sales, purchasing and so on. But their objective must all be aligned†.They ensure that work groups are formed compiling of resources from across the different functional teams. This ensures that every project/group is focused on achieving their main goal of customer satisfaction, and are able to consider this from every part of the manufacturing process. * Global Benchmarking: â€Å"We’ve got lots of key performance indicators in terms of quality, safety, service level, and the environment, but for manufacturing we use OEE†. Cadbury’s highlight the importance of waste management owing to the fact that raw materials have dramatically increased in prices over recent years (Cocoa for example has increased from ? ,000/t to ? 1,600/t. * Environmental responsibilities: Cadbury’s aim to reduce their carbon footpri nt by 50% by 2020. * Manufacturing Ownership: Manufacturing is a core competency for Cadbury’s. There are arguments in favour of keeping this in house in terms of economic and intellectual ones. Bournville is the core plant; here they have 1,000-1,200 staff as well as sophisticated machinery producing 100,000t of chocolate products a year. This factory further produces 1m creme eggs a day. * Outsourcing: Cadbury’s outsource two of their products: * Snaps: this involves unusual technology. * Green & Blacks.Literature Review: ‘Ethical Supply Chains – ‘The New Black’? ’ Lisa Brown. Article Summary: * This article highlights the importance of sustainable supply chain management, and likens the rate of take up to ‘The New Black’. Therefore this article is centered around how Cadbury’s manage a sustainable supply chain in order to gain a competitive advantage. * Cadbury’s are an example of a firm who have succes sfully implemented such ethical considerations into their supply chain. In 2009 they announced that the cocoa drinks and dairy milk chocolate would be fair-trade certified in British and Irish markets.This mark ensures that the farmers are paid a fair price, and that crops are farmed under sustainable conditions (putting a halt to child labour). * Advantages of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM): * Changing consumer attitudes: The article paints a picture of a consumer who is no longer concerned by product quality and other tangible aspects, but rather is concerned with the integrity of supply chains (and will often spend more money on those products that appeal to their moral code). This view is personified through Brown’s comment that â€Å"†¦pressure to donate, volunteer, buy green†¦ by organic, recycle, reduce carbon emissions†.Brown further states, â€Å"Customers often feel a sense of intrinsic commitment and emotional attachment to the product s they purchase * The price of not acting sustainably: the article compares Cadbury’s success to a clothing retailer who has received criticism for their use of sweatshops in Asia. * Competitive Advantage: â€Å"Supply chains have become the new black, a trendy way of connecting with the consciousness of consumers (particularly generation Y) and achieving differentiation from those companies/products not willing or able to keep up†. * How is this hanging consumer attitude affecting the industry? * Competitive Advantage: Transparency of supply chains: in a society where publicly accessible information is just a click away and a good reputation is priceless, ensuring integrity of supply chains is on way to create a competitive advantage. * Product differentiation: Products are no longer differentiated by rudimentary characteristics such as colour and price. Values are a key part of the customer decision. * Declaration of interests: Companies must ensure that companies th ey are partnering with are also keeping within the guidelines. Ethics ahead of profits: Customers nowadays will pay more money for items that appeal to their moral consciousness. Thus, firms need to walk the walk rather than just talking the walk. Literature Review: ‘Reconfiguring Three Companies Under one Umbrella’. Alan Robinson. Article Summary: * This article identifies how the Cadbury’s supply chain ensures that network benefits are realized and capitals costs are reduced. In essence it portrays how Cadbury’s creates a competitive advantage through three of their products: Schweppes, Motts and Snapple. Competitive Advantages: Integrated Supply Chain: The three companies have an integrated supply chain, which provides the following benefits: * Continual realignment and readjustment of products means that they never duplicate efforts. * Owing to constant changes in product lines (with them acquiring other lines and products), they continually review the ir locations and distribution channels. They ensure that they are always maximizing efficiency (hence their move from Somerdale to join their other factories in Poland). * Synergies between brands: Brands work together.For example a group with a mature manufacturing knowledge, Motts, was paired with a new manufacturing company, Snapple. Mott’s ran the Snapple manufacturing activities. * Analytical Tools: They use advanced supply chain analytical tools such as VA-basis Insight and its SAILS. This is supply chain network modeling software (similar to those shown in the picture below). Source: Ernst & Young Power and utilities Network Modeling Overview. This provides them with the following benefits: * Ability to strategically set up plants and locations (network modeling). They are able to constantly reevaluate their market in order to reduce duplication and reduce carbon emissions (which saves costs and promotes their sustainable supply chain management image). * Ability t o analyse demand seasonality to ensure that their brans have the capacity to meet customer demand throughout the year (their products are highly seasonal – e. g. Cadbury’s creme eggs). * Mature stock and inventory level management systems gives an idea as to where they should invest additional capabilities. * Reduces capital costs Products are sold to market at varying stages in supply chain: * Motts and Snapple sell ready to go products that can be sold to the end customer. * Whilst Dr. pepper and Carbonated drinks just sell the ingredients. * Range of outlets: Cadbury’ sell their products in a range of outlets in order to meet their customer base. For example, Convenience stores, supermarkets and drug chains etc. * Variety of Production Methods: * Outsourcing: Cadbury’s Schweppes brand is outsourced to Hershey’s in America. * Franchise: Cadbury’s franchise Dr Pepper and 7Up.Those who buy the franchise get rights to the product, the concent ration and the packaging. * Use of distributors: Snapples Beverages use distributors to reach their market. Synthesis: The assimilation of each of the articles that I have researched demonstrate that Cadbury’s see their Supply Chain as being a key area in which they can create a competitive advantage. Their main advantages are achieved in the following areas: * Make-buy/Outsourcing Decision: Cadbury’s assess the market and their areas of strength to ensure that what they are producing satisfies the customers needs.This is both cost effective and logical in terms of fulfilling the customer requirements. * Factory/Distribution Outlets Networking: Intelligent network software is used to ensure the network that supports their supply chain is cost efficient and reduces duplication. This can be seen from their move to Poland, thus creating synergies. This also increased their operating margin. * Integrated Supply Chain: Owing to the number of product lines that Cadburyâ€⠄¢s own (often through M&S activities), the Cadbury’s supply chain is configured to enhance brand cooperation and coordination.This can be seen through a number of examples listed in the examples above: * E. g. 1. For example a group with a mature manufacturing knowledge, Motts, was paired with a new manufacturing company, Snapple. Mott’s ran the Snapple manufacturing activities. * E. g. 2. Different departments are bought together a matrix manner in order to ensure that projects and work takes into account the view of the whole manufacturing process. This ensures that their objective is always in the forefront of projects and is accounted for through all different functions views. Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM): They are able to differ from competitors in a number of ways. The benefits achieved through their morally appealing supply chain activities are: * Competitive Advantage * Product differentiation * Declaration of interests * Ethics ahead of prof its * Manufacturing Ownership: Manufacturing is a core competency for Cadbury’s. There are arguments in favour of keeping this in house in terms of economic and intellectual ones.Bournville is the core plant; here they have 1,000-1,200 staff as well as sophisticated machinery producing 100,000t of chocolate products a year. This factory further produces 1m creme eggs a day. * Global Benchmarking: â€Å"We’ve got lots of key performance indicators in terms of quality, safety, service level, and the environment, but for manufacturing we use OEE†. Cadbury’s highlight the importance of waste management owing to the fact that raw materials have dramatically increased in prices over recent years (Cocoa for example has increased from ? 1,000/t to ? 1,600/t.

Compare and contrast Number Four at Stow (boutique hotel) and Accor Essay

Compare and contrast Number Four at Stow (boutique hotel) and Accor group (chain hotel) - Essay Example On the other hand, the benefit of the Accor Group of Hotels lies in the fact that it is spread all across Europe and even in the US and Canada, thus giving customers an option to go to a hotel they are familiar with, anywhere. Number Four at Stow Caroline and Patricia have a dedicated team at Number Four and work hard to ensure that their stylish, contemporary boutique hotel offers luxury and comfort as well as an enjoyable unique personal service. Their culinary attraction, Chef Brian Cutler prepares his innovative menu from locally sourced and seasonal produce that makes it a guaranteed winner. Number Four at Stow, is the perfect place in which to unwind.   Located on the Fosseway between Bourton on the Water and Stow-on-the-Wold, this hotel is ideally situated in the heart of the captivating Cotswolds.   You can explore many stately homes and National Trust properties in the area. They have something for everyone, including wildlife parks, a range of shops to tickle the fancy of the shopaholics, art galleries and antique stores for those with impeccable taste. There are also walkways, pubs and a range of activities for those who love the outdoors such as horse riding, golfing and shooting. And for those who just want to relax, they can book into a local spa for a soothing massage or facial. (hotelnumberfour.co.uk) Accor Group The hotels from Accor Group are very different from Number Four. Accor’s hotel operations include  complementary brands from luxury to budget  that have made a mark around the world because of their high quality service. Some of the hotels are: Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel,  Suite Novotel, Mercure,  ibis, all seasons, Etap hotel, hotelF1, Motel6, as well as Thalassa sea & spa  and Lenotre. The Accor Group has a presence in 90 countries, with  4,229 hotels and more than 500,000 rooms. Their specialty lies in the tailor-made services they provide to each customer, whether business or pleasure. (accor.com) Ana lysis The benefits of each of these hotels vary. While Number Four is more focused on its clientele in Birmingham, The Accor Group has a variety of hotels across the world and is still expanding. Comparing the two one can see that they both want to please their customers and bring them back. For this purpose, Number Four has introduced various services for their customers and has included the element of personal attention. On the other hand, the Accor Group is trying to achieve the same by giving their customers more options in terms of hotels, brands, prices, themes and locations. They have a variety of brands in their hotel groups that range across budget, economy, midscale, upscale and luxury. They might have considered that they are a strong brand and can provide people with options. Considering that the target here for both the hotels is the business travel market, one can realize that their strategies to achieve success are completely different although neither is necessarily wrong. Business travelers have needs and requirements that are different from casual travelers who are staying in hotels for pleasure, or on holidays. While travelling on business, they mostly require staying at places where they can have meetings, seminars and conferences, not to mention that they most probably will be working and therefore need an environment that will promote fruitful work and aid them in their business. Business hotels need a lot

Ethical boundaries of undercover policing and authorized criminality Essay - 1

Ethical boundaries of undercover policing and authorized criminality - Essay Example of concession once the fellow group discovers about it ( Sullivan, 2005 ) .Again, engaging in a situation whereby it would involve revolutionary offenses and commission of executing since this would be against the legal framework of police laws and this would deny me the trust from the public at large ( Kephart, 2007 ). Also, engaging in an activity that involves drug rewards to the clunk, since it puts one in a position of conflicting judgment as a law enforcer. I would ensure my authorized criminality included the following: â€Å"Buy-bust†: this involves making orders for the drugs and using the marked money to purchase the drugs. The covert police then flees from the scene which opens an opportunity for the plain clothed police to swoop in and detain the supplier. Then the confiscated cash is used as evidence that the deal had indeed taken place ( Sullivan, 2005

How might economic globalization help to reduce poverty and Essay

How might economic globalization help to reduce poverty and inequalities within and between countries - Essay Example Indeed, it is globalization in terms of trade and the actions of multilateral organizations, which create variations among different states. Globally, there is economic disparity among different countries, which is dependent on the level of development (Bertucci and Alberti 1). In addition, each country has rules governing trade and foreign direct investments, which also differ from one country to another. Notably, the stringent nature of the rules determines the level of interaction between the country and others (Bertucci and Alberti 1). Therefore could create room and freedom for investment, or drive the potential investors away. In essence, the restructuring the rules in favor of trade and FDI, could enable them to contribute more directly and positively to reductions in poverty and inequality worldwide. Furthermore, the rules should also favor the host country, where such trade and FDIs take place. There are significant contributions that the investments and trade have in reducing poverty and equality. For example, trade opens opportunities for prospective entrepreneurs to exploit the local resources for export (Bertucci and Alberti 2). Through increase in exports, the country gets enough foreign exchange that could help it address its balance of payment. Considering foreign direct investments, the host country benefit from increase in job opportunities for its young graduates, taxes and duties they collect from the industries. Moreover, the country would reap from improvement in infrastructure such as road networks, communication and administration systems, among others (Wade 7). Wade also claimed that, if indeed, globalization was responsible for increasing inequality and poverty between, and within countries; it would significantly reduce global demands and subsequently economic growth (Wade 16). The scenario would create

To What Extent Was the Advent of Renaissance Architecture in Britain a Essay

To What Extent Was the Advent of Renaissance Architecture in Britain a Result of the Stuart Court and Monarchy - Essay Example The renaissance took place at different times in different parts of the world. Whenever Renaissance is mentioned, it must be remembered that it has to do with the conscious revival of certain aspects of the cultures of ancient Greek and ancient Roman societies. In terms of timeframe and order of occurrence, renaissance architecture came after Gothic literature. Some of the distinguishing features of renaissance architecture (like classical architecture) include precision of measurement and proportion and symmetry. All these features also took place during the British Renaissance. Renaissance got to Britain during the reign of Elizabeth I. Its advent in Britain can be said to have been influenced by Stuart courts and Monarchy. One must not however fail to realize that although renaissance Britain was the rebirth of classical culture, the purposes of the architecture peculiar to both of them are for different reasons. One of the most memorable attributes of the Stuart monarchy is that they brought to Britain, during their reign, influences from all over Europe and even influences from outside Europe. The implication of this is that, when one wants to consider their influence on British Architecture, it means indirectly that one is to consider the influence of other cultures on British Architecture. When the Stuarts were ruling Britain, the country became a floodgate for the architectural designs that were started in other parts of the world. In actuality, renaissance was not to the British. The rebirth that took place in Britain was only the direct consequence of the events that had taken place and happened earlier in Italy and France. In the first place, if there was never the Greek or Roman civilization, there would never have been anything like Renaissance in any part of the world, let alone in Britain. 1 The essence of all that has been aforementioned is that if the Stuarts rulers had not been so friendly to the arts or if they had not welcomed the architectu ral designs from other parts of the world, the notion of renaissance Britain may not have been possible in the first instance. 3 Some of the influences that the Stuarts took on include those from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. Then, the influence of other climes was so much that in a single building the building designs of more than one country can be combined. For example, the design of the French and the Italians may be combined in the British Renaissance Architecture design style and this is due to the fact that the Stuarts actually combined the designs of the French and the Italians in moulding the British Renaissance Architecture into what it became. The influence of the Stuart monarchy may be said to be most eminent during the Elizabethan period which marked the beginning of Renaissance in Britain. The round arch which was one of the ensigns of the architecture that emerged during the reign of the Stuart monarchy also resurfaced during the Elizabethan period.1 Yet it does not negate the fact that the Elizabethan period itself had features that were self-generated. One of the features of the architecture of the Elizabethans that shows that not all the architectural structures of the period were a direct influence of the Stuart monarchy is the fact that most windows and doors during the period were round-headed. On the other hand, as it was during

Religious Liberty in Public Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religious Liberty in Public Schools - Essay Example It goes a long way in eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion in public places. This is what informed the decision in Van Orden v Perry (2005), where the Supreme Court held that the Ten Commandment on the government monument at the Texas State Capitol violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  The issue of religious expression in public places, especially in schools, is an area that has attracted a series of serious debates. Many of these matters always find their way in court. In the case of Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the state of Pennsylvania required that ten verses should be read from the Holy Bible each morning in public schools each school day. The majority of Supreme Court judges found this to contravene the First Amendment.  Just as in the above-mentioned case, it would be wrong to display the student’s depiction of Jesus Christ in class as this would be going against the First Amendment as that would amount to leaning t owards Christianity as opposed to the required neutrality in the public schools towards religion (Ackerman, 2001).  Putting all these factors into consideration, it would therefore go against some student’s rights, as this is a captive audience, and can be easily swayed into believing something that is against their religious creed. It is therefore important not to display that kind of work in class to protect the constitutional rights of the other students and avoid violating the First Amendment, which could have in itself dire consequences.

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Global Warming - Essay Example According to the researchers, quick changes in RuBisCO could potentially lead to a faster plant growth, quicker sequestration of the CO2 from the air and more efficient plant removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (Using Biotechnology against Global Warming, 2006). Therefore, it is evident that this technology enables to solve a problem of global warming by means of nature and the environment. On the other hand, it is hard to know whether global warming is a reality or a myth. Supposedly the Earth cannot deal with an increasing number of gas emissions and many consequential factors underline inability of global warming and its potential of further occurrence. In 90s only 13% of scientists believed in a potential occurrence of a global warming. The majority of countries signed the Kyoto protocol, but it did not help much. Still, there is a need to focus on facts, which may be hazardous for ecosystems and agricultural sectors of different countries and discuss the issue of glo bal warming with respect to these points.   Ã‚  It is also relevant to note that theory of global warming is considered to be full of errors and is often positioned as a fake science. The industrial activity of humankind does not lead to climate change, but a growing number of bureaucrats propose new taxes development in order to gain profits around the issue of global warming (McFarland, 2009). A global society is intimidated by the bureaucrats to raise additional money. Rodenhouse, Christenson, Parry, Green (2009) in their research project â€Å"Climate Change Effects on Native Fauna of Northeastern Forests† are focused on the issue of global warming and its effect on different forest inhabitants in the Northeastern forests of America. The scientists claim...This paper talks about greenhouse gases which are increased in case the world's greatest environmental challenge occurs. But, it is hard to know whether global warming is a reality or a myth. Supposedly the Earth cann ot deal with an increasing number of gas emissions and many consequential factors underline inability of global warming and its potential of further occurrence. According to the paper it is possible to predict basic directions for further dealing with global warming: reduction of GHG emissions (ensured by plants, governments and other parties involved); wild nature assistance for global warming eradication. Furthermore human beings living in the modern world should take many necessary measures with global warming: â€Å"To date, most analysis has focused on the role of nation-states in the design, promotion, and implementation of various "post-2012" policy architectures and instruments†. This paper focuses on the cooperation of different scientists can contribute much to dealing with global warming, even if their ideas are based on the simplest principles of nature. An option of biotechnologies as a saving decision for dealing with global warming is of crucial importance nowadays. That is why recent researches and studies are focused on the problem of global warming. Climate change, which can occur because of global warming, can be prevented in case the contemporaries would use natural resources more effectively and take into account possible negative outcomes of abundant use of natural resources.

The Global internet backbone industry analysis paper Essay

The Global internet backbone industry analysis paper - Essay Example This essay will examine the global internet backbone industry and how it is organized. Internet is an open worldwide network that helps to interconnect computer networks using a number of standardized protocols in order to allow the exchange of data among them. Internet backbone is used to designate the core physical infrastructure that carries Internet Protocol traffic. The leading players in global internet industry include some big companies, governments, network center internet exchange points and network access points. Internet is both a point-to-point and point-to- multipoint medium: it connects individuals but also speaks to and interacts with vast numbers of people simultaneously (Dwyer, 2010). Internet is provided at first hand by tier 1 which consists of very large network service providers that own their own fiber optic or satellite links across nations and around the world. Many of these tier one companies operate a number of internet service providers that sell services to final users, others focus mostly on the wholesale market, selling bandwidth to tier 2 and tier 3 providers (Castells, 2011). Tier 1 providers have access to the global Internet routing table but do not purchase transit from anyone. Tier 2 Internet service providers buy capacity from tier 1 providers for resale. Tier 2 have networks with a more limited geographical coverage. Most of Tier 2 have their own PoPs and backbone nodes. The customers of Tier 2 internet service providers tend to be final users and they include businesses and households. On the other hand Tier 3 operators that include small internet service providers provide services exclusively to end users and normally they cover a small geographical area. Tier 3 Internet service providers should connect to either Tier 2 or tier 1 provider in order to access the Internet through the latter’s backbones: they may also have to lease their PoP facilities. The industry

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

Management Accounting - Essay Example You should refer in your answer to parts (a) and (b) of the question which should be included in the appendices to the report. In the absorption costing system, all the three products seem to have made a substantial profit (BALAKRISHNAN, SIVARAMAKRISHNAN, & SPRINKLE, 2008, pp56-67). The key issue with absorption costing systems is with timing; fixed manufacturing overhead costs are charged against revenue when units are sold. As seen in (a) above, all manufacturing  overhead costs are included in the  calculation of product unit cost. This forms the basis of the costing system in absorption costing. All of a product’s  manufacturing costs, both variable and fixed,  are said to be ‘absorbed’ by the product. Under absorption costing, a certain amount of  fixed manufacturing overhead cost is applied to each unit of output. As with the case in (a) above, under absorption costing unit manufacturing cost  included direct material, direct labour, applied  v ariable manufacturing overhead and applied  fixed manufacturing overhead. Consequently, when each of the  units is sold the fixed overhead cost per unit is  included in the expense ‘Cost of goods sold’ as shown in the tables above (BALAKRISHNAN, SIVARAMAKRISHNAN, & SPRINKLE, 2008, pp56-67). Therefore, apportioning overheads using absorption costing is profitable for all the three products. On the other hand, we can include only the  variable manufacturing costs in product unit cost  and to treat fixed manufacturing overhead as  a period cost i.e. as an expense on the income  statement as the case in (b) above. This system is known as variable  costing also known as direct costing. We will  now examine affects profit determination (BHATTACHARYYA, 2011, pp45-100). Fixed manufacturing cost is not treated as a product costs under variable costing. Rather, fixed manufacturing cost is treated as a period cost and, like selling and administrative expenses, it is charged off in its entirety against revenue each period. Consequently the cost of a unit of product in inventory or cost of goods sold under this method does not contain any fixed overhead cost (LUCEY, 2003, pp78-89). Under variable costing, all variable costs of production are included in product costs. Thus if the company sells Baltic at 217.25 unit of product, only 217.25 will be deducted as cost of goods sold, and unsold units are carried in the balance sheet inventory account at only 217.25. This realizes a loss of 75.13. This is a result of excluding fixed production costs when costing yet they are part of the total production costs. With variable costing, the total amount of fixed manufacturing overhead cost is  expensed in the current accounting period, irrespective of how many

Research Change Models Essay Example for Free

Research Change Models Essay To make meaningful and long-term change in an organization, an organization needs to follow the guidelines of a change model, a diagnostic instrument, and change intervention. This paper will discuss two change models, two diagnostic instruments, and two change interventions. Change Models The two change models discussed in this paper are Lewin’s Change Model and the Action Research Model. Both of these models give a map on how to create change. Lewin’s model simplifies the process into three steps while the Action Research Model consists of eight steps. Both models three phases: Research phase, changing phase, and solidification phase (Luckett, 2003). Lewin’s Change Model Lewin developed one of the very first models for change management (Luckett, 2003). He stated there are two types of people in an organization; those who resist change and those who strive for change (Luckett, 2003; JPC, 1995; Spector, 2007). He stated the two groups need to be of equal measure to maintain homeostasis (Luckett, 2003; JPC, 1995; Pellettiere, 2006; Spector, 2007). When both groups of people are equal, a frozed state (freeze) is achieved. Lewin (as cited by JPC, 1995) states a driving force is needed to either â€Å"strengthen the driving forces or weaken the restraining forces† to achieve change (para 3). Spector (2007) states, â€Å"to break the social habits that support existing patterns of behaviors, effective implementation needs to start with dissatisfaction, disequilibrium, and discomfort† (p. 29). When one side is strengthened and/or one side is weakened then change (move) can be achieved. During this time, the organization goes through redesign, new roles and responsibilities, and new relationships are made (Spector, 2007). After the change, or movement, is completed, the organization then needs to go back to a state of homeostasis (refreeze). Bridges (2003) echoed Lewin’s three stages to organizational change in his naming of the stages: Ending, losing, letting go; neutral zone, and New Beginning (Bridges, 2003, p. 5 as cited by Stragalas, 2010, p. 31). Lewin’s model with its three steps may be too simplistic for many organizations to achieve change. Without a less ambiguous map, the organization may not be able to sustain change. Action Research Model The Action Research Model consists of eight steps: Problem identification, consultation with behavioral science expert, data gathering and preliminary diagnosis, feedback to key client or group, joint diagnosis of problem, joint action planning, action, and data gathering after collection (Boonstra, 2003; Luckett, 2003). The last five stages can be perpetual. After the last data gathering, the organization should return to â€Å"feedback to key client or group†. Once the feedback is given, the group may want to continue through the next steps. Whereas the diagnosis is completed through the â€Å"unfreeze† in Lewin’s model, in the Action Research model, diagnosis is completed during the â€Å"problem identification, consultation, and data gathering steps† (Luckett, 2003, p. 25). The changing phase for Lewin is the â€Å"move† step. In the Action Research model, the changing phase occurs during the â€Å"feedback, joint diagnosis, action planning, and action steps† (Luckett, 2003, p. 26). In Lewin’s model, the solidified phase takes place during the refreeze. In the Action Research model, solidification takes place during the â€Å"gathering after the action† (Luckett, 2003, p. 26). Moreover, â€Å"the continual process of feedback analysis solidifies the changes as the occur† (Luckett, 2003, p. 27). Unlike the Lewin model, Action Research allows for perpetual analysis that â€Å"facilitates adjustments in the organizations change plan† (Luckett, 2003, p. 28). Diagnostic Instruments Diagnostic instruments, or assessment instruments, are used for data collection and to analyze an organization. Without a proper diagnosis, change is very likely to fail (Pellettiere, 2006). Alderfer (1980) states â€Å"organizational diagnosis proceeds in there orderly phases: entry, data collection, and feedback† (p. 460). The entry phase consists of identifying who will participate in the assessment and if an agreement can be reached (Alderfer, 1980). The data collection phase consists of collecting the information and then analysis of the information (Alderfer, 1980). The feedback phase consists of sharing the results with the organization along with suggestions for the organization (Alderfer, 1980; Preziosi, 2012). The feedback should consist of strengths and weaknesses within the organization (Alderfer, 1980). Salem (2002) states there are three type of assessments: structural assessments, functional assessments, and process assessments. Structural assessments are a snapshot of a specific point in time, functional assessments relates antecedents with actions and outcomes, and process assessments consists of collecting data over an extended period of time (Alderfer, 1980). SWOT Analysis SWOT Anlysis is an acronym which stands for strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995; Boonstra, 2003; Hughes, 2007; Mind Tools, 2012; RapidBI, 2010; Renault, 2012). According to Balamuralikrishna Dugger (1995), a SWOT analysis should cover the internal environment and external environment. In regards to education, the internal environment consists of â€Å"faculty and staff, the learning environment, current students, operating budget, various committees, and research programs† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 13). External environment includes â€Å"propective employers of graduates, parents and families of students, competing schools, population demographics, and funding agencies† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 14). SWOT analysis would be very beneficial to school systems. Understanding an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats assists the organization and their leaders to develop a plan of change that will be meaningful, measurable, and achievable. Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995 give many drawbacks to the SWOT analysis. They warn against misusing information to â€Å"justify a previously decided course of action rather than used as a means to open up new possibilities† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 19). They also warn against being too concerned about labels. For example, in many instances threats can also be considered opportunities depending upon the mindset of the leader and/or organization (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995). Functional Assessment Functional assessments are another diagnostic tool useful to organizations. Functional assessments look at antecedents, behaviors, reasons for the behaviors, and outcomes (Salem, 2002). Antecedents describe what happened before the behavior. The behavior refers to how a person(s) or organization responded to the antecedent. The next question one must ask is â€Å"why did the person(s)/organization act this way?† There are several reasons a person or organization responds the way they do. However, there are only a few categories for any given behavior: attention, avoidance/escape, and control/tangible (McConnell, Cox, Thomas, Hilvitz, 2001). Finding the reasoning behind a behavior can be very important in overcoming a behavior/resistance to change or to repeat desirable behaviors to change. Problems associated with functional assessments often revolve around lack of direction. What does the organization do with this data? Functional assessments should be followed by goals. Goa ls are long-term change for an organization. To achieve their goals, organizations need to develop short-term wins, also called objectives. Change Interventions Change interventions are the â€Å"planned programmatic activities aimed at bringing changes in an organization† (Sadhu, 2009, para. 1). Interventions are detailed maps to help an organization achieve its long-term change. Aligning Reward Systems through Objectives Objectives are a road map to achieving an organizations long-term goal. Objectives need to be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (Morrison, 2010). As employees or other stakeholders meet objectives, a reward system should be set in place. The reward system needs to be appropriate and balanced with regard to the objective and motivate the organization to meet the objective(s) by the deadline. Problems with reward systems include over compensating, under compensating, and the reward not being meaningful to the recipient (Cole, Harris, Bernerth, 2006; Morrison, 2010; Nevis, Melnick, Nevis, 2008; Sadhu, 2009. Polarity Management Intervention Morrison (2010) states there are benefits of embracing resistance. He states embracing resistance can speed up the change process, help build strong relationships, help all stakeholders to meet some of their own personal goals, and keeping leaders from â€Å"taking untimely or foolish action† (Morrison, 2010, para. 22). Johnson (1992) developed a table with four quadrants to â€Å"depict change initiators and resisters† for both individuals and teams. Using this table helps organizations to see the whole picture, understanding where individuals and the organization as a whole is at this time and how to get it individuals and teams from polar opposites to common ground so change can be made (Morrison, 2010). Downsides to Polarity Management Intervention include loosing individual creativity and freedom as well as neglect of personal needs (Morrison, 2010). References Aderfer, C.P. (1980). The methodology of organizational diagnosis. Professional Psychology, 11(3), 459-468. doi:10.0033-0175/80/1103-0459. Balamuralikrishna, R., Dugger, J.C. (1995). SWOT analysis: A management tool for initiating new programs in vocational schools. Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, 12(1), 5 pages. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVTE/v12n1/Balamuralikrishna.htm. Boonstra, J. (2003). Dynamics of organizational change and learning. Chichester: Wiley. Cole, M.S., Harris, S.G., Bernerth, J.B. (2006). Exploring the implications of vision, appropriateness, and execution of organizational change. Leadership Organization Development Journal, 27(5), 352-367. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437730610677963. Holt, D.T. (2002). Readiness for change: The development of a scale. Ph.D. dissertation, Auburn University, Alabama. ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. (Publication No. AAT 3070767. Huges, M. (2007). The tools and techniques of cha nge management. Journal of change management, 7(1), 37-49. doi: 10.1080/14697010309435. JPC (1995). An ethical, means based, approach to organizational change. JPC Media LLC. Retrieved from www.jpcmediallc.com. Linkage (2012). Diagnostic instruments and assessments. Linkage. Retrieved from linkageasia.com/our-leadership-consulting-expertise/diagnostic-instruements-assessments/ Luckett, M.T. (2003). Organizational change and development. (Unpublished dissertation). Walden University, Minneapolis, MN. McConnell, M.E., Cox, C.J., Thomas, D.D., Hilvitz, P.B. (2001). Functional

Design and Build Procurement Method

Design and Build Procurement Method If the potential readers of this dissertation within the Middle East region are going to get a better appreciation of the Design and Build procurement method, initially they must understand the advantages and/or disadvantages of this type of procurement method from both the Clients and Contractors perspective. 4.2 Arguments for Design Build Both Ndekugri and Turner (1994) argue that the Design and Build contract is often completed in a shorter duration because of the integration of the design and construction phases of a project. From a Clients perception this is one of the most important benefits this type of arrangement has to offer. Because the design/build Contractor is both designing and constructing the proposed facility, procurement and the construction phase can begin sooner than the more traditional design/bid/ and then build type of procurement arrangement. This time savings tends to results from the project being designed in phases which enables the Contractor to begin the construction works earlier. With the traditional design/bid/ construction arrangement, the Contractor does not normally start building until the Designer has completed the design and the project has been awarded. Both Saxon (2000) and the RICS Iconsult (no date) support this argument; both agree that one of the main benefits of this Design and Build arrangement is that it tends to reduce the design and construction time because they are being done concurrently and allows the Client to start earning revenue sooner than had he elected to use the traditional procurement method. According to Ndekugri and Turner (1994) another important benefit of the DB procurement method is the broad responsibility of the design/build Contractor. In traditional construction projects, problems often occur when the Designer blames the Contractor and vice versa for problems in the operation of the facility. On occasions in traditional construction projects, protracted litigation is necessary to resolve any dispute between the Designer and Contractor when they continue to blame each other for the problems. In design/build contracts, the Design and Build Contractor is responsible for both the design and construction of the project and retains the full responsibility for the outcome of the project, except for matters for which the Client retains responsibility. The Designer and Contractor are the same entity, so blaming each other does not excuse the Design and Build Contractor. The design/build Contractor is completely responsible for both construction and design defects. The Cl ient can recover directly from the design/build Contractor for deficiencies in either design or construction of the project. Therefore, the Client need not determine initially whether a defect was caused by an error in design or construction. In a more traditional construction contract, this issue must be determined so that the Client can establish whether the design professional or the Contractor is at fault. Haskell (no date) believes that another benefit of the Design and Build arrangement is that where the design and construction personnel work together and communicate and solve problems as a team, the Client will benefit from the continuity between Designer and Contractor. In a Design and Build project the same entity has the expertise to design the project as well as the expertise to build the project. Therefore they are unlikely to suffer communication problems, and because they are working as a team, they are better able to optimize the design and better able to evaluate alternative materials and construction methods efficiently. In addition to this, the RICS Iconsult (no date) believes that because the design team and the Contractor are working together as a team, the design is more likely to be buildable. Hughes (1992) argues that Design Build offers a high degree of cost certainty, encourages economical solutions, and enables value to be considered as well as price. The RICS Iconsult (no date) agrees with Hughes, and confirm that providing that the Client does not change their design brief, the Design and Build procurement method is more cost effective and provides more cost certainty than the traditional methods of procurement. Shapiro Hankinson Knutson Law Corporation (no date) also believes that another favourable feature of this arrangement, is that the design/build Contractor is liable for any additional cost that he may incur due to errors, omissions or ambiguities in his drawings and/or specification. In traditional contracts the Client warrants the sufficiency of the specification and drawings, and the Client becomes liable to the Contactor for any increased costs because of deficiencies in the drawings and specifications. In a design/build contract, the design/build Contractor is responsible for design as well as construction. The situation minimises claims for extra payment and the design/build Contractor cannot request extra compensation on account of their own mistakes or assumptions. In some instance, the design/build concept has been taken a step further, thus providing the Client with more options and/or advantages. For example, the design/build Contractor, might offer a turnkey procurement solution, this generally means that they will offer the Client a full package which includes the testing and commissioning of the facility, as well as the training of the Clients staff in the operation of the facility. The concept is that when the facility is finished and ready for handing over, all the Client has to do is turn the key. In some instances the design/build Contractor may also include in their proposal a financing deal for the project. Alternatively the design/build Contractor may offer a BOLT type arrangement i.e. they will build the project, then they will operate the facility for a given amount of time, in consideration for this, the Client will then leases the facility for the defined term and cost, then after the expiry of the term, the ownership of the fa cility is then transferred back to the Client. Schiff Hardin LLP (ii) (no date) argues that only with design/build contracts, is the Client able to obtain performance warranties because the Designer and Contractor are not in a position to blame each other because technically they are a single entity. For example it is common for the design/build Contractor to warrant that a proposed facility when completed will yield a predetermined output (e.g. process 2000 cans of coke per hour). This requirement can then be linked to the liquidated damages clause in the event that the output falls short of the predetermined output for the facility. According to the RICS Iconsult (no date), because the Design and Build Contractor has total responsibility, there will be less claims from the Contractor for the late delivery of information, particularly design information. In most design/build contracts, the contract price is fixed price/lump sums, this gives the Client some degree of price certainty. In summary, some of the proclaimed advantage of the design/build procurement include inter alia:- (i) Clients with limited access to technical consultants or their own in-house technical departments may find such contracts attractive. Similarly it is also perceived that because the design/build Contractor is responsible for design, and construction inclusive of quality, the Client will benefit from the reduced cost of third party inspectorates and contract administration, However you could argue that this is an disadvantage to the Client, because at the end of the day, Contractors and design consultants are profit driven and this situation could lead to a compromise in the quality of the project; (ii) Because the design and construction are integrated and the personnel are working together for a common goal. They are better able to optimise the Design and Build ability of a project. They are better able to evaluate alternative materials and methods of construction. Innovation and team work should result in cost savings. This could be construed to be a disadvantage to the Client, especially if all the innovation occurs during the design development stage, because it is generally only the DB Contractor that will get to see benefits for the cost savings at this stage of a project; (iii) The design/build Contractor is a single-point and both the Designer and builder are jointly and severally liable and/or responsible; (iv) In the event of a latent defect and/or litigation by the Client, the joint financial resources of a design/build Contractor will be greater than those of the individual Designer and builder; (v) Most design/build arrangements will tend to be lump sum in nature, meaning that they will usually offer greater certainty in respect of cost to the Client; (vi) Payment by fixed instalments at certain milestone stages, rather than by evaluation method, may be preferential to both Design/Builder and/or Client; (vii) In the event of a post-completion failure of the project, the Client will not be concerned to discover whether the failure is due to the design on the one hand or defective work or materials on the other; viii) From the design/ build Contractors perspective, due to the increase in risk that is inherent of a Design and Build contract, the reward will be greater i.e. more profit. However with more risk, comes more pain when things go wrong for a Design and Build Contractor; ix) From the perspective of a Design and Build Contractor, due to the specialised nature of a Design and Build arrangement, not all Contractors have the required skill set to undertake projects with the design responsibility. The consequence of this is less competition. However, from a Clients perspective this could be a disadvantage because of the likely hood of higher prices due to the reduction in competition; x) There is no need to wait until the design is 100% complete, therefore the Client will benefit from the speed at which the design gets translated into construction; xi) Theoretically there should be less of an involvement by the Clients consultants, therefore the fees from Consultants should be less. 4.3 Arguments against Design Build Clients should stop thinking that Design and Build arrangements need less input from third parties than the traditional method. Some Clients believe that because they have appointed a design/build Contractor who ultimately has a single point of responsibility, there is no need to appoint a third party inspectorate and/or cost advisor. This belief can compromise the quality of the project, as the Design and Build Contractor will attempt to complete the project as cheaply and quickly as possible. Schiff Hardin LLP (i) (no date) argues that because the Designer is no longer employed directly by the Client, the Client may find it more difficult to access information that would have ordinarily been available to them under a traditional project. The Client may feel that he has less control over the design phase and design intent because the relationship between Designer and Client is not the same had it been in a more traditional project. Similarly the Client in a traditional contract retains the services of the Designer during the construction phase to act as a watch dog for compliance with the drawings and specification. But in a Design and Build contract, the Designer no longer works for the Client and the Designer allegiance is with the DB Contractor Hanscomb (2004) confirms that one of the disadvantages of a Design and Build arrangement, is that disputes often occur when the Employer Requirements are not specific enough and left open to the interpretation of the parties. As a result the Client may perceive that he is getting X, but the design/build Contractors interpretation is Y. As a result the Client may not get what they envisaged. This may also lead to litigation if the parties cannot mutually resolve the difference in interpretation of the Employers Requirements. As confirmed before and by Schiff Hardin LLP (i) (no date), due to the specialised nature of the Design and Build arrangement, the Client may find it difficult to obtain competitive quotations. In addition, this form of procurement method quite often excludes smaller companies who do not necessary have the in-house technical ability to undertake a Design and Build. It is also common for design/build contracts to negotiated rather than be competitively bid because Clients tend to find it difficult to induce Contractors to produce preliminary designs unless they are compensated for their costs. All of these factors could be construed as a disadvantage to the Client because they may not get value for money. Appelbaum et al (2012) argues that the principal disadvantage of traditional Design and Build is that the owner loses control of the design process, since the design professionals primary legal and practical allegiance is to the design-builder rather than the owner. This can create severe conflicts of interest during both the design phase and construction administration. From a design/build Contractors perspective and especially in a competitive tender situation, they are at risk of spending a substantial amount of money on a preliminary design and/or concepts and there is no certainty if they will recover this cost. From a Client perspective they could be perceived as an advantage in a competitive bidding situation because they do not need to compensate the Contractors for their preliminary design costs. It is also commonly believed that it is almost impossible to make any genuine appraisal and/or comparison of the cost of a competitively bid Design and Build tender, especially where their designs differ significantly. Schiff Hardin LLP (no date) maintains that if a Client puts a Design and Build tender out to bid, this inevitably results in a competition to under-design a facilitate without any regard to quality, functionality, and maintainability. It could also be argued that where both the design/build Contractor and Clients lack experience in this type of delivery approach, this could have a huge detrimental impact on the delivery of the project and the expectations of the parties. In other words, if a naive Client and/or DB Contractor believes that the other party is responsible for any deliverable associated with the project, and later it transpires they are not, then an unexpected cost might arise that was not anticipated. Rowlinson (1988) also argues that from the Clients perspective, it is difficult to make a comparison of the various preliminary design proposals submitted by Design and Build Contractors. Each Design and Build Contractor will each develop a concept design that satisfies the Employers Requirements albeit using lots of different methods and/or techniques. According to the RICS (no date), from the perspective of a Design and Build Contractor, the extent of the design responsibility is generally fitness for purposes unless the contract states otherwise. This is more onerous than the normal duty of reasonable skill and care imposed on a design consultant when they are employed by the Client in the traditional role. Conversely, and in my opinion, from the perspective of the Client, this could be construed to be an advantage in the event of a design defect. During the course of this study, it has become evident that here in the Middle East, a Contractor and/or Designer is generally only registered with the concerned authorities to either undertake construction works or design works. It is rare for one entity to be registered to undertake both work classification i.e. designer and builder. Therefore for any organisation that wants to participate in the Design and Build field, they will have to form a consortium of Designer and Contractor; which can be a lengthy and complicated process for the parties, especially when they attempt to agree who has responsibility for each risk and which entity is best equipped to handle the risk. Unless the Client incorporates a mechanism in the contract that gives them the opportunity to have an input into the detailed design, the Clients input into the detailed design will be limited and this may result in the finished article not being as they previously envisaged, which then could then lead to disputes. Conversely, and again in my opinion, if the Client employs a Designer to carry out the detailed design and then by novation, the Client transfers the design liability to the Design and Build Contractor, this could result in higher costs for the Client. This could also have a detrimental effect on the ability of the Design and Build Contractor to optimise the design and construction of the project and to evaluate the merits of alternative materials and construction methods. Schiff Hardin LLP (i) (no date) also believes that from the perspective of the Client, the terms of a Design and Build contract generally favour the Design and Build Contractor. Therefore it is recommended that any Client thinking of using the design and built procurement methods should work closely with a lawyer experienced in construction law and in particular the Design and Build contracts. Conversely, and again in my opinion, the Design and Build contract will generally consider this to be an advantage because the terms of the contract are in their favour. Shapiro Hankinson Knutson Law Corporation (no date) argues that under a lump sum Design and Build arrangement, it can get confrontational on how to determine what money is due to the Design and Build Contractor. The main difficulty is the ability to assess the design/builders progress, particularly where there is no independent party that can arbitrate between the parties and make independent assessment. To overcome this problem it is suggested that milestones stone be incorporated into any contract together with a predetermined sum for payment when the respective milestone are achieved. Generally the Design and Build Contractor will prepare a document to accompany his tender known as the Contractors Proposals. This document sets out his methodology of how they intend to satisfy the performance specifications set out in the Employer Requirements. The Joint Tribunal Council in the UK (2008) warns Clients that in the event of conflict between the Employers Requirements and the Contractors Proposals, the latter are stated to prevail. They further advise Clients that when evaluating tenders, adequate time must be given to checking these proposals, particularly as the contract conditions refer to the Employer having satisfied himself that the Contractors Proposals are acceptable. Similarly the Client should allow adequate time for checking the proposals to ensure that they are getting what they envisaged. Conversely, this could be looked upon as an advantage to the Client, for the DB Contractor may have optizmed the Employers Requirements by introducing innovation and ben eficial alternatives and methods into the Contractors Proposals. An Unknown Author (no date) argues that another disadvantage of the Design and Build contract is that it is not flexible enough to accommodate change. Therefore Clients are advised, that they should avoid change. If is often found that when foreseen and/or unforeseen changes occur, the Clients budget cannot accommodate the additional costs and they are left with no alternative but to either reduce the scope of works and/or comprise on the quality of the project in order to reduce cost. This will inevitably lead to a product that is not what the Client envisaged at the start of the project. Schiff Hardin (ii) (no date) wrote that issues relating to insurance and bonding affect the relationship between the Design and Build parties. Errors and omissions by the Designer are generally excluded from the Contractors insurance policies, and errors and omissions by the Contractor is generally exclude from the insurance policies of the Designer. Surety bonds can also lead to similar problems, for example, performance bonds may not cover design services. Satisfactory bonding or insurance obligations are likely to be either commercially unobtainable or prohibitively expensive. In summary, some of the proclaimed disadvantage of the design/build procurement method include inter alia:- (i) In the traditional Design and Build situation, only if the Client employs third party inspectorates and/or cost advisors at his expense will he be able to safe guard his interests. By doing this, and in my opinion. this appears to be at odds with the concept of a Design and Build contract i.e. the Design and Build Contractor is a single entity that are jointly and severally responsible for both defects in design and workmanship. (ii) Because of the specialist nature of the Design and Build contract, there are only a limited number of Design and Build Contractor that are capable of undertaking work using this arrangement. This consequently results in less competition and ultimately less competition will result in higher prices (iii) From the Clients perspective, compared with the traditional design/bid and construct arrangement, the Client inevitably loses control of both the design and construction phase. Even if they were to engage independent advisors, they have limited influence over the whole process; all they can do is monitor for compliance with the Employers Requirements. (iv) It has been suggested that where it has been possible to compare both forms of delivery methods i.e. Design and Build verse design/bid and the construct; there was little evidence that the optimisation of design and the evaluation of alternative materials and methods of construction have yielded a cost saving for the Client. In my opinion all benefits that occur due to the innovative ideas generally occur post contract and the cost benefits remain with the Design and Build Contractor (v) Particular attention should be given to the drafting of design/build contracts and Employer Requirements because of it bespoke nature. The Client should seek legal advice particularly from a construction lawyer who are well versed in the field of Design and Build projects. This legal advice invariably increases the total cost of the project for the Client. (vi) Where Clients elect to competitively tender a Design and Build project, from the Contractors perspective, the cost of preparing preliminary designs and the tender are generally substantial because the Contractor will have to engage the services of a design professional. This cost will need to be recovered in all subsequent tenders if the Contractor is not successful. In some instances, some Design and Build Contractors will decline to bid and this will unavoidably result in a less competitive environment. vii) Where the Client has elected to appoint a Designer to undertake a relatively detailed design. After which the Client decides to novate both the Designer and their design to the Design and Build Contractor. From a Contractors perspective, this will limit their ability to optimise the design and construction as well as review alternative methods and materials. Conversely from the Clients perspective, he regains control over the design and construction phase of the project. viii) All Clients have a duty to conduct some investigation into the capabilities and experience of the Design and Build Contractor. Particular attention should be paid to the track record of the preferred Contractors. Design and Build Contractors who are relatively new to this form of delivery method can themselves become a problem because of their lack of experience. Wardani et al. (2006) concluded that resourcing is influential to the success of design/build projects where a higher knowledge and understanding of the design-build processes can reduce problems within the combined design and construction phases ix) The Client should where possible avoid changes once the concept design and tenders have been fully evaluated and the Design and Build Contractor has been appointed. If required, any decision for change should be made as quickly as possible. Xiao and Proverbs (2003) argue that variations during the construction stage are risk factors that are disruptive to the achievement of project goals. 4.4 Outcome As stated in 1.4, the objective of this chapter was to critically analyse the benefits of Design and Build procurement method. Having looked at various sources of literature from books, internet websites and journals regarding the Design and Build procurement method, the writer believes that this has been achieved. The next chapter of the report will attempt to ascertain the feelings and attitudes of the construction professionals in the Middle East region to the Design and Build procurement method and to gauge whether there is a future for this procurement method. Chapter 5: Design and Build Case Study 5.1 Introduction To gauge the knowledge, feelings and attitudes of the construction professionals in the Middle East to the Design and Build form of procurement. A survey has been conducted using a 5 page questionnaire (See Appendix xxxxx for a blank copy of the survey). A covering letter accompanied the questionnaire setting out the objective of the study. The response rate to this Questionnaire was a favourable 62%. As stated in 2.6 on this report, the data received from the respondents was collated and analysed using the descriptive statistic method. Bar charts and/or histograms accompanied with the corresponding narrative have been used to present some of the data gathered from the respondents. Questions 1 to 4 Inclusive Initially a series of participant background questions were asked of the respondents, particularly where they lived within the Middle East, and what discipline best described their role in the industry i.e. construction management, commercial. Furthermore, the respondents were asked how many years had they been in the industry, and which sector of the industry they preferred. Approximately 60% of the respondents had been in the industry for more than 20 years. 63% of the respondents favoured the sector of roads and bridges. The respondents all came from a variety of disciplines i.e. 32% from a construction management background, 23% from a commercial background and 14% from a consultants background. With reference to Fig 6 below, 56% respondents respondent came from the Sultanate of Oman, 24% from the United Arab emirates, 4% from Kuwait, 8% from Bahrain, 4% from Saudi Arabia, 4% from Qatar. The purpose of these questions was to ensure that the data provided by the respondents was re liable and could be construed to be representative of the industry in the Middle East region as set out in the objectives contained in 1.4 of this report. Questions 5 to 7 The next series of question was intended to gather data on the type and nature of the organisations that the respondents work for. Again, the purpose of these questions was to ensure and verify that the respondents all came from diverse background and /or disciplines and/or organisations. With reference to Fig 7 below, 25% of the respondents came from a consultants backgrounds and 63% came from a variety of contracting backgrounds, 4% came from developers and 8% came from other sectors within the construction industry. Questions 8 to 13 inclusive To test my preconception that the traditional form of construction procurement method is the most extensively used in the Middle East, and to test peoples attitudes to the various types of procurement methods. The respondents were asked a number of quantitative questions i.e. Q8 Which procurement method did their current project follow? Q9 Which procurement method had they used the most extensively? Q 10 Which procurement method did they prefer? Q 11 Which procurement method did they think is the most extensively used in the region? Q 12 Which one of the Design and Build procurement methods did they want to gain further experience? Q 13 Which procurement method was used the most extensively within the respondents organisation? The surprising result of the data collected for Q8, was that 21% of the respondents confirmed that their current project had followed the Design and Build procurement method. This result is not too dissimilar to Handscomb (2004) findings detailed on page 11 of this report i.e. the use of Design and Build had grown to more than 30% today. The result to question 8 is also in line with the Contracts in Use 2007 Survey undertaken by RICS for the United Kingdom i.e. 21.7% of contracts were procured using the DB procurement method just for the economical down turn. However, this response was contrary to the writers preconception of how extensive the Design and Build procurement method is currently being used in the region. The writer was not expecting the actual use of the Design and Build method of procurement to be so high. The writers preconception was more in line with the results gained from Q11 (see Figure 8 below) i.e. 92% of the respondents believed that the traditional method of procurement was the most extensively used in the region with only 4% of the respondents saying that the Design and Build method was the most extensively used. The factual 21% of projects currently following the Design and Build procurement method (Q8) and the perceived 4% use of the design and built (Q11) is completely at variance with each other, thus indicting that people are not as narrow minded as previously thought, and are more open minded than to the use of alternative procurement methods in the Middle East region, particularly Design and Build. With reference to Fig. 9 below, it was also surprising to see that 44% of the respondents favoured Design and Build method of procurement, and 40% favoured the traditional method of procurement (Q10). Again this response was not in line with the writers hypothesis that professionals in the region are not open to change and other forms of procurement methods other than the traditional construction procurement methods. In response to Q13, 83% of the respondents confirmed that the traditional method of procurement was the most extensively used procurement method by their organisation and 14% confirmed Design and Build. When compared to the answers given in Q10, it could be argued that it is the Employers in the region that are comfortable with the status quo and are not willing to consider change, the answers given by the respondents to Q10 would suggest that there is an appetite for change amongst the workers as they favoured the Design and Build procurement method. Questions 14 to 20 In order to gauge the attitudes of the respondents to the various procurement methods available, the respondents were asked which procurement method was most suited to a particular sector of the construction industry (See Results in Table 1 below). With reference to Table 1 above, the majority of the respondents favoured the Design and Build contract over the traditional form of procurement in all but one scenario. Again these results are at variance to the writers preconceived ideas of people attitudes to the Design and Build procurement method in the Middle East. These result indicate that construction professional in the Middle East are in fact open to the idea of new procurement methods and in particular the Design and Build. This is contrary to the hypothesis contained in 1.2 of the report. Question 21 88% of the respondents confirmed that they had gained some form of experience with the Design and Build procurement method, and only 12% had gained no experience at all (See Figure 10 below). This appears to reinforce the emerging idea that construction professionals in the Middle East would indeed be open to using different procurement methods in the region. Question 22 to 24 inclusive

The Cultural Imperialism Thesis

The Cultural Imperialism Thesis In contemporary society, globalization has become an inevitable trend of the development. In 1985, Theodre Levitt first proposes the concept of globalization; it is used to describe the changes and development in the global economy. Since then, the concept of globalization gradually blends into other scientific areas and it rapidly becomes a popular topic in academia. Compared to the disputes on economic and political level, the conflicts of culture are more subtle and more profound. Tomlison (1997) points out that due to the imbalance of economic strength, accordingly, in cultural domain it is divided into dominant and vulnerable, that is the reason why cultural imperialism has been proposed. Therefore, maintaining the independence of their own culture in the exchanges of globalization has become the reason people questioned the cultural globalization. As Lechner (2012, p. 340) confirms that Modern media are carriers of globalization, global cultures are spreading through the media, such as the Internet and satellite television, it is the media which can turn the planet into a global village and make people feel closer than ever before. With the advancement of media and cultural globalization process, recent developments in this field have led to a renewed interest in whether the cultural imperialism thesis can be regarded as a way to understand media globalization, and it has been a controversial and much disputed subject in present society. This essay begins by tracing back some debates and the history about media globalization and then it will go on to demonstrate an understanding of the cultural imperialism and the key elements of it. After explaining some main critiques of the cultural imperialism thesis, this paper seeks to prove that as an increasing number of countries gradually recognize that it is important to protect and develop their local culture, the cultural imperialism thesis seems to be an unsuitable way to understand media globalization in the current international environment. Media Globalization Most scholars believe that globalization must be associated with media and communications, the definition of globalization indirectly acknowledged this point. Giddens (1990, p. 64 cited in Sreberny-Mohammadi, 2000, p. 118) defines globalization as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. What exactly links the distant localities? The answer will be the media. Due to the progress of media technology, the contact and communication between people from different places becomes more convenient, as Jameson (1998, p. 55) points out that globalization is a communicational concept, which alternately masks and transmits cultural or economic meanings. It is McLuhan (1964) who first recognise the role of media, although he proposes the term global village which seems to be a negative way to understand globalization. His merit is to illustrate the effect of com munication technologies in our social life. Referring to media globalization, it seems that the development of it can be grouped into different historical periods by three significant forms of mediums. To begin with, distances are no longer barriers to transnational communication because of the emergence of the telegraph. According to Thompson (1995), it was cable networks which connect Europe with China, Australia and South America, making mega mass audiences get information around the world. In the second place, Tomlinson (2004) states that the industrialized countries had been linked by satellite television. It had broken through the time and space limitations so that worldwide audiences can sit in front of televisions and watch the same events or soap operas at the same time. More exactly, that is the reason why teleplays like Dallas can be widely spread. Finally, as modern technology is advancing at a rapid speed, as a media carrier the internet has completely changed the way p eople get information. It brings information from different nations and diverse areas of the world to the individual computers or laptops. The performances of media globalization can be partitioned into three aspects. Firstly, as an important representation of the diverse national economy and culture, media products are spreading across the globe. People just need to press some buttons on the remote control or keyboard and then they will be able to access the media products they want from almost any country via satellite television or online media, such as news, TV programs and soap operas. As for many Chinese young people, they concern about Western technology news to learn about the latest electronic products, their mp3 players are playing the popular songs of Lady Gaga and Adele; American TV series are their favourites, such as Vampire Diaries and The Big Bang Theory. Media globalization means not only the dissemination of media products, but also the promotion of media commercialization which is becoming the universal media form. That is to say besides the media productions themselves; the proliferation of Western m edia form includes the type and form of programs and professional points and convention. Take Chinese TV program as an example, media studio buys overseas manufacture model and then transform the program to fit the viewing habits of Chinese audiences. Chinas Got Talent is the most successful case which comes from Britains Got Talent; it has recorded audience rating for three times. The second aspect of media globalization is the dominant position of transnational media company and market. The merger and acquisition of media companies have produced the large-scale media group; for instance, the seven main global media giants which are Disney, AOL Time Warner, Sony, News Corporation, Viacom, Vivendi and Bertelsmann (McChesney, 2000). Assisted by the supranational strength and nation-state strength, these media groups sweep across the globe through various technologies and agencies. Since the nation is no longer the provider of media service, the restrictions are released in media ownership and broadcast communications domain. Globalization embodied in terms of ownership structure, production, distribution and consumption of new transnational media systems. Through mergers and acquisitions, the media system which used to have distinctive national characteristics is becoming related to multinational media groups. Similarly, the production and consumption of media, such as film and advertising production and consumption has been globalized as well. Take Thomson Reuters as an example, since Canadian media giant Thomson Corporation merged with the British Reuters Group; it has become the biggest global financial information provider and the new company surpasses the majority of other competitors (BBC, 2007). Lastly, transnational media are dominated by global and regional production centres, and the information, productions and representations created by it are flowing through digital communication networks. In the meantime, the counter-flow exist restrictedly, the ruling media assimilates the contents and patterns of media from other countries selectively. Such as film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a story from China, but it is made by Hollywood. Similarly, the story of animation film Mulan which created by Disney is based on Chinese history. Although the culture and resources are taken from Chinese, the expression is global, and the producer remains a company of the United States. The essence of cultural imperialism Before discussing on the essence of cultural imperialism thesis, I attempt to explore some key elements primarily. Media: McQuail (1994) claims that the media is a window for people to see the outside world, a guide to help the public understand mass experiences, a platform or a truck to transfer information. However, McLuhan (1964) did not agree with the idea that the media is only regarded as a tool for carrying materials or information, in his view, the medium is the message. Every emergence of new media, no matter what the specific contents spread, the media form itself brings some information to human society and it may make some kinds of social changes. McLuhan (1964, p. 7) further explains that the personal and social consequences of any medium-that is, of any extension of ourselves-result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology. The aim he raises the proposition the medium is the message is to remind people that the impacts caused by any media are more remarkable than their specific contents. In other words, what medi a can transmit is far more than the specific content; he tries to draw peoples attention off from the content to the media itself. McLuhan (1964) also highlights that media are the extension of man, users of media also are the contents of media because they are creating contents, in particular the users of the Internet. In his view, Internet users differ from other media consumers; no matter what they do on the Internet they always create contents. People are owners who can actively manage media and give orders. In the cultural imperialism thesis, the media establish connections between developed countries and developing countries, it can be separated into two categories, one is the productions of print media, television, radio and film; the other is consumer goods such as Coca Cola, McDonald. Through these approaches, Western countries can spread the information which they want to convey around the world. Media culture: Since the media play an increasingly important role in peoples daily lives, contemporary society is integrally entering into the media society, media and cultural communication has become a normal and major landscape for general public. In the concept of cultural imperialism, media culture is a culture of consumerism; the centre of it is capitalist values. Sklair (2012) proposes that there is a definite link between consumerism and global capitalist system which controlled by the capitalist multinational corporation in the 20th century. The special mission for global capitalist system in the third world is to promote consumerism and to allow consumers indirectly considering their consumption ability with overlooking their own productive capacity. For instance, developing countries import commercial television and programs from developed countries, transmitting western TV series, horror films, detective stories and cowboy movies, making people face a world which may hav e passed for years or did not exist in their real lives. Such media productions have a detrimental influence upon people in developing countries, eroding the national identities, restraining peoples creativity and spirit of participation.   Imperialist countries: Western developed countries, especially the United States. Nonetheless there are merely few numbers of these countries. After years of capitalist operations, they possess the majority of the worlds resources and accumulate enormous wealth which results in the unbalanced development of the world. Schiller (1991) confirms that they own not only hard power in political, economic and military domains but also cultural soft power which is preponderant as well. Developing countries: most of these countries had been independent after World War II; they fell behind the western developed countries in political, economic, military and cultural fields. It can be said that they are still depending based on the economy of developed countries. In terms of developed countries, the developing countries are huge consumer markets which they can instil Western culture and values and get benefits from. Control: Western countries heavily impact developing countries by making use of cultural imperialism; it is best characterized by settling differences with other nations and preserving from violation or infraction. Essentially, the core of cultural imperialism is Western countries, the circulation of global media productions shows an obvious imbalance-they circulate in one-way flow from western countries to the rest of the world (Varis, 1974). Due to the fact that Western countries control media systems and products, cultural imperialism enables third world countries make their economic, social, and political policies and public values similar to western standards. As a result, it seems that the five elements of the cultural imperialism thesis can be integrated in a structure chart: Transmitter à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â€š ¬ Imperialist countries à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ Communicating content à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â€š ¬ Media culture (culture of consumerism) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ Channels of communication à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â€š ¬ media à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ Audiences à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â€š ¬ Developing countries à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ Communicating effect à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â€š ¬ Cultural globalization Schiller (1976) stresses that cultural imperialism is not an isolated phenomenon; it is a part of the modern imperialism process. It has several practical characteristics in three aspects. First of all, the powerful countries in the economic domain, based on their powerful economic and capital strength, expand their economic, political and cultural influences to the rest of the world through the market. It results in a dominated and dependent relationship between the developed capitalist countries (especially the United States and Western European countries) and the developing countries (the Third World countries, such as countries in South America, Asia, and Africa). The products and fashion styles of developed countries propagate to other countries through the market, it may lead to specific patterns of demand and consumption, so that cultural values, attitudes and behaviours of developed countries can be consolidated and supported. Furthermore, cultural imperialism is an expansion of cultural values, that is to say dominating global culture through products or commodities which contain cultural values. In recent years, the Western national export cultural products to developing countries and make them accept their values, this causes the invasions in cultural survival and development areas in developing countries. For example, although China is one of the net exporters of films besides the United States (Morley, 2006), in the film market of Chinese mainland, the domestic films are heavily impacted by Hollywood films. Whenever Hollywood blockbusters like Transformers: Dark of the Moon is showing at major cinemas, the box offices of the Chinese domestic films in the same period are always poor. Since Chinese has been aware of the cultural soft power stands for a countrys overall image, one of the departments of authority called State Administration of Radio, Film and Television take several measures to support do mestic movies, such as the month of home-made films protection. That means each year, in a relatively settled time, there is only few import films, almost all of the films shown in cinema are domestic. Although this is done to protect the domestic films, this approach still causes controversy. While confronting these impacts, developing countries not only face the threat of industrial colonization form, but also face a lack of creativity of the cultural industry. Finally, cultural imperialism achieves cultural expansion through the dissemination of information products. In contemporary society, the strong cultures of western countries come to pervade peoples daily lives by means of mass media and popular cultural products such as radio, television, advertising, pop music, popular culture. Take the United States culture as an example; it permeates almost every aspect of our daily lives. A new Hollywood blockbuster could always start a watching boom around us; The pop music of American superstars such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna is playing among most Chinese pubs and shopping malls; an increasing number of young people become fans of the US TV series; and the NBA show is an eternal topic for basketball enthusiasts. Main critiques of the cultural imperialism With the continuous development of the globalization process and rise of audience studies, as the person who first proposes the cultural imperialism thesis, Schiller meets enormous challenges from other scholars. Especially after the end of the Cold War, the cultural imperialism thesis has caused more controversies. To begin with, there are increasing numbers of theorists recognizing that the international communication process is a complex structure, the one-way flow explains of cultural imperialism oversimplifies this complex process of information flow. According to Cunningham (1996), media globalization is no longer a one-way flow of media and cultural products from the western countries to the rest of the world. In recent years, India has become to a major out-sourcing exporter, movies made by Bollywood have aroused extensive concerns. For instance, as one of the most popular movies, 3 idiots has evoked worldwide repercussions. BBC (2010) reports that it has broken records for Indian films in the US, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Fiji and Kenya. In the American well-known film website IMDB, this film wins a score as high as 8.2 points; in Rotten tomatoes, there are 92% of the audiences thinking that it is worth watching. In addition, the rise of Korean popular culture has aroused the w idespread interest not only in the Asian countries, but also in the Western countries. In a lecture of the University of Leicester, the professor takes Girls Generation which created by S.M. Entertainment as an example to illustrate popular culture. These examples showed that global media and cultural propagation is a multi-directional flow process. Secondly, the communication process is a complex structure, there is no definite uniformity between encoding and decoding, and the similar information can be decoded by the different audiences in different ways. That means audiences in the Third World may selectively accept information and values which made by western media corporations. Tomlinson (1997) criticizes that using media imperialism expresses the cultural imperialism thesis is not proven. He believes that the media is neutral; and it is just an intermediary of the communication process, it is neither a kind of ideology nor the core of modern culture. He also notes that audiences should not be regarded as passive receptacles of media productions; they cannot be dominated by media. Schiller (1991) concurs and further explains that there are a part of active audiences, they understand the information in their own ways, by their own judgment, most importantly, their understanding considered to have significance in cultural heg emony resisting. Above all, it seems that each audience has a different understanding of the same media products, and their attitudes are based on their own cultural background and experiences. They accept information which they identify with and in the meanwhile, excluding those they dislike and disagree with. To some extent, the decoding activities of active, critical and resistant audiences weaken the effect of cultural imperialism gradually. Lastly, the cultural imperialism thesis seems to overlook the continuing significance of national media systems and protectionism. Because of the fact that films of the US occupy 80 per cent of the European film market, While European movies only gets 2 per cent of the American market (Morley, 2006). In order to protect domestic films and television programs from the impact of the U.S. like products, some European countries (Canada and France) announce to restrict American imported media products (Tomlinson, 1997). With mention to the Middle East countries, as a representative of the Saudi Arabian national media system, Orbit thinks that a BBC program about criticizing the Saudi Arabian human rights has violated the law and culture of Muslims, then it banned the import and use of satellite dishes in 1994 (Sakr, 2001). To sum up, in the contemporary global environment, since an increasing number of countries realize to defend their cultural security, the force-feed type of the Western media productions spreading is becoming useless. The national media systems and protectionism play an increasingly important role in resisting the instillation of western cultures and values. Conclusion As a central topic of the political and academic debate in the present age, different scholars have diverse views and opinions about globalization. Held (1999) provides an overview of various perspectives on globalization, he states that all the views can be divided into three classes: Hyperglobalizers, Scepyics and Transformationalists. Differing from other two perspectives, transformationalists highlight that firstly there is no single reason resulting in globalization; moreover, as Giddens (1990 cited in Sreberny-Mohammadi, 2000) states that the outcome of the globalization process is uncertain. I agree with this viewpoint and in my opinion globalization is a complicated process, it cannot be easily defined as positive or negative, it must be understood in more complex ways. Above all, I argue that globalization is a process which is open and full of conflicts, its essence is to establish a system for culture of exchanging and communicating, consequently, it may create a new media pattern. Media globalization is an objective reality which caused by the development of economic globalization, and the emergence of it is an objective historical process of media development. The cultural imperialism thesis is a negative way to understand media globalization, and it oversimplifies this complex process of information flow. In this process, exchange, collision and convergence between different cultures are overall based on maintaining their own independence, it is a two-way process instead of a one-way course which makes majority of countries become similar to the Western style. In the process of media globalization, communication and integration of various cultures will not lead to cultural assimilation; in contrast, diversification which emphasizes the differe nces and diversity is the expected trend of human culture. Multicultural, not only refers to the cultural diversity, but also means the differences in deep-seated level of culture and these differences can be recognized on a global scale. It is a kind of cultural imperforation when it only assimilates or controls cultures of other nations but does not accept and absorb outstanding achievements from other national cultures. The real media exchange is accepting and absorbing the outstanding and advanced cultural elements, it is not only from basic structure but also the inherent quality and spirit.