Broadband Methods

There are several broadband methods that can be used to provide high speed internet access at home. The selection of the method is determined by the requirements, the availability of the hardware which is determined by the location of the user and the installation cost. Some of the most common methods include digital subscribers line (DSL), cable internet and satellite internet among others (Lemke, 2001). Due to its availability and speed relative to other options, I would prefer satellite internet for home use. Digital subscriber line is the most common home internet access method and provides network over the telephone lines.The main advantages of DSL that the subscriber is always connected, the hardware can have multiple uses (it is used as a phone and as an internet access devise at the same time), it provides a wide range of prices depending on the speed and a wide range of service providers. However, its use is limited by varying speed, availability, download limits and the spe cial equipments that must be installed by the telecom company. Cable internet on the other hand uses other coaxial cables other than telephone cables such as the television conduits. This broadband method has the basic advantage of being inexpensive and higher availability.On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of congestion and security problems associated with sharing of the network. Moreover, it is more suitable for multiple computers in home use (Steve Internet Guide, 2010). Satellite internet consists of a mini satellite disc mounted by a service provider. It has the advantage of always being connected and high speed. It is however more expensive compared to other options (Gustafson, 2005). Reference Gustafson, C. J. (2005). Disgusted With Dialup? – Compare DSL Providers, Cable and Satellite Internet to See If One Is Right for you, retrieved on July 9, 2010 from:http://www. buzzle. com/editorials/1-27-2006-87484. asp. Lemke, T. (2001). Cable, DSL or satellite? High-s peed internet connections can download information 50 times faster than a standard 56-kilobyte modem. But technology hasn't caught up with demand, retrieved on July 9, 2010 from: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_47_17/ai_80900393/? tag=content;col1#comments Steve Internet Guide (2010). Broadband Internet Connection Methods, retrieved on July 9, 2010 from: http://www. steves-internet-guide. com/Broadband-Internet-Connections. php

Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War Essay

Some have said that the United States and Iran have been involved in a â€Å"Cold War† for three decades starting with the fall of the taking of American hostages in 1979. One could trace the problems between Iran and the United States to the installation of the Shah in the 1950s. Regardless of the origins, the fact remains that Iran and the United States consider themselves enemies. As such, it is not out of the question that a war between the United States and Iran could break out. This creates a very complex scenario because of the global economic implications of a war between Iran and the United States. Iran is, of course, a major supplier of oil to the many allies of the United States. Japan, for example, is one of the United States’ strongest allies and it receives an enormous amount of oil from Iran. Similarly, many European allies receive imports of Iranian oil. A war between Iran and the United States would have tremendous global implications. Among these many implications would be serious potential negative implications for the world’s economy. Several of these different â€Å"nightmare scenarios† will be explored in this essay. First, it is important to state there are different ways to wage war. Some methods such as supporting the overthrow of the Iranian government via supporting resistance forces might not have the impact of the global economy to the same degree as a series of surgical airstrikes or a ground invasion. In this essay, the subject of ‘war’ will be discussed in its most conventional sense. Specifically, it will be defined as a large scale, drawn out military conflict between the two nations. One of the most strategic areas the United States must consider when it comes to Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 2 the issue of a war with Iran is the fact that Iran is completely reliant on the importation of gasoline. Without shipping access, the ability for Iran to maintain its importation of gasoline would be impossible. Of course, it would be to the United States’ interest to enact a naval blockade on Iran to prevent the importation of gasoline. This would almost immediately lead to Iran further rationing its gasoline supply in order to effectively operate its military. While it would not be accurate to state that a naval blockade would immediately end the war (Iran’s navy could attack the US’ navy and potentially reverse the blockade) However, the scenario of no imports or exports would also cripple Iran’s ability to deliver oil to other nations in the world. This would then have potentially enormous economic impacts on the global markets. The notion that there would be serious economic implications resulting from a war between the United States and Iran has been weighed by many serious thinkers. â€Å"earlier in July when Iran tested missiles capable of reaching Israel and other corners of the Middle East, the price —of oil jumped to a new high of over $147 per barrel. In fact, some analysts see the impact of U. S. —Iran relations on the oil market as so important as to suggest the best way to give quick relief to energy consumers around the world is a declaration by the U. S. that military force is not an acceptable option in its dispute with Iran. † (Esfahani) This is why there is so much concern globally regarding a potential United States/Iranian conflict. At the core of mostly all basic economics is the theory of supply and demand. If Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 3 the supply of something is limited and high demand remains in place, the price of the item increases. This then creates the issue of opportunity costs. When you buy something with your money, you have eliminated the potential to use that same money for something else. In other words, if the price of gasoline skyrockets and people have to pay more for it, then they will be depleted their cash reserves or increasing their borrowing. Oil is also employed for the production of electricity which would also increase in price in the face of an oil embargo. Once again, the drain on personal finances as a result of such increased energy and fuel costs would cut into every sector of the global economy. Discretionary income would drop and leisure purchases and even the purchases of necessities would diminish rapidly. What would be the effect of this on the economies of various nations? The impact would be felt on a variety of front. The stock market, for example, would experience a great deal of negative impact as a result of such diminished spending. When people are not purchasing, the stocks of many companies may decline. After all, their profit margins could decline. Granted, there are many steps a company can take to make sure its stock price remains stable. For example, reducing the workforce or cutting spending in other areas would aid in boosting stock prices. However, if something is not done to present the lowering of stock prices, economies will take an immediate tumble. Those with investments in the market would see their net worth diminish. If one Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 4 sees a 25% decline in the value of their portfolio, they will see a 25% decline in their net worth. Again, this is how simple economics works and such an impact will assuredly be the result of a large scale (or even minor military skirmish) between Iran and the United States. There really would be no way to avoid such a chain of events from occurring if a war broke out between the Unites States and Iran. This is because there will be an enormous impact on the price and flow of oil if such a war was to break out. Such an occurrence could not be circumvented in any way. As one can infer, this ties heavily into the concept of aggregate demand which would be the definitive demand for goods and services in a particular economy at certain specific price levels. As one could logical infer, demand for high priced items in this situation of reduced consumer cash liquidity would certainly hamper purchases of high priced items or items that are not considered of vital importance to one’s sustenance. This can lead to s significant reduction in output – the total value of all services and goods produced in the economy – within a very short period of time. We will see the impact of this in the Mundell-Fleming Model (An aggregate demand model) which would detail the relationship between the inflation of prices combined with the actual output of goods and services. In the simplest of terms, high inflation combined with a slow decline in goods and services could prove cataclysmic for an economy. But, even with high inflation, it would be safe to say that the potential for the Mundell-Fleming model to maintain a high supply of goods and services is possible in the United States. The reason for this is that the various sectors of the United States Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 5 economy are so vast that there will be those able to purchase goods and services even at inflated prices. Some professions would not be as significantly impacted by high fuel or energy costs. As such, there may be a certain level of maintained stability within model even though a large section of the population may still be suffering. Issues surrounding a war with Iran are complex and far reaching. This includes the actual manner in which the war would be waged. Considering the size of the US and Iranian military, no option would be off the table in terms of how the war would be waged. Case in point, the utilization of tactical nuclear weapons by the United States may be necessitated. This is not to say that tactical nuclear missiles would be a first response or that they would be directed towards civilian targets. However, there are possibilities that could necessitate the use of such weapons by the United States. For example, Iran has tens of thousands of cruise missiles. The threat of launching thousands of these missiles into Israeli cities, European cities, or neighboring American military bases would potentially require the detonation of the missile silos with tactical nuclear arms. A wide scale Iranian invasion of neighboring countries such as Iraq could require a tactical response. Use of chemical weapons by Iran would constitute a WMD attack and lead to a nuclear response. Really, there are many different variables at work here. Again, this is not to say that a war between the United States and Iran would automatically lead to nuclear strikes. However, the potential for such strikes exist in any large scale military conflict. This would have a devastating impact on the world economy Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 6 for a number of reasons. The possibility of a nuclear strike destroying oil fields would be a potential scenario. The presence of radiation reducing the amount of work that can be performed on oil wells is another. Such scenarios are grim when discussed in an antiseptic manner. In the decades since the detonation of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the horror of a nuclear strike’s effects have not been dulled on the senses of people. However, the specter of the potential use of such weapons is always present. As such, the impact – both human and economic – must be weighed. Because of the potential for a tactical nuclear strike leading to arms races in the region (Other nations will want their own nukes as a deterrent to future strikes), the need for a significant conventional force is required. This means the war will have to be funded to handle a long campaign and potentially significantly longer post-war rebuilding phase. This will cost significantly in terms of government expenditures which, in turn, means the deficit will skyrocket. With very high, out of control deficits, a number of seriously negative economic situations could develop. First, a debtor nation may not be able to provide for the common good of society. As such, it must take steps to reduce the impact of the deficit. One method involves printing more money and the other process involves increasing taxes. Both methods have the potential for significant economic harm. When a nation prints more money in order to meet obligations tied to a deficit, it the value of the currency will decrease. A weakened dollar comes with many problems. Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 7 Namely, investment is seriously hampered since the dollars that you amass are worth less. Additionally, there will be a disinclination on the part of foreign investors to put their money into the US market. There would be limited value for their doing so since the dollar is declining meaning their investment capital in dollars would potentially decline as well. Debt holders of US bonds would also become more nervous since they would be losing money on their investment. As pointed out in BUSINESSWEEK, â€Å"As the currency deteriorates, it becomes more expensive to import goods and services from other countries, fueling inflation. In an effort to pull investors back, central banks often raise interest rates when their national currencies lose value. But as anyone who remembers the ’70s knows, the combination of rising interest rates and on-the-run inflation can be a devastating economic cocktail. † (Rosenbush) In some cases, foreign investment is critical for the spurning of employment and economic growth. With foreign companies opting to avoid putting their money into the United States, the unemployment could increase which further raises deficit potential. This is due to the fact that more unemployed people means less tax dollars paid to the government. Additionally, unemployment creates greater dependency on welfare which also contributes to higher deficits. All of this further sets the stage for inflation which makes goods and services less affordable to the public. This further damages the economy and adds to the deficits. Tax Economic Implications of a US-Iranian War – 8 increases are commonly pointed to as a solution, but their value is limited. When money is taken out of the private sector and placed in the treasury, it makes job creation harder. This, in turn, makes economic recover more difficult as well. If an economic recovery if difficult to expedite, then it becomes much harder to get out of it. That is because the sheer volume of economic pain induced by the many months or years of poor economic factors and growth create complexities and problems that multiply. Again, this makes reversing a poor economy more difficult. As such, some may wonder why the United States’ policy towards Iran may be so hard lined. The reason is that not treating Iran as a threat could prove equally harmful to economic and security interests. Iran’s agitation towards the United States prime allies is not helpful for US strategic security. Also, Iran’s potential domination of the other oil countries in the Middle East does not appeal to US economic interests. As such, there will be perpetual tension between the two countries. Hopefully, such tensions will not lead to war but preparedness for such actions is required. Considering the economic impact of such action, war should be the perennial last resort or option to be executed. So, far it has been averted and will hopefully remain averted for the foreseeable future. Most do not tie the economic ramifications to military action. However, the two are intertwined. Wars need to be funded and there are additional economic costs associated with military action. This is why sensible nations do not rush to war and as well they should not. But, this does not mean a nation should not prepare for the potential worst case scenario.While the US is not is a rush to engage Iran militarily, it understands the potential for such a conflict needs to be adequately prepared for. Works Cited Esfahani, e. (2008, September). The Economic consequences of us-iran relations. Retrieved from http://www. ideals. illinois. edu/bitstream/handle/2142/9093/ policy_brief. esfahani. final. pdf? sequence=2 Rosenbush, S. (2004, November 12). The Pros and cons of a weak dollar. Businessweek, Retrieved from http://www. businessweek. com/bwdaily/ dnflash/nov2004/nf20041112

Men,women,sex and Darwin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Men,women,sex and Darwin - Research Paper Example Sex-organs not only decide the gender of human beings but they make a remarkable impact on the social status, social responsibility, attitude, nature and even the destiny of human being. This is the reason why it is not possible to measure both men and women in the same balance scale. According to Hindu philosophy the one and only Supreme Almighty Power divided Himself into two forms, one was Shiva (masculine form) and another was Aadi (feminine form) and thus with formation of two genders the world became complete. Shiva stands for vigour and aggressiveness which is depicted in Indian classical dances whereas Aadi stands for delicacy endurance and optimum commitment. Thus Since ancient time man is regarded as a valiant creature and thus he started dominating the woman. It is the rule of the nature that the strong animal always rules the world. In course of civilization man thus took the charge of ultimate supremacy and thus the Patriarchal family emerged. Sexual desire is same both in man and woman but the desire of man was accepted by the society whereas woman had to conceal her desire all the time. In medieval India, the widowers could marry many times if they lost their wives, but woman, after the death of her husband was never allowed even to think of the other man. She had to live a renounced life even though she lost him at the very tender age of her. Traditionally woman plays the role of a giver whereas man is a taker as far as sexual affair is concerned. She is physically dependent so as financially and mentally. Till now women were financially dependent and this dependency reflects in their sexual life also. Many of the dependent women view that it is their duty to give pleasure to their ultimate God and their God is their husband. Their work all the time is to serve the husband and by default take the entire responsibility of bringing up the kids. The time changed but not the psyche. Yet women are mentally dependent that they cannot take any decision without the consent of any of the male members from the family. There are some women who earn a lot, sometimes more than their husband, but when question of utilizing that money comes, they cannot take their own decision, as they are not used to it. They have not been taught that they also have their views which can differ from their male counterparts. They even cannot spend a single penny without informing their husband. Another thing is that even though in modern world women also are earning and contributing financially in running the family, they get insecure if they find that their husbands are not earning and they are just sitting and living idle life. That is why the educated and earning ladies prefer to marry a rich man or high profiled person. On the contrary, most of the women do not contribute financially but they feel safe in the shadow of their husbands. Even if only man is the bread winner, they do not mind depending on him. So even while choosing the life partner wome n themselves have accepted their second position somewhere. They always want the man superior to them. It does not matter whether the woman is earning or not. Man by nature is polygamous and the circumstances also make him polygamous. He always enjoys lot of freedom and this freedom sometimes leads to promiscuous attitude. As far as love and sex are concerned, man gives importance to the physical beauty of the woman. In case of woman the sexual desire somewhat gets fed after giving the birth to the children. It is because the priorities of her life suddenly get changed and she fully concentrates herself in taking care of her babies. For attaining these ultimate objectives looks for stability from her man. So she always prefers to maintain the relationship with ambitious and rich man. By nature, she tends to fling themselves into the hands of man she loves. At the same time she expects that if she is committed to her husband completely, it is his duty to keep her and their children i n a sound condition always. Libido is the forth basic instinct

'Memory is all about claims about the past.' Discuss using appropriate Essay

'Memory is all about claims about the past.' Discuss using appropriate ethnography - Essay Example However, some focus on the narratives of experiences of people, which constitute one memory of a certain shared experience that can shed some light on how people see a certain phenomenon. In this paper, I shall argue on the role of memory as an indicator of the following: (1) as a narrative of a social practice, (2) as a projection of ideal view of the self and (3) as an embodiment of a certain feeling about an experience. In accordance to the premises mentioned, there is a need to point the issues that come with each of the premises in terms of ethnography as a practice and as experience. At the same time, there is a critical interrogation of how memories are situated across time and how narratives of it become a valuable source of knowledge. These inquiries shall be able to project a view on culture that is engaging, new, and unbiased. Also, this will become an attempt to challenge biases about memories and generalizations attributed to its culture of origin. Memory as a Narrative of Social Practice â€Å"No real and complete memory every appears in our dreams as it appears in our waking state. Our dreams are composed of fragments of memory too mutilated and mixed up with other to allow us to recognize them† (Halbwachs 1992, p. 41). ... In case of cultural and social experiences, the discourse about dreams can be considered stagnant because â€Å"the dream is based only upon itself, whereas our recollections depend on those of all our fellows, and on the great frameworks of the memory of society† (Halbwachs 1992, p. 42). This would then be a validation that memory also works on the social level, even if the experiences of the phenomenon for each individual are varied. However, experiences become objects of the past, which have a huge impact on how things turn out or happen in the present. Connerton (1989, p. 2) projects that â€Å"experiences of the present very largely depends on our knowledge of the past.† In connection to social memory, the â€Å"images of the past commonly legitimate a present social order† (Connerton 1989, p. 2). Following such a condition, one can take into account that memories of the past become stories or narratives that are passed on from generations to generations, wh ich could impart lessons and predicaments for the contemporary society. This assertion can be considered true since â€Å"different sets of memories, frequently in the shape of implicit background narratives, will encounter each other, so that, although physically present to one another in a particular setting, the different generations may remain mentally and emotionally insulated, the memories of one generation locked irretrievably, as it were, in the brains and bodies of that generation† (Connerton 1989, p. 3). Thus, there is an intergenerational paradigm working whenever social memories and social experiences are dealt with. This kind of phenomenon can be considered present

Critical Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Response - Essay Example Population growth and reduction in resources has been a widely discussed dilemma since nineteenth century. However, initially the idea of lack of resources was put forward in 1789, by Reverend Thomas Malthus; his worst fear was global starvation. He pointed out, when growth of a population is not controlled with rapidly depleting non-renewable resources and degrading the capacity of the environment to support its inhabitants; such area is overpopulated and soon becomes the victim of famine, disease or war and requires reducing its human overload. Malthus advocated delay in the time of marriage to check overpopulation, which was purely hypothetical and its implementation was difficult. Malthus predicted overpopulation and tried to stabilize the long term economy of the state, but his theory of late marriages became rather controversial and was considered impractical (Overbeek, 1977, p 4). His theory was condemned by many critics, as it failed to identify the source of the problem and didn’t provide any potential solution, to increase food resources through science and technology. His theory put a stop on the enthusiasm of some of the scholars, who considered growth of population as a sign of development. None of the attention was shed on the subject as his theories were considered misanthropic in that time. Colin D. Butler further explains the scenario by giving examples from the start of 1934, when biotechnological research reached their pinnacle and increased life expectancy, thus decreasing global food supply to nourish the increasing human population. This situation also alerted politicians, demographers as well as the common public and US presidents of different time periods increased their support to different family planning campaigns in different zones of high population. Almost every Theorist and Scientist accept the kind of stress the world is facing and most of it is due to lack of resources. Arguments arise when reasons of these deficiencies a re being discussed. Anup Shah in Global Issues suggest that the reason to most of the problems might be related to the way we produce, consume and waste our resources, which also reflects our lifestyles and its related issues. (Shah, 1998, p 3) In 1970, new crop strains were introduced by â€Å"Green Revolution† which in the period which was predicted to be shadowed by famine, war or disease. Fortunately, this period turned out to be a period of optimism for health sector. The introduction of contraceptives reduced the fertility rate, but did little to control the annual global population growth which concerned many global demographers and scientists. Norman Borlaug, father of Green revolution warned that the organization can feed three decades, only with correct fertility control measures. After which, China announced its one-child policy in 1979. Infliction of forced abortions and restriction on birth caused more psychological problems than ever. This has imbalanced the nat ural process of reproduction and is an artificial method to control the population, which shows not an extensive change in economic condition. Thus, it has become a reason of reduced production in human capital. (Chow, 2007, p 203) Butler further described extensive revolutions that occurred in the economic environment of many countries during 1970s that led to the concern of overpopulation fade away. US decreased its foreign aid, but continued its policies such as Keynesianism, which

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKS - Essay Example The reasonable man test1 has been used to establish the duty of care in most cases. In Adeels Palace Pty Ltd v Bou Najem, the court established that the owner of licensed premises owes a duty of care to all patrons of the premises to prevent them from harmful acts of other patrons. The defendant should have breached the duty of care owed to the plaintiff for liability in negligence to arise. The defendant is in breach of the duty where he fails to exercise reasonable care while fulfilling the duty. Establishing breach is a question of fact in most cases.2 In Doubleday v Kelly, the court established that failing to supervise a child who would probably engage in s harmful activity amounted to a breach of the duty of care. The defendant’s action should have been the proximate cause of the injuries suffered by the plaintiff. The defendant becomes responsible for those injuries that he could have foreseen under the circumstances of his actions.3 Otherwise, the plaintiff cannot prove that the actions of the defendant were the proximate cause of the injuries suffered. In Imbeere v McNeilly, the court established the standard of a learner driver, stating that the supervisor should take reasonable care to avoid causation of accidents. The harm or injury caused t o the plaintiff must be legally recognized. The harm should be physical to a person or the person’s property. The damages must be actual4 to the person owed a duty of care. Driving on public lanes and roads means that the driver has a legal duty to all other drivers, motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Phil, therefore, owed a duty of care to Collins as a cyclist on the road. Phil failed to exercise reasonable care in fulfilling his duty as a driver. Before taking a move, he should have looked at the persons beside, in front, and behind him to ensure no accident occurred. This breach is the proximate cause

Sustainable design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sustainable design - Assignment Example The world is on the verge of celebrating Earth Day on 22nd April with different organization, each doing its own bit for pampering Mother Nature. Being an environment- concerned interior designer my ‘things-to-do-list’ for the next six to twelve months encompasses starting a sustainable design blog, posting invigorating comments pertaining to ‘going green’ on various social community networking sites such as Face Book and MySpace and arranging a series of get-togethers with a few more like-minded design students for sharing each other’s resources and ideas regarding sustainable building. My blog on sustainable design, which I am targeting to put up on Word Press by the end of May, will primarily throw light on U.S. Green Building Council (UGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This will be an endeavour in educating those in construction and interior designing about the significance and the role of the sustainable designing authorities thereby enabling them to understand the reason for getting certified by them. A draft of the same is as follows: According to the U.S. Green Building Council, an association of over 2,000 owners, architects, designers, contractors, engineers, commodity manufacturers and other fascinated units, almost 5% of all U.S. commercial construction is seeking for certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (Kelly 2004). The council has set specific standards for high-performance, green buildings which are recognized at certified silver, gold or platinum levels in accordance to their abilities to meet the requirements (Kelly 2004). While allotting points the six principle areas that are verified are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental creativity in design and eminence (Kelly 2004). Of these the

Men In Artwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Men In Artwork - Essay Example Then the sculpture was hardened by fire after which the artist would incise the decorations into the hard black shell. As the archaic period evolved, Greeks refined their techniques, and their sculptures were almost the same to the Egyptians. Unlike Egyptians, the Greeks further improved their techniques by using marbles to construct their sculptures. At the time, marble was more important and attractive than any other material that was available. Fig 5-38 shows a sculpture of a young man whose body had emphasis from all rounds and not only on frontal view but the entire angle. The Greeks revealed the invention of a relaxed, natural stance of a sculpture that is standing (Kleiner 79). It emerged as the Romans began producing finest art history with body parts in their perfect proportions. The stature appeared real and unconfined to the unnatural or boring positions they had for centuries. The stature could be viewed as though it was alive since their limbs could be seen to reach out into the space. Some states evolved into human emotions that appeared on their faces. Finally, fig. 3-14 marked the arrival of a Renaissance in the fifteenth century as artists recaptured to detail the reality that the Greeks and Romans had perfected. Artists further added value with new exciting mediums and light skins. They could determine the sitting posture and relative size of the figure by inventing the vanishing point perspective. With the modern tool, it was possible for the artists to place everything in exact proportion. Paintings commonly showed the existence of garments on the body. It became very popular, and the color brought more changes as it was used to set a mood and express the inner feelings. The artists ability to produce lifelike figures eventually began, and art made to praise God (Shary, 126). The human sculptures are just used to convey a message to the audience, although they appear colossal and significant. When a man has no color at all, the

English as a Second Language Essay Example for Free

English as a Second Language Essay America is truly a great nation. With all its progress, everyone outside the country desire to live and migrate in this country. In fact, it has become a popular migration destination aside from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Thus, in every city in America, there are communities of people with diverse culture and origin. Hence, this paper attempts to dissect the policies being implemented by the government concerning English as a second language in America. History  The history of Bilingual Education in the United States can be traced in the founding of America as the nation’s founder adopted neither an official language nor a government-sanctioned body to regulate speech (Ovando, 2003, p. 1). Carlos T. Ovando of the Arizona State University reveals that behind the monolingual culture image of America, thousands of other American Indian languages were spoken in the 15th century, paving for the complexities and diversities in the linguistic culture of America. But Ovando says, most of these languages were filtered along with their cultural realities, as the founders envisioned a â€Å"country with a unified history, traditions, and a common language† (2003, p. 2). Ovando noted that this vision was based in general on the English system and schooling practices (2003, p. 2). But, language policy controversies from the beginning not prevented the founders to enforce a mono-language system or to regulate speech (2003, p. 2). During that time European language particularly Spanish was dominant that they were treated with respect more likely than others, and their speaker being accommodated in school and government services. Ovando calls this formative period as the period of â€Å"linguistic tolerance† because of the absence of strong and solid policy on language diversity (Ovando, p. 3). As the influx of immigrants from European countries continuous, diversity of language continuous to widen as immigrants hang on to their maternal languages. Thus, in the 19th century, laws were passed authorizing Bilingual Education. American states were allowed bilingual instructions in public and private schools (Ovando, p. 4). Research Many individual Americans were so concerned to have a national language and this reflected in the slogan â€Å"one country one language† (Ovando and Willey as cited in the work of Reid and Bourne, p. 141). The most notable was Noah Webster who attempted to create â€Å"a unique national character defined by common American English (Ovando and Willey as cited in the work of Reid and Bourne, p. 41). Their desire must be legitimate since English language has now been spoken around the world by about 1. 5 billion people. That means, English language has now become global and a stand as a medium of communication world wide. Thus, there is a need to teach English on schools not only in America but in every country of the world. Jill Bourne and Evan Reid pointed out that because of English is widely spoken; it has a wide range of context from air-traffic control down to popular music (p. 161). These according to Reid and Bourne create a need to learn English language to be able to communicate internationally. In the report made by Patricia Anne DiCerbo, throughout America, many foreign students are enrolling ranging from elementary to high schools, which’s common reason is migration from many parts of the world; and the dominant group among other groups is the Spanish-speaking people who are mostly coming from Latin America. She also noted that this group of students is the fastest growing group in the United States. These students are facing a lot of challenges in terms of academic performance because of language barrier. This problem poses some problems; for instance, in her (DiCerbo’s) report, about fifty-fifty percent of Latino Youth are having the opportunity to graduate or finish high school. This simple report gave DiCerbo a perception that English Language Learning should be given to foreign students. Ovando in the book English Language Learning in America pointed out some reasons or fears why English language is now being pushed (as cited by Reid and Bourne, p. 138). A lot of Americans are worried about the influx of immigrants from Latin America for fear they may pose threat to the cultural integrity of the nation. There are common concerns that American cities will be filled with Spanish or German-speaking aliens; and they live for years speaking only their own mother tongue and will never learn English (Reid and Bourne, p. 138). Another thing is that they fear that foreign language speakers may weakened the national body of politics as what had happened in Quebec, Canada because of the dominant French speaking aliens. Ovando quoted Governor Dick Lamn’s statement emphasizing the need to make English the official language in schools and in government. The statement said â€Å"immigrants who fail to assimilate in the society are social time bombs. † Finally, Ovando emphasized that in order for any one to get ahead; one has to be fluent in English (p. 138). In view of the above historical background, there is no reason to reject English Language Learning for it does in the first place, emphasize the need for everyone to learn and be fluent in English. Carrasquillo and Rodriguez said that ELL students are encouraged to learn academic and skills in English (p. 20). English Language Learning according to them means only of advancing simultaneously in the stages of developing interpersonal skills, mastering subject area content and skills, and acquiring academic language proficiency for each subject area, all in their second language which is English (Carrasquillo and Rodriguez, p. 0). Through retention of ELL, limited English proficient students are given the opportunity to cope up deficiencies in learning using English as medium of communication. Theory For us to be able to make a conclusion regarding the issue of bilingual policy in education, it would be important to understand the theoretical argument regarding this matter. There are various theories about bilingual policies of the United States but as space constraint, this paper cited only one theory although, there are several theories that discussed about bilingual education in the United States such as theory of Kloss (1977-1988) regarding the tolerant mood during the formative years; Baron (1990) emphasizing on slight development of English Language for the past two hundred years; REcinto (1998) which is talking about poor language minorities. It is easy to agree that these theories help in understanding language policies, especially on making conclusion about the issue. As Ovando pointed out that history is full of evidence that support any of these theories. The theory of Heath (1983-1990) tells us that the relationship between the literacy practices from each community corresponds closely to the literacy practice and expectation of the school. Heath found out that children from other community with English as their second language excel in their own community but fell behind in school. These children are perceived as lacking in school readiness skills at the point of entry. This means that children having native language aside from English would have poor academic performance because of language deficiencies which supposed to be not since curriculum-wise, American schools are better. Foreign students are having deficiency in terms of literacy level because of racial division or factor. Conclusion America is an English-speaking nation and English language is the internationally accepted language. It is the sovereign right of America to enforce to its citizens the use of their tongue as official medium of instruction both in public and private, as well as in government. Language is very important and it is a unifying instrument of a nation. After centuries of tolerance, it is high time that America unites its citizens by being monolingual. This is highly important since America has become the convergence of many nations such as African, Asians, European and other languages in the world. If each of the foreign community living in the United States will use instructional materials in their native tongue, as well as use it as a medium of instruction inside the classroom, America is in danger of breaking into pieces their culture and language. In the same way, the government offered the ELL as a means to help immigrant students to cope up with the difficulty of speaking English in the classroom. This training provides necessary practices and lesson in order to develop communication skills among the students. Also, ELL is offered in all schools in America as part of the curriculum of students whose native language is not English. Thus, the ELL is thoroughly learned and mastered through which, students learn mastery of the language as well as skills of communication in English. In the words of Carlos Ovando, children need to learn the English language for them to get ahead.

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay Example for Free

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay An expectation has arisen among film-critics and audiences, that movie-makers will deal with the serious issues, such as racism and violence, at a serious level. In other words, it is expected by critics and film-goers alike that films will have meaning. However, if meaning is expected what precisely creates and communicates meaning in a film? As Louis Giannetti points out in his book, Understanding Movies (2008), the presence of ideology in a film impacts the film in its entirety, from tone to theme. In Giannettis estimation, ideology is another language system in film and this language is largely conveyed through code (Giannetti, 453). In order to help illustrate the way that ideology influences films, Giannetti offers a series of categories into which the influence of ideology in film can be functionally divided. The following discussion of the film 300 (2007) will use Giannettis ideas as a support-structure to show how meaning in film is ultimately determined by the films prevailing ideology. In any discussion of meaning in film, it will be important to distinguish between what might be considered overt or even propagandistic meaning and thematic or expressive meaning. Of course this distinction is quite artificial and the two hypothetically divided types of meaning are often one and the same. That said, there is often a conspicuous difference between a film which has an explicit propagandistic agenda than a film which is based on generating thematic and emotional subtlety. The movie 300 offers, even to the most casual viewer, an example of what Giannetti calls Explicit ideology (Giannetti, 449). In this category of ideological content, a movie serves, at least partially, as obvious propaganda for a viewpoint or cause. That 300 functions as a form of propaganda is easily arguable. However, it is slightly more difficult to pinpoint exactly what specific cause or theme is being forwarded by the films ideology. In order to determine the films ideological bearing, closer attention must be paid to its content and its artistic tone. Giannetti mentions that tone in a film can be one of the most important aspects of presenting the films ideology. What Giannetti means by tone is its manner of presentation (Giannetti, 489). For example, in the movie 300, any number of important scenes, if played with a comic rather than a heroic tone, would create a different response in the viewer and therfore communicate a different ideological vision. Imagine the scene where Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well: if the well had sounded out a loud burp after swallowing the messenger, the tone of the scene would have mocked the idea of Spartan pride and Spartan loyalty rather than celebrating it. The reason that tone is so important in a film is that it defines the way the audience will evaluate and judge the characters and scenes of a film. Because as Giannetti insists, Tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values (Giannetti, 489), tone is closely connected to ideology and theme. In the example given above, Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well and this scene is presented in a heroic tone. From the outset of the film, the viewer is cued-in to understand that the Spartans are heroic and that they operate from a sense of pride and fearlessness. The tone of heroicism is conveyed not only through the action of the scene, but through the stylized representation of the characters as muscle-bound heros. The Mise-en-scene of the film is connected to the visual color-schemes of comic books and graphic novels. The sense of legend permeates the film, as it permeates the actual historical event. Therefore, the most dominant or controlling tone of 300 can be considered heroic. The fact that a movie has a controlling tone does not mean that other types of tones are not present in isolated scenes. In fact, the opposite is generally the case. The shifts against the dominant tone also help to convey meaning and ideology in a film. If the controlling tone of 300 is heroic, then the scenes that play against this dominant tone, such as the scene where Theron rapes Queen Gorgo, serve to reinforce the films dominant tone and ideology. When Theron tells the Queen she will not enjoy what is going to happen to her, the tone of the scene is tragic rather than heroic, and Therons status as a villain is cemented in the audiences minds. The scene, by depicting graphically, the rape of Spartas Queen reinforces the heroic sacrifice of Leonidas and his men. Another aspect of films that influences ideological language is the cultural context in which a given film is made and shown. Cultural context is a crucial aspect of a films ideological meaning. The expectations of a given audience rest on the fact that Every nation has a characteristic way of looking at life, a set of values that is typical of a given culture (Giannetti, 465). The movie 300 is an American movie made for American audiences. ecause of this it would be hard for anyone to miss the obvious connections between contemporary world-events and the ideological themes that are shown in the movie. Comparisons with recent events are more or less easy. Any observer could see the present-day war against terrorism as a stand for freedom and to view the Battle of Thermopylae as a sort of allegory for the modern-day struggle against tyranny. Obviously, the movie 300 forwards this connection through the kind of code that Giannetti describes. Still, as Dennis Behreandt points out in his review of the film from The New American (2007) the movie serves to buttress the American mythos that our present-day warriors are likewise fighting for freedom in Iraq and also that this is most evident in the scene where Gorgo addresses the Gerousia, the Spartan Senate when her speech could only remind any aware person of the recent troop surge in Iraq (Behreandt). This kind of cultural context would, obviously, be of less significance to someone who lived out side of the U. S. han to someone steeped in to American values. In addition to the cultural context of a film, there is usually a predominant political context. The political context of a film, for Giannetti, can loosely be divided into one of two categories: left and right. Left-leaning films are those that show multiple viewpoints to issues and propose more flexible responses to issues and problems. Giannetti describes leftists as people who believe we ought to be flexible in ou r judgments. By contrast, right-leaning film-makers are those who embrace a more stringent world-view. The rightist film-maker is more absolute in judging human behavior [ ] Right and wrong are fairly clear-cut and ought to be evaluated according to a strict code of conduct (Giannetti, 457). In the case of 300, the designation of Rightest is, obviously, the most fitting for the film due to its tone and cultural perspective. Loosely, according to the discussion above, the following observations about 300 can be made in light of Giannettis criteria for evaluating the ideological underpinnings of films. First, that 300 is a film that relies predominantly on a heroic tone. Second, the film 300 depends on the specific cultural associations of American society to find its full ideological impact. Third, that 300 represents a Rightest political ideology. The three conclusions, taken together, along with the initial determination that 300 is an explicit communicator if ideology, beg the question as to whether or not 300 is more a vehicle for entertainment or propaganda. One of the opposing aspects to this idea is the fact that 300 is based on history. The idea that historical realism balances out the poetic licesne often taken by Hollywood regarding tone and presentation is one that, for better or worse, many film-goers probably believe. In addition to the idea that a culture could exert such self-discipline in its military caste and instill within each soldier a sense of bravery and fearlessness was a very powerful concept in 300 , which seems to resonate deeply with modern times. It is hard not to be fascinated by the Spartans, to wonder what made them as strong and resolute a they were and to wonder just as Xerxes What kind of men were these Spartans who in three days had slain before his Majestys eyes no fewer than twenty thousand of His most valiant warriors? (Pressfield, 8). However, the fact shades of realism exist within the largely stylized or expressionistic flavor of the film only serves to elevate its power to transmit equally stylized (or stereotyped) ideologies. For example, the difference between vanity and pride seemed to have a great deal of influence on the Spartan conception of bravery as it was portrayed in the movie 300. Modern-day leaders would never think of putting themselves in direct danger like King Leonidas: his pride rather than his vanity dictated his actions and pride stems from a sense of civic (or national) unity. Loyalty is another important concept in the movie. It becomes the central most important idea, given that Spartan military power evolved out of the phalanx, which required the utmost loyalty and steadfastness of each warrior in the unit as a whole. The idea that a Greek traitor showed the Persians another path, which enabled them to come round behind and encircle the Greeks and that this ultimately led to the wholesale destruction of the Spartans at Thermopylae shows how important loyalty was to the Spartans. After Leonidas is killed his men fought on with redoubled fury under the Persian arrows, as much to defend the fallen body of their King from the savagery of the barbarians as to show their valor (THE GREATEST WARRIORS). The historical basis of the film is incorporated into the larger and more important myth of the movie that is conveyed in heroic tones that simplify historical subtleties and create a fictional paradigm of idealism. Therefore, the fact that realism in films can be construed into a propagandistic function, is the reality that filmmakers, and especially American filmmakers, are subject to the prejudices and blind-spots which are inherent to the social position they occupy and to which they owe their ability to make high-profile films. Elizabeth G. Traubes Dreaming Identities: Class, Gender, and Generation in 1980s (1992) offers background to the mores and machinations of the filmmaking industry in America and her observations are important for understanding that movies are, in fact, propagandistic and often they represent the experience of only a very small segment of American society. This narrowness is obscured, according to Traube, beneath a veneer which can be thought of as a traditional moralistic package. Traube points out that, in reality, audience preferences are only one of many factors that influence production decisions. Producers also shape their work to conform to dominant sensibilities and values, including those of the producing community itself (Traube, 69). This reality combined with Traubes complex but insightful understanding of fairy-tale motifs in movies is crucial to elucidating the way that anger and racial conflict are expressed propagandistically in film. All fables rely on a straightforward, linear narrative due to the fact that complex stories tend to obscure the thrust of the intended moral. Because the author of any fable is able to transform topical news and politics into universal predicaments (Haggiss Fable 38), a fable carries with it the dangerous connotations of stereotype and oversimplification. The movie 300 stands as an heroic statement about the importance of protecting liberty and freedom. The ideological message that bravery and loyalty are essential aspects of preserving freedom and rather than Sparta, now it is America that faces the threat from Persia and by telling this story so forcefully and with so much passion the film embrace the mythos of the battle rather than the historical truth of the era, which is strongly conveyed in the film. (Behreandt). The ideological underpinnings of the movie 300 are based in a rightist, conservative set of political values that celebrate military capacity and force of strength. he films ideological message is one of social and civic duty as well as xenophobia. The film is geared toward an American audience in a time when America faces military challenges on several fronts and as such plays to the expectations of its audience. The tone of the film is heroic and its political ideology is conservative. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that, as mentioned by Giannetti, the ideological language of the film emerges as the most important aspect of the film as a whole. Further, the code that is used in the movie is comprised of historical truths and cultural stereotypes. The film blurs the line between entertainment and propaganda. It is accurate to suggest that the film, stripped of its propagandistic functions, would cease to exist. The unity of the film, in terms of narrative, editing, staging, costuming, scene construction and even music is derived more from a unity of ideology than from a unity of style or form. The movie follows a traditional fairy-tale arc of narrative to reinforce an already existing set of ideologies in its expected audience. Therefore, the best way in which to interpret the movie 300 is the method demonstrated by Giannetti that isolates and categorizes the ideological code of a film and makes the ideological language much more understandable for the average film-goer.

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness Contemporary organizations are faced with demands and pressures of ever expanding magnitude that the quest for effective leadership continues to intrigue educators, researchers, and practitioners. In this context, the present paper focuses on the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to leadership effectiveness. A significant amount of research and attention has been given to identifying relationships between emotional and social intelligence regarding, life satisfaction, personality, social relationships, team performance, education and leadership. Today, in light of the increasingly complex and changing world, researchers have highlighted the need for a new leadership approach. Through research in the area of personal-best experiences, Kouzes and Posners five identified leadership practices, which were identified through studies associated with the stories of leaders who were able to get extraordinary things done in their organizations Underlying Kouzes and Posners Model is the leaders ability to generate, encourage, and promote healthy, reciprocal, and collaborative relationships. This interpersonal or relational aspect of leadership has recently been connected to the emotional intelligence constructs that have gained popularity in recent decades. Emotional intelligence skills provide developing leaders with an increased understanding of the impacts of emotions within a team or organization. Caruso and Salovey demonstrated the advantages EI has with respect to six common challenges in leadership: (a) building effective teams, (b) planning and deciding effectively, (c) motivating people, (d) communicating a vision, (e) promoting change, and (f) creating effective interpersonal relationships. This paper ends by highlighting the impact of Emotional Intelligence in the leadership style of resonant and dissonant leaders. Introduction Contemporary organizations are faced with demands and pressures of ever expanding magnitude that the quest for effective leadership continues to intrigue educators, researchers, and practitioners. Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) explained that, leaders everywhere confront a set of irrevocable imperatives, changing realities driven by profound social, political, economic, and technological changes. During these changing times, it is most important for organizational leaders to stay attuned to their own emotional reactions to pressures, as well as how those environmental pressures affect their constituents. Hence todays organizations need a transformational change, calling for new leadership. In this context, the present paper focuses on the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to leadership effectiveness. EI Research The concept of emotional intelligence has gained popularity in recent decades; however, the characteristics and concepts associated with EI are rooted in research conducted throughout the twentieth century. Earlier works identified competencies, other than general intelligence, that contributed to life success. Thorndike (1937) reported the concept of social intelligence. Wechsler (1940) fought for the addition of non-intellective aspects as a measure of general intelligence. Likewise, Leeper (1948) purported that emotional thought should be considered when reviewing the concept of logical thought. However, it was not until the 1980s that the current concepts related to emotional intelligence started to emerge. Gardner (1983) shared a theory of multiple intelligences that encouraged researchers to step outside the notion that human beings are confined to a singular or plural view of intelligence. Gardner purported that there were five more intelligences that were equally important to collective human intelligence: musical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence. Within these multiple levels of human development or intelligences, a movement evolved that expanded two particular areas of Gardners approach (i.e., interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences). According to Bar-On (2002), several researchers expanded Gardners interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences into six primary components of emotional intelligence: emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, empathy, interpersonal relationship, stress tolerance, and impulse control. Researchers generally agree that EI addresses ones ability to identify, interpret, and control his or her own emotions, as well as stay in tune with, understand, and relate to the emotions of groups and individuals (Goleman et al., 2002; Bar-On, 2002; Mayer Salovey, 1993). Additionally, EI stems from ones ability to utilize emotional information to appropriately solve problems and make environmentally savvy decisions. In the last two decades of the 20th century and more recently in the 21st century, a significant amount of research and attention has been given to identifying relationships between emotional and social intelligence regarding, life satisfaction (Palmer, Donaldson, Stough, 2002), personality (Higgs Rowland, 2001; Schulte, Ree, Carretta, 2004), social relationships (Lopes, Salovey, Straus, 2003; Massey, 2002), team performance (Rapisarda, 2002), education (Jaeger, 2003; Zeidner, Roberts, Matthews, 2002), outdoor leadership training (Thompson, 2004) and leadership (Goleman, 1998, 2001; Dulewicz Higgs, 2003; Cherniss Goleman, 2001). Leadership Theory Historically, social changes have been charted, coordinated, and led by a few leaders who had the ability to energize and motivate constituents or community members to stand tall, shed fears, and push forward the need for change. Today, in light of the increasingly complex and changing world, researchers have highlighted the need for a new leadership approach (Yukl Lepsinger, 2004; Kouzes Posner, 2002; Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). Though researchers have been studying leadership and leadership development since the days of Aristotle and Plato (Leonard, 2003), the study of leadership has been plagued with an overabundance of theories with little common direction (Chemers, 1993; Northhouse, 1997; Day, 2001). Chemers (2000) conducted a historical overview and analysis of leadership theories and concluded that common findings in leadership studies have led to the following three tasks that leaders must achieve to be effective: (a) establish the legitimacy of their authority, (b) coach, guide, and support their constituents in ways that allow for both group and individual goal attainment, and (c) identify and employ the strengths and abilities found in themselves, as well as their constituents, to accomplish the organizational mission. Astin and Astin (2000) called for a leader who can be adaptive and promote creative solutions to modern societal problems. They further explained that to cope effectively and creatively with these emerging national and world trends, future leaders will not only need to possess new knowledge and skills, but will also be called upon to display a high level of emotional and spiritual wisdom and maturity. Hence, there is little doubt that our turbulent world requires a new perspective on leadership (Komives, Lucas, McMahon, 1998). Through research in the area of personal-best experiences, Kouzes and Posners five identified leadership practices, which were identified through studies associated with the stories of leaders who were able to get extraordinary things done in their organizations (Kouzes Posner, 2002). These leadership practices include Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart. Relational Leadership: Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders Effective leadership is about creating reciprocal relationships between the leader and followers, subordinates, or constituents that in turn creates the foundation for organizational and group success (Bass, 1985; Chemers, 1993; Komives, Lucas, McMahon, 1998; Kouzes Posner, 2003; Potter, Rosenbach Pittman, 2001). The Kouzes and Posners Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model has been noted for its contributions to the Relational Leadership paradigm (Komives, Lucas, McMahon, 1998; Endress, 2000; Berg, 2003). Kouzes and Posner (1987) conducted research in the area of personal best leadership experiences. They developed a Personal-Best Leadership Experience questionnaire, asked thousands of managers to complete the questionnaire, and conducted many follow-up interviews to gather additional information. The personal-best questionnaire asked managers to pick a project, program, or event that they characterized as their personal-best leadership experience. After analyzing the data collected from questionnaires and interviews, Kouzes and Posner found that despite the variety in situations and types of leadership experiences, similar patterns were identified related to actions taken by the leaders during the experience. Through the analysis process they identified Five Practices of Exemplary Le adership that contributed to getting extraordinary things done in organizations: Modeling the Way Inspiring a Shared Vision Challenging the Process Enabling Others to Act and (e) Encouraging the Heart. The first practice is Modeling the Way, in which leaders role model the behaviors they want the see in their constituents. Through action and involvement, leaders earn the right to lead and the respect of their followers. The second leadership practice is Inspiring a Shared Vision. This is when the leader imagines what the organization could be and then creates a vision that is attainable and attractive. The leader connects this new vision to the hopes and dreams of his or her constituents to generate passion and enthusiasm for realizing the vision. The third leadership practice is Challenging the Process. Exemplary leaders are pioneers who know that innovation and change involves experimentation, risk, and failure. A leader understands that change can feel uncomfortable and then builds constituent confidence by pursuing change incrementally and by accomplishing small victories. The fourth leadership practice involves Enabling Others to Act. Successful leaders understand that leadership is a team effort and are not afraid to share the leadership process. Leaders foster collaboration and build trust by supporting and encouraging their constituents to do good work. Leaders who are able to build trusting and collaborative relationships find that their constituents are higher performers and even exceed their own personal expectations. Finally, exemplary leaders Encourage the Hearts of their constituents to help them carry on in the face of challenge, frustration, and discouragement. Leaders know that celebrations and rituals, when done with authenticity and from the heart, build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through extraordinarily tough times. Relational Leadership and EI Underlying Kouzes and Posners Model of Exemplary Leadership Practices is the leaders ability to generate, encourage, and promote healthy, reciprocal, and collaborative relationships. This interpersonal or relational aspect of leadership has recently been connected to the emotional intelligence constructs that have gained popularity in recent decades (Mayer Salovey, 1997; Bar-On, 2002; Goleman, 1995). Researchers agree that there is considerable overlap between relational leadership and EI competencies in both content analysis and empirical evidence (Higgs, 2002; Dulewicz Higgs, 2003). Goleman (1998) made connections between emotional intelligence and leadership practices in which he boldly claimed that highly emotionally intelligent leaders and work teams contribute significantly to the overall success and bottom line of the organization. Goleman, et al. (2002), when talking about building a culture of change in an organization, assert the following: Emotionally intelligent leaders know how to manage their disruptive emotions so that they can keep their focus, thinking clearly under pressure. They do not wait for crisis to catalyze a need for change; they stay flexible, adapting to new realities ahead of the pack rather than just reacting to the crisis of the day. Even in the midst of vast change, they can see their way to a brighter future, communicate a vision with resonance, and lead the way. Positive emotional leadership is a necessity in times of chaos and change because constituents closely examine and then emulate or mirror their leaders behaviors and actions (Goleman, Boyatzis, McKee, 2002). In other words, constituents, either consciously or unconsciously, react to a leaders verbal and non-verbal responses to a specific crisis or challenge (Caruso Salovey, 2004). Dulewicz and Higgs (2003), identified common EI elements that have been linked to effective leadership characteristics: (a) self-awareness, (b) emotional resilience, (c) motivation, (d) interpersonal sensitivity, (e) influence, (f) intuitiveness, and (g) conscientiousness and integrity. Ultimately, leadership is a social and emotional process, and effective leaders are able to harness those social and emotional ties to successfully pilot organizations through chaos and rapid change. EI and Leadership Challenges Emotional intelligence skills provide developing leaders with an increased understanding of the impacts of emotions within a team or organization. Caruso and Salovey (2004) demonstrated the advantages EI has with respect to six common challenges in leadership: (a) building effective teams, (b) planning and deciding effectively, (c) motivating people, (d) communicating a vision, (e) promoting change, and (f) creating effective interpersonal relationships. Throughout Caruso and Saloveys descriptions of the six challenges, they cited a connection with Kouzes and Posners Effective Leadership Practices Model. 1. Building effective teams The first challenge was building an effective team. Caruso and Salovey discussed the need for clarifying personal values before attempting to formulate team values. Like Kouzes and Posners model, Caruso and Salovey explained that leaders must identify their own values before clarifying team values. A significant level of trust is important for leading teams, and a leader must generate positive opportunities for meaningful team communication and interaction. Additionally, a leader must have significant self-confidence to give team members credit for accomplishments and not blame them when shortfalls occur. 2. Planning and deciding effectively Caruso and Salovey went on to explain that even though planning and decision-making can seem cognitive and practical, emotions contribute significantly to these activities. Emotionally intelligent leaders possess the ability to remain flexible and open to other alternatives. Additionally, EI leaders take into account how their team members may react to a decision, and then attempt to make decisions that will fit in with the shared values of the team. In the end, this type of flexible decision-making will contribute to the successful implementation of the decision. 3. Motivating people Every leader at one point or another is faced with the question of how to motivate a team. Caruso and Salovey cited Kouzes and Posners (2002) encouraging the heart model as a significant contribution to motivating a team. When a leader expresses appreciation for the accomplishments of team members, they are in many ways providing that added incentive for future successes. Caruso and Salovey also explained that it is important for a leader to celebrate team member successes without promoting or encouraging envy throughout the team. 4. Communicating a vision Furthermore, communication is among the most difficult challenges to leadership. EI leaders base their communication efforts on delivering a message [they] want to deliver and delivering it in such a way that is heard and understood by others. Communication also entails a leaders vision for the future. Caruso and Salovey emphasized that because an EI leader has the ability to understand and empathize with group feelings, he or she will be successful in encouraging team members to buy into their vision of the future. 5. Promoting change In light of rapid worldly changes, a leaders ability to facilitate and encourage change has been a hot topic recently (e.g., Kotter, 1995; Higgs Rowland, 2001). Caruso and Salovey (2004) explained that EI leaders challenge the status quo through innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking. They further explained that most people are resistant to change; however, EI leaders identify, empathize with, and acknowledge resistance and then communicate the need for change and clarify a road map toward successful implementation. 6. Creating effective interpersonal relationships Building effective interpersonal relationships is the foundation of the emotionally intelligent leader. Caruso and Salovey (2004) explained that effective interpersonal relationships include both positive feedback and sincere criticism (p. 209). EI leaders are able to generate relationships that are healthy and mature enough for members to express honest and tactful reactions with other members. Caruso and Salovey explained that emotions contain data and [those] data are primarily communicating information about people and relationships. Being accurately aware of emotions and their meaning provides the emotional intelligent manager with a solid base of understanding of themselves and of others. Along with understanding and interpreting emotions, it is equally important for leaders to understand the impact of emotions on individual and organizational performance. EI and Resonant / Dissonant leaders Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) shared two leadership styles that relate both positively and negatively to emotional intelligence and contribute significantly to productivity and work satisfaction: dissonance and resonance. Goleman, et al. explained that a dissonant leadership style demonstrated characteristics that are not emotionally effective or supportive within an organization. A dissonant leader is one who offends constituents and creates an unhealthy and unproductive emotional environment within the organization. They described dissonant leaders as leaders who are so out of touch with the feelings of their constituents that they create a negative environment, which in turn moves the organizations attitude toward that leader on a downward spiral from frustration to resentment, rancor to rage. Dissonant leaders were also described as authoritarian, untrustworthy, uncooperative with constituents, unharmonious with the group, abusive, and humiliating. Resonant leaders, on the other hand, project an emotional atmosphere that is comfortable, cooperative, supportive, and enthusiastic. They inspire shared values and rally people around a worthy goal. Goleman, et al. described four leadership styles that build resonance within the organization: (a) visionary moves people towards a shared dream, (b) coaching connects personal desires with organizational goals, (c) affiliative creates harmony by connecting people to each other, and (d) democratic values input and builds commitment through participation. As mentioned earlier within the area of modeling, the concept of mirroring in relationship to resonance and dissonance within the organization is very important when a leader reacts to both positive and negative situations. When a leader reacts to a negative situation in a concerned but positive fashion, his or her behavior becomes a model which the rest of the organization can follow. Goleman, et al. explained that leaders within organizations are observed for acceptance or rejection to thoughts, projects, or ideas. If a leader shows any nonverbal or verbal gestures, constituents quickly notice and react to those gestures. Emotionally intelligent leaders realize and understand how their emotional reaction can guide and steer the emotions of the entire organization. This concept of resonant and dissonant leadership styles is one example of the power of the emotional climate within an organization. Emotional intelligence has been linked to a number of additional factors associated wit h effective leadership (Goleman, 1998; Kouzes Posner, 2002; Dulewicz Higgs, 2003). Conclusion With the identified benefits of emotional intelligence related to creating and developing positive relationships, combined with the understanding that positive relationships are the core of effective leadership, the idea of emotional intelligence and effective leadership is one that has been well established in the literature. Researchers have started to develop and assess developmental programs for emotional intelligence that coincide with leadership development programs and initiatives. The question most pertinent to those involved research and practice in the area of leadership development is the process by which leaders learn about emotions and the power of emotion on leadership success.

Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises Essay -- vital component of dev

SMALL and medium enterprises (SMEs) are broadly defined as manufacturing, manufacturing-related services (MRS) and agro-based industries that employ around 200 full-time employees or have an annual sales turnover of not more than RM50mil (Chermaine, 2013). Besides, the term also refers to enterprises in the services, primary agriculture and information and communication technology industries with not more than 75 full-time employees or annual sales turnover of not more than RM20mil. According to the SME Annual Report 2012, small and medium enterprises represent 98.5% of the approximately 78,000 companies in Malaysia, with the remaining 1.5% made up of multinational and public-listed companies. In many developed nations, SMEs is thought to contribute between 40% and 60% to gross domestic product and 60% and 70% of the employment, but the SME sector in Malaysia has not reached the mark yet (SME, 2012). Without doubt, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) particularly in Malaysia (and the rest of the world) had long been the backbone of a country’s growth, with the scintillating amount of profit injection which had made it a core part of a country’s economic stability. The hypothesis here is quite simple, if the SME is able to break down the country’s market in its particular field, then it will skyrocket the stakes in the country with investors all around the world will spare a watchful eye on the growth. I’d like to pick, in this case study, the most suitable SME that have been impressive in this country. Came to my conclusion, Secret Recipe has it all. After all the hard work being put by the company in its introduction years, it is safe to say that Secret Recipe had unlocked a new level of their market with them being refe... ... are broadly defined as manufacturing, manufacturing-related services (MRS) and agro-based industries that employ around 200 full-time employees or have an annual sales turnover of not more than RM50mil (Chermaine, 2013). Besides, the term also refers to enterprises in the services, primary agriculture and information and communication technology industries with not more than 75 full-time employees or annual sales turnover of not more than RM20mil. According to the SME Annual Report 2012, small and medium enterprises represent 98.5% of the approximately 78,000 companies in Malaysia, with the remaining 1.5% made up of multinational and public-listed companies. In many developed nations, SMEs is thought to contribute between 40% and 60% to gross domestic product and 60% and 70% of the employment, but the SME sector in Malaysia has not reached the mark yet (SME, 2012).

The finacial crisi of the French Revolution :: essays research papers

â€Å"How Serious Was The Pre-Revolutionary Financial Crisis Between 1786-88, And How Significant Was The Clash Between The Notables And Calonne In Failing To Solve It?† On the twentieth of august 1786 Charles Alexandre de Calonne, comptroller-general of the royal finances, informed King Louis XVI that the state was on the verge of a financial meltdown. Whilst not having exact details to the financial figures to show the full extent of the problem, it is never the less recognized that France was in serious financial difficulty. What then did Calonne propose to sort this financial mess out? How was he to convince the King and the Notables that France was in financial danger and to give backing to his solutions? This essay will attempt to answer such questions by examining the financial crisis France was in and by looking at Calonne’s proposals in which to solve it. We shall also examine his failure to convince the Notables and the steps to his acrimonious dismissal. First then lets look at the financial situation: according to Calonnes calculations the total revenue for France in 1786 would amount to 475 million livres. The problem was though, that expenditure would come to a total of approximately 587 million livres. That meant a deficit of 112 million – roughly a fifth of the entire annual revenue. This rise in deficit was due to a huge increase in state borrowing since 1777. As a result of the huge amounts of money the state was borrowing there was also the huge rise in the annual interest and repayments that the treasury had to dispurse. Indeed since 1777, Calonne claimed that ariubd 1,250 million livres had been borrowed. A lot of this borrowing was due to financing the various wars that French kings of the eighteenth century were prone to fighting. The last one, French involvement in the American Civil War between 1778-83, had a crippling effect on the economy and was substantial in rendering it down to the situation that Calonne ha d announced to Louis XVI. What then did the comptroller-general propose to do? To be fair to Calonne he was not lucky enough to have a myriad of options for him to work with. For instance it would be natural to think that in a time of economic crisis, an increase in tax would be an obvious step- yet not so for Calonne. France was already regarded as one of the most highly taxed states in Europe, and the average Frenchman was already feeling the burden of the Kings’ borrowing. The finacial crisi of the French Revolution :: essays research papers â€Å"How Serious Was The Pre-Revolutionary Financial Crisis Between 1786-88, And How Significant Was The Clash Between The Notables And Calonne In Failing To Solve It?† On the twentieth of august 1786 Charles Alexandre de Calonne, comptroller-general of the royal finances, informed King Louis XVI that the state was on the verge of a financial meltdown. Whilst not having exact details to the financial figures to show the full extent of the problem, it is never the less recognized that France was in serious financial difficulty. What then did Calonne propose to sort this financial mess out? How was he to convince the King and the Notables that France was in financial danger and to give backing to his solutions? This essay will attempt to answer such questions by examining the financial crisis France was in and by looking at Calonne’s proposals in which to solve it. We shall also examine his failure to convince the Notables and the steps to his acrimonious dismissal. First then lets look at the financial situation: according to Calonnes calculations the total revenue for France in 1786 would amount to 475 million livres. The problem was though, that expenditure would come to a total of approximately 587 million livres. That meant a deficit of 112 million – roughly a fifth of the entire annual revenue. This rise in deficit was due to a huge increase in state borrowing since 1777. As a result of the huge amounts of money the state was borrowing there was also the huge rise in the annual interest and repayments that the treasury had to dispurse. Indeed since 1777, Calonne claimed that ariubd 1,250 million livres had been borrowed. A lot of this borrowing was due to financing the various wars that French kings of the eighteenth century were prone to fighting. The last one, French involvement in the American Civil War between 1778-83, had a crippling effect on the economy and was substantial in rendering it down to the situation that Calonne ha d announced to Louis XVI. What then did the comptroller-general propose to do? To be fair to Calonne he was not lucky enough to have a myriad of options for him to work with. For instance it would be natural to think that in a time of economic crisis, an increase in tax would be an obvious step- yet not so for Calonne. France was already regarded as one of the most highly taxed states in Europe, and the average Frenchman was already feeling the burden of the Kings’ borrowing.

Mission, explicit policy Essay

Mission, explicit policy and explicit policy are element of ethical climate around which the client works.   Each has varying degrees of impact on the behaviors of the employee People base behavior on values and are less affected by a set of rules and regulations as elucidated in the implicit and explicit policies; they are influenced more by what they know is of paramount value to their service to the client and company they service. In this vein, the mission statement provides the greatest influence to the employee behaviors, impacting it for positive outcomes. It is customary to specify these mission statements to the employees in the letter of appointment as well as ht terms and conditions guiding their employment and service to the company including its clients. Of all, what stays and is closest to the staff is the mission statement, hung at a specific location in the company. It is usually accessible and easy to understand. On the basis of its omnipresence, it influences the character of members of staff to work, their attitude to their responsibilities at the duty post is constantly checked and twisted at the sight of short concise and easy to memorize sentence[s]. Usually, this statement becomes the foundation for making right decisions during unfavorable situations, the impetus for proposing innovative ideas and implementing them for the good of the colony. It helps to improve the [performance of status by encouraging them to take initiatives as at when appropriate and suiting for the situation.   It is one of the tools that link the employee strength and service to the employer’s goals and values.   This link creates a productive environment for effective delivery of services and goods to customers/clients. It clarifies thoughts and make the arduous decision-making mechanism an adventure.

Genetic Engineering Is Beneficial to Mankind

GENETIC ENGINEERING IS BENEFICIAL TO MANKIND We, Homo sapiens (and every other organism on the planet), become what we are on the basis of the genes we inherit from our parents at the time of our birth. Whether you are tall, short, dark, dusky or fair, have great hair, good health – everything depends on these genes. Earlier these genes were believed to be ‘tamper proof' and they could not be manipulated. But the human brain and contemporary science does not deem anything as impossible. Thus, we came up with a concept called genetic engineering.Genetic engineering refers to the process of directly tackling an organism's genes. Molecular cloning and transformation is used in genetic engineering for changing the structure and nature of genes. This technology has brought about a sea change in farming and in human genetics. GE in Human itself The first and one of the most prominent genetic engineering pros is that genetic disorders can be prevented by identifying those genes which cause these diseases in people. The use of genetic engineering to prevent diseases is called gene therapy.This can be extremely advantageous especially when women screen their unborn babies for genetic defects. If there is a chance that the baby can have genetic defects, it can prepare the mother and the doctors before and after the baby delivered. In advanced cases, those problem genes can be corrected. In addition to that, infectious diseases can be controlled and effectively dealt with by implanting genes which code for the antiviral proteins particular to each antigen. Humans can be developed or formed to reflect desirable characteristics.It is being said, theoretically though that this process can drastically change human genomes. This would facilitate in helping people regrow their limbs and other organs. In addition to this, people can be made stronger, faster and smarter, by using genetic engineering in the future. In other cases, if a gene exists in nature which can be good for human beings, it can be ingested in human cells. Soon a possibility of human cloning with the help of human genetics cannot be ruled out. GE in animalsPlants and animals can be genetically engineered to make products useful for us. The great example of this is diary animals. Sheep, goats and cows produce a lot of milk. Biologists found that the expression of genes for the major milk proteins is under the control of a promoter. This promoter is a sequence of DNA that causes the adjacent genes to be expressed in the mammary gland. It is called the lactoglobulin promoter. This sets up a really nice opportunity for using genetic engineering.You could take the gene you want expressed in milk and put it into a DNA vector. Then you put this vector into a sheep egg cell. If you do this, the egg can then be developed in the laboratory for a couple of days until it becomes an embryo. You can insert the embryo into a mother and the offspring that are born are sheep that would make milk which contains this extra protein. This was actually behind the reason for cloning Dolly the sheep. GE in Plants Plants can be genetically engineered to make useful products.Genetically engineering a plant is a lot easier than animals. We don’t need to inject into the fertilized egg of a plant. We can take any plant cell grown in a laboratory, put the vector in, and then grow the plant up from that cell. In agriculture, too start off with different crops, genetic engineering can culminate in alteration of the DNA structure of the original crop. This will increase the growth rate of the plant along with its immunity, and resistance towards diseases caused by pathogens and parasites.These factors in turn will be amongst the most important benefits of genetic engineering when it comes to crops. These genetically modified foods could increase the food resources to satisfy everyone's hunger. This would be done by genetically modified crops for better productivity. These crops could be genetically modified to resist pests, fight bacterial and fungal infections or have great nutritional value. These are just a few benefits of genetic engineering. I’m sure more are coming in the future, as we discover more and more about genes and proteins.

Effects of Global warming on Sea Otter Essay

The effects of global warming are with us, different parts of the world are experiencing catastrophic phenomenon which are directly attributed to the rise in global temperatures. Global warming basically refers to the increase in temperatures on the earth surface over a period of time. It has been established that the global temperatures has risen by almost two degrees centigrade for the last one century. This condition has been attributed to the increase in the green house gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This is directly as a result of human activity which has resulted in the increased emission of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Human activities are largely to blame for the condition that is threatening to change the weather and climatic patterns. This condition if it goes unchecked for some years to come the whole world populations may be wiped out. The effects of this phenomenon are so serious that the lives of all the creatures on earth are at great risk. Global warming has been responsible for the climate and weather changes being experienced in different parts of the world. Temperatures have risen to high levels which have never been witnessed before. Ice is melting leading to rise of sea levels this is causing and will continue to cause displacement to people and animals that live near the sea shores. Cities which have for long time enjoyed closeness to the sea are being submerged. It has been pointed out that in some years to come entire cities along the coastlines may be submerged. This will lead to serious loss of lives, both for people and animals. Properties worth billions will be destroyed as the nature takes its course perhaps as a reaction from the selfish lifestyles of the human beings. The changing patterns of climatic conditions are causing deep problems as some animals species are finding it hard to survive in areas where they have lived for ages . Animals which have largely depended on these conditions for survival have their populations being reduced in a great margin. In all parts of the world extreme weather conditions are being experienced. In some cases temperatures are rising to levels which have never been recorded before whereas some regions in Europe are experiencing extremely cold seasons which are forcing some of the sea animals to migrate to other areas in search for food and better places to live. The mass migration of animal species is impacting negatively on the lives of the humans and other animals. As they move they may lead to more destruction of the environment, this means that the problem that has brought us to this end will be with us for a long time. The changing weather patterns will lead to so many changes in the world; this will include the eating habits of the animals. This has already happened in some parts of the world as some animals are turning to non traditional sources of their food as a mechanism to survive the harsh conditions which are directly related to the global warming. The size of the Artic region is expected to decrease with the possibility of the ocean being free of the summer ice in a period of less than fifty years. The response of the Artic region to this climatic catastrophe has been worrying the scientist as it poses even more serious dangers to the world than what we are experiencing at the moment. There is a possibility of more green house gases being released in to the atmosphere as a result of thawing process of methane and other harmful elements. Releasing of these gases into the air will hasten the global warming leading to more serious problems. The effects of global warming are far reaching; they are affecting every aspect of our lives. Sea otter have not been spared either by this phenomenon which is threatening to wipe out the entire population if these marine mammals in Europe. According to Kruuk Hans the population of the sea otters in Europe has been on a sharp decline due to various reasons where one of the most cited has been global warming exposing these creatures to predators and conditions which are no favorable. (Kruuk H 2006 229) Extreme low temperatures in some parts of Europe have lead to mass migration of sea otters to areas where they are being an easy prone to the predators. As they move around searching for food they are exposing themselves to the wolves’ whales and humans who are hunting them for economic use. Although this has been happening even before, the changing climatic conditions as a result of global warming has greatly contributed to the change in patterns in the lives of these marine creatures which have been known to inhibit cold sea regions. (Pine, S 1993 78) Global warming has led to the increase in diseases some of which were not common in some parts of Europe. These diseases are spreading far and wide in this region causing panic among the populations. This is threatening the lives of people and animals too. Some diseases which were only common in tropical and temperate areas have now found their way into the coldest regions of Europe. Some diseases causing organism have found conducive conditions in areas which in less than half a century could have been described as diseases free zones. Ocean warming and the fall of the Artic ocean ice levels which is a direct effect of globalization have been pointed out as the main cause of the spread of a virus which is causing the death of sea otters. Phocine distemper virus has been identified as the cause of many deaths among these marine creatures in some parts of Europe and America. Scientists have pointed out that sea otters are dying as a result of a syndrome which they were referring to as step syndrome. This is a clear indication of how global warming will affect the lives of all creatures in the earth. It will not spare the innocent animals which largely depend on cool atmosphere for their survival. Global warming if not checked threatens to wipe out entire population of some species. Sea otters population has been on sharp decline due to the threats by human who consider it valuable economically. (Silverstone, V and Silverstone, A 1995) Predators such as whales are now prowling on this tiny sea creature as their traditional sources of food are dwindling due to climatic changes. Global warming is a real threat; lives of many animals are at risk due to this phenomenon. The major forests in the world are shrinking, deserts are expanding and agricultural yields are at the lowest points ever. Immediate actions need to be taken to ensure that this condition is reversed; such efforts will guarantee the lives of animals which are facing extinction and at the same time guarantee human beings a bright future. This can only be done if the governments in different parts of the world especially in Europe and America take action on carbon emission in their countries. Efforts to reduce human activities which lead to emission of green house gases will save the world and its inhabitants. This will go along way in checking the amount of carbon being released in to the atmosphere ultimately checking global warming. Such efforts will ensure that the lives of all animals including the sea otters are safeguarded. Work Cited Pine, S The World of Sea Otter, Vancouver, Greystone Publishers (1993) Silverstone, V and Silverstone, A Sea Otter, Brokefield, Millbrook Press (1995) Kruuk, H Sea Otter, Oxford University Press (2006)

Musical Theatre Essay

What is Musical theatre and what makes it different than any other theatre with music forms, especially Opera? Musical Theatre   The art of music, dance and drama have been linked together since the dawn of time and are still really connected with one another that it is inadvisable to try to tell the difference between them too definitely. Figure 1 – Musical Theatre Performance4 It is rare a production has no music in it whatsoever. Most plays either call for music or may be enhanced by the addition of music. The characters would play or sing, accompanying themselves or accompanied by others. The music in theatre plays in the distance or from on stage electronic source. Usually, live ensemble or live band plays music on stage or at the wing of the pit. The word ‘musical’ started life as an adjective rather than a noun, and there are some people who think it should stayed that way. Musical theatre is a form of theatre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Musical theatre in Europe dates back to the theatre of ancient Greece where music and dance was included in stage comedies and tragedies during the 5th century BCE. Itâ⠂¬â„¢s a development of musical comedy or opà ©rette. Theatre with song and dance became more popular in the 1600 -1700’s. Soon musical became very popular in France, Britain, and Germany. The music in musical theatre helps to support as a storytelling device. The songs that they use in the play would help to describe their situation or plot or simply describe their feelings.   Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements of the works. There are only slight differences between all of them, which make it very hard for the people that don’t know anything to distinguish them. Musicals are performed all around the world. They all have similar idea of the performance, just different styles. The countries that perform musical theatre a lot other than America are Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Turkey and China. Figure 2 – Broadway, New York 6 Figure 2 – Broadway, New York 6 They may be presented in large venues, such as big budget West End and Broadway theatre productions in London and New York, or in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, on tour, or by amateur groups in schools, theatres and other performance spaces. The staging for musical theater is not so different from the usual theatre staging. They just have to keep the stage pictures fluid and interesting, and give a central focus to the main character. One difficulty in musical theatre staging is the direct consequence of the use of amplification. The voice are miked and transmitted through speakers in a mix with the orchestral sound, so the audience won’t hear them acoustically. The costumes that they wear depend on the story that they’re telling. The thing about musical theatre is that it’s really free. As long as there are a lot of music and dancing and everything, it is considered a musical theatre. Doesn’t really matter how the stage looks like, or how do the actors dress up like, there are no boundaries. It goes according the type or story. Types Of Theatre With Music There are 7 types of theatres that are very similar or are considered as musical theatre; opera, operetta, comic opera, musical revue, musical comedy, musical play, and concept musical. Figure 3 – Opera Opera is the oldest form of musical theatre. It is â€Å"Total Music†, they do not speak at all, even in conversations. The show is all about the music as in, the music is the main focus and everything else in the production is secondary. Operetta’s music is lighter than operatic music. The singer or actor speaks lines rather than sings them. The plots are flimsy and serve only to connect one song to another. All the plot, character, and acting are incidental to the music. The music must be well written and actors have to be accomplished singers. Comic opera is the offshoot of an Operetta. It is usually humorous or satirical. It is also considered an opera with a happy ending and in which some of the text is spoken. Musical Revue is a type of multi act theatrical enter ­tain ­ment that uses any combination of music, dance and sketches. It is a loosely connected series of production numbers. Figure 4 – Guys and Dolls, an example of musical comedy 7 Musical comedy is a combination between the elements of musical revue and the elements of Operetta. The music is always the most important element. The plots are usually fairly weak. All the characters are more believable. Dialogue they use is clever because it’s also comedic and it has to be creative. The emphasis of Musical Play is on the character. There are real people in real life-like situations. Acting and choreography as well as music are integral to the production as a whole. It usually contains good story, clever dialogue, interesting characters, well-designed choreography, bouncy tunes, and also meaningful ballads. Concept musical is a musical where the show’s metaphor or statement is more important than the actual narrative. It was built around a single theatrical idea. The plot is secondary to situation. Usually, they are a series of independent scene loosely tied together. A director of a concept musical is more concerned about how the show is handled than what it has to say. Telling Opera and Musical Theatre Apart From the slight differences between all of these types of theatres mentioned, most people would still be confused with the difference of musical theatre and opera. Both forms can be comic or serious, long or short, ‘sung through’ or partly spoken. Both may or may not contain dance, choral singing, or other musical-related things like rhymes. Operas tending to be written in classical ‘long form’, with strong sense of overall thematic unity, and musical theatre tends to be written as a succession of ‘short form’ songs. Opera singers mostly use a highly developed head voice when they sing, while musical performers tends to sing more on the chest, but then again, not exclusively so. Musical theatre performers are usually required to sing eight shows a week, and they could not possibly sustain that number of performances without some electronic help, especially when they are competing with electronic instruments on stage. Opera singers rarely sing their roles more than twice or three times a week, almost always without amplification, but even this is starting to change because many opera houses sneaking in subtle forms of ‘voice enhancement’. Conclusion These inconsistent and often insignificant differences between the two forms are more associated with the way the works are perceived by their audiences than with any fundamental artistic quality they might have. Those differences have more to do with the manner in which the two forms are written and brought to the stage than anything fundamental to do with their form or content.