Kings of Pastry Review

Kings Of Pastry Throughout history the French have maintained a culture that, when viewed by the outside world, is synonymous with fine cuisine, artistically beautiful architecture, and the overall presence of an elitist attitude to the folks who simply don’t belong within their borders. When discussing artistic craftsmanship and French cuisine in the same note, it is impossible for those who are aware of its existence not to mention the, Meillur Ouvrier de France.Commonly abbreviated, MOF, the Meillur Ouvrier de France, is a prestigious award that is earned by only the best pastry chefs in the business. To win the collar awarded to MOF’s is the ultimate acknowledgment of a pastry chef’s skills. Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker’s film, King’s of Pastry, speaks to the artistic genius in all of us, delving into the mental, physical, and creative ability required to win such a competition. This revealing film leads viewers to the realization that bec oming an MOF is to win the most difficult competition in the entire cooking realm.Following expert French pastry chef’s Jacquy Pfeiffer, Sebastien Canonne and Philippe Rigollot, the viewer is placed in the passenger seat on their obsessive quest for the quaint yet distinct collar that represents more than just a prestigious award. Though universally bided together by the competitions regulations, the candidates experience uniquely different trials and tribulations on their endeavors to have the chance to be declared forever one of the best in France.Not an aluminum, Iron, or any type of malleable metal Chef, not the winner of the fouled mouthed Gordon Ramsay’s train wreck of a show, Hell’s Kitchen, but a Meillur de France. King’s of Pastry begins with various scenes from French cities accompanied by subtitles that function as vocally silent narration. The opening narration is utilized to give background to the award, Meillur Ouvrier de France, and the env ironment in which the competitions are held. As the opening scenes of French architecture and culture subside, the film transitions into an introduction of the French chef Jacquy Pfeiffer.Pfeiffer manages the The French Pastry School in Chicago. Considered to be one of the most prominent cooking schools in the country, and the only one that exclusively teaches pastry, The French Pastry School thrives itself on engaging students while they learn the techniques necessary for mastering the art of French Pastry. As the camera follows Pfeiffer at work, the viewer is exposed to the surgeon like dexterity required to craft tasty and aesthetically pleasing pastry dishes.Along with the help of already renowned MOF’s, Pfeiffer and his team not only teach daily classes but are also in the midst of training for the upcoming MOF competition. In Olympic style, this three-day competition is held every four years and is a mental and physically draining process. After a somewhat long-winded i ntroduction, Pfeiffer finally bids his family adieu and embarks on his journey to France. As the film brings the audience back within French borders, a faster paced tempo is desired but not delivered. At this point in the film, we are introduced to more competitors of the MOF competition in a tangent like manner.Hardly any background is given to these competitors, which makes it difficult for the viewer to feel empathy or any other emotion towards them. Moreover, if it weren’t for the collars on the MOF’s it would be near impossible to differentiate which chefs are actually competing due to the plethora that appear in a single kitchen at any given moment. This middle part of the film also leads the viewer to realize how much preparation goes into such a competition. While I retained respect and understanding of this notion, I still found myself rolling my eyes every so often at the dragging manner in which the film presents itself.Despite the slow tempo and mono toned commentaries, the breathtaking sugar sculptures and mouth-watering pastry dishes suffice as a motive for the audience to be drawn into the film and left in awe at the craftsmanship required to create these dishes. Furthermore, these dishes more aptly resemble art sculptures that would be found in an art gallery rather than something on the desert menu at a restaurant. Consequently, it becomes apparent through commentary that transporting these sculptures is half the battle.At one instance Pfeiffer and company is seen moving one of the sculptures and at an erroneous placement the sculpture crumbles. Why these competitors would have to haul these magnificent sculptures anywhere was elusive at first. However, in light of the fact that the competition does in fact require the competitors to move their sculptures from the kitchen to the gallery was enough to rationalize how the entire competition could be reduced to a balancing act. It is for this reason that the MOF is a long-shot of a competition; one that requires dexterity and creativeness to craft the pastries, but also luck when required to move them.As the practice and preparation stages come into cessation, the competitors are eager for the anticipated three-day event to begin. As the first day of competition commences the competitors are required to work in the same kitchen at different stations. Cheating is unthinkable and impossible as countless MOFs pace about the kitchen scrutinizing every move the participants make. As the film finally transitions into a speedy pace it greatly exposes that in order to succeed, time management, efficient skills, and quickness are all equally imperative factors when creating dishes.The implication is surely one that speaks to most high-level competitions. An implication that a lifetime of skill and practice is not enough, rather a competitors entire repertoire is tested within a matter of hours. The competitors must obtain perfection that day, a task that requires both proficiency and chance. The second day of the competition entails the competitors to create ten cupcake resembling pastries called, â€Å"verrines. † Five of these must have the bride’s name, the other five must include the groom’s. The final day consists of creating the fragile sugar sculpture and then transporting it to the gallery room.

Bridge paper

The builders could not have imagined that it would be still in use over 100 years after its opening (ENDEX Engineering 2007). So who were these people who built the bridge? What gave them the energy to construct one of the world’s greatest marvels? It can be safely said that there were only three people who believed in the project from start to finish. These were the Roeblings’; father, son, and son’s wife. The story of their achievement is the same so while the remainder of this paper will dwell on son Washington Roebling’s achievements it could just as easily be the story of the other two.Education and Practical Training Washington Roebling was the son of an impressive man, born May 26th 1837 in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Few remember his father; which says something about Washington’s accomplishments. His father owned a very successful wire rope business and was a pioneer in the field of iron and steel cable. As Washington grew older, he began to h elp his father in engineering endeavors. Since wire rope is a superb match for suspension bridge construction with flexibility and a high tensile strength, the Roeblings’ did much work in this field (Invention Factory 2007).Before entering the army, Washington went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Much like civil engineering majors today, it took him four years to receive his degree, but it was much more hands on than is allowed today. The education back in the 1800’s was mostly on-the-job training, whereas today computer technologies and weeding out nonconformists through mindless homework play a huge role in education. Today modern engineering students, co-ops and internships help provide realistic situations.During the civil war, in which Washington Roebling served superbly as an engineer officer in the 6th New York Calvary, Washington began to make a name for himself. He built a 1200 foot suspension bridge across the Rappahannock River and spe nt much of his time in a hot air balloon, the civil war version of air reconnaissance. Before the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, John sent Washington to Europe to study new methods for the sinking of the foundations. Later in his life, Washington would bestow almost all the credit and knowledge obtained for the Brooklyn Bridge to his father.Knowledge from the army and from his dad were used in his finishing of the two giant granite masonry towers that climbed 276 feet above high water over which to suspend wire cables to support a road 135 feet at its highest point above the water. This height was needed for ships to pass under. The bridge would be wide, at 85 feet, and the cables that would support the span would be bound to huge anchorages of 60,000 tons each (ENDEX Engineering 2007). The Brooklyn Bridge was an innovative project. Table 2 shows all the accomplishments and innovations that are related to the Brooklyn Bridge.Socioeconomic and Political Environments After the C ivil War, Washington returned to the family business, assisting in completing two more suspension bridges across the Ohio River (Invention Factory 2007). During this time Washington’s father, John, became interested in building a bridge across the East River. New York legislators finally realized the need for a route over the East River and passed a bill for some sort of construction. The largest restriction that the plans for the structure had to abide by was its height over the river, which was set to avoid contact with masts of ships that passes under it.This idea of a bridge was nothing new. For 60 years, different ways of linking Brooklyn and New York had been considered (Trachtenberg 1965). Soon, the city of New York set up the first ferries from Manhattan to Brooklyn in 1812 but more versatile transit was needed. The Brooklyn Bridge was erected out of economic necessity and urban sprawl (Brooke and Davidson 2006). New York City was a huge immigration hub. In the mid-18 00’s, men and women began to emigrate from Europe and many settled in Brooklyn. As a result, many lived in boarding houses.Brooklyn at this time consisted mainly of Irish immigrants. Immigrants were paid very poorly considered the work they performed as it was always the most demanding and risky. From 1860 to 1870, Brooklyn’s population growth was 50 percent; the fastest growing city at the time (Trachtenberg 1965). Manhattan was the opposite of Brooklyn, in that it was primarily a business district in the mid 1800’s. Approximately 40 percent of wager earners in Brooklyn had jobs in Manhattan. The northeastern coast was a major hub for imports and manufacturing goods after the Erie Canal was built.At the time the only way to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn was by fairy which was often slow and hampered by storms. Taking the ferries tended to be very dangerous. Plans for a either a bridge or a tunnel over the East River were interrupted by the Civil War. Bridges w ere thought to be impossible as no materials where known to be strong enough to support the needed span. Part of the problem was that the bridge needed to be high above the channel to allow masted ships to pass beneath it, even at high tide. These details had proved insurmountable until then.A fleet of ferries shuttled people and goods across the river every day. John Roebling, with his wire rope business and history of successful suspension bridges, had a viable solution (Invention Factory 2007). The Brooklyn Bridge would use steel in its cables. Good wrought iron breaks at 30 tons where good steel of the same size breaks at 75 tons (2. 5 times stronger) (Hart 1967). While it was not trusted at the time because of its newness, the Roeblings’ had faith in its strength. At the time, suspension bridges were viewed with suspicion.Many had failed in storms or under live loads; however, none of the bridges John had built had ever failed. One of the reasons he had succeeded was tha t he made them very stiff, preventing flexing from wind that would plague other suspension bridge builders into the next century and most famously in the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, more than 70 years after John. After due debate, the Brooklyn Bridge Company was formed with John Roebling as chief engineer (Invention Factory 2007). One thing that the times lent to the project was a good source of cheap labor.Poor immigrants, mainly Irish, were the ones who worked the most on the bridge. They also took the brunt of the casualties. Approximately 20-30 people died during construction and administration viewed it as necessary and unavoidable. Labor was very manual and at the time workers had very little power in politics. The Irish workers did not enjoy the choice of date, as it coincided with the Queen’s birthday. Technological Context & Construction Details In December 1849, an accident mangled Roebling’s father’s left hand while undergoing testing on the innova tive wire rope machinery.This new technology would set this bridge far ahead of its time, utilizing a braded configuration allowing flexibility and easier handling (Trachtenberg 1965). The Brooklyn Bridge would use steel in its cables. Good wrought iron breaks at 30 tons where good steel of the same size breaks at 75 tons (2. 5 times stronger) (Hart 1967). While steel was not trusted at the time because of its newness, the Roeblings’ had faith in its strength. At the time, steel or no steel, suspension bridges were viewed with suspicion. Many had failed in storms or under live loads; however, none of the bridges John had built had ever failed.One of the reasons he had succeeded was that he made them very stiff, preventing flexing from wind that would plague other suspension bridge builders into the next century and most famously in the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, more than 70 years after John’s lifetime. Construction was very hazardous at that time, even for chief e ngineers. At the start of the project, the Brooklyn Bridge Company lost a crucial member. A ferryboat crushed John Roebling’s foot when he was on site. After having his toes amputated, during which he declined anesthetic, an infection set in and killed him (ENDEX Engineering 2007).Surprisingly there was little debate over who should succeed him. Washington Roebling was already deeply involved with the project so he was appointed successor (Invention Factory 2007). In 1872 disaster struck again. Washington himself was down in the caissons more than any one else. He was suddenly struck with what was called caisson sickness, and is what is modernly called the bends (Invention Factory 2007). This disease was not understood at the time and results from prolonged exposure to high pressures and then sudden decompression, allowing nitrogen bubbles to form in blood and possibly clog them.Washington was not the first to fall ill from the bends, in fact, people had already died of it bu t work proceeded on. After coming back even though clearly sick, Washington was bedridden, crippled for the remainder of the project. He was only able to stand for 10 minutes at a time when the bridge opened in 1883 (Smithsonian Associates 2004). Washington remained head engineer giving orders from his bed but the person most visible to visitors at the project was his wife, Emily. She knew just as much about the project as Washington.When a board of enquiry was put together to try to oust the bedridden head engineer she removed sufficient doubt from its members for Roebling to stay (Smithsonian Associates 2004). To say she was the head engineer would only be a very slight exaggeration. The towers that supported the span were made out of limestone, granite and concrete. Newly found techniques for making steel made it a cheap, strong metal for the suspension cables (Hart 1967). The first order of business was to sink the two giant caissons into the riverbed to support the towers (Figu re 1).These were made of 12 x 12 yellow pine beams and weighed by themselves 3000 tons, having 15 foot thick roofs to keep the excavators from getting crushed by the eventually 80,000 tons of rock piled on top to make up the Towers. John found a new way to devise a foundation. The caissons were floated into place and then sunk into position, driven downward by the towers on top and crews underneath removing the actual riverbed (ENDEX Engineering 2007). Once they reached solid ground the caissons would be pumped full of grout and serve as a perfect foundation. They were undoubtedly the most tedious and difficult part of the bridge construction.Excavation methods consisted of shovel, pick, wheelbarrow, steel bar stone breakers, winches, and ten ton hydraulic jacks, eventually blasting after Washington Roebling conducted a series of experiments in the caisson. Initial rate of caisson excavation and lowering produced 6 inches per week, with a workforce of 360 people constructing the bri dge (Trachtenberg 1965). Compressed air was used in the caissons to keep the water out, and the deeper they got (78 feet on the New York side, 45 feet on the Brooklyn side) the higher the pressure needed (ENDEX Engineering 2007). This was dangerous in more way than one.Fires could be catastrophic, and occasionally there would be a blowout that subsequently would allow water back in. The largest of these air releases blew rocks and mud 500 feet into the air in 1870. Fires, from using dynamite, were the worst however. One was found smoldering in the 15 feet of wood under the Brooklyn Caisson, fed by compressed air (ENDEX Engineering 2007). Eventually some timbers were replaced and the rest of the holes were pumped full of grout. The New York caisson was stopped after 78 feet not because it had reached rock but because conditions had become intolerable.As a result, to this day it rests on sand; surprisingly stable (ENDEX Engineering 2007). The Brooklyn and New York Towers were complete d in 1875 and 1876 respectively (ENDEX Engineering 2007). The cables were strung after the completion of the towers. Perhaps the greatest calamity struck in the middle of this. A cable snapped, killing two men, and it was found to be very substandard (ENDEX Engineering 2007). Incidentally, the contractor who supplied the steel cable was not John Roebling’s Sons Co, which at the time was owned exclusively by Washington’s brothers. The cables were flawed.Eventually, the wire in all the cables, including 1520 suspenders and 400 diagonal stays, was approximately 3600 miles long (ENDEX Engineering 2007). Personal Characteristics Washington fought in the civil war both on the ground as a military observer from hot air balloons. Washington served at Gettysburg with distinction on Little Round Top and was at the siege of Richmond (Invention Factory 2007). He became very noble and selfless, though cocky at times, during the Civil War. Perhaps the most important part of his war career, however, was that he met his wife to be, Emily Warren, because he served under her brother, General G.K. Warren (ENDEX Engineering 2007). He ended the war at the rank of a Colonel. After the war he helped his father build the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge (now called John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge) before the Brooklyn Bridge. Despite many the huge hurdles of the Brooklyn Bridge project, among which was the fact that Washington became horribly sick and bedridden for most of the actual building from decompression sickness when the huge caissons for the twin towers were sunk in the Hudson riverbed (hence the traditional term ‘caisson sickness’), he managed to oversee all stages of its construction.He did this only with the help of his wife Emily Warren Roebling, who almost every day visited the site and reported to him and who some felt built the bridge herself (The Great Engineers, 1967). The Brooklyn Bridge was opened May 24th 1883 by the president of the Unite d States U. S. Grant, to fireworks and one cent ticket passes to cross. Apparently it was a great relief to Washington Roebling as his health began to slowly improve.After the completing this engineering marvel in 1883, Washington lived a relatively quiet life, mostly as a result of being still partially crippled from his illness, and when his wife died in 1903 he remarried in 1908. He spent much of his time collecting minerals, which was his one great hobby, eventually having 16,000 specimens and ending up in the Museum of Natural History’s mineral and gem collection (Smithsonian Associates 2004). This hobby added balance to his life and probably kept him from accomplishing very much else as it took so much of his time.He outlived his wife Emily and remarried. He became president of his fathers company, John Roebling’s Sons, in 1921 at the age of 79. He brought incredible energy to the position, modernizing the factory with electricity and adding a galvanized wire sec tion. The business prospered under his leadership until 1926, when Washington Roebling died. When one has hobbies such as athletics help keeps a healthy time management of school work and fun down time. College is one of the few times were one can have fun.There is a time and place to enjoy your hobbies but to enjoy these hobbies one must put in an honest day’s work. Conclusion When the Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic on May 24th 1883, it was one of the grandest engineering marvels of that century in North America. The construction was composed of many firsts. Despite innumerable setbacks, including the untimely death of the original designer of the plan, John A. Roebling, and the crippling of his son, Washington Roebling, who succeeded him in the chief engineer duties it, was finished in 14 years, having been commenced January 2, 1870.At the time of completion it was 50% longer than any other suspension bridge, it was the first to use steel cables, much stronger than hemp or cast iron previously used. The towers that supported the four main cables (each of which supports a total dead & live load of about 6 million pounds) for the span were the largest stone and masonry objects of their kind rising approximately 276 feet above the high water mark (Smithsonian Associates 2004). The challenges of this are hard to fathom in today’s world of reinforced concrete.

Media and the Vietnam and Iraq Wars

Despite the differences in American culture from the time of the Vietnam war to the Iraq war, similarities exist in the way Americans perceived both wars. Vietnam and Iraq both raised questions about the appropriateness of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs and, in some cases, resulted in negative perceptions of the U.S. military. As the link between those fighting the war and those at home watching and reading about the events of the war, the media played an important role in both cases.Relationship between the media and the militaryDuring the beginning of Vietnam there was no official policy of censorship. Censorship would have been difficult to manage because as a guest of South Vietnam, the U.S. would have had to allow the South Vietnamese to control the censorship. Additionally, according to Daniel Hallin, the U.S. administration wanted to deny that there was a war happening there, and to impose censorship is one of the signs that a country is really going to war. 1By 1963, rep orters in Vietnam had begun receiving increasingly contradictory information about the war. Military officials in Saigon maintained that the war was going well, while personnel in the field told a different story. One glaring example was the defeat of the South Vietnamese at Ap Bac. Eight days after the incident, military officials declared the operation a success. Reporter Mal Browne recalls that when the astonished press challenged this statement, they were told by the Commander in Chief of U.S. forces to â€Å"get on the team.†1 This was the beginning of a more strained relationship between the media and the military.It was in 1963 also that news programs were extended to a half hour and began showing footage of the war. This was the first time American viewers were able to experience the war right in their living rooms. In 1965, Morley Safer brought the Cam Ne report to viewers. The Cam Ne incident marked the first time the average American was exposed to images of their soldiers engaged in activities that were less than noble – burning huts in a small village as women and children ran away screaming. Though not officially tied to the report, shortly after it aired the government issued new rules of engagement designed to protect South Vietnamese civilians.By the time the U.S. engaged in war with Iraq, the world had become a different place. The military had learned the value of public perception and the need to manage it. Restrictions were placed on the press limiting where they were allowed to go and what they were allowed to report. Unfortunately for the administration, what they couldn’t manage was the amount of amateur footage that made its way into the public eye.Digital cameras and the internet made it possible for anyone to post photos and other footage in front of a broad audience. Some of the most sensational stories reported during the war – including the Abu Ghraib incident – were the result of amateur photogr aphy that found its way into professional media outlets. While of questionable value as a news source, this footage showing graphic scenes intrigued viewers and affected their perception of the U.S. military and their mission in Iraq.Another effect of technology was that reporters were able to feed information to networks â€Å"real time.† This to-the-second coverage allowed viewers to experience the war as it happened, but the information they received was not always accurate. When the military unit in which a reporter was embedded came under attack, the reporter could only report what he was experiencing without the benefit of objectivity or the â€Å"big picture† view. While they did provide some provocative footage, these reports did not increase understanding of the situation. Morley Safer stated this eloquently when he said, â€Å"Live coverage†¦only adds heat, it does not add light.†1Accuracy of reportingNorman Solomon, syndicated columnist on media and politics, suggests that the media has been fundamental in making war possible for the U.S. through fraudulent reporting. He cites reporting of the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam and of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as examples.2Tim Ryan, Army Lieutenant Colonel, has also expressed concern about the accuracy of reporting and its effect on public perception during the Iraq war. He has suggested that the media intentionally focused on negatives or failures during the war and ignored positives for the sake of a more sensational report. He stated that â€Å"even the Arab media was more willing to show positives,† such as school renovations or the creation of a youth center, than were American journalists.3During both wars, questions have been raised about the absence of reporting on U.S. interests in the countries in which they were fighting. In Vietnam, manganese, rubber and minerals were of economic interest to the U.S. In Iraq, of course, it was oil. The possibility that t he U.S. had less than noble reasons for entering into these wars was rarely addressed in mainstream media.Media influenceThere are differing opinions on whether the media actually influenced the Vietnam or Iraq wars or whether they simply provided documentation of what was happening. As the above examples show, some commentators believe that the media did affect events by making it easier for the government to wage war through fraudulent reporting, or by negatively affecting the morale of American soldiers and citizens.Contrarily, the organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) claims that the media has been falsely accused of affecting the war.4 According to FAIR, reporters merely reflect the opinions and concerns of the public. As reporter Chris Hedges stated â€Å"when everyone's waving a flag, the media waves a flag. When middle class families start wondering why their boy is coming home in a rubber bag, then the media starts asking questions too.†1Regardless o f whether they merely presented or actually influenced the Vietnam and Iraq wars, it’s clear that the media encountered similar challenges during both wars. Despite all the changes that occurred in the 40-plus years between the two wars and the fact that confidence in mainstream media waned in that time, the public still looked to the media to help them understand the facts and to represent their interests when they were concerned about the actions being taken.Works Cited1) â€Å"Which side are you on?† Episode 2, Reporting America at War. PBS, November, 2003. Online transcript www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/about/ep02_transcript.html2) Solomon, Norman. Adapted from keynote speech at annual awards ceremony of Project Censored at Sonoma State University, CA, October 22, 2005. Online source3) Ryan, Tim. â€Å"Media and the Iraq War.† Editorial, San Diego Union-Tribune, January 30, 2005.4) Cohen, Jeff. â€Å"The Myth of the Media’s Role in Vietnam.à ¢â‚¬  May 6, 2001. http://www.fair.org/indexAphp?page=2526

Structure And Anarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structure And Anarchy - Essay Example Any organization has a structure and leadership. It is also recognized that an organization is primarily its people. In theoretical discussions it is widely agreed that social movements are not organizations. As Freeman (1978) says," Granted, most movements are not organizations and thus not able to make conscious decisions about their direction. Usually they consist of numerous core groups and a large penumbra of sympathizers. Nonetheless, these core groups serve as the foci of a movement's values and activities and determine much of its deliberate policy". It is here that the crux issue rises. Lacking a resolute structure a social movement always faces instability and the conflict between group maintenance needs and goal achievement needs. The core values of the movement can have a constellation of other values supported by differing groups. These values can be parallel or opposed to core values. The opposing values and their support groups can be in a consensus and form a noticeab le opposition. So long as the leadership and the majority that support leadership and movement's core values are able to outnumber and control opposing opinions and groups structure prevails and the movement sails along smoothly with foci values. The instability of movements and opposite values and opinions are particularly strong in movements with democratic values, where the structure is deliberately loosely defined and monitored as too much structure can suppress participation and inhibit eagerness.(Lenin,1901) So social movements offer incentives for order maintenance and also to increase membership. Wilson (1973) identifies four major categories of incentives that an organization can deploy in order to maintain its membership. These are material incentives (money, goods, and other tangible rewards); specific solidarity incentives (status, power, and other intangible benefits that are scarce); collective solidarity incentives (prestige, friendship, fun, and other rewards from be ing part of a group); and purposive incentives (value fulfillment, or the sense of satisfaction from contributing to a worthwhile cause).Maintenance of consensus becomes a major task of the movement leadership so as to remain on course to foci values.Graeber(2002) defines the consensus process as ," The basic idea of consensus process is that, rather than voting, you try to come up with proposals acceptable to everyone-or at least, not highly objectionable to anyone: first state the proposal, then ask for 'concerns' and try to address them". Anarchy When opposition in a movement becomes splintered with no conclusive or majority based foci value then chaos prevails. "Anarchy means without government, which is different forms of vertically organized, i.e. chaotic included, economic and/or political-administrative

Gender Equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gender Equity - Essay Example The separate but equal approach ignores that men and women are not similarly situated in their relationships to athletics as a social institution" (Weistart, John C, p4). "In 1971, before there was any significant activity under Title IX, approximately 290,000 girls were participating in high school sports. In just six years, the number rose to more than 2 million. The obvious unanswered question is what this number would be after a couple of decades of adequate funding and vigorous enforcement of Title IX (Weistart, John C, p37). However, the debate on Title IX continues at a lively or feverish pitch, depending on the prevailing situations at different academic institutions. The main complainants are the male coaches who are distraught to see their big, hard-earned bucks slip away to women sports. However, in certain cases such as the women's basketball, Title IX is proving to be its worth. Women's basketball has grown phenomenally in the United States (Weistart, John , p29). Basically, it is an industry within academic institutions. The television is the protagonist. ... The separate but equal approach ignores that men and women are not similarly situated in their relationships to athletics as a social institution" (Weistart, John C, p4). "In 1971, before there was any significant activity under Title IX, approximately 290,000 girls were participating in high school sports. In just six years, the number rose to more than 2 million. The obvious unanswered question is what this number would be after a couple of decades of adequate funding and vigorous enforcement of Title IX (Weistart, John C, p37). However, the debate on Title IX continues at a lively or feverish pitch, depending on the prevailing situations at different academic institutions. The main complainants are the male coaches who are distraught to see their big, hard-earned bucks slip away to women sports. However, in certain cases such as the women's basketball, Title IX is proving to be its worth. Women's basketball has grown phenomenally in the United States (Weistart, John , p29). B. Industry Analysis Basically, it is an industry within academic institutions. The television is the protagonist. Without the television, sports howsoever popular, do not have the means to exert influential pressures to generate funds (Weistart, John C, p19). It is not easy to think of sports as an industry. But we can accept it as an industry if we consider the quantum of money involved and other economic factors such as human resource and large stadiums. Football and basketball lead the sports show. Because, if these games cease to exist, there will be no other games (Weistart, John C, p22). Also, the terms of Title IX make sports an equivalent to industry. No

Corporate Governance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate Governance - Case Study Example There was the lack of faith since the association was not sufficient enough. There was also lack of faith making the affiliation have some distance. During the old times, firing was mantle and euphemized. Long ago, Corporate embraced the straightforward system of firing to outline dismissals. Many panels took some pleasure in announcing to the world that they dismissed an individual (Feintzeig 1). While currently, staff are sent off softly with a declaration that the leader would step down to be with family for some time or follow other importance. However, at present, businesses go to the extent of declaring that the bosses have been dismissed and even go a step forward to give features. Supervising and dismissal is an element of the board of directors because, corporate supremacy is their responsibility. The board of directors presides over the corporation keeping an eye on the organization and stands for the concern of the company’s shareholders. Companies must have their director’s vote for by the investors. Therefore, they have a fiduciary obligation to their investors, who are their firm’s proprietor. The managers as well as commercial officials can be apprehended legally responsible for deteriorating to convene their fiduciary obligation to investors (Feintzeig 2). Firing for cause is based on little set of reasons in connection to the worker’s conduct such as disobedience. It means that the action by the worker has permanently injured the connection among the boss and the worker. While in termination with no reason, the worker is being dismissed for motives that do not connect to bad behavior. Those dismissed are normally given some money. Being fired for or no grounds, when the employee did not do anything, depends on the service rank and particularly on whether the worker is on at-will member of staff. The stigma of being dismissed was a major shock. It also consequences to despair, increase prime rates and scarcity in

Global Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Managerial Economics - Essay Example The Balance of Payments (BOP) refers to the sum of all economic exchanges between countries and includes expenses and income from the trade of goods and services, and financial transactions, including foreign direct investment. These exchanges, or transactions, fall under two categories: A Current Account and a Capital Account. The flow of goods, services, and money in and out of the United States is recorded in the current account. When national expenses exceed national income or budget, meaning the current account is â€Å"overdrawn,† it is referred to as a trade deficit. The US finances its current account deficit by issuing securities and bonds. Since fluctuations in the BOP also affects the value of the US dollar, the Federal Reserve uses a managed floating system by occasionally intervening to control fluctuations in the exchange rate. Daniel Griswold, in his 1998 trade policy analysis, states â€Å"No aspect of international trade is†¦ understood less than America’s perennial trade deficit†¦Trade deficits reflect the flow of capital across international borders, flows that are determined by†¦how much people save and invest. This renders trade policy1 an ineffective tool for reducing a nations trade deficit†¦[since] since trade deficit†¦has virtually nothing to do with trade policy.† Griswold explains that a country that has more investments than savings, such as the United States, must bring in capital from overseas through a capital account surplus. These foreign investments enable Americans to buy more goods and services even if they produce less, bridging the gap through a trade deficit. Since the mid-70s, the US has had a yearly trade deficit, reaching $100 billion in 1984 and over $150 billion in 1987. In 1991, the trade deficit dropped to $31 billion, but has been increasing since then, reaching over $190 billion2 in the fourth quarter of 2005 (BEA, 2006). Trade deficits have been blamed for â€Å"unfair† foreign

Conflict Resolution at the Place of Business Essay

Conflict Resolution at the Place of Business - Essay Example This complexity must be understood and overcome in order for both parties to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. The facts of the case are as follows: Our company (for this paper, "USCo"), a large, Midwest-based American medical company, had recently decided to increase its direct presence in the European healthcare market. Up to now, our company had some distributors in Europe, and some European countries in which we used distributors. While we intended to keep distributors in the smaller markets, such as Eire and Greece, we regarded the nine "major" countries as too important to leave to a distributor. The company we were negotiating with (for this paper, "FrenchCo") had been distributing our product, a line of sophisticated automation instruments for microbiology, for over 10 years in Italy and France. USCo had been successful with its automated instruments throughout the world, but was lagging against other key competitors in the European market. Of particular concern was our market share in Germany, France and Italy. In some European countries, such as the Nordic countries, we were direct and enjoyed a number one position in the automated segment of the market. We felt that FrenchCo, despite its strong reputat... Their ability to gain market share was unimpressive. We felt that FrenchCo's managers were hidebound and focused on "traditional" manual technologies. FrenchCo's viewpoint: FrenchCo had started with Louis Pasteur, and defined microbiology not just for France, but for the world. FrenchCo's mission was to offer the very best microbiology products, be they automated or manual, to the global market. Although FrenchCo was a smaller company than USCo, it was nevertheless a leader due to its history, its emphasis on quality, and its deep understanding of the science of microbiology. Expectations for the meeting: We at USCo could only guess what FrenchCo's attitudes were. We guessed that they knew we were unhappy with our current distribution results, and that they had watched us develop direct distribution in European countries around them. We felt that they were trying to develop their own automated instruments, but did not know how far along they were in the development. After the negotiations were completed, we hired one of the FrenchCo managers, and learned a good deal about FrenchCo's expectations. As it turned out, FrenchCo was developing an instrument, but did not want us to know that. While they were also unhappy with the business results, they felt that they could learn about our technologies and use that knowledge to effectively compete against us. They also felt that we would fail if we came to the French market without them. They were not particularly concerned about the Italian market. Start of the Negotiations We suggested the meeting time, but FrenchCo chose the venue. We met in a leafy suburb of Paris. The President met us at the door after a 40-minute wait. We were expecting to be led to a conference room.

Abortion arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Continuities and changes of religion in Sub-saharan Africa Essay Example for Free

Continuities and changes of religion in Sub-saharan Africa Essay Sub-saharan Africa has undergone changes with religion such as the changing of religious affiliation to Christianity and the practices of cosmology and ontology, however, Sub-saharan Africa has also remained constant with their thoughts being focused on various beliefs like a creator and evil. Christianity was predominantly the main religion in Sub-saharan Africa opposed to the Muslims of North Africa. Christianity in the Americas slowly began to send out missionaries to spread the Gospel and build churches in Africa. The people began to form their daily lives and rituals accordingly and the population of Christians rose from about 9% to around 63% over the years from the 1900s to modern day. Missions in Africa is most definitely something that Christians in other part of the world have focused on. It seems to be a more targeted area for its other religious practices such as cosmology and ontology. Cosmology and Ontology are more philosophical beliefs in nature, evolution, and the way the world works. In Africa, many small tribes are closed off from communication outside of their tribe, and have practiced certain beliefs for hundreds of years. This belief system tends to lean towards the more relaxed religion and allows freedom for the people in those tribes to do what they want as long as it is parallel to what is right in nature. Everything in this philosophical study is that of nature. Nature is considered holy and worthy of worship. Cosmology and Ontology are how Sub-Saharan Africans attempted to explain our complex world in the simplest way possible that makes sense to them. There were also other beliefs that Sub-saharan Africans developed over time such as the belief in evil beings and eternal paradise. Sub-saharan Africans soon realized that there needed to be some kind of an explanation for what happens when you die, or what evil is. These details did not necessarily help form a new religion, but rather simply added on top of the religions already in place in the Sub-saharan region. In the Niger-congo area, there was a common belief in spirits, a creator of the universe rather than evolution. In other areas, there was the belief in the worship and idolization of ones personal gods whom they gave thanks to and credited much of their life to. These tribes lived their lives to please their gods in order to win favor and win a long and prosperous life. This is also something that was seen in Ancient Greece where Greek Mythology and the worship of gods took place. These people too, lived to please the gods to live a good life. In conclusion, Sub-saharan African has undergone changes in religion such as Christianity and Cosmology, but there was also factors that remained constant throughout the existence of Sub-saharan Africa such as little tribes who believe in pleasing personal gods.

The New Deal Saving Liberal Democracy Politics Essay

The New Deal Saving Liberal Democracy Politics Essay In 1932, in the midst of the economic depression Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected American president. He won the election with outstanding success, receiving 472 out of the possible 531 votes with the Electoral College and inflicting the worst defeat since 1912 upon his Republican rival1. The reason for this was the enthusiastic support given by the general population to his proposal of a New Deal a highly experimental programme of legislative reforms with no defined ideology, intended at stimulating economic recovery. Having to face a continuously worsening economic depression, with over 13 millions unemployed, Roosevelt acted quickly, and within the first hundred days of his presidency passed startling bursts of reform legislation2 which in effect prevented the collapse of the economy and began to tackle some of the most pressing social problems, primarily unemployment. Though, as Conkin states, the New Deal did not provide any new clarification of the dilemmas of liberal democracy3, if one assumes that the prime basis for liberal democracy is a prosperous society, then he is justified to claim that by preventing economic collapse, Roosevelt thus saved liberal democracy in America. For the purpose of this essay, let us accept the encyclopedic definition of liberal democracy as a representative democracy where the ability of elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law and moderated by a constitution which emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals and minorities (also called constitutional liberalism), and which places constraints on the extent to which the will of the majority can be exercised. Recently, the term liberal democracy came to acquire a socialist, or perhaps event communist undertone in America, but since this can be rather classified as a misunderstanding of the term, it will be neglected. Essentially, the question posed consists of two major issues; firstly, one must consider the extent to which the New Deal policies corresponded with the liberal democratic ideology, and secondly whether the New Deal actually saved American liberal democracy. The second question essentially consists of several issues; the extent to which the liberal democracy was under threat in America, the role of the New Deal in saving it, the role of other factors, and the extent to which the New Deal was a radical innovation as opposed to being simply a natural continuation of previous policies, in which case it could not be honored for saving liberal democracy. Effectively, the aim of the following essay is to suggest that the New Deal was not liberal democratic in its nature and that if it did support liberal democracy in America, which incidentally was not critically threatened, it did so as a by-consequence of trying to improve the economic situation and solely from an economic, as opposed to a political, perspective. In addition, the importance of the Second World War as a contributive factor to economic recovery will be underlined. So let us address the first question: How Liberal was the New Deal itself? From a political perspective the New Deal can hardly be classified as Liberal Democratic in nature since it did not aim to promote a representative democracy where the ability of elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law and moderated by a constitution. In fact, it did the exact opposite when Roosevelt proposed the Court reform bill4 by which he was planning to allow for the packing of the Supreme Court and which also presumed a reduction of the Courts power. Since the Court was the principal guard against the governments violation of the constitution, it clearly went directly against the liberal democratic principles. The problem was that the Court declared unconstitutional several of Roosevelt projects, and he saw it as one of the main obstacles is his way to pass legislation; he was thus determined to reform it thus overcoming its opposition. The New Deal on the whole saw an expansion of the presidential functions5 and a decline of the party system, since Roosevelt considered traditional party politics an obstacle to the modernization of American government6. Since this meant weakening the power 1 Leuchtenburg p.17 2 Badger p. 7 3 Auerbach p. 19 4 Leuchtenburg p. 237 5 Ibid. p. 327 6 Milkis p. 480 of elected representatives of the people, in also stood in contradiction with democratic principles; instead of democratic liberalism Roosevelt was aiming at militant liberalism7. In the economy, a rather pragmatic as opposed to ideological approach was adopted, and Roosevelt clearly diverged from the liberal Keynesian policies of creating full employment by means of public work schemes; one of Roosevelts main convictions was the necessity to balance the budget, and thus, governmental spending was minimized8. Hence, to help cover the costs of the emerging welfare system, taxes were increased9. So in what sense was the New Deal Liberal Democratic? The bases for the argument promoting such a view were the welfare policies one of the basic pillars of liberal democracy since more progress was made in public welfare and relief than in the [previous] three hundred years10. However, this area too was not without controversy since on the one hand as Irwin Unger argues that New Deal [was] the immediate source of the liberal welfare state11, but on the other, C. Gardner stresses the fact that it did not solve any of the fundamental problems 12. Numerous welfare policies were introduce, namely the National Youth Asssociation which was a considerable success helping young people find work13, the Home Owners Loan Corporation which protected Americans who has been hit by depression from losing their property and relief programmes such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Civil Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The greatest single reform however w as the Social Security Act which included unemployment compensation, old-age and survival insurance, public assistance programs for dependant children and the blind14, housing projects, economic relief programs15. Though overall liberal, it had several flaws; national health insurance was absent and family allowances, public assistance and unemployment insurance remain ungenerous by international standards16 whilst many categories of workers were excluded from the Act all together17. Excluded too was the black population, which became another controversial issue, since liberalism actively promotes the protection of minorities. The NRA saw the blacks being paid less than the white, the TVA largely avoided employing blacks and the AAA was not effective in protecting the interest of black sharecroppers and tenant farmers. On the whole, Roosevelt did attempt to promoted racial equality as for example by promoting blacks to secondary posts in government18; yet as many of his critics poi nt out, he did not introduce a Civil Rights Legislation19 fearing opposition from the Southern states, and hence only few welfare projects, namely the NYA, benefited the black population. Similarly, the promotion of womens rights was undertaken women being included in government for the first time20, but only on a small scale. Hence, it is debatable whether the New Deal can be classified as liberal democratic, since only from a social perspective can it truly be considered such. So how could it save liberal democracy? In order to assess that, let us first identify the threats that were present. When the New Deal was first introduced, the economy was continuously declining; the banking system was collapsing as banks were failing, demand was falling, agricultural overproduction depreciated prices and droughts further undermined the income of the farmers who were struggling to pay their taxes and debt obligations, in towns unemployment rose to 15.9% in 193121 and wages were cut, production was shrinking in most fields and workers suffered from malnutrition and destitution. In we accept that economic prosperity or at least minimal wage available to the majority of the population is a necessary requirement for Liberal Democracy, then one could easily claim that from an economic perspective the latter was increasingly under threat in America at the beginning of the 1930s, as economic plight was severe and conditions were only deteriorating. One could go as far as claiming that unless a series of effective economic reforms was introduced, the economic system would collapse bringi ng an end to liberal democracy; the scale of the economic plight was reflected in the general mood of despair and the belief that depression was permanent22 as well as increasingly emigration of workers and a drastic fall in birth rate. 7 Ibid. p. 486 8 Skocpol p. 40 9 Louchheim p. 150 10 Leuchtenburg p. 332 11 Auerbach p.18 12 Auerbach p. 20 13 Louchheim p. 296 14 Skocpol p. 38 15 Louchheim p. 260 16 Skocpol p. 37 17 Louchheim p. 151 18 Ibid. p. 260 19 Leuchtenburg p. 186 20 Ibid. p. 33 21 Badger p. 18 22 Leuchtenburg p. 29 However, surprisingly perhaps, the democratic government itself was not political threatened in any significant way. Whilst in Europe extremist parties made enormous gains in parliament and their popularity boosted up, America saw no such development and in the elections of 1932, Communists -the most extreme party prepared to challenge liberal democracy only polled 120 000 votes23. Moreover, general mood idleness prevailed and no major protests parallel to those is Europe were seen. Farm strikes, communist demonstrations and miners strikes did occur24, yet did propose an alternative communist political system, but rather simply expressed their grievances. In there was a threat, it came from the suggestions to strengthen the powers of the executive, radical enough to propose dictatorship; a dictatorial of twelve men, a supercouncil or simply a single dictator25. However, these suggestions did not generate violent opposition to the present democratic government. Though Hoovers govern ment was blamed for the depression and as William Dodd put it both political parties have been bankrupted26, the American people did not seem to lose faith in democracy as a political system and when Roosevelt proposed a new proposed a new program, they supported it with faith and enthusiasm. The reason why extremism did not threaten liberal democracy in America as it did in Europe was mainly due to the fact that America was founded upon the principles of liberty and freedom, and never experienced effective dictatorial rule as did most European countries under their monarchs. Hence, in the political sense, the New Deal cannot claim to have saved liberal democracy, since no critical threat actually existed. Ironically however, one could claim that New Deal created such a threat when in 1934 when strikes and riots began to spread27. The protests acquired a much strong communist inclination and Longs Share Our Wealth organization promoting wealth redistribution attracted increasing support28 whilst on Labour Day the textile workers carried out the largest strike ever in America. However, these threats were effectively handled by the government by force in the case of major strikes29; and the general public continued to fear Communist, which meant that no critical threat developed. Also, by adopting a more left-wing approach to the economy, the New Deal managed to undercut radical reforms30 destroying the attractiveness of radical parties. The development of left-wing radicalism can be explained by de Tocquevilles theory that evils become intolerable when avenues of escape are opened31; when the workers were given certain privileges, they began to want more. Hence, if the New Deal is to be acclaimed for handling a political threat to Liberal Democracy, it can only be with respect to the threat it generated itself. This is further supported by the argument that the New Deal created a real threat of dictatorship on Roosevelt part, since, as James Farley notes the presidents attempt to dominate his party indicated his thirst for personal power32 and some congress members genuinely feared his despotism33. Hence, major threat to Liberal Democracy was that of economic collapse, and it is by preventing such a development that the New Deal can claim to have saved the system. However, the issue is far more controversial, so let us now examine the economic policies of the New Deal and determine their influences. During the first hundred days, Roosevelt passed several important pieces of economic legislation; first was the Emergency Banking Act. This in effect revived the collapsing banking system and induced confidence in the population that banks were now safe34, thus being a crucial development as it inspired the general population with faith that the economic depression was about to end and re-established normal monetary relations within the country. Roosevelts next move was to balance by budget by means of the Economy Act; this reassured the business community of Roosevelts fiscal conservatism, and thus promoted the restoration of business relations. He then managed to counter deflation by taking America off the gold standard35, passed the National Recovery Act proposing minimal wages and maximum working hours, established the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to oversee the stock market and introduced the Tennessee Valley Authority which was aimed at generating both electricity fo r the South and employment opportunities36. 23 Ibid. p. 26 24 Ibid. p. 25 25 Ibid. p. 30 26 Ibid. p. 27 27 Badger p. 303 28 Leuchtenburg p. 98 29 Ibid. p. 113 30 Auerbach p. 23 31 Auerbach p. 24 32 Leuchtenburg p. 278 33 Milkis p. 483 34 Leuchtenburg p. 43 35 Ibid. p. 51 36 Ibid. p. 54 Since one of the major problems caused by the depression was the plight in agriculture, the first hundred days also saw the introduction of the Agricultural Adjustment Act; this aimed to increase crop prices37, and protect farmers from uncertainties by subsidies. Though successful in bringing relative stability and prosperity to the farming community farm income rose by 50% during Roosevelts firm term38 and rural debt decreased the Act was a controversy due to the methods it employed. Crop destruction and the slaughtering of livestock to raise prices39 at a time when many families could not afford food, was seen by some as anti-social and overly-capitalist. In general, the first hundred days brought economic recovery, and saved the economy from collapse. However, not all projects were completely successful, e.g. the National Recovery Act was violated by many enterprises, and most of the changes did not in any way permanently alter the economic structure, which allowed for the same problems that caused the depression to arise later. Also, the withdrawal of capital from the economy into reserve funds may be helped to prologue the depression40. In did however induce a variety of stabilizers into the economy41 and introduced one lasting strategy the establishment of the federal government in the role of a broker and arbitrator between the different competing interest groups thus promoting private enterprise and completion, as well as succeeded in improving the overall working conditions42. One can claim that by saving America from collapse the first hundred days of the New Deal proved that democratic reform represented a viable alternative to totalitarianism43 thereby saving liberal democracy. However, one must keep in mind that it was economic recovery, not the saving of liberal democracy which was the main driving force behind the legislations. One must also consider that the success of the first hundred days was however short-lasting, and in 1937 the economy again plunged into recession after a period of revival. The economic situation deteriorated to such an extent that some of the population faced starvation44 and the problems of unemployment, though reduced, presisted. This was partly due to the failure of certain policies in the long-term, which were rather successful in the short term; in other words, the New Deal did not introduced any economic changes that would be far-reaching enough as to change the cyclic nature of the economy45 and thus did not prevent the natural recession of mid-1937. At this point it is vital to stress the importance of the Second World War for the American economy. Since the New Deal largely failed in the long term, one could easily expect that the economic problems and unemployment would persist unsolved for many years to come; the sole reason why this did not happen was the start of the Se cond World War. The war forced the government to allow large expenditures and provided an impetus for economic activity, growth and recovery (for the first time unemployment figures fell to less than 2 million) ultimately, the economic demands of the war provided demand for many industries, rising their levels of production and dragging capital into the economy. Final recovery from the depression was thus only achieved during the war, and many argue that without the opportunities that it presented, the economy under the New Deal would not be able to fully recover; A. L Hamby claims that had not World War II intervened à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the New Deal might well have been considered a failure46. However, one must not underestimate the importance of the New Deal in developing the economy to a stage where it could take effective advantage of the opportunities provided by the war. In effect, the New Deal and the Second World War were two essential steps towards total recovery which could on ly be completely when coupled. Now let us briefly look at the relation between the New Deal and policies that preceded it; many argue that the New Deal was a continuation of the Progressives policies from the before the First World War; this argument is supported by the fact that the government included many old progressives such as Roosevelt himself, and many of the policies, namely the Social Security Act carried a great degree of resemblance to the welfare policies that were being introduced under the progressives47. However, this view by and large 37 Louchheim p. 237 38 Ibid p. 237 39 Leuchtenburg p. 73 40 Louchheim p. 151 41 Hamby p. 4 42 Leuchtenburg p. 69 43 Hamby p. 5 44 Leuchtenburg p. 249 45 Ibid. p. 265 46 Hamby p. 8 47 Ibid. p. 2 incorrect since the Progressives were closely associated with the laissez-faire which the New Deal abandoned, and were motivated in their welfare policies by Victorian humanitarianism48, whereas the New Deal politicians adopted their policies out of economic necessity and liberal considerations. The New Deal differed from the programs of the Hoover administration too, since it was not limited by narrow ideological vision and could embark on rather more radical policies49 which was essential if the economy was to be saved from collapse. Now let us conclusively assess the influence of the New Deal on Liberal Democracy. The New Deal was introduced as response to an economic depression and its policies were thus targeted at solving immediate economic problems rather than saving Liberal Democracy; thus the aims of the New Deal were not liberal. It was only the welfare policies introduced under the New Deal which were of a liberal nature, and even those were adopted out of necessity rather than because of ideological considerations. However, it is correct to acknowledge that the New Deal clearly saved the faith in liberal democracy by proving that a democratic government can fight an economic crisis successfully; it significantly revived the economy and in W. Leuchtenburgs view saved capitalism50 in America. Saving that the New Deal saved Capitalism rather than Liberal Democracy more correct also for the reason that whilst capitalism was threatened by the deteriorating economic depression, Liberal Democracy did not face any significant political threats thanks to the firm democratic tradition. However, if you accept the assumption that capitalism and a prosperous economy are essential foundations for a liberal democratic society, then it is fair to claim that to a large extent the New Deal helped prevent the collapse of the liberal democratic system in America.

Advanced Social Psychology: Overview and Analysis

Advanced Social Psychology: Overview and Analysis Theresa A. Patterson Social psychology is a relatively young science. This branch of psychology includes the study of individual behavior in a social setting as well as factors that influence behavior. Social psychology was established as a formal discipline approximately one hundred years ago (Reis, 2010). Throughout its history, social psychology demonstrated the effects of notable social and political themes of various time periods. Also, methodological and theoretical advances impacted the development of social psychology in many ways. Although many people equate the origins of social psychology with the publication of the first social psychology textbook by McDougall in 1908, the roots of this field can be traced to the writings of Aristotle and Plato (Reis, 2010). For example, Aristotle noted the need for individuals to live in groups, while Plato emphasized the impact of the environment on behavior. McDougall incorporated the concepts of emotion and morality in his textbook and emphasized the idea that behavior was instinctive and individual. In addition to McDougall’s contribution, Wundt’s writings regarding the effect of groups on individual behavior played a critical role in the development of social psychology (Reis, 2010). However, Wundt did not advocate experimental methods. In addition, his ideas did not match the behaviorist views that predominated in the early 1900’s. Thus, Wundt’s views were not long-lived on social psychologists. Despite the advent of novel social psychology textbooks, the discipline of social psychology was not well defined. The work of Floyd Allport in 1924 outlined the tenets of social psychology in a way that reflected current thinking to a higher degree (Reis, 2010). Allport noted that interpersonal relationships are the hallmark of social psychology, but emphasized that social psychology must be studied in terms of the individual rather than in terms of the group (Patterson, 2015). Additionally, Allport asserted that many factors in the environment might elicit behaviors. Allport took an experimental approach in social psychology and invested hos efforts in basic research (Reis, 2010). Allport’s writings, which emphasized such topics as conformity, emotion and social influence, exerted a lasting impact on contemporary researchers. Although Allport clearly utilized a methodological approach, Norman Triplett is widely credited with the implementation of the first social psychology experiment in 1898 (Reis, 2010). Triplett (1898) investigated the effect of the presence of other individuals on performance based upon his observation that bicyclists rode faster when paced by another rider. In addition, Sherif (1936) conducted studies that investigated the development of social norms and the impact that societal rules had on behavior. The occurrence of events such as the Great Depression, World War I and World War II set the stage for further development in social psychology (Patterson, 2015). During the World War II era, several European social psychologists fled Nazi Germany and immigrated to the United States. Notably, Kurt Lewin implemented research regarding group processes and styles of leadership in the workplace (Reis, 2010). Furthermore, Lewin’s field experiments during World War II, founding of the S ociety for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), and his conviction in the applied aspect of social psychology, left a lasting impact on the field (Reis, 2010). Following the end of World War II, the discipline of social psychology flourished in the United States (Reis, 2010). Social psychologists enjoyed greater prestige and high status, and were rewarded by the government with new research facilities, grants, and teaching positions. The G.I. Bill created a need for psychologists to teach at universities, and tenure was quickly earned (Reis, 2010). Also, research on conformity and obedience demonstrated the power of group influence on the beliefs and behaviors of participants (Asch, 1956). Other notable experiments occurred during this era, which lasted from approximately 1946 to 1969. For example, Festinger’s (1957) research regarding cognitive dissonance showed that individuals strive to maintain consistence between their beliefs and their behaviors (Reis, 2010). Additionally, Milgram’s (1963) experiments on obedience to authority demonstrated that the majority of people will obey an authority figure even if it includes infl icting possible harm to others. Furthermore, research on romantic attraction generated both interest as well as controversy among social psychologists (Reis, 2010). Despite ground-breaking advances in the area of interpersonal attraction, many people did not think that love and romance should be topics of research experiments. In addition, the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese stimulated bystander intervention research (Reis, 2010). The attempt by the government during the 1960s to eradicate societal wrongdoings generated research regarding the interaction of personality variables and environmental factors in behaviors. The 1970’s was notable for an increase in social cognition studies (Reis, 2010). However, the public became disillusioned with the possibility that society could benefit from social psychology research. In addition, women and minorities noted that social psychology represented an extremely biased view of predominantly male, white, middle-class social psychologists. As a result of this crisis of public confidence, a more comprehensive and revitalized discipline of social psychology emerged. For example, more rigorous ethical standards in experimental research were implemented (Reis, 2010). As social psychology continues to grow in the present era, views are expanding to include interdisciplinary as well as global concepts. The influence of social psychology has been demonstrated in various areas such as healthcare, industry and schools (Reis, 2010). Additionally, technological advances provided access to participants from many cultures. This cross-cultural perspective will undoubtedly influence future research studies. Also, methodological advances, as well as growth in neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, will continue to assist researcher in the interpretation of data. Advances in social psychology would not be possible without experimental research. However, proposed studies and related methodology necessitate attention to ethical concerns. As social psychology grew, researchers shifted their focus from speculation to the demonstration of empirical evidence. Early laboratory experiments were often criticized for their artificiality and potential biases (Reis, 2010). As a result of this evaluation, field studies were conducted to provide realistic results that could be generalized to other situations (Reis, 2010). Therefore, ethical codes of conduct must be in place to make certain that participants are not harmed in any manner. In general, researchers must adhere to the ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence and justice. The American Psychological Association (APA) developed its code of ethical standards to guide researchers in appropriate treatment of participants. The 1974 National Research Act requires the formation of committees referred to as Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to review potential experiments before researchers begin a study (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). This process, which may include required modifications and revisions, helps to ensure the protection of participants’ welfare. For example, an IRB will examine the cost/benefit ratio to ascertain whether the possible benefits are greater than potential risks. In the event that risks are likely, researchers may be advised to seek lower-cost alternatives (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Experiments involving the use of deception must be carefully evaluated prior to the start of the study for analysis of the cost/benefit ratio. Above all, researchers must always endeavor to protect participants from harm. In addition, researchers must obtain informed consent from all participants prior to the start of an experiment. Informed consents includes the responsibility of researchers to be forthcoming regarding possible risks and what is involved in the experiment. For example, Asch’s (1956) study concerning conformity involves a possible breach of informed consent for several reasons. First, participants were deceived regarding the nature of the experiment. Also, participants were not told about the possibility of stress during the experiment, and may have suffered subsequent mental distress. Asch’s (1956) study included the debriefing of participants, which is now required in all experimental studies. Debriefing involves explaining the true nature of the study to participants after the experiment is over (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Several additional research studies were criticized for violations of ethical principles. For example, Milgram’s (1963) landmark experiment regarding obedience to authority generated much controversy. This experiment investigated the power of authority figures on individuals by â€Å"ordering† them to administer electric â€Å"shocks† to a confederate. Participants were misled concerning the nature of the study and may have suffered severe distress as a result of the deception. Furthermore, participants may not have been aware that they had the right to leave the experiment at any time. Because the participants were paid, they might have felt obliged to continue as long as necessary. During the course of the study, the experimenter urged participants to continue to the end of the experiment. Thus, coercion might have been a factor that contributed to participants’ completion of the experiment (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Milgram’s (1963) study illustrated an explicit violation of ethical principles regarding informed consent. This violation included misinformation concerning potential psychological harm as well as not informing participants that they were free to terminate the experiment at any time. Additionally, researchers did not adhere to the critical principle of inflicting no harm upon participants. Many participants in Milgram’s (1963) study reported significant mental distress from both the pressure of the experimenter and subsequent guilt associated with their willingness to inflict pain upon others. Since individual differences could not be ascertained, researchers were unable to predict the extent of participants’ distress. Finally, past research demonstrated the crucial role that environmental and situational factors play in human behavior (Haley, Banks, Zimbardo, 1973). A study by Haley, Banks and Zimbardo (1973) utilized a simulated prison setting in which participants were randomly assigned to the roles of prisoners or guards. However, the participants quickly adapted to their roles and reacted as though the situation was a real-life occurrence. The guards behaved in a cruel and demeaning manner, and the prisoners became increasingly passive and depressed. The experimented had to be terminated early as a result of the extreme psychological symptoms that participants exhibited. The realistic nature of the experiment may have precluded participants from exercising their right to withdraw from the study. Like the Milgram (1963) study, researchers associated with the simulated prison study were not able to predict the extent of psychological harm to participants, which violated an element of informed consent. During the majority of the experiment, no attempt was made to curtail the abuse inflicted by the guards toward the prisoners. Thus, potential harm to participants was not minimized (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Although participants were screened for psychological disorders, the development of unanticipated harmful effects changed the risk/benefit ratio. Researchers must continually evaluate potential risks that may occur during the study as well as possible benefits. In addition, researchers need to ensure that participation in experiments is completely voluntary and that participants do not feel coerced. If deception will be utilized, researchers must be certain that no viable alternatives exist (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Finally, in most circumstances, researchers need to obtain an informed consent form for each participant in the study. Also, researchers must be vigilant regarding signs of psychological distress or unexpected effects of participation in the study. Debriefing is essential to ensure that participants understand the purpose of the experiment and to alleviate any negative effects of participation in the study (Gravetter Forzano, 2006). Finally, researchers must protect the confidentiality of data that is collected as well as identifying information that is provided by participants. References Asch, S. (1956). Studies of independence and conformity: A minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychological Monographs, 70, No. 9 (Whole No. 416). Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson. Gravetter, F., Forzano, L. (2006). Research methods for the behavioral sciences. (2nd. Ed.). Mason, OH: Thompson. Haney, C., Banks, C., Zimbardo, P. (1973). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1, 69-97. Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 57(4), 371-378. Patterson, T. (2015). Advanced social psychology midterm exam. Unpublished manuscript. Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, PA. Reis, H. (2010). How we got here from there: A brief history of social psychology. In R. Baumeister E. Finkel (Eds.), Advanced social psychology: The state of the science. (pp. 25-60). NY: Oxford University Press. Sherif, M. (1936). The psychology of social norms. New York: Harper Bros. Triplett, N. (1898). The dynamogenic factors in pacemaking and competition. American Journal of Psychology, 9(4), 507-533.

Constable: Weymouth Bay: Difficulty with Landscapes :: essays papers

Constable: Weymouth Bay: Difficulty with Landscapes John Constable was born into a wealthy family in the English countryside. It was originally suspected that he would take over his father’s buisness because his older brother was mentally handicapped. However as his interest in painting grew his mother realized that this was a course he was choosing and he was good enough to pursue. Ironically when Constable turned to landscapes, his mother worried about his finances and urged him to turn to portraiture. In his lifetime Constable rarely sold any paintings despite being inducted into the Royal Academy of Art. Constable has talent, yes, absolutely. I could never capture his landscapes and ‘Weymouth Bay’ is a gorgeous recreation of what Constable saw. It is not an idealized version it is exactly as he saw it. This is where my problem with landscapes begins. I cannot find myself excited by them. It has taken me weeks of procrastination about how to write this paper. ‘Weymouth Bay’ was painted by Constable during his honeymoon in 1816. The scene is Dorset. There is another version of this painting in the Louvre. I think that the painting is easy on the eye. It would have been simpler to write about a Turner because his work in my opinion contains pieces of originality that Constable fails to achieve. His work is straight forward, an almost perfect recreation of exactly what Constable saw. Experts believe that the view in ‘Weymouth Bay’ is from an angle towards the west; west of Redcliff Point. It is a barren picture, the land is empty, cold. If landscape instills feeling of environment, Constable achieves that. When the painting was exhibited at the British Institution in 1819 the New Monthly Magazine wrote that the painting was, â€Å"a clear, well-colored picture.† To this description, yay. I do not aspire to be a critic of art and even now as I type this paper, I find myself increasingly nervous to the hail of criticism I’m opening myself up to. However, as I wandered through the halls of the National Gallery the urge to challenge myself and write about something that caught my eye because of the simplicity of it not because it was thought provoking was too much. Simple is not a bad thing. However if all art was simple it would in my opinion cease to be relevant. But would Constable be a relevant painter today?

Surgery :: essays research papers

Surgery   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My stomach and throat seemed to be playing ping pong with my heart as I entered the hospital’s waiting room. All week I had been playing it cool telling everyone that the surgery was not that big of a deal, and that I was enthused about all the attention I would be receiving. But today reality had hit me. I had never been through anything like this before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waiting room was sparsely filled with families waiting for their loved ones. I tried to look at the various magazines, but nothing helped relieve the tight feeling in my stomach. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the nurse called my name. I slowly got up, and headed through the door with my family. I was thankful that they were there. Their presence made me feel more at ease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was asked to change into the attractive dress without a back, and then I was handed some funny looking socks. I looked like an eighty year old lady in a fifteen year-old’s body with my new outfit. Another nurse entered the room to take my vitals, and give me an IV, the needle that she pulled out of the plastic looked huge. I had had shots before, but an IV was a completely different deal. After the IV was secured, I was afraid to move my arm, in case the IV fell out, because I was not having the nurse stick me again. With my vitals recorded, and my first shot administered to relax me, I was feeling slightly better about the procedure. Just when I was convincing myself that this would not be so bad, a nurse with a sour disposition came to wheel me away. Then it hit me, my family could not follow me to this next part, I was on my own. I had hardly noticed their presence for the last half hour, but now I was suddenly aware of their pending absence. As they w heeled me down the hall away from my mom, dad and sister, I had the urge to jump out of the Gurney, and race back to them.

Metaphysics Essay

Plato vs. Freud on Metaphysics Plato and Freud have made great strides in their respective fields of study. Both men have made a lasting impact on the way we now as humans view the world that we live in. Plato and Freud have similarities in views that they share but they also have some differences metaphysically. Plato believes that what is ultimately real are ideas, he believes that images are imperfect representations of the perfect concepts. While Freud believes what is physically real is by the evolution of man. Freud ultimately puts his faith in what he can see and analyze in front of him instead of what he cannot. Freud developed a â€Å"talking cure† which he would let the hysterical patient talk freely about the earliest occurrences which would then entirely eliminate the patient’s symptoms.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦developed the idea that many neuroses (phobias, hysterical paralysis and pains, some forms of paranoia, and so forth) had their origins in deeply traumatic experiences, which had occurred in the patient’s past but which were now forgotten–hidden from consciousness. The treatment was to enable the patient to recall the experience to consciousness, to confront it in a deep way both intellectually and emotionally, and in thus discharging it, to remove the underlying psychological causes of the neurotic symptoms.† Plato answers the question of metaphysics by saying of ideas and ideal forms and Freud answers the metaphysical question through his belief in human nature. For Plato what is ultimately real are ideas and Ideal forms. Plato believes that the object was constantly changing so the ideal form is what was ultimately real. Everything in existence has a form of perfection for itself. All things in the physical world work in their existence to approach their perfection. An object, living or dead, always works in some way or another to meet its nature. For example, if you have a brand new table in your house the brand new table itself is not perfect. It is not perfect because the table itself is in a constant state of change. There is however a perfect ideal form of the table that does not change. â€Å"It is most of all from Plato that we get the theory of Forms, according to which the world we know through the senses is only an imitation of the pure, eternal, and unchanging world of the Forms.† While on the other hand Freud believes ultimately what is real is physical matter the whole universe is in evolution, which means he believes in no God or Gods. He concludes that all religious beliefs are illusions that have little proof. Freud also believed that the evolution that man had endured from the beginning to where he stood presently is what is ultimately real. â€Å"The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, whose practice began in 1885, believed that each person’s subconscious mind was fraught with desires stemming from earlier phases of evolution. These desires, suppressed by modern society, accounted for much of neurotic behavior. Likewise, an individual’s personality was at least partially determined by heredity.† Freud believes that evolution plays a very pressing role in the lives of humans and that is what is real in the world. Further, what is ultimately real about humans is that man is the highest and most complex of all living creatures whose personali ty is composed of three interacting parts—the Id, the Ego and the Super-ego. The Id (or it) part of the psyche is the primitive instinctive component of personality. It consists of all of the inherited biological components of personality including the sex life. The Id is impulsive and unconscious and responds immediately to the instincts of human beings. The personality of a newborn child is all id and later it starts to develop ego and superego. The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. The ego only satisfies the id on the realistic terms sometimes compromises to avoid negative consequences of society. The superego incorporates the values and morals of society, which are learned from one’s parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. Through all of these different stages in personally there are some check and balance stages that go along with stages. For example if the id wants something that is wrong and the ego lets the person have such thing, guilt can come into play. â€Å"The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to id demands, the superego may make the person feel bad though guilt.† Freud and Plato have made great strides in influencing the world after their work in their respective fields was completed. Freud has influenced many great psychologists after him and Plato has done the same in his respective field of philosophy. Freud influenced the minds such as: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, Alfred Alder, Erik Erikson, and Carl Jung. Freud’s influences in his field were great toward the constant search for a deeper analysis of how the mind works. â€Å"His work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological causes and he also offered evidence that cultural differences have an impact on psychology and behavior. His work and writings contributed to our understanding of personality, clinical psychology, human development and abnormal psychology.† Plato as well left a lasting impression on philosophers after him. He gave great insight to know the world around him works and functions. Plato’s ideas were used to jus tify some religions and certain academic subjects. Plato gave a lot to the teachers and scholars after him. â€Å"In his lifetime he was the most celebrated teacher of his day. After his death his ideas were taken up by countless other thinkers. Philo of Alexandria used Plato’s ideas to give a philosophical framework to Judaism. Early Christian writers eagerly embraced Plato’s thought as the best available instrument for explaining and defending the teachings of the Bible and church tradition. Of the Christian Platonists, St. Augustine of Hippo was the best known and most influential. Plato’s influence spread into Islam as well, through the writings of the philosophers Avicenna and Averroes.† Freud and Plato are not just polar opposites they have things in common as well. They both thought that trouble in the human soul/mind arises when the three parts don’t work in harmony with each other. Plato thought that the key to such harmonious relationship was to yield control to the rational soul; after all, he was the founder of the rationalist program in philosophy. Freud, on the other hand, concentrated on dealing with the id by means of psychoanalytical techniques. The difference of these men is clearly seen but they also have ideas that intertwine them. Plato thought the human soul, which we now call the mind, was made up of three parts: appetitive, rational, and the spiritual soul. Freud in turn in his career built a system around Plato’s comparable ideas. The system was: id similar to the appetitive soul, ego similar to the rational soul, and superego similar to the spiritual soul. Both men have given the world a foundation to build upon and expand their theories. References Brickhouse, Thomas, and Nicolas D. Smith. â€Å"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.† Plato []. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Thornton, Stephen P. â€Å"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.† Freud, Sigmund []. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. KR, Holmes. â€Å"Result Filters.† National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Lorenz, Hendrik. â€Å"Ancient Theories of Soul.† Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Oct. 2003. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Case Analysis: Minit-Lube Essay

A substantial market exists for automobile tune-ups, oil changes, and lubrication service for more than 250 million vehicles on U.S. roads. Some of this demand is filled by full-service auto dealerships, some by Walmart and Firestone, and some by other tire/service dealers. However, Minit-Lube, Mobil-Lube, Jiffy-Lube and others have also developed strategies to accommodate this opportunity. Minit-Lube stations perform oil changes, lubrication, and interior cleaning in a spotless environment. The buildings are clean, painted white, and often surrounded by neatly trimmed landscaping. To facilitate fast service, cars can be driven through three abreast. At Minit-Lube, the customer is greeted by service representatives who are graduates of Minit-Lube U. The Minit-Lube school is not unlike McDonald’s Hamburger University near Chicago or Holiday Inn’s training school in Memphis. The greeter takes the order, which typically includes fluid checks (oil, water, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and differential grease) and the necessary lubrication, as well as filter changes for air and oil. Service personnel in neat uniforms then move into action. The standard three-person team has one person checking fluid levels under the hood, another assigned interior vacuuming and window cleaning, and the third is in the garage pit, removing the oil filter, draining the oil, checking the differential and transmission, and lubricating as necessary. Precise task assignments and good training are designed to move the car into and out of the bay in 10 minutes. The idea is to charge no more, and hopefully no less, than gas stations, automotive repair chains, and auto dealers, while providing better services. 1. What constitutes the mission at Minit-Lube? (10 points) The mission statement for Minit-Lube is to provide fast, reliable and superior services in a customer friendly environment while ensuring lowest possible fares pertaining to the oil changes, lubrication and interior cleaning to the vehicle owners in the USA as comparison with gas stations, auto dealers and automotive repair chains. 2. How does the Minit-Lube operations strategy provide competitive advantage? (Hint: Evaluate how Minit-Lube’s traditional competitors perform the 10 decisions of operations management vs. how Minit-Lube performs them). (25 points) Minit-Lube operations strategy provides the organization advantage over its competitors in the following ways: Product Design: Minit-Lube concentrates only on lubricating services of automobiles as opposed to its competitors, by providing fast service and as per convenience to the customers. The superior service mechanism has been designed to do service quickly 3 cars at a time. Service process is quick and efficient to the satisfaction of customers as each of the three bays is handled by a team of three persons. Because Minit-Lube has a narrow product strategy, such as â€Å"lubricating automobiles†, it allows them to be more focused and efficient with its service operations. Quality Strategy: Quality exceeds normal standards as all employees are neatly dressed and fully trained from Minit-Lube school. Because of limited task variety, high repetition of work, good personnel training, and use of handy manuals, quality is relatively easy to maintain for Minit-Lube. Process Strategy: The process strategy of Minit-Lube allows its employees to stay focused on doing their jobs well. It is not a general purpose garage or gas station as compared to its traditional competitors. Efficient use of human resource enables fast service provision as three workers simultaneously work on a car to provide oil-change services. Location Strategy: Location premises are spotless with appealing surrounding environment and are usually conveniently placed near residential areas. Layout Strategy: Layout designs of service bays are planned in such a manner that all the service tasks are carried out without any loss of any time. The three bays are designed specifically for lubrication and vacuuming tasks to minimize wasted movement on the part of the employees and to contribute to the speedier service. Supply Chain Strategy: Purchasing is facilitated by negotiation of large purchases and custom packaging. Human Resources Strategy: Well trained staff graduated from Minit-Lube school, ensuring cost effectiveness by building good customer relationships and providing speedy and accurate service. Each individual specializes in its own work enabling the maximum level of service. Inventory: Inventory investment is relatively low, and they should expect a high turnover. Inventory investment is limited. Scheduling: Scheduling of services is provided in least possible time frame, with use of efficient human resource in order to meet customer schedules. Scheduling is quite straightforward at Minit-Lube with similar times for most cars. Maintenance: Minit-Lube provides reliable maintenance solutions because of their trained staff and superior operations management. There is relative little equipment to be maintained, therefore little preventive maintenance required. With three bays and three systems, there is backup available in the case of failure. To conclude, Minit-Lube differentiates itself from other service providers by providing fast, reliable and superior services at the lowest possible cost in a customer friendly environment. 3. Is it likely that Minit-Lube has increased productivity over its more traditional competitors? Why? How would we measure productivity in this industry? (15 points) The main criteria of measuring productivity of service providers such as Minit-Lube is differentiation, flexibility and cost involved in their service provisions. The Minit-Lube has distinguished itself from its rival automobile service providers by differentiating as a narrow service provider limited to automobile lubricating services rather than a general servicing of automobiles. Its approach is flexible and responds quickly to the needs and convenience of customers. The service provided is better, quick and cost competitive. Full satisfaction of customers is its Motto. Due to these approaches for the last three decades of its existence, the productivity of Minit-Lube is increasing as compared to other traditional competitors. [pic]