Ethical Issues In Operations Management Commerce Essay

Ethical Issues In Operations Management Commerce Essay Ethics in the business sector especially in the operations management is getting more popularity. Ethics is concerned about the rules of human behavior and considers whether or not there is any objective right or wrong. The study of ethics is divided into certain divisions which include descriptive morality, ethical theory, and applied ethics. In business, the concept of ethics is present for thousands of years now. The purpose of this research is to explore the body of knowledge with regards to ethics in operations management. Three questions are presented to set directions as follows: (1) what are ethical issues faced in operations management; (2) how do companies resolve ethical issues in their operations management; and (3) does ethical behavior within the operations function need management. Operations management refers to the approach of managing, designing, improving, and operating business processes or systems that are focused on producing or delivering goods and services. A review of literature about the operations management and the ethical issues within it is conducted to obtain answers to the research questions which are presented by the end part. Chapter I Introduction Ethics is a term which refers to moral philosophy that focuses on the aspects of good life and the difference between better and worse. Ethics is concerned about the rules of human behavior and considers whether or not there is any objective right or wrong. Furthermore, ethics is concerned about the foundations of moral principles and how it evolved. Vee and Skitmore (2003) listed three things that contitute ethics as follows: (1) ethics refers to a system of moral principles which serves as a basis for judging actions as right or wrong; (2) ethics refers to the rules of conduct which illustrates a particular accetable group of human actions; and (3) ethics refers to moral principles of an individual. Considering the definition of ethics, it can be deemed that its main objective is to guide the society on deciding what is good from bad and what is better from worse which is also referred to as normative ethics. This may be done in a general way or may address certain ethical issues o nly. Another form or ethics is termed as metaethics wherein the meaning of ethical language is analyzed to identify their true meaning. Simply speaking, the true meaning of referring to something as a moral act or a right act is analyzed. The study of ethics is divided into certain divisions which include descriptive morality, ethical theory, and applied ethics. The first division which is termed as descriptive morality refers to ethics which is based from the actual principles, customs, beliefs, and practices of the society. Cultural facts differ from certain societal groups to another around the world and these forms as the basis for their acts and what they believe should be right. Second division of ethics is ethical theory which refers to the understanding and justification of moral concepts, principles, and theories. Final division is applied ethics which is focused on the ethical issues in the society. This report belongs to the applied ethics division since its objective is to obtain an understanding on ethics in business and the ethical issues in operations management and how may these be resolved. To achieve this objective, some basic concepts on ethics shall first be discussed followed by its relation to th e business world specifically in operations management. Moreover, a literature review shall be conducted to examine the common ethical issues that occur in operations management and how these are faced by the business sector and other concerned societal groups. This report is expected to add in the body of knowledge which is concerned about ethics in the workplace with discussions that connect the three mentioned division of ethics. Its significance shall be seen in a way that it examines the ethical trends and changes that occur in the business sector from the traditional era to the modern era. Research questions that will serve as guides for the paper are as follows: (1) what are ethical issues faced in operations management; (2) how do companies resolve ethical issues in their operations management; and (3) does ethical behavior within the operations function need management. Some examples of ethical considerations in operations management decisions include customer safety, employee safety, materials recyclability, waste disposal, pollutions, repetitive tasks, stress in workplace, restrictive company cultures, employment policies, fluctuations in working hours, consumption of energy, energy efficiency, implications of plant location, closure, and vertical integration on employment, impact of process location on environment, and exploitation of resources. The next section shall present a literature review of the ethical issue in operations management that actually existed in the business sector and how are they resolved. It shall provide an overview of the ethical issues in the real world to offer a better understanding of the phenomenon. Chapter II Literature Review Businesses in todays world are faced with the pressure of having to comply with the ethical standards to ensure their continued market penetration without risk of being stripped out of the limelight. Businesses face this challenge through their own corporate social responsibility. In this review, the literature regarding the ethical issues in operations management is explored. Articles wrote by authors who focused on the topic of ethics in operations management are identified. Subtopics to be considered are the ethical issues that exist and challenge the operations management, the ethical leadership of an operations manager, their ethical decision-making, how the operations managers ethically influence the people under them, and how ethics in operations management can boost the morale and integrity of an organization as a whole. This review is structured to analyze ethics in operations management through a deeper examination on the mentioned subtopics and findings are considered in t he end. Ethical Reasoning Ethical views differ from one society to another due to the differences in religion. People more often take their religion as the basis for their ethical reasoning since religions present a certain standard for morality. For example, Christians are guided by the Ten Commandments found on the Bible. Other religions are also guided by their own religious books like the Koran and Bhagavad Gita which teaches what people ought to do. Models for good or moral acts are also established in some religions like the Saints or holy people. Despite the fact that the society seem to have grown with the tradition of basing their ethical standards with their own religions, philosophers believe that ethics can stand alone without religious grounds. In philosophy, ethics base its analysis on what is right or wrong on reasoning and experience rather than incorporating religious standards and teachings. This fact also articulates that people who have valid ethical views or ethical standards of living ar e not only those that belong to any religious sector but also those that do not believe to any religion at all. Moreover, the challenge for religious ethics is the idea that something is referred to as ethical because it is approved by God which makes it arbitrary. Ethics should be independent and saying that something is right or wrong should not be based on someones approval. For this reason, a person should learn to have his own skill of moral reasoning. The goal of philosophical ethics is to deal with ethical issues without regarding to any religious views. Ethics is evaluative. This means that referring to an act as either a rightful act or a wrongful act is equivalent to judging or evaluating it. However, it is not enough just judge or evaluate something. A judgment should be supported by certain norms or reason. Furthermore, it is not acceptable to say that a conclusion is given just because the speaker feels that way. A speaker who evaluates something is expected to explain deeper why he delivered such conclusion or attitude. Giving justifications to certain ethical conclusion is essential to ethics. A persons reasoning may be based from a prior experience regarding the said conclusion. Reasoning may not always be rational of objective since everyone can admit that in every decision making done, emotions and feelings always interfere. A person can conclude that say because he might have experienced the emotions that are accompanied in that certain situation. Ethical evaluation has several domains including action, consequences, character, and motive. In evaluating a certain situation, the actions of either the parties involved constitute either right or wrong deeds. When concluding who of the parties is right, it is necessary that a person know the meaning of the term right. Right actions are those that are permissible including those that are obligatory and optional while wrong actions are those that are not permissible. Another domain of evaluating an ethical situation is the analysis of the consequences. An action is considered right if the results are positive while it is considered wrong when the consequences are otherwise negative. This is studied in teteological ethics which is beyond the scope of this report. Another area of ethical evaluation is the analysis of character of the doer of an action. People with bad character traits usually has negative outlook on life and are likely to act in a way harmful to others. Last domain if ethical evaluation is the motive or intention behind an action. These ethical evaluation domains shall guide this report in analyzing the reasons behind ethical issues that exist in business. Ethics in Business Ethics in business is not a new trend. In fact, it is already present for over four thousand years now. With the changing trends in the business world, the society is getting more concerned about the corporate responsibility of businesses. Debates have also been conducted focusing on the social issue of poverty among the workers and the corresponding responsibility of the employers about the issue. Even in the ancient times, issues on ethics in business can be observed just like in the teachings of Aristotle about the harmful effects of the gaps that exist between the economical utilization of goods and the profit making objective of many merchants. At present, the rise of the concept of corporate social responsibility among the business sector constitutes corporate initiatives of integrating several ethical aspects such as establishment of codes of conduct, environment management system measures, health and safety in the workplace, compliance to financial reporting standards, certif ications schemes, company partnerships with community groups, and support for projects that are aimed for community development. There are several factors for the demand of the society for business ethics as a corporate responsibility. Some of these include the changing social role of corporate entities, globalization, developments in technology, and moral authority democratization. In the past, the responsibility or regulating all aspects of social life rests in the hands of the government. However, with the evolution of time, some duties are being moved from the government to the other sectors of the society including the individuals, the social groups, and the business sector. With this trend, corporate entities are required to establish their own self-regulation policies especially that the government has recognized the fact that fully controlling the business sector is not always an efficient way of influencing corporate behavior. Increased pressure is put on the business sector about the possible consequences of their policies on the society. Globalization is another driving factor for the societys demand of business ethics among the business sector. Currently, many businesses enter the international market and corporations tend to invest worldwide since this gives them more opportunities to grow. However, with the trend of entering in different foreign markets, there are complex things to consider including ethics. Customs and traditions in foreign lands differ from each other and some business practices that may be acceptable to one nation may not be accepted in the same sense in another. Businesses are often expected to adapt with the customs and values of the foreign land that they are trying to penetrate. Pressure on companys corporate social responsibility is high since there is still no firm and effective supervision governing the international business behavior. Developments in technology seem to be a great source of questions of morality. Technology at the current time is considered advanced and it provides a way for people to experience things that are thought to be impossible before. Technological development brings convenience to the society and contributes to the establishment of a kind of life that is better than before. Ethics come to picture as the society examines the real consequences of technology to the way of life. The effect of technology to the world is complex and the government has not enough capacity to handle the issues accompanying it which makes it necessary for the business sector to take actions on whatever consequences their own technology may bring. In the past, moral authority often rests among a few groups in the society including the Church, the government, and the theorists. At present, the opinions of the mentioned authorities are now considered as a regular opinion which can be aligned with the opinions of a regular entity. The power and control they once had over judging and handling ethical issues has faded and now there is a democratization of moral authority. This again puts pressure on the business sector to manage their ethical affairs seriously since everyone seem to have the authority to criticize their business practices are compliance to ethical standards. Businesses are compelled to open their policies to the public when questioned about their business ethics. Moreover, with the intrusion of media, the businesses are more exposed to public which makes them susceptible to any ethical criticism. The relationship of a business to its stakeholders is the primary concern of business ethics. Stakeholders may include all the entities that have interest on a company or are influenced by the company such as the shareholders, the customers, the employees, suppliers, competitors, the government, and others. Seeking business strategies that will consider the interest of all the stakeholders is not an easy task for a company but an important mission of every manager and all the high ranking company officials. Like any other company managers, operations manager has one of the most important duties of handling decision making processes regarding ethics in operations management. Ethics in Operations Management To obtain a better understanding of operations management, it is necessary to define what operations mean. Operations refer to the portion of business which is responsible for the production of goods and services. Operations management therefore refers to the approach of managing, designing, improving, and operating business processes or systems that are focused on producing or delivering goods and services. In other words, operations management involves the process of converting a set of inputs into outputs (Hassin, 2009). The term operations management originated from the concept of productions management used in the past which refers to the process of converting raw materials into finished products. However, with the evolution of time, the term expanded to production and operations management to integrate the operations in the servicing industry until currently, it is now termed as operations management. The main objective of the operations management is to ensure that products and services are delivered to customers at best quality but at lowest costs. Some huge organizations have separate operations management departments that do operations activities while some companies do not have, but regardless of this fact, all organizations have operations endeavors and every organizational member is involved in operations in some way. A companys operations management function is headed by the operations manager who has the primary duty of managing resources involved in operations. Some of the areas of decision making that are included in the duties of a companys operations management are formulation of operations strategy, setting of operations performance objectives, configuring process types, ensuring prompt service, layout design, planning for long-term capacity, facility location, technology to be adopted, designing of products and services, designing processes, and employee motivation. Business activities which are considered as operations include manufacturing, supply, transport, and service. Manufacturing activity involves the conversion of raw materials to final products which are eventually sold to customers. Supply is another business activity which involves the change of ownership of a certain physical good from the company to the customer. This is a usual business activity among the companies in the retail distribution industry. Third business activity described as included in operations is transport. This refers to the process of transferring of goods from one place to another. Finally, service is an operations activity which involves changing of the condition of the customers. Operations of a certain company may not only be limited to only one of the mentioned activities. For example, a company which manufactures a certain product also supplies the same to the end customers. In this company, several operations management activities involved are manufacturi ng, supply, and transport. Different organizations belonging to different industries adopt operations strategies that fit their businesses. However, some approaches adopted by different organizations in their operations strategies tend to be common and similar to each other. Certain requirements for an effective operations strategy include appropriateness, comprehensiveness, coherence, consistence, credibility, and ethicality. Appropriateness refers to the alignment of the operations strategy with the companys competitive strategy. This is especially necessary when operations strategy is formulated for the purpose of connecting the companys operations to its goal of developing a competitive edge over the competitors. An operations strategy is also required to be comprehensive where all aspect of operations is tackled. Operations management is included in a companys complex process of business and achieving excellent performance which makes it necessary for every strategy to deal with every aspect of operations rather than limiting tactics on minor operational decisions. Furthermore, it is not enough that operations strategy be comprehensive, it must also be coherent. Every element of the strategy which refers to specific operations function must point to the same direction for the strategy to be effective. From period to period, operations strategy may be modified but one important thing is noted, it should be consistent through time. Credibility is another factor for an effective operations strategy. It is important that every strategic goal is realizable to maintain credibility. A strategic objective which the operations management failed to achieve may give a negative impact on the strategy and the employees may be discouraged to support it subsequently. Finally, an effective operations strategy should be ethical. An operation strategy may have consequences after its implementation which makes it necessary to be formulated based of ethical standards. The role of ethics in operations management is important especially in world-class operations and it should be considered in corporate responsibility. This claim is based on the fact that most of the ethical issues in businesses originate from the operations level. Another reason for importance of ethics is the ethical consequences that arise from the strategy of some companies to obtain cost advantage by outsourcing. Ethics in operations management is concerned on the way how profit is obtained rather than on the quantity of profit which is considered enough. The tension is between profits and the responsibilities of the company. Steenkamp (2010) described operations management as a management function which receives least attention and understanding. Aspects in operations are often left to the engineers and other concerned professionals or especialists. The term is not even used among the organizations in the servicing industry. Realizing this gap, it is important to understand that operations management should be taken into consideration since it is one of the functions that helps an organization to create and increase its value. Ethical issues comes with the importance of understanding operations management. Ethical dilemmas refer to a certain situation or issue wherein a decision has to be made to adopt one of the two equally urgent yet incompatible alternatives (Mirwoba, 2009). One popular ethical issue discussed in the literature regarding operations management is opportunism. This issue has been a topic of many empirical studies conducted to focus on business and management field. Opportunism is considered in the literature as an unethical behavior which refers to the abuse of opportunity. In company operations, managers or other professionals involved are vulnerable to unethical choices due to plentiful number of opportunities which may be abused. Some of the factors that drive professionals to engage in unethical behaviors are the pressures brought by the demands for cost reduction and unrealizable strategic objectives. One area of operations which is faced with an increased vulnerability of engaging to unethical behavior is the procurement since the employee assigned in this proce ss handles a significant amount of company resources (Carter, 2000). Furthermore, the procurement process has an increased exposure to the external environment of a certain organization which makes it possible for easy conduct of an unethical act. This is not beneficial to the organization since its reputation is in jeopardy since the employee assigned in the procurement process acts in behalf of the organization as a whole when dealing with third parties. The empirical and conceptual research history of ethics in the procurement process of a business is affluent. The procurement activity within business operations is also the subject of another article by Ho (2012). The importance of ethics in managing business operations is stressed out in the article. Ethics is an essential requirement in order to build and maintain a good relationship between a business entity and other parties included in the conduct of its operations such as the suppliers. The procurement function in a business organization is critical for the achievement of business goals since. An organizations effective operations depend on the effective performance of the purchasing function while achieving global competitiveness depends on effective operations. It is therefore important that ethics is integrated in the whole process to ensure good relationship to suppliers and eventually to satisy the needs and wants of the customers. One ethical challenge by procurement off icers is the situation where many suppliers compete and offer different favors and gifts just to create a business deal. In many situations, the relationship of the procurement officer not only to the supplier but also to his employer may also be affected. More ethical challenges include having to exagerate the problem of either the buyer or the supplier in order to obtain a business deal, offering preferential treatment to certain parties, allowing certain personalities to interfere with business deals, engaging in reciprocity, and seeking and providing information of different qoutes from different competitors either in a fair or unfair manner. Bribery is another requently mentioned ethical issue in the literature (Vee Skitmore, 2003). Bribery refers to the act of offering payments, goods or opportunities in exchange for something favorable. Accepting gifts is not a bad act but the situation tells whether it is unethical. When in operations, accepting gifts from people who have direct influence on the operations functions maybe considered as unethical expecially when the person being gifted and have the ability to satisfy the interest of the gift giver. Other ethical issues to consider in operations are breach of confidence, negligence, and fraud. The establishment of a code of conduct within an organization can greatly help operations especialists to decide on a certain ethical issue. Everyday, everyone are faced with the need to decide on a certain ethical issue. Organizations are faced with the pressure of having to demonstrate to the public their ability to decide correctly on an ethical issue. Organizations need to maintain a good reputation and the public trust to ensure their existence on the market. In order to achieve this, it is important for an organization to develop their own ethical code of conduct to guide every employee to decide correctly and to instill discipline among them. Ethical leadership is seen as an important factor to instill ethics in a certain organization (Monahan, 2012). In the literature, ethical leadership is increasingly studied relevant to the operations of organizations. Many articles relating to the role of unethical behaviors in the failure of great companies take the example of Enron where thousands of employees were harmed due to the unethical actions of a few executives. Not only were the employees harmed but the ethical controversy also influenced other external factors such as the confidence of the public over the financial systems and the emergence of more strict government legislations. The increasing number of companies being involved in many ethical controversies which even brought them down made it possible for the others to realize the importance of integrating ethics in managing company operations in order to ensure profitability. Companies are more and more aware of this trend and have started to take actions to redirect their strategic plans to include ethical strategies in their paths to success. However, this move is never an easy way since in the current business environment where every company strives for international penetration or globalization and competition is getting tougher, ethical considerations are getting complex and extensive too. In this situation, ethical leadership in a company is needed to be headed by a charismatic leader (Mackie, Taylor, Finegold, Daar, Singer, 2006). In two studies mentioned by (Monahan, 2012), it was revealed that one problem among organizations that concerns ethics is the lack of ethical leadership. Employees often do unethical actions or misconducts due to their lack of trust over their company leaders and the situation is even worsened by the poverty and weak economy. Furthermore, survey results support the idea since a significant percentage of employees were observed to question themselves is ethics even exists within their own organizations. Actually, having to follow the standards is an easy task. However, everythings gets complicated when ethical dilemmas arise and there is no one in the organization to take responsibility. This prompted the need of every organization to have an ethical leader. Managing ethical behavior not only within operations management but within an organization as a whole is one of the nost pervasive and complex challenge of modern companies (Stead, Worrell, Stead, 1990). There are three theories introduced in the literature which describe ethical leadership (Plinio, 2009). These theories include transformational leadership, servant leadership, and authentic leadership. The first theory states that a leadership transforms both the leader and followers through increasing the level of conducts and aspirations. The second theory, on the other hand, states that the leader should possess the character of devotion to change the ethical views of the followers. Finally, the third theory states that ethics comes from every individual through being true to themselves. Ethical character within an organization will not be achieved unless every member develops their own ethical character within themselves. Every member of an organization should have the choice of analyzing their inner character in every mistakes done, career setbacks that occur, and failures on their jobs. In other words, every organizational leader should develop their integrity to foster ethics. Harris, Sapienza, and Bowie (2011) mentioned in their article the decision-making process of managers. Individual differ in ethical decision-making. In fact, those that belong to the business world even have greater differences than those that do not. The differences may be due to different influences such as socio-cultural factors. Decision-making in a certain ethical situation is really a dilemma. This is especially true when the operations manager is required to choose between two alternatives which are unfavorable. This can be considered a tough challenge for the person in the situation. In some cases, ethical dilemmas may be impossible to resolve due to reasons like disintegration of value system. In todays world when every company aims for globalization, companies are faced with conflicting issues between the company objective of profitability and their corporate social responsibility. Ethics in the global market is complicated, so is the decision-making that operations managers have to face. The literature proposes theoretical concepts regarding ethical decision-making including relativism, moral imperialism, and universalism (Mirwoba, 2009). Relativism refers to the principle that a company should follow the ethical standards and norms of the country where they do business. Companies, therefore, follow different sets of ethical standards depending on the culture of a certain nation. This can be unfavorable to a business since there is no constant standard that employees should remember. A company cannot establish its definite ethical standards since cultures in other nations may be conflicting. Complexity occurs when operations in home market differ from the operations done in foreign markets. In the theory of moral imperialism, things are done in the opposite way of relativism. Moral imperialists argue that individuals should retain their own ethical views even when doing business in foreign lands. Ethics applied in operations in the home market is done the same way in other company branches even in global markets. Some authors, however, argue that the mentioned theories can both serve as bases for an ethical decision making where a certain alternative is chosen considering the norms in the foreign market and the company standards. In the theory of universalism, universal guidelines are considered. These often include fundamental human rights issues, environmental protection, consumer protection, and basic freedoms. This foundation of code of ethics is the most advantageous to many corporations since serious mistakes in actions and uncertainties in operations may be avoided. Most of the discussions focused on the operations management in private corporations which are profit-oriented. However, ethical issues not only occur in profit-oriented companies but also with non-profit corporations (Robinson Yeh, 2007). The challenge of strict compliance to ethical standards among the non-profit corporations is driven by the attempt of doing the right things. Furthermore, non-profit organizations are inclined to achieving their social goals rather than maximizing profits. When people encounter the concept of soc

The Music of Star Wars

The Music of Star Wars The music of Star Wars has become a character of the films much as the characters of the films have become global icons. John Williams contribution to the films (he composed for all six Star Wars films) is among the most widely-known and popular contributions to modern film music. When Williams set out to compose the music for the first film, Star Wars (later re-titled, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) in 1977, he only had one Oscar to his name for the score to the 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws. He utilized a variety of musical styles drawing from the golden age of Hollywood and the scores of Max Steiner as well as the late romantic period of Richard Strauss. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, wanted the feel of the old movie serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Williams is credited with reviving the symphonic scores because of his Star War compositions and of using a technique called leitmotiv most often associated with the operas of Wagner and with Steiner-esque film scores. The use of the leitmotiv anchors the characters of the Star Wars original trilogy, which I will discuss in detail. These themes signify the individual characters as well as plot elements, locations, moods and relationships. This use of motifs is the films are strong enough to latch the audience onto the elements of the film while being strong enough to undergo variation and development, which we will see in the development of the sequels from the original film. Star Wars (1977) Principle Motifs Main Title Used in all six films, this is the anthem of the film series. It is recognizable globally and is generally associated with the rebel forces, Luke Skywalker and elements involving heroism and adventure. This theme is heard over the opening crawl and is used as a base for the end credits. Rebel Fanfare Used in all six films as well, this is a short motif used mostly in Episode IV: A New Hope to represent the Rebel Alliance. It is used less in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and brought back but with less frequency in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It uses brass elements to give it the fanfare flavor. Jedi Theme This theme is also titled Binary Sunset in the film score from the scene in which Luke is watching the sunset on Tatooine and contemplating his future in Episode IV. This is the one motif in the trilogy that is consistently developed throughout all three films. The theme represents Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Knights and The Force. In later films, it is used to represent ideas of fate and destiny. It is an uplifting theme and can be heard throughout the trilogy. There are also brief instances of it in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Princess Leias Theme (aka Love Theme) This theme represents the romantic side of the trilogy. It is most often used in Episode IV to represent Leia when she is alone (on the merchant ship in the beginning), vulnerable (when she is about to be tortured for information on the Death Star) or shown on the screen. In subsequent episodes, it is developed into a Love Theme between her and Han Solo. This theme also appears later in Episode III after she is born. Imperial Motif Used only in Episode IV, this motif represents the Empire and Darth Vader for this film (although it makes a cameo when Grand Moff Tarkin, commander of the Death Star, is seen in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). The music is militaristic and not as ominous as the Imperial March introduced in Episode V. The rhythmic and harmonic aspects are developed into the Imperial March in The Empire Strikes Back. Death Star Motif Introduced in Episode IV, it is a four chord motif that plays when the Death Star is shown or when its place is suggested. It is also heard as a more developed theme when the Star Destroyer hits the second Death Star in Episode VI. Jawa Theme/Droid Theme A playful theme used in Episode IV when the Jawas are introduced and later developed into a motif to represent the droids in Episodes V and VI when R2D2 and C3PO are together. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Principle Motifs Imperial March (aka Darth Vaders Theme) This theme represents the Galactic Empire and, more specifically Darth Vader, starting with Episode V and carrying on through the rest of the films. This theme has achieved an iconic status as representing evil and is used outside of the films to introduce evil (i.e. when Mr. Burns shows up on The Simpsons). Williams retrogrades the theme for the prequel trilogy, embedding it into Anakins theme and his downward spiral to the dark side as well as the rise of the Republic into the Empire. Williams also uses it effectively when Vader dies in Episode VI. Love Theme Developed from Leias Theme in Episode IV, it is heard in Episode V and VI in scenes of romance and when the two characters are sacrificing, including the scene in which Han is frozen and the final moments of Empire when Lando Calrissian is leaving to rescue Han from Jabba The Hut. Yodas Theme This theme is introduced in Episode V and is used throughout the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. It is mostly associated with Yodas teachings and abilities but can be heard when Luke is utilizing what Yoda has taught him. It is used sparingly in the prequels and mostly for key moments with Yoda. As a side, Williams uses this theme in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial when a little kid is seen in a Yoda costume. Landos Theme (Cloud City Theme) A march that is heard during the Bespin scenes in Episode V. It is used throughout the Cloud City scenes and a variation is used when Luke arrives to save Leia and Han. Return of the Jedi (1983) Principle Motifs Jabbas Theme This is heard in the opening of Episode VI when the scene takes place in Jabbas Palace. It is mostly tuba and is rolling and bulbous. It was added in the special edition version of Episode IV when a young (and much leaner?!) Jabba confront Han Solo in the hanger of the Millennium Falcon. There is also a disguised version of it in Episode I when Jabba officiates the pod race. Emperors Theme An ominous theme first used in Episode VI, and developed more in the prequel trilogies. It represents the Emperor whenever he is on screen. Williams also uses it conspicuously in the victory celebration at the end of Phantom Menace. Ewoks Theme Titled Parade of the Ewoks in the score for Episode VI, it is a light-hearted theme played during scenes in the Ewok village, during the Endor battle and in the end credits. Luke and Leias Theme This theme is heard only twice and only in Episode VI. It links Luke and Leia as brother and sister. It is more mature than the Love Theme and Leias Theme from the previous films. Victory Celebration This theme is used for the victory of the Alliance. In addition to these major motifs, there are minor themes used throughout the series that are used to represent some of the other characters and scenes in the original trilogy. These motifs are generally heard once and not much development took place for further use. Minor Motifs Arrival on Tatooine This is used in Episode IV and then again in Episode I. Tusken Raiders Theme Used when the Tusken Raiders are first introduced in Episode IV and when they attack Luke. Later used when Anakin destroys their camp in Episode II. Throne Room March Used in the original trilogy when Vader is present and later when the Emperor is shown in Episode VI. The final elements of music John Williams wrote for the original trilogy were the pieces that were performed as part of ‘live sequences. Before he became a film composer, John Williams was a jazz pianist going by the name of Johnny Williams. The ‘live elements reflect his earlier musical career with the use of jazz, classical and world music elements. These were: The two songs played in the Cantina on Tatooine entitled, Cantina Band and Cantina Band #2. They were in a swing style and the first tune became popular on the radio after the initial film release in 1977, while #2 could only be heard when Obi-Wan is speaking with Han Solo for the first time. Jabbas Baroque Recital is heard when R2D2 and C3PO arrive to give Jabba the message from Luke Skywalker in Episode VI. Jedi Rocks is also from Episode VI heard in Jabbas Palace just before Leia (disguised as a bounty hunter) brings Chewbacca in for a ransom. This song replaced Lapti Nek, when the special editions were releas ed and it was not included on the re-release of the soundtrack.[1] Max Rebo Band Jams is heard twice in the film, once after Chewbacca is sent to the jail cell and on the sail barge. This song doesnt appear on the soundtrack as recordings of it have apparently been lost forever. The music of the Ewoks is heard throughout Episode VI when Luke and company are in the village and after the battle of Endor. They are titled Ewok Feast, Part of the Tribe, and Ewok Celebration. Sources 8notes.com (2008) Williams, John [Online]. Available from: http://www.8notes.com/biographies/john_williams.asp [Accessed: 11 October 2009] Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. 1997. Producer, Gary Kurtz; director: George Lucas. Lucasfilms, Ltd. [DVD Recording] Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. 1997. Producer, Gary Kurtz; director: Irving Kershner. Lucasfilms, Ltd. [DVD Recording] Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. 1997. Producer, Howard Kazanjian; director: Richard Marquand. Lucasfilms, Ltd. [DVD Recording] Empire of Dreams: The Story of the ‘Star Wars Trilogy. 2004. Producer, Edith Becker; directors: Edith Becker and Kevin Burns. Prometheus Entertainment. [DVD Recording] Williams, John. (2000). Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Ultimate Edition). [CD] USA. Sony Classical. Williams, John. (2002). Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [CD] USA. Sony Classical. Williams, John. (2005). Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [CD] USA. Sony Classical. Williams, John. (1997). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Special Edition). [CD] USA. RCA Victor. Williams, John. (1997). Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition). [CD] USA. RCA Victor. Williams, John. (1997). Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Special Edition). [CD] USA. RCA Victor.

My Philosophy Of Education Essay example -- Classroom School Reflectio

My Philosophy Of Education I have come to believe over the past year as a Professional Development School intern that one method or one teaching style limits the ability of the teacher and the students to learn effectively in the classroom. I believe that learning is a fluid activity and therefore changes constantly within the classroom community. I believe that we all are constructs of our past experiences and that these experiences influence the way we perform in our lives. The education of students cannot be dependent on a particular style of teaching or learning because we are all different. Students are diverse learners and process learning in a variety of different ways. Reaching these students with one learning style, I believe, is not possible and that as educators it is our responsibility to develop a classroom environment that is conducive to all students for the learning experience. As a classroom community, we are responsible to create meaning from our experiences, develop goals about our learning, and be free to make connections to our social worlds that encourage the learning process to grow. This is what I have learned over the past year and how the PDS internship has facilitated my philosophy of education. I have spent the last twenty- four years of my life in the Nursing profession. As the years passed I realized that I longed to be in another professional setting. I struggled for many years to determine what this nagging voice in my head was trying to say to me. After I stopped to listen to the voice, I found myself on a path quite different from nursing. This path was foreign to me and I was frightened of the new life it was offering me and joyful at the chance to live a dream that I held so ... ...eling from others. I want my students to recognize their abilities to learning early in their educational careers and that shaping, testing, and questioning their learning will make them better students of the world and will create and take responsibility for their learning. Bibliography Richard Beach and Jamie Myers, Inquiry-Based English Instruction, Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 2001 Frank Smith, The Book Of Learning And Forgetting , Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 1998 John Dewy, Democracy in Education, Macmillian, 1938 Chapter 7 â€Å"The Democratic Conception of Education† Clarissa Le Ai Ling, â€Å"The Author, The Text, and The Reader, www.english-literature.org/reader-response. 2002 George W. Gagnon, Jr. and Michelle Collay, â€Å"Constructivist Learning Design† www.prainbow.com/cld/cldp 1990

English Revolution :: European Europe History

English Revolution The history of the English Revolution from 1649 to 1660 can be briefly told. Cromwell's shooting of the Levellers at Burford made a restoration of monarchy and lords ultimately inevitable, for the breach of big bourgeoisie and gentry with the popular forces meant that their government could only be maintained either by an army (which in the long ran proved crushingly expensive as well as difficult to control) or by a compromise with the surviving representatives of the old order. But first there were still tasks to be done. (1) There was the conquest of Ireland, the expropriation of its landowners and peasantry - the first big triumph of English imperialism and the first big defeat of English democracy. For the petty bourgeoisie of the Army, despite the warnings of many of the Leveller leaders, allowed themselves to be distracted from establishing their own liberties in England and, deluded by religious slogans, to destroy those of the Irish. Many of them set up as landed proprietors in Ireland. (The Leveller revolt of 1649 had been occasioned by the refusal of many of the rank and file to leave for Ireland, for that meant violating their Engagement of 1647 not to divide until the liberties of England were secure.) (2) There was the conquest of Scotland, necessary to prevent a restoration of the old order thence; Scotland was opened up to English traders by political union. (3) A forward commercial policy was undertaken with the Navigation Act of 1651, the basis of England's commercial prosperity in the next century. This aimed at winning the carrying trade of Europe for English ships, and at excluding all rivals from trade with England's colonies. It led to a war with the Dutch, who had monopolised the carrying trade of the world in the first half of the seventeenth century. For in that period the royal policy had frustrated all attempts of the bourgeoisie to throw the resources of England into an effective struggle for this trade. In this war, thanks to Blake's fleet and the economic strength the Republican Government was able to mobilise, England was victorious. (4) An imperialist policy needed the strong Navy which Charles had failed to build up, and under Blake the Commonwealth began to rule the waves to some purpose; war in alliance with France against Spain brought Jamaica and Dunkirk to England. (5) The

war :: essays research papers

CONFIRMED KILLS IN THE HUNDREDS’ The commander of the operation near Gardez said the U.S.-led offensive had cleared several enemy caves honeycombing the mountains. â€Å"We’ve got confirmed kills in the hundreds,† Maj. Gen. Frank Hagenbeck told a news conference at Bagram air base north of Kabul. â€Å"We truly have the momentum at this point.† He said U.S. intelligence had pointed to 150 to 200 enemy fighters in the hills of the Shah-e-Kot mountain range when the operation began on Friday. By Wednesday, however, he estimated that as many as 600 to 700 al-Qaida and some Taliban troops had filtered into the territory. <a href="/news/target_front.asp"><img src=/c/0/61/361/bcol_nav.gif border=0> Part 1: Changing perspective †¢ The new views from America †¢ Hard choices on defense Part 2: About face on Sudan †¢ U.S. warms to 'rogue' regime Part 3: Who defines terrorist? †¢ For Syria, opportunity and peril †¢ In Lebanon, no black and white Part 4: Distant echoes †¢ U.S. crosses a line in Colombia †¢ Broadcasts make Prague a target Part 5: Spinning on the 'axis' †¢ 'Axis' missiles fall short †¢ Where China fits in Part 6: Special forces †¢ The 'special forces' war †¢ The perils of new tactics 1 of 11 The new views from America â€Å"Conservatively speaking right now, I’m convinced from the evidence I’ve seen that we’ve killed at least half of those enemy forces,† he said. Eight U.S. troops have been killed in the operation, seven of them in two incidents Monday in which two U.S. helicopters came under fire. Around 50 have been wounded. Rumsfeld and Franks were peppered with questions Wednesday about whether a U.S. Navy SEAL killed Monday had been executed by the enemy. They acknowledged that an aerial drone had videotaped the incident but said it was still not clear whether the soldier had already been dead when he was dragged off by enemy fighters after falling out of a helicopter. â€Å"We may never know that,† Rumsfeld said. â€Å"What’s important,† he said, is that the United States did not withdraw and instead sent a helicopter back in to retrieve his body. â€Å"The United States is leaning forward and not back,† he said. MORE TROOPS, LESS BOMBING Advertisement The U.S. reinforcements were ferried overnight by Chinook helicopters from Bagram. Troops were armed with shoulder-launched rockets, equipped with night-vision equipment and dressed in winter uniforms to combat the sub-zero temperatures.

Accounting Harmonization In The Eu Accounting Essay

This study will supply a brief history and background on the procedure of harmonisation in the European Union with respects to the 2 methods it employed: Directives and IFRS acceptance. By supplying a footing for which harmonisation can be understood and why it is necessary, this study strives to clarify the successes and failures of the methods. In peculiar, the issues that arose during the execution of IFRS in the EU will be used to further show the demand for harmonisation, utilizing specific criterions as illustrations. The relationship between accounting harmonisation and auditing will be debated with specific focal point on the EC Green Paper on iAudit Policy: Lessons from the Crisisi as it points to ongoing concerns in the effort to accomplish accounting harmonisation. 2. History and Background of Accounting Harmonization Definition Harmonization is a procedure of increasing the compatibility of accounting patterns by puting bounds to their grade of fluctuation ( Nobes & A ; Parker, 2010 ) . Basically, harmonisation allows states to utilize different criterions so long as they are non in struggle. This varies somewhat from convergence, the end of the IASB, which aims to develop high quality criterions alongside national standard-setters to cut down international differences. The importance of this differentiation highlights the differences in the harmonisation attempts by both the EU and IASC/B. The demand for harmonisation Globalization has led to big companies looking to increase their gross revenues and growing chances beyond national markets. To pull equity and debt funding to accomplish these ends, many of these companies are looking to be listed on different stock exchanges. Additionally, investors are spread outing their portfolios beyond national boundary lines as planetary markets have created greater chances for puting. As a consequence, the differences in the coverage patterns of such companies is now of great importance as this has led to troubles for those who prepare, consolidate, audit and interpret fiscal statements. Two of the major obstructions to accounting harmonisation are patriotism and the current size of the bing differences between states. The EU has attempted to accomplish harmonisation by utilizing Directives and Regulation through IFRS criterions ias such, the attempts of the EU in making a incorporate concern environment every bit good as the acceptance of IFRS in 2005 provide a relevant platform for understanding the harmonisation procedure. This study seeks to convey this in subdivision XXXXX below. 3. The Accounting Directives The Directives are an effort to harmonise coverage patterns by necessitating member states to integrate the directives into their national Torahs. The Fourth and Seventh Directives were aimed at accounting harmonisation while the Eighth Directive was aimed at audit. Fourth Council Directive i Annual histories of companies with limited liability iThis Directing co-ordinates Member Statesi commissariats refering the presentation and content of one-year histories and one-year studies, the rating methods used and their publication in regard of all companies with limited liability ( European Commission, 2009 ) .i The commissariats of the Directive require populace and private companies in all EU states to include a balance sheet, net income and loss history, with a pick of 2 different layouts, every bit good as notes to the histories as portion of the one-year histories. It besides provides the general rules by which points must be valued. The earliest proposal for the Fourth Directive led to the first bill of exchange being developed in 1971 i the bill of exchange was to a great extent influenced by German jurisprudence and as a consequence, the Directive prescribed conservative rating regulations, stiff formats and limited revelation in the notes. By 1974, a twelvemonth after accession to the EU, UK influence in the Directive became evident with the debut of the itrue and just viewi construct ; greater flexibleness in the presentation formats and increased accent on revelation in the notes. The Directive was adopted by the EU in 1974 and has since been amended every bit many as 14 times in line with international developments. One major amendment was in 2001 when the Directive was further aligned with IASB criterions by leting the demands of IAS 39 on the just rating of fiscal instruments to be employed. This was a significant move as this had been a combative issue and served the intent of modernizing European accounting regulations – this will be discussed in more item in subsequent subdivisions. Another critical amendment came in 2003, when the Accounts Modernisation Directive was issued i it extended the usage of just values and farther eliminated incompatibilities with IASB criterions. The most recent amendment in 2009 resulted in 2 developments ; foremost, companies in member provinces with 10 or fewer employees were exempt from the demands of the Directive. In add-on, a audience papers was issued puting out a proposal for rearranging the Directives to better its comprehension* . Seventh Council Directive i Consolidated histories of companies with limited liability iThis Seventh Company Law Directive coordinates national Torahs on amalgamate ( i.e. group ) accounts Together with the Fourth Directive on the one-year histories of public limited liability companies, it belongs to the household of â€Å" accounting directives † that form the armory of Community legal Acts of the Apostless regulating company histories ( European Commission, 2009 ) .i This Directive was adopted in 1983 to better international readying and comparing of fiscal statements. It does so by ordering the fortunes under which amalgamate histories must be prepared every bit good as the methods for readying. Harmonizing to the Directive, any company that lawfully controls another company is required to fix amalgamate histories. The 1976 and 1978 bill of exchanges failed to clear up the construct of control for the intent of consolidation. As such, the adopted Directive efforts to better what is meant by the term icontroli . In states where consolidation had been unheard of e.g. Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, the Directive signified a marked move towards modernization. This was of great significance given that in 2005, the EUis harmonisation attempts in footings of group accounting eventually converged with that of the IASB with the acceptance of IFRSs by EU listed companies. As such, the Seventh Directive has now since been overtaken by IFRS criterions. 4. Statutory Audit Directive ( Previously ) Eighth Council Directive i Qualifications of individuals responsible for transporting out the statutory audits of accounting paperss iThis Directive purposes to increase the credibleness of fiscal coverage and to heighten the European Unionis ( EU ) protection against fiscal dirts by puting down regulations harmonising the processs for statutory audits of one-year histories and amalgamate histories. It establishes, among other things, a demand for external quality confidence, commissariats on public supervising, the responsibilities of statutory hearers and the application of international criterions and the rules of independency applicable to statutory hearers. The Directive besides provides a footing for cooperation between regulators in the EU and those in 3rd countriesi ( European Commission, 2009 ) . The adopted Directive ( 1983 ) differs well from earlier bill of exchanges which would hold had important impact on the preparation forms and range of work of comptrollers in a figure of states, notably the UK. The Directive was introduced to find which individuals are allowed to transport out audits by ordering making and educational demands. The demand to overhaul the Eighth Directive was recognized by the EC in the communicating iReinforcing the statutory audit in the EUi , published in 2003. It contained the scheme of the EC in coming old ages sing audit affairs such as public inadvertence and ordinance at the EU degree. In response to Enron and other accounting dirts, the Directive was amended in 2006 i it focused on quality confidence by necessitating the constitution of hearer inadvertence organic structures, supplying regulations on professional unity and independency, guaranting attachment to ISAs as endorsed by the EU in executing statutory audits, constitution of audit commissions and the publication of transparence studies on audit houses. In a command to promote the growing of alternate audit houses, farther recommendations were released in 2008 with the aim of giving more duty to oversight organic structures and to promote member provinces to restrict the civil liabilities of hearers ( European Commission, 2008 ) . Following the fiscal crisis of 2007/8, the EC has deemed it necessary to amend the statutory audit directive through a proposal issued in November 2011 ( European Commission, 2011 ) . The amendments follow on from the EC Green Paper on iAudit Policy: Lessons from the Crisisi and tackles issues such as joint audits, proviso of non-audit services, etc. , which are discussed subsequently on in this study. Red boxes to travel in appendix? To travel in sum-up? EU efforts at harmonisation through the usage of Directives were non wholly successful and as such the EC chose alternatively to follow the convergence scheme of the IASB by following IFRS. The insufficiencies of the Directives derived from the fact that they failed to cover many subjects e.g. rental accounting, accounting alterations, foreign currency interlingual rendition etc. , which IFRSs were better equipped to manage. Besides, the Directives still allowed for a grade of pick within their prescriptions which meant that non-comparability was still an issue.

Of course women take care of men and are subordinate to male authority – True?

Men are known to be more aggressive, and independent, than woman. They are braver, more outgoing, and extroverted, confident in their own ability to control and manipulate the external environment. Most societies have traditionally regarded men as doers, warriors, hunters scientists artists writers captains of industry and politics. These generalizations apply to pretty much every known human society. Some sociologists and anthropologists believe that there is not and never has been a society in which women do not have an inferior status to that of men. If you were to ask others what they consider to be the most fundamental behavioral difference between males and females, most would likely say aggression – specifically, that males are more aggressive than females, because males secrete higher levels of the hormone testosterone. It assumes that men everywhere and at all times have been women's superiors and that work men do is more important or more highly valued than women's work. Sex, gender, sexuality. Chart,,,,, All 3 are interlinked. Feminine or masculine gender identity exists only with in the framework of experiences of a body sexed as female or male and within the context of sexual practices understood as expressing the feminine or masculine identity. Men and women maybe two halves of the same species, but they seem to live in almost separate worlds. Women have been the carers of men and their children. While a woman's has been in the home, A mans place has been in the jungle, the battlefield or the world of work. We describe ourselves in many different ways. One of the most fundamental ways is to say ‘I am a man' or ‘I am woman'. That is to describe us in terms of our sex. If you are a woman, people would not be surprised to see you wearing slacks, but they might expect to see you in a dress. Most also expect you to be rather emotional and given to cry easily. They will think of you as nurturing, preoccupied with romance, personal relationships, and your appearance, and inept with things mechanical. If you are a man though, people will expect you wearing slacks, and they would be shocked to see you in a dress. Most also expect you to be assertive and always in control of your emotions. They will think of you as ambitious and competitive. Preoccupied with your studies, work, sports, and mechanically inclined. Every society has rules about which activities are suitable for males and which for females. In western societies today, sex is an organizing principle of social structure, it plays a great part in determining social roles. Women were seen to reproduce and care for children. The basic family consists of a mother and child. Parsons characterized the women's role in the family as â€Å"expressive†, meaning that she provides warmth, security and emotional support for her husband and children. Parsons also argued that for the family to operate efficiently as a social system, there must be a clear cut sexual division of labor. Like a button and a buttonhole, they lock together to promote family solidarity. From this it follows that attempts to abolish gender roles and replace them with unisex roles may be in fact going against the will of nature. Women today rather than being passive and dependant, are instead likely to be active food providers as well as inventors and crafters of new material technology. How did we get here from there? Including population growth, increased environmental danger from ecological changes or warfare, the establishment of trade or exchange relations between societies, a change from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle, and technological advances allowing for the accumulation of a surplus of food and other goods. The available evidence indicates that specific gender relations appear to arise largely in response to external circumstances -economic, political, and social, not biological imperatives. In the workforce, the last ninety years have seen both the dramatic change and perhaps surprising continuity in the patterns of female labor in oz. In the 1st decade of the century, women moved into offices and shops in large numbers, transforming these jobs into predominantly female occupations. The professions of medicine law dentistry admitted increasing numbers of women from the turn of the century. * Last q. Even now many still think a womens place is at home, but the 20th century winks and her roles are scattered somewhere b/w tradition and total liberation. The 1980s and 1990s have brought women far reaching changes in almost all walks of life. History has not been kind to women as well as the determined pressure of womens group, and new attitudes have powered change and progress. Although women have more right these days then the past, there is still this discrete inequality that is taking place in society. At work and home. At work, women are concentrated in womens work. The service and caring industries, such as nursing, teaching, and typing. They get lower pay than men. Few women get into top professions and even fewer into top posts, even in their own fields. At home, some sociologists like Hannah Garron see modern marriage as a form of property relationship. An institution that ensures women continued subordination economically, financially, legally, and emotionally. Women at home experience frustration, stress and boredom. A modern housewife either faces life of loneliness and lack of reward, or goes to work and so has to face the demands of 2 jobs. 1) Why can a man lift a tone of bricks, but he cant lift up a mop? 2) Why is it that when it comes to education girls are smarter, yet men get the better paid jobs overall? 3) Society has been carrying this stereotype for thousands of years, what makes you think we can change it. Yes women have come far, but how long has it taken us? 4) Would World War have taken place if women ruled the world?