Saturday, August 31, 2019
Escaping the void
Two months before I boarded the ship, I was sitting, trying to relax, on the veranda of a hotel, in Cairo accompanied by my friend William Sloper. A rather odd looking little man approached me; and with meaningful words he cautioned my subsequent journey's traveled by boat as he explained that in a dream he had seen me afloat on an open boat. He tried to assure me that I was to lose everything except my life. I was bemused and seemed to doubt the little mans words, I handed him a small amount of coins then sat, gazing at him as he proceeded and disappeared into the teeming crowd. Until the 10th April I thought nothing more of the peculiar man until I realized that today I was embarking on a journey across the water to New York, 4 days before the ship began its' decent to the depths below, we were all so unaware. Looking at the sheer beauty of the vast body we were boarding, the man's words passed through my head, I only thought to myself, â⬠Don't be stupid, the Titanic is made so it is unsinkableâ⬠and ensue to join my parents on the ship. I had been given just one cabins, C ââ¬â 23 which was occupied by myself, and my father. He had helped design the ship. When the Titanic struck the iceberg, he held himself responsible. Many beautiful decorations covered the room giving it it's glory; so perfect and precise with great space and luxury. As the ship set sail on her maiden voyage, at noon to New York, you could hear the cheers from the crowd below. We stood waving, leaning over the banisters lining the ship, calling to anyone we saw. Smiles lined our faces and our eyes gleamed, we were all ecstatic, pleased that we had our place on the pride of the ocean. Impressive gold banisters lined the marble stairs leading into the enormous ballroom; chandeliers hung covering the ceiling with their light and sparkle. We were jolly and pleased to be where we were. We loved the relaxation everyday and the fun we had all night, even on that terrible night, we were spinning around the dance floor until the ship suddenly shuddered greatly and slowed to a stop. Nobody was worried, the ship could not sink, but the aged mans' words continued to flow through my head, worried thoughts began in my mind and showed on my face, â⬠I will lose everything but my lifeâ⬠. I stood still thinking just before my brother grabbed me and spun me round the dance floor, a fake smile showed on my face but it was only to please. My father had left to ask what had happened and overheard Captain Smith ordering the watertight doors to be shut to ââ¬Å"prevent any more damage and determine the destruction already throughâ⬠. Mr. Andrews had left with fear on his face as soon as it had happened and turned up by my fathers' side with what looked like plans to my father. They proceeded to disappear into a small room accompanied by the Captain. My father returned to reveal all, he told us to gather ourselves together. He was not a stern man by nature; but he was now. He was also a very sensible man. We were to stay where we were as he needed us to be ready quickly. I hurried below deck to retrieve his and my own warm coat. I was now becoming petrified, the others on board were still calm, and everyone else on the ship was continuing as if nothing had happened. Though of course, they weren't privileged with the knowledge that I had. My father returned again his face was rather pale, following him were many of the ships crewmembers who proceeded to hand out life jackets and tell everyone to put them on and also warm clothes, I took mine and correctly placed it over her head and tied the long straps around my waist. One of the crew spoke, ââ¬Å"there is nothing to worry about just Captains precautionsâ⬠. A massive bang went off, which I later found out was a distress signal he continued, ââ¬Å"Make sure warm clothing is worn and that people begin to make their way outsideâ⬠. Others made many complaints around me but we did as we were told, no arguments or conversation. It was cold outside, and ice was scattered over the deck. I rubbed my hands together, my father grabbed them and rubbed them for warmth, ââ¬Å"stay calm, everything will be fineâ⬠, I smiled shyly as a tear left my eye, was this what the man meant, I was going to lose my family. I was now very scared for all the bellow and holler of voices, the bang of the distress signals, and the screeching of boats as they were prepared for lowering. The crew thought that this was pointless, they shared the feeling of false security that nothing was going to happen. However, soon children and female members of the passengers aboard were being asked to climb into the boats and were lowered out to sea. Crying began as families were split up, I held onto my father knowing that this would happen to us, my fathers would be made to stay. Though deep down, I knew that he intended to go down with the ship. We snuggled together for warmth as the noise continued around us, hardly uttering words to one another, just trying to keep warm. Time had past, I am not sure how long. Many lifeboats had now been lowered and were moving away from the ship, and now we were being ushered onto one, lifeboat 10. My father hugged me, and we whispered our goodbyes; he assured me that he would be there to see me when we found our way across the sea. I knew this was not to be true. My eyes were stinging trying to hold back the forceful tears; I could not stop thinking of the brave men and boys who were to be left behind. As the boat was lowered I called, ââ¬Å"I love youâ⬠him as he disappeared from view, my last memory was of him shaking hands with Mr. Andrews, both standing in their white life jackets. My head was aching, the false smile flew from my face. Around me, families were huddled together, trying to keep warm. There were emotional mothers, wailing for their husbands and sons. The boat was rowed away from the ship, I gasped at the sight, the ship was already tilting. Many windows were disappearing from view. I thought for the first time of the other passengers. Hundreds of people lined the decks. The last lifeboat had left. As I glanced around, searching for the other boats, disgust filled my thoughts. Rich, prominent women were in lifeboats, which were purposely half-filled. As they had material wealth, they needn't care about the sacrifice of others. I felt compelled to stand up and say something, though the cowardice within me kept me silent. I turned away staring into the dark sky lit by many tiny white stars. More hours passed, I wouldn't turn around; more boats were surrounding us as we moved further away, my eyes were red and sore yet the tears still flowed, yet I was no-longer sad but now angry. Why should I live and everyone else die? I longed to be by my father's side, but I knew that he was gone. The sound grew, crashes and explosions. The cries grew louder but I never turned, I would not see it go down. I was too scared, too pathetic. I forced my self to turn just as the boat crashed down to the depths below. There were bodies everywhere, strewn around the wake of the ship. We never returned, another ship, the Carpathia arrived at the scene taking the surviving people on board. I remember little, around me, mothers franticly calling for their families, their children weeping heavily. They knew they were lost. I did not cry anymore. I shivered not only from the cold, but of the fright. That man new this was to happen. How? I was too tired to sleep, too confused to think. As we arrived finally in New York I realised that I was to meet my fiancà ¯Ã ¿Ã ½, the crowd all wept. Many were greeting relatives, asking helplessly if we had seen their loved ones. Keith stood in the crowd. I saw him, my face lit instantly but only for a second. I ran towards him and just let him hold me for a while; he knew not to speak yet. I never forget the event, I think about what I should have done, I should have made them go for survivors or stayed with my father. I regret many things but my family was always there to bring me hope through the hard times.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Komatsu Case Study Analysis
Komatsu Case Study Contents Executive Summary2 Evolution and Strategic Drivers of Komatsu (EME)3 Organizational Culture4 Five-Force Analysis: The EME Industry:5 SWOT Analysis8 Resource Based Competitive Advantage8 Financials & Future Course9 Company on The Right Path11 References12 Executive Summary Komatsu, the Japan based earth moving equipment taking on Caterpillar manufacturer has been studied by management students around the globe for years now. This story of David vs Goliath provides us an insight about the strategies followed by David in bringing down Goliath.Komatsuââ¬â¢s evolution and its strategies were studied in comparison with that of Caterpillar. Responses to each otherââ¬â¢s moves in the global earth moving equipment industry have been analysed in the context of their international business strategies. An industry to analysis was done to understand the environmental factors that affected the competition between the giant and the emerging. A SWOT analysis identif ied the internal resources and capabilities of Komatsu that aided it to develop its distinctive competitiveness.How Komatsu achieve a sustained profitability, higher than the industry average despite the volatile international EME market was studied under the financial analysis. The role of organizational culture in enabling Komatsu to succeed in the highly competitive industry was also studied in the case analysis. Through all the above mentioned analysis, it was found out that the company was in the right track. Measures to ensure that the company continues to stay in the high profitability section have been discussed in the concluding part of the report. Evolution and Strategic Drivers of Komatsu (EME)Komatsu Limitedà orà Komatsuà is a multinational corporation that manufactures construction mining, andà militaryà equipment, Industrial equipments such as press machines, lasers andà thermoelectric generators. Komatsu is the world's second largest manufacturer ofà con struction andà mining equipmentsà afterà Caterpillar. However, in some areas (Japan, China), Komatsu has a larger share than Caterpillar. It has manufacturing operations in Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe. Komatsu was especially dangerous to Caterpillar due to the fact that it was the second largest EME company worldwide.The 1920s to the 1930s marked major developments for Komatsu and prominent growth. The company stressed that the management should have two important perspectives * Overseas orientation * User orientation During World War II, Komatsu thrived by producing for the Japanese military surplus of products (military tractors,à bulldozers,à tanks,à howitzers etc. ). After the war, the company introduced commercial bulldozers and forklifts to its equipment line up meanwhile experiencing exponential growth precipitated by strong market demand in a post-war construction era. The company brought a wide range of new products to market by the late 1960s.The company c ontinued to expand through the 1970s but sales began to steadily decline as early as 1982. Komatsu now understood the competition it faced but still held a 60% market share within Japan. With the threat of the Caterpillar/Mitsubishi venture taking place Komatsu decided to attempt a revitalization of the company. Since Komatsu mainly exported whole machines, the company soon realized that needed to also expand into other markets and set up assembly plants. Unable to persuade dealers to sell its equipment, the company set up its own branch sales offices and authorized small repaid shops to be Komatsu service agents.The company set two goals during the 1960s. * The acquisition of the necessary advanced technology from abroad * The improvement of product quality within the company. In the early 1970s, Komatsu started to recognize its distributor network worldwide, aiming to supplement the direct sales offices with more servicing dealers (similar to CATââ¬â¢s). The company entered lic ensing agreements with two major EME manufacturers in the United States ââ¬â International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric. They also launched quality upgrading programs in its factories.The program was used to reflect the Total Quality Control (TQC) concept. All personnel were expected to strive for TQC. In 1964, the company started Project A which aimed to upgrade the quality of the small and medium-sized bulldozers. In 1972, the company launched project B which focused on exports. In 1979 the company launched Project called ââ¬Å"F and Fâ⬠which stood for ââ¬Å"Future and Frontiersâ⬠and its objective was to develop new products and new businesses. The project encouraged suggestions from all its employees by asking them to consider both the need of society and the technical know-how of the company.The company also began to focus more towards its Research and Development during the early 1970s. Efforts continued with some attention to basic research as well as product d evelopment. It had the distinction of introducing the worldââ¬â¢s first radio-controlled bulldoze, amphibious bulldozer and remote-controlled underwater bulldozer. The management decided to focus on improving the competitiveness of its products. A four- part cost reduction plan was initiated. During the same time the company also accelerated its product development program.In 1981, they launched EPOCHS (Efficient Production Oriented Choice Specifications) whose main purpose was to allow the company to respond to the diverse market needs without compromising its cost position. Also, by the end of 1983, the companyââ¬â¢s manufacturing had become fully integrated, producing all of its parts in-house. Komatsu has been a leader in innovative quality-control initiatives ever since President Yashinari Kawai decided to leverage MITIââ¬â¢s opening of the EME industry in 1963, and fight back in the face of the Caterpillar/Mitsubishi joint venture.The company had managed to overcome v olatile market fluctuations over the last few years, particularly in key construction markets, as a result of aggressive organizational restructuring and corporate mergers and joint ventures. Organizational Culture We can analyze the organizational culture on the basis of the following parameters: 1. Strength/Weakness of the Culture: Komatsuââ¬â¢s culture can be classified as a strong culture because of their strong alignment to organizational values, which makes them respond to stimulus and help the firm operate in a highly efficient manner. 2.Power Distance: Due to hierarchy being a very important aspect of the culture in Japan, the power distance is quite high in Komatsu with a well defined hierarchy though the interactivity between different levels of the organization is also fairly high. The power is also mainly concentrated in the hands of the chairman who maintains a tight control. 3. Individualism vs Collectivism: Again in line with Japanese culture, the organizational cu lture is more collectivistic with every employee striving towards a common goal. Yet certain individualistic natures are also encouraged to satisfy the intrinsic needs of the workers. . Goals and Objectives: The culture of Komatsu underlines the clear goal it has, i. e. beating Caterpillar and becoming the number one in the EME industry. In fact Komatsuââ¬â¢s internal slogan is Maru-C, which when roughly translated means encircle Caterpillar. 5. Employee relations and empowerment: Komatsu maintains very strong employee relations and ensures that each employee has satisfaction in terms of work, cooperation with colleagues and winning approval from others, making them feel that theyââ¬â¢re contributing to the organization greatly while ensuring that theyââ¬â¢re in line with the organization values and goals.Five-Force Analysis: The EME Industry: I. Threat of New Entrants| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Economies of scale is low | X| | | The industry is based on ââ¬ËBuild to Orderâ⠬⢠and the machine specs differ from customer to customer. | 2. Experience effects are high; therefore| | | X| Experience in running the business in this industry is vital because huge capital is invested. | 3. Product differentiation is medium| | X| | Differentiation in the product quality and the customer requirements is moderate during the time of sales but the differentiation factor lies in the after sales service & availability of spares| 4.Brand identification is high| | | X| Customers blindly rely on branded equipments. E. g. Caterpillar (55% market share)| 5. Capital requirements are very high| | | X| Because of the capital intensive nature of the product/ industry, new entrants would stand weak comparatively| 6. Incumbents control of distribution channels is high| | | X| Access to distribution channel for new entrants is difficult because the branded players maintain strong relationship with the partners| 7.Incumbents proprietary knowledge is high| | | X| Ease of startin g business in this industry is low for an individual. It demand high degree of prior knowledge| 8. Incumbents control of access to raw materials is low| | X| | Procurement of raw material (basically steel) is not too difficult as there is cut throat competition in the steel industry| Overall Threat of New Entrants| Low| | 6. II. Bargaining Power of Buyers| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Buyer concentration is low | X| | | Not many are involved in buying these equipments. Even the amount is high but the distribution is concentrated. 2. Buyer purchase in small volume, and less frequently| | X| | The number of transactions is low (non-recurring) but post-sales the dependence on the vendor increases due to spares & support| 3. Buyer switching costs are high| | | X| Because of the huge initial investment, high life span of the product & the dependence for the after-sales support makes the buyers immobile| 4. Buyers have good information| X| | | The buyers are well experienced in their particular b usiness and hence have full knowledge of the product| 5.Buyersââ¬â¢ ability to integrate backward is low| | | X| It is almost impossible for a retail customer to start up such a business (capital intensive, knowledge based)| 6. Close-substitute products are rarely available| | | X| A tractor cannot be replaced by other equipments or a bullock-cart| 7. Product differentiation of suppliers is low| X| | | Players tend to match the product quality is very low because of the cut-throat competition| 8. Buyersââ¬â¢ profitability is very high| | | X| EMEs in these industries (mining, forest, agriculture) holds high importance | Overall Bargaining Power of Buyers| Medium| | . III. Bargaining Power of Suppliers| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Concentration of suppliers is low | X| | | The number of suppliers is less. | 2. Availability of substitute products is moderate| | X| | Raw Materials involved are normally irreplaceable except in highly innovative product. | 3. Importance of customer to the supplier is moderate| | X| | Steel industry has other customers also (automobile, real estate/housing, other mfg. industries) but due to lower margins the volume is also important for them. Thus, moderate. | 4.Differentiation of supplierââ¬â¢s product & service is low| | | X| Basic raw materials required are almost of equal quality from other suppliers. | 5. Switching costs of the buyer are moderate| | X| | Due to strong relationships and credit dependence, the buyers would resist switching very often. | 6. Threat of forward integration by the supplier is low| | | X| A steel supplier is least likely to start the EME business. | 7. Importance of the input to the quality of the buyerââ¬â¢s product is high| X| | | The quality of the raw materials determines the quality of the final product. 8. Cost of the input, relative to the total product cost is high| X| | | The raw material contribution to the final product comprises of ;50% of the total cost| Overall Bargaining Power of Su ppliers| Medium| | 8. IV. Threat of Substitute Products| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Profitability of industry producing substitute is NA | | | X| There seems to be no substitute industry for EMEs| 2. Rate of improvement in price-performance relationship of substitute product is NA| | | X| NA for the same reasons as above| 3. Buyers switching costs are high| | |X| As mentioned earlier, dependence for after sales support and big life span of the product makes it difficult for the buyers to switch| Overall Threat of Substitute Products| Low| | 9. V. Competitive Rivalry & Barriers to Exit| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Concentration of competitors is high | X| | | There is close competition among the existing players. There are around 10 competitors in the industry. | 2. Industry growth rate is moderate| | X| | The growth rate of the industry is moderate (6%-7%) because of maturity in the industry (more competitors coming in and depleting margins)| 3.Fixed Costs are high| X| | | The CAPEX involved in setting up facilities is high and this is lowered by JVs to an extent. | 4. Product differentiation is low| X| | | There is not much difference in the main equipments the competitors make except the after sales service| 6. Switching costs are high| | | X| Because of the huge initial investment, high life span of the product & the dependence for the after-sales support makes the buyers immobile| 7. Exit barriers are high| X| | | Asset specialization is high & huge investment makes it difficult to quit| 8.Strategic stakes are high| X| | | Caterpillar was exposed to loss in Europe due to Komatsu eating up its market share. | Overall Intensity of Competitive Rivalry| High| | 10. *1-High 2-Medium 3-low 11. SWOT Analysis STRENGHTS * Wide range of products ââ¬â Full Line offered * Excellent quality levels in terms of products and processes with Total Quality Control (TQC) being adopted for all practices and supplemented by the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. * Price advantage with r espect to major competitors. Large international presence and market leaders in its home country as well as a few other countries, especially in the eastern bloc. * Low cost and highly productive nature of the labor force. * Excellent R & D facilities and development of breakthrough and specialized products and adaptation of products to suit user requirements in various countries. * Able to respond to diverse market needs without compromising on the cost position (EPOCHS project). * Fully integrated manufacturing with production of all components and parts in house. WEAKNESSES * Centralized production system which will lead to less flexibility on account of changing competitive factors like protectionism, exchange rate fluctuations etc. * Logistical difficulties in shipping and high landed cost. * Weaker sales and distribution network as opposed to that of Caterpillar. * CAT still has wider brand recognition and a larger brand value * Product range still smaller than that of Caterpi llar. | OPPORTUNITIES * Increase in infrastructure development in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. * Mining boom in Australia. A number of unique products in its kitty like amphibious and remote controlled bulldozers which can be used for specialized purposes such as working at toxic dump sites and underwater mining. * Ever increasing usage of robots in manufacturing will give a large market share for its industrial robots. | THREATS * Reduction in demand for EME equipment due to the decline of the construction boom, especially in developed countries. * Fluctuating nature of the Yen. * The rise of trade frictions between the US and European Community and Japan. The rise of smaller domestic companies in the international market. | Resource Based Competitive Advantage Let us now analyze Komatsu on the basis of its Physical, Reputational, Organizational, Financial and Intellectual resources. 1. Physical: The physical resources of Komatsu are quite valuable and some of it is quite rare such as its unique products such as the amphibious bulldozer but is not hard to copy and is substitutable. In fact CAT still has advantages over it in terms of sales and distribution and factory locations. 2.Reputational: The reputation of Komatsu is quite valuable and is widely known as a maker of good quality EME machines at competitive prices but CAT still has a higher reputational advantage over it. 3. Organizational: The organizational set up of Komatsu is highly efficient and it is one of its most valuable resources. It has one of the best labor relations in the industry. 4. Financial: The financial position of the company is quite stable at the moment but is subject to a lot of risks on account of various factors like the fluctuating Yen, decreasing demand for EME equipment etc. . Intellectual: The intellectual resources of Komatsu is one of the best in the industry, making it highly valuable and rare, leading to the development of its excellent R & D infrastru cture and highly productive nature of its labor force. Financials & Future Course From the limited and abridged version of the financial performance of Komatsu, we can see that the company has shown consistent growth. Yet, there has been considerable fluctuation in the sales revenue and net income over the years. Plotting the data in a graph gives us a clear picture of this trend.The above three figures show that the market-share of Komatsu, in the global EME market, has steadily grown between 1978 and 1984. It is interesting to note that the net sales and net income of the company does not correspond to the steady growth in the market share. These ups and downs can be explained in a case by case basis. In the early 1970s, the company started focusing on upgrading the quality of its products to compete in the global market. MITIââ¬â¢s decision to open the EME industry to foreign investments led to an obsession for quality and acquisition of advanced technology.Licensing technolog ies from International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric and implementation of quality improvement programs led to high costs but they started paying off in the late 1970ââ¬â¢s in terms of increased market penetration and lower cost of manufacturing. Aggressive exports to Western Europe and other parts of the world in the early seventies led to the sustenance of growth in market share and sales. But poor dealer network and lack of global servicing facilities led to a overkill of inventories and parts in international subsidiaries that led to substantial decrease in net income.Pricing its products at 30-40% less than that of CATââ¬â¢s products enabled Komatsu to sell high number in LDCs. Komatsuââ¬â¢s ratio of exports grew from 20 % to 55 % in 1975. Late 1970s saw an increased investment in R to facilitate the V-10 program to reduce cost by 10 %, reduce the number of part of by 20 %, focus on value engineering and rationalizing the manufacturing process. This dented the balance she et. Rapid appreciation of Yen against many major currencies led to further constraints. Though the engineers used pessimistic internal yen/dollar exchange rate, the volatile nature of Yen had an impact on the net income.Buying its way out of the licensing contracts between International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric again led to a major expense in the early 1980s, but they saved the company a great deal of trouble and licensing fees. This led to the unrestricted introduction of products like hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders to the world market. This led to a spike in the net income and net sales of the company in early 1980s. The rise of trade friction between European community and USA on one hand and Japan on the other slumped Komatsuââ¬â¢s international sales after 1982.Subsequent freight costs from shipping heavy earth moving equipment with poor volume to value ratio, simultaneous initiatives such as EPOCH, PDCA and increase in R spending to 5. 8 % in 1983 pulled down the net income figures. These are temporary downtrends which will be turned in to rapid up swing once these efforts start to paying off. Company on The Right Path The company is on the right track. Results of R efforts like superior cast iron development, 1000 bhp bulldozer, and diversification to arc-welding robots, heat systems etc have ensure the future of the company.It has spread its risk and has capitalized on changing trends like the embargo by Reaganââ¬â¢s administration which got Komatsu the Siberian natural resource project. Through it initiatives like F, it has identified the future course of the organization with the participation of its employees. But a competitor like CAT will definitely bounce back stronger than ever. CAT has its distinctive competitiveness built through strong dealership, huge financial reserves, global learning and experience. Innovation, operational efficiency, quality and consumer responsiveness are the key factors in achieving distinctive competit iveness.Komatsu has already addressed the needs of innovation, quality and operational efficiency. But there is a big gap in the consumer responsiveness aspect. CAT offers service and spare parts in 24 hours in any part of the world. Inventory overkill is a not a sustainable solution, hence the companyââ¬â¢s immediate concern should be of improving the consumer responsiveness to ensure repeat purchase and nurturing customer loyalty. Companyââ¬â¢s internal exchange rate has kept it buoyed during turbulent times in the money market, but initiatives like hedging revenues from international business will reduce forex risk.Innovation is vital, but innovation should be backed by organization commitment. If these innovations are not deftly handled, the sunk cost in R will scuttle the company. Komatsu should hence avoid falling in to the ââ¬ËChasmââ¬â¢ between the early adopters and early majority of its new products. This can be achieved by sensing the different needs of the ea rly majority and perfecting the design of the products, adopting the distribution network to commercialization and revamping its business model based on the new requirements.If Komatsu fails in these fronts, it will fall in to the ââ¬ËPioneersââ¬â¢ category of the Icarus paradox Danny identified by Miller. References * http://www. cat. com/about-the-company * http://www. komatsu. com/CompanyInfo/profile/ * C. W. L. Hill & R. Jones, ââ¬ËStrategic Management- an integrated approachââ¬â¢(2009). Bizantra, New Delhi. * C. W. L. Hill & Arun. K. Jain, ââ¬ËInternational Business ââ¬â competing in the global market placeââ¬â¢ (2009). Tata McGrawHill, New Delhi.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Issues in management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Issues in management - Essay Example CSR becomes a focus for an organisation as it is believed that it can enhance profitability and build a positive social reputation for the business. It has been asserted that the idea of CSR is that society and the business are inter-connected and not disparate individuals, hence society maintains anticipation that a business will illustrate appropriate behaviours and outputs beneficial to society (Wood 1991). This essay will debate socially-related issues of corporate social responsibility in relation to the fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F), an organisation providing apparel merchandise to youth markets in the UK and the United States. The essay provides a critical debate on the theories and models of CSR with primary emphasis on the ethical responsibilities of a firm to society and their relation to the socially-related problems at Abercrombie & Fitch currently plaguing this retailer. Abercrombie & Fitch is a U.S.-headquartered retailer providing casual fashion merchandise targeted at the 18 to 22 year-old female and male market demographic. The firmââ¬â¢s product line consists of T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and fragrances relevant to this market. Prior to the year 2012, A&F had achieved explosive revenue growth and had managed to build considerable customer loyalty against major competitors such as The Buckle, Chicoââ¬â¢s, Eagle Outfitters and Aeropostale. The companyââ¬â¢s market share and stock value began to plummet in 2012 and the business was forced to close hundreds of stores as a result of diminished consumer interest in purchasing products from the firm (Eaton 2014; Covert 2014). In October 2011, the firmââ¬â¢s stock was valued at nearly $80 USD per share and, by November 2014, the firm witnessed its stock plunge to a value of only $28.98 (Yahoo! Finance 2014). From the shareholderââ¬â¢s perspective, Abercrombie & Fitch was no longer providin g the wealth and profitability expected by investors. However, why was this occurring so
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 20
Management - Essay Example The introduction of a new Legoland theme park in Paris, France would require taking into consideration a wide variety of factors, including the impact on all stakeholders for such a new business venture. Will the company be able to maintain enough profit to cover all of the costs of operating and building the new facility, thus making this new theme park budget-conscious and sustainable for long-term business activity? This question can be answered by reviewing the revenues of other international Legoland theme parks from 2002-2003 and comparing these revenues to the current operating environment for Lego company. For instance, Legoland Deutschland, in 2003, experienced a significant drop in sales volume after only its second year of operations due to less consumer patronage and an unusually-hot summer (Annual Report, 2003). Though the Legoland Deutschland park appeared to be a rather instant success for consumers in this country during the parkââ¬â¢s first year, this excitement a ppeared to have worn off rather quickly, likely making executive leadership at the company take a second look at whether Legoland theme parks are sustainable business concepts for long-term profitability. However, despite these statistics, the Paris, France operation requires an examination of stakeholder interests involving each group. The consumers/patrons will likely dictate whether or not the Legoland park is a continued success. Consumer attitudes fluctuate rather unexpectedly based on social and economic trends (Kurtz, 2006), thus making patronage levels extremely difficult to predict, especially in the difficult economic climate being experienced across the globe today. Suppliers, also, who would be responsible for distributing various foods and beverages associated with the new Legoland Paris theme park also have an active interest in whether the new park is successful. The supplier businessââ¬â¢ longevity and profit margins
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer Article
Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer - Article Example It has been mentioned in the literature that the student-athletes can be best counseled by incorporating counseling in four steps which involves academic counseling, life skill development, clinical counseling and performance enhancement. It has been said in the book that the students many time fear the fact that if they seek the advice of counselors they will be considered weak and that may have an adverse effect on their performance and their social image. There are various problems which student-athlete faces and it remains the responsibility of the institutions to cater to all their emotional needs and provide them the support required. The piece of literature here goes on to say that there are yet many flaws in the counseling programmes of the student-athletes and the college authorities should become effective in addressing the existing flaws and review the situation accordingly so that the athletes, as well as the college authorities, benefit from them. The authors Hamilton and Sina, (2001) in the article, ââ¬Å"How College Affects Student-Athletesâ⬠refers to the fact that colleges play an important role in the lives of the student-athletes and the concerned authorities should realize their responsibilities and direct their efforts towards the right direction. The athletes should understand that the authorities care for their overall well being. And the authorities should not only focus on athletics that may bring in a negative impact. Rather they should structure policies in a manner that will help the student-athletes in the long run of their lives and it will allow them to fulfill all their dreams. Thus we get to know that academic institutions have a major role to play in the lives of athletes. With more and, more of globalization athletics is a major form of entertainment. The college athletes of the present age are not only shaped by factors of the universities and colleges. They are influenced by a number of other global factors which include social, moral and economic issues.à Ã
Monday, August 26, 2019
Long essay question 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Long essay question 2 - Coursework Example He believes there are real truths. Real truth is the same as an absolute truth. If there are moral ideas that are truer than that of the next, then it is a real morality thus a real truth (Willard 5). Willard says truth depends on what someone believes. If someone tells you the truth according to what he or she believes, then that is the real truth. Relativism follows natural law according to Richard Dawkins. Dawkins believes we face an equal but more sinister challenge when it comes to addressing the truth. He believes cultural relativism from the view that scientific truth is just one kind of truth. Dawkins says the truth about scientific discoveries is an absolute truth and not just relative to the people that believe in it (Dawkins 406). Tim Keller says the objection to Christianity is because of the mistakes concerning nature of truth, community, and Christianity. Keller believes the truth in freedom. He preaches love of God for human beings as absolute (Keller 48). The Bible holds the absolute truth about God and ways humans should relate to one another and
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Subprime Recent Events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Subprime Recent Events - Essay Example According to this theory, no government across the globe will allow any big financial institution or a bank to collapse so easily. This is because the after effect or the consequences of such collapses would definitely be great and at time will be out of control to handle despite how big the economy in which the collapse occurred. This exactly is the basic reason as to why AIG was bailed out by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The reasons substantiated by the U.S. Federal Reserve as to why it took this step of bailing out AIG was it felt that the collapse of such a big financial institution would definitely add to the woes of the financial markets and economy which is currently delicate. The Fed also stated that the collapse of AIG would also result in higher cost of borrowings, reduction in the household wealth and also weaken the current performance of the economy. It was also true that the collapse of AIG would not only effect the U.S. economy alone as felt by the Fed but would also have a drastic and negative impact on the global financial markets. Now, the important and popular question that is prevailing in the global markets is to why has Fed bailed out only AIG and not the other financial institution that collapsed during the same time i.e. ... If the scenario or the case of Lehman Brothers' is observed, the company was having problems with its financial situation for almost more than a year now i.e. since the year 2007, one year even before the company bankrupted. In the month of August 2007, the company closed one its subprime lenders. As a result of this the company recorded a onetime post-tax charge of approximately $25 millions. This scenario did not end there. The same kind of situation continued even in the year 2008 when the company wrote down a huge number of its subprime mortgage securities. These write downs of the company's subprime mortgage securities as accounted by the company were a $2.8 billion loss in the second quarter. If the company's financial position or the various situations of the company were looked for the period of January to June of the year 2008, the value of stock loss of the company can be equated to almost 75% (IPC'sIntelligent Investor, 2007). These happenings in the company and its stock position or value itself acted as a sign of caution to its investors. To be specific, as the scenario of financial troubles at Lehman Brothers' was happening for almost one year and as investors knew what was happening in the company and also the decrease in the stock value, it would have been a clever idea to pull out the fund from such a company or at least look at alternatives to save their investments which most of the in vestors of Lehman Brothers' did not do. This alone can be mentioned as a reason behind the U.S. Federal Reserve's move of bailing out AIG and letting off Lehman Brothers'. Similarly, if the scenario at AIG is observed, the financial trouble or crisis occurred all of a sudden in the company. The collapse of Lehman Brothers also would have
Management of Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words
Management of Change - Assignment Example The organization ranked fifth in 2013 in the list of Forbes Global 2000. The organization is known as the biggest refineries in the world having 37 oil refineries distributed in 21 countries. It is biggest amongst the super major oil manufactures in the world with regular production of almost 3.921 million BOE. 1) Needs for Change The organization has weak employee management all over the world. It is one of the major concerning issues of the organization. The organization is facing various human rights and legal issues because of which its operations have slowed down to some extent. The oil spills and other environmental hazards have disrupted the efficient operations of the organization. There are cases of fraud and bribery in the global operations. The increasing government regulations are creating barriers in the business operations of the organization. This is an increasing threat of NGC. There exists high competition in the oil manufacturing industry. The organization has high threat from the big competitors in the industry. Among the big competitors of NGC are Royal Dutch Shell, BR, and Chevron. Hofstede Cultural Analysis It is a 5D model for exploring the culture of different nations. The cultural analysis of USA using this model has been given below: Power Distance: This dimension states that every individual in the society are not equal. It focuses on the inequalities among the individuals. The power distance can be defined as the extent till which less powerful individuals in a powerful country expect as well as accept that the power is always distributed unequally. United States scores low in this particular dimension. The country focuses on the equality of rights in every aspect of the American environment or society. In the organizations of this country, hierarchy is developed for the convenience. The superiors are always ready to help and the managers have high reliance on their teams and employees. The communication is participative, direct and very much informal. Individualism: This dimension mainly addresses to the issue about the extent of interdependence that the society maintains amongst all the members. An individualistic society is that society where individuals look after their direct family and themselves. On the other hand, a collectivist society is the one where the people belong to groups and take care of each other in exchange of the loyalty. United States possesses high individualistic culture. The individuals look after their direct families. The Americans are self reliant and do not depend on others for fulfilling their needs. Masculinity or Femininity: High score (Masculinity) is the dimension where the society is driven by success, competition, achievement and the success is defined by the winner or the individual best in any field. Low score (femininity) is the dimension where the society is very much caring for others as well as their quality of life. United States is considered to possess masculine dim ension. The Americans are success driven and they seek for achieving higher success. In the organizations, the Americans focus on attaining higher status or monetary rewards by making good
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Human Resource Management - Essay Example The process must begin with planning and preparing the entire infrastructure needed for the auditing process. This is important for identifying the existing levels of skills in the organization. Following this, the organization must strive to set skill targets against its long term goals and objectives. For this it needs to forecast the skill demands in the organization for various work processes in future. Comparing the target skill requirements against the existing skill levels in the organization reflects the actual measure of skill gaps. Shortfall in skill levels in the organization must be complimented with either training the existing employees to enhance their performance and productivity in the organization. The skill gap can also be met up by recruiting fresh candidates on new skill requirements as per the long term strategies of the organization (Pravin, 2010, p.123). Actions and documents for correct recruitment procedures The criterion for a strong recruitment procedure i n the organization is to recruit the right candidates in the organization and at the right time and position. The process must begin with writing the job description or the job specification. This is crucial to understand the exact needs and requirements of the job. The purpose, responsibilities and tasks associated with the job are the most crucial components of a proper job description. In this context the scope of the job is also important, i.e., expanding on the primary tasks and activities and importance of the job in the organization. This must be followed by the person specification or the detailing of skills, attributes and knowledge associated with the job. It is crucial to mention the types of experience needed in the job; the necessary competencies, education and requirements in the job. The person recruited must be evaluated on his future potential and prospects in the organization along with the present requirements. The next stage is to give consideration to the pay ra tes associated with the job. Factors like grades, scales, skills availability, market rates, and negotiated agreements must be considered. The organization must be careful about discrimination legislations. The final and the most crucial part are attracting the candidates. This can be done through internal recruitments, by providing promotional and training opportunities to existing employees. Recruitments can also be conducted through commercial recruitment agencies, in cases large scale candidates are required and internal hiring is not sufficient to meet the purpose. Using the internet as an active source of finding candidates can be extremely effective and useful as majority of the labour force attains recruitment information from the internet. It is also easy to access the talents across the globe through this medium. It can be mainly effective in technical and graduate level jobs as it can target a selected group of candidates with the requisite qualification and experience in stantly (Staffing.org, 2012). After deciding the channels of recruitment, it is important to design the advertisement for attracting candidates. This includes providing the various details for the position, contact number etc. Finally the candidates shortlisted through their
Friday, August 23, 2019
Three most significant events in american history between 1877 and Essay
Three most significant events in american history between 1877 and 2014 - Essay Example The shortchanging of the minority groups by judicial misinterpretations of the Declaration of Independence in the 1800s, the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, and the assassination of John Kennedy in the 1960s are some of the most significant events that have shaped American history. Despite the promises heralded by the new laws after the dawn of independence, it is plausible that the former slaves, their descendants and all other ethnic and racial minority populations were not accorded equal regard and treatment under the law. As if to seal the fate of the Native Americans and African Americans who continued to be subjected to oppression, the highest court in the land delivered a landmark ruling in 1886 with the assertion that State authorities had the power to separate people into different races. The major caveat here was that the separation was justified provided that the separation facilities remained equal. The apparent ââ¬Å"separate but equalâ⬠doctrine was a clear demonstration that even though independence had arrived in the United States, people of color had to wait a bit longer to reap the fruits of this freedom. The contradiction that persisted between the existence of slavery in America and the claim that all men are equal became a subject of debate when the Declaration was first published. As one media commentator wrote, the most truly ridiculous object in nature around that time was the countryââ¬â¢s decision to sign independent declarations with one hand ââ¬Å"and the other brandishing whip over its affrighted slaves ââ¬Å"(Armitage 77). Even to this day, the idea of equality and freedom remains as paramount as ever to American politics and culture. One thing remains clear; the story of equality and freedom in America remains forever unfinished. The colored populations in America can only remain hopeful that as new definitions of freedom continue to emerge in the twenty-first-century, the true meaning and intentions of the Declaration will become clear
Thursday, August 22, 2019
What Was a Day in the Life of a Prisoner Like Essay Example for Free
What Was a Day in the Life of a Prisoner Like Essay The Holocaust, the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators, depicts a series of tragic events. One may ask how was each prisoner treated upon arrival? The horrors that come to mind are endless, and the pain each prisoner must have gone through is undeniably brutal. Men, women and children of ages that varied were taken away from their homes, stripped of their belongings and separated from their loved ones. Each prisoner was identified, not by their birth names, but by serial numbers tattooed onto their body. Each prisonerââ¬â¢s head was shaved. Each prisoner was given clothes off of corpses. Each prisoner went through the unspeakable. Night, a memoir by Elie Wiesel, contributes a great deal to the horrifying event in history. Elie Wiesel, a fifteen year old boy at the time, endured first hand the tragedies that many other Jews, along with Gypsies, the disabled, Poles, Russians, communists, socialists, Jehovah Witnesses, homosexuals and others faced. In the afternoon, they made us line up. Three prisoners brought a table and some medical instruments. We were told to roll up our left sleeves and file past the table. The three ââ¬Å"veteranâ⬠prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name. (Wiesel 42) During the Holocaust, concentration camp prisoners received tattoos only at one location, the Auschwitz concentration camp complex. Tattooing was introduced at Auschwitz in the autumn of 1941. As thousands of Soviet prisoners of war (POWs) arrived at the camp, and thousands rapidly died there, the SS authorities began to tattoo the prisoners for identification purposes. At Auschwitz II (Birkenau), the SS staff introduced the practice of tattooing in March 1942 to keep up with the identification of large numbers of prisoners who arrived sickened, and died quickly. The numbering scheme was divided into regular, AU, Z, EH, A, and B series. The regular series consisted of a consecutive numerical series that was used, in the early phase of the Auschwitz concentration camp, to identify Poles, Jews, and most other prisoners (all male). For many, the blurred blue lines of a serial number on a forearm are an indelible image of the Holocaust. The tattoos of the survivors have come to symbolize the utter brutality and of the concentration camps and the attempt of the Nazis to dehumanize their victims. Only those prisoners selected for work were issued serial numbers; those prisoners sent directly to the gas chambers were not registered and received no tattoos. Initially, the SS authorities marked prisoners who were in the infirmary or who were to be executed with their camp serial number across the chest with indelible ink. As prisoners were executed or died in other ways, their clothing bearing the camp serial number was removed. Given the mortality rate at the camp and practice of removing clothing, there was no way to identify the bodies after the clothing was removed. Hence, the SS authorities introduced the practice of tattooing in order to identify the bodies of registered prisoners who had died. Originally, a special metal stamp, holding interchangeable numbers made up of needles approximately one centimeter long was used. This allowed the whole serial number to be punched at one blow onto the prisoners left upper chest. Ink was then rubbed into the bleeding wound. When the metal stamp method proved impractical, a single-needle device was introduced, which pierced the outlines of the serial-number digits onto the skin. The site of the tattoo was changed to the outer side of the left forearm. However, prisoners from several transports in 1943 had their numbers tattooed on the inner side of their left upper forearms. Tattooing was generally performed during registration when each prisoner was assigned a camp serial number. (Rosenthal) The tattoos given to each prisoner, not only inflicted pain, it took away their true identity. Instead of being treated like human beings, they were treated like objects, each with their own serial numbers. My family was taken away, my clothingââ¬â¢s were taken away, my bundles were taken away, but I had one more precious thing taken away. We all take it for granted, our names. Our beautiful names. Nessa Yalperi. I became prisoner 54,015 in the concentration camp of Stutthof. (Female survivor A) Along with the tattoos, different color stars on their jackets identified them. Each star made them stand out amongst the other prisoners (see figure 1). Prisoners were equired to wear color-coded triangles on their jackets so that the guards and officers of the camps could easily identify each persons background and pit the different groups against each other. Political prisoners, such as Communists, Socialists, and trade unionists wore red triangles. Common criminals wore green. Roma (Gypsies) and others the Germans considered asocial or shiftless wore black triangles. Jehovahs Witnesses wore purple and homosexuals pink. Letters indicated nationality: for example, P stood for Polish, SU for Soviet Union, and F for French. (Kahan) Not only were they tattooed, but they were shaved as well. The hair of the Jewish girls and ladies was shaved when they entered the camp. They were taken to the camp barber where all of their body hair, head to toe, was removed. The shaved parts were then rubbed by disinfectant. We were waiting for our numbers to be tattooed, and we stood in line. And of course I was frightened and I called for my mother, and I heard her voice in back of me, and by then her hair had been shaved, now all of her hair has been shaved, and I turned around and I looked for her and I couldnââ¬â¢t recognize her because she was without hair. Female survivor B) Their heads were shaved so that the Nazis would know if the Jews belonged in the camps. ââ¬Å"We no longer looked human, with our emaciated bodies, sunken faces and shaved headsâ⬠(Safran). The shaving of heads down to bare skin presented me with a problem since I had long hair in which was hidden He said himself that it would be a pity to do so because my hair was so pretty. As I found out later, they shaved heads not so much to prevent infestation as to collect the hair and use it in brush production. I was given a strip of dirty cloth with which to hide my hair. The shaving of womens heads disfigured them terribly. (Lutostanska) The Nazis wanted the Jewish females to feel helpless and in a lower position, and they achieved this by buzzing off all of their hair. Not only were the prisoners in the Holocaust shaved and tattooed, they were beaten, and their possessions, such as their clothes, were taken away. ââ¬Å"As soon as we arrived in Shutoff, our little bundles were taken away from us. They told us ââ¬Ëput it away, youââ¬â¢ll come back and take it later. ââ¬â¢ My group of women was taken into a very large room where we were told to strip completely naked. It was a very traumatizing experience for a child of 16â⬠(Female survivor A). Uh, we stood in line there uh, a, a Jewish prisoner, he was I think from Germany who was there for a long time held a, a speech to usthere were a couple SS standing next to himthat anyone who has got any valuables, gold, silver, any kind of jewelry, this is the time to bring it out and give it up right now. He said uh, yesterday seventeen people have lost their lives from not handing in their valuables. If youve got it in your shoes or wherever you had it hidden uh, this is the time, youââ¬â¢re last chance to give it up. A number of people stepped forward, gave up. Most of us didnt have anything. And uh, that started the life of Auschwitz. (Kahan) Each prisoner was forced to give up the belongings they had on them, and ââ¬Å"the clothes on their backs. â⬠They were humiliated and dehumanized, forced to strip in front of one another. ââ¬Å" We were given clothes that were probably recycled, taken off of a corpse and just given to us. And then we were expected to die too, so then they would take the clothes and give it to someone else. In other words, the clothes were much more valuable than human beingsâ⬠(Female survivor B). The beloved objects that we had carried with us from place to place were now left behind in the wagon â⬠(Wiesel 29). ââ¬Å"Around five oââ¬â¢clock in the morning, we were expelled from the barrack. The Kapos were beating us again, but I no longer felt the pain. We were naked, holding our shoes and belts. An order: ââ¬ËRun! ââ¬â¢ As we ran, they threw the clothes at us: pants, jackets, shirts â⬠(Wiesel 36). ââ¬Å"The Nazis, standing around us, beating upon us, chasing us from one end of the room to the otherâ⬠(Female survivor A). Along with all of this, they were separated from their loved ones (see figure 3). ââ¬Å"Next thing, one man, the point of the thumb to the right, to the left. My brother was sent to the menââ¬â¢s camp, my mom, who was at that time 46, she was sent to the left. I found myself at the age of 16 all aloneâ⬠(Female survivor B). Families were beaten and killed in the concentration camps. Prisoners in the concentration camps were treated with much disrespect. As Jewish families were sent to Nazi concentration camps and separated, the survival of small children was nearly non-existent. Most were sent straight to gas chambers or shot in front of ditches dug for mass graves. Older children survived by being forced into hard labor, and some children were selected for medical experiments, especially twins. Along with children, older men and women were mistreated. Women were raped and beaten by Naziââ¬â¢s in the camps, and men were forced to work. The Holocaust, an event that displayed mass murder and mistreated prisoners, is remembered by horrifying stories of those who survived these tragic events. The German Naziââ¬â¢s wanted to control, destroy and deliberately hurt Jews, along with Gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled. Also, Poles, Russians, communists, socialists, Jehovah Witnesses and others were victims of the Holocaust. ââ¬Å"In politics theres absolutely nothing new. Again, out of impatience I feel myself beginning to fall into melancholy There is really no way out of this for us (Sierakowiak). The livesââ¬â¢ of many people were destroyed because of the horrors they faced. The way they were treated was inhumane, and their individual experiences should never be forgotten.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The Structure Of Personality Psychology Essay
The Structure Of Personality Psychology Essay Everyone is created unique and special in their own way. Everyone has a personality of their own that is developed throughout ones life. To effectively and efficiently teach and ensure that each learner grasp the concepts, the teacher needs to understand each student and their personality. Personality can be defined as the pattern of behaviour that is enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions and behaviours that differs from every individual and is used to adapt to the world. The personality of a person is forms with nature and nurture playing an integral role. With reference to the work of Child Dennis (2007:410), posited that personality involves knowledge of the total organization of humans A classroom is not just a cognitive habitat but consist of intricate personal interactions which deeply affect the learning and teaching processes. In classroom there are so many different personalities and characters that one must understand personality so as not to discourage the students because they are different. According to Buskist William (1990:496), personality is a particular pattern of behavior and thinking prevailing across time and situations that differentiates one individual from another.à [1]à No two persons think alike, everyone is different in attitudes, interest, learning abilities as well as thoughts. The personality of each individual develops though their genetics composition as well as their interaction with the environment. Plomin et al (2002:392) stated that from a sample of 24,000 twins his evidence points to genetic factors accounting for 40 percent of the variance and environment factors the remaining 60 percent. This means that the influential environmental factors are experienced by the twins independently of each other.à [2]à The researchers intent to highlight the structure of personality, personality theories, big five factors of personality, personality and the school environment and type A behaviour of students and teachers so that the researchers can emphasis the need to promote education on personality in schools and in the society so that everyone can accept each other with their differences. THE STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY Personality according to Freud is made up of the Id, ego and superego. They involve in the process of shaping the individuals mind. According to Buskist William (1990:505), the unconscious mind is a perceptual battleground in which the Id, ego and superego are engaged in unending conflict. The result form the battle cause everyone to behave or react differently forming and showing a different personality. According to Freud the Id is the pleasure principal that seeks gratification and the instincts are: food, sexual pleasure and aggression.à [3]à The adolescents are often hungry and teachers would find them eating in class, fighting to get justice they think they deserve rather than complaining to the teachers. To deal with these behaviour teachers need to understand the students personalities. The ego involves cognitive thinking which allows reasoning, reality and process information about the environment. The ego links the individual and the environment and self awareness. According to Santrock (1994:31), Freud states that the Id is an absolute ruler, owed complete obedience; it is spoiled, willful, impatient and self-centered. The ego has the job of getting things done; it is tuned into reality and is responsive to societys demands. The superego is concerned with right and wrong; its role is to tell the greedy Id that nobler purposes should be pursued. The superego is the moral part of the self.à [4]à According to Santrock (1994:33)à [5]à Defense Mechanisms which are unconscious methods by which the ego distorts reality to protect itself from anxiety are: Repression is a powerful and pervasive defense mechanism since it works to push unacceptable Id impulses out of awareness and back into the unconscious mind. Rationalization is the psychoanalytic defense mechanism that occurs when the real motive for an individuals behaviour is not accepted by the ego and is replaced by a sort of convert motive. Displacement occurs when the involvement of unacceptable feelings from one object to another, more acceptable object. Sublimation occur when a useful course of action replaces and unacceptable one. Projection occurs when we attribute our own shorting, and faults to others. Reaction formation occur when we express an unacceptable impulse by transforming it into its opposite. Regression occur when we behave in a way characteristic of a previous developmental level. COMPARING PERSONALITY THEORIES INNATE VS. LEARNED FACTORS The question is; which factors affect the personality more innate or learned? Both of these factors are important in the development in an individuals personality. In the study of fraternal twin who were separated at birth proves that both twin were very different. They had the same genetic composition but their environment was different. One of the twins was in a wealthy environment with everything and the other in a poorer environment and they both turned out so different all because of the environment they were exposed to. The environment or society you belong to will influence your personality since your will be groomed and taught what that society feel is right or wrong. The richer family will provide moral, emotional support, financial security which all human beings need as stipulated by Abraham Maslow in the theory of hierarchy of needs. However, a different society or a poor society will think differently and react differently. If your change the persons environment they wil l adapt to the new environment and change their personality to adapt to their present environment. It is simply our human nature of survival. According to Santrock (1994), Skinner and social learning theorist believe personality is behaviour that is environmentally determined. However, humanistic theories believe that personality is influences by experience and can be changed and people have innate ability to self actualized.à [6]à It can be seen that both heredity and environment plays and important part in an individuals personality development. CONSCIOUS VS. UNCONSCIOUS According to Freud in Buskist William (1990:505), personalities are determined by both conscious and unconscious powers, with the unconscious exerting considerable influence on the conscious.à [7]à Therefore repressed ideas, thoughts and wished influence our conscious way of thinking and behaviour. Also repressed ideas and thoughts can surface in dreams and mistakes of speech known as Freudian Slips. The Conscious mind hold things we are fully aware of, that we can think and rationalize while the unconscious mind is the bulk of the mind. The mind suppresses the things we dont want to remember like pain, hurt, conflict, abuse and things we hid from the world that we hid it so far we ourselves do not remember. According to Freud, our deeply repressed experiences in infancy and early childhood determined what our personality will be in adulthood. While psychoanalytical theorist argues that individuals are unaware of our personality development.à [8]à Students are different and they all have different personality and to understand their needs teachers need to understand personality. Students in our classroom have pain and hurt deep within them causing them to behave reserved or misbehave and the teacher without studying the child plaster a label as indiscipline, pest, dunce without understanding or thinking about what is causing this child to behave this way. INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL DETERMINANTS The internal dimensions of personality according to Freud are the Id, ego and superego whiles the external determinants being cognitive and social learning. People are prisoners of their past since the problem may have hurt the persons ego before when a similar problem arise the individual struggles with low self esteem and low self confidence. Also the cognitive development, social learning and moral guidance help to make decisions rather than overacting with the Id but the superego controls all the extreme actions and it helps both the internal and external determinants to harmonize. According to Freud (1933:69): The poor egoà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦feels hemmed in on here sides, threatened by three kinds of danger to which, if it is hard pressed it reacts by generating anxietyà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦Thus the ego, driven by id, confined by the superego, repulsed by reality, struggles to master it economic talk of bringing about harmony among the forces and influences working in and upon it, and we can understand how it s that so often we cannot suppress a cry: Life is not easy!à [9]à THE BIG FIVE FACTORS OF PERSONALITY Some individual have a high level of intellect or gifted while some students are slow learners. Some students are social and interact while others are reserved and quiet, some are funny and jolly while some are sad and depress and these are all personalities of people. Everyone deal with situation differently since everyone is being guided differently by their superego. Everyone is taught different values depending on their culture. According to Child (1998), Eysencks big five are Neuroticism-Emotional Stability, Introversion-Extraversion, Openness-Convergence, Agreeableness-Antagonism and Conscientiousness-Undirectedness.à [10]à Extroversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness to experience Low Scorers Loner Quiet Passive Reserved High Scorers Joiner Talkative Active Affectionate Low Scorers Suspicious Critical Ruthless Irritable High Scorers Trusting Lenient Soft hearted Good-natured Low Scorers Negligent Lazy Disorganized Late High Scorers Conscientious Hard-working Well-organized Punctual Low Scorers Calm Even-tempered Comfortable Unemotional High Scorers Worried Temperamental Self-conscious Emotional Low Scorers Down-to-earth Uncreative Conventional Uncurious High Scorers Imaginative Creative Original Curious Table 1:1 The dimensions of personality according to Eysencks (1916)à [11]à http://alleydog.com/images/eysenek-wheel.gif Figure 1.1 Eysencks Wheel of Personality http://alleydog.com/images/eysenek-wheel.gif Temperament according to Galambos and Costigan (2003) as citied by Santrock (2005:192), is an individuals behavioral style and characteristic way of responding and it is the foundation of personality. There are three types of temperament: Easy Child: this child is generally in positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines, and adapts easily to new experiences. Difficult Child: this child reacts negatively to man situation and is slow to accept new experience. Slow-to-warm-up child: this child has a low activity level, is somewhat negative and displays a low intensity of mood.à [12]à With reference to the table and the wheel the researchers have experience with students who behave in all these ways. However, it is seen that not all the time the trouble students are poor performers but sometime the more privilege students have greater pain from pressure and high expectations that they behave differently at home and in school. They can be stable at home and at school the complete opposite and need love and attention. Students when away from home they want to be themselves and live a little and teachers need to help them by showing them how to behave an help them understand life during the period of Adolescence, that they are going through. At this point, students are forming an identity and developing a personality that will define who they are as individual. It is important that teachers understand personality, their own personality so that they can tolerate others so the students will imitate them and tolerate their peers in the classroom and this knowledge about personality can help students to avoid conflict and confrontation among peer because they will understand that everyone is different and is part of our society. PERSONALITY AND SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT A classroom is not just a cognitive habitat, but consists of intricate personal interactions which deeply affect the learning and teaching process. Personality characteristics play an important role when it comes to the learning process and the attitudes and perceptions of learning. Every student views learning differently since their parents and teachers would try to convenience them that learning is beneficial to them in the future. Some students are interested in learning one way while others are not motivated by when teachers utilize multiple intelligence methods students will find what stimulates their interest and will become interests. According to Child and Smithers (1971) reviewed and cited by Child (2007:403): Variations in performance are not entirely a question of intellect, motivation or thinking skills, but may depend on the personal attributes which can enhance or inhibit the quality of that performance. In the classroom and in the teaching profession there are individuals with Type A behaviour personality and they can be difficult individual so that is why it is often a problem that some students and teachers just cannot get along because they dont understand each other personality or even realize they have a Type A behaviour. After the work of two American Heart Specialist Friedman and Rosenman 1974 was reviewed, endorsed and cited in Child (2007:403) the characteristics of Types A behaviour are: Tries to do or think of two or more things at once, (b) Cannot sit doing nothing-feels guilty when not working, (c) Develops ticks, facial movement (eyebrow raising), (d) has a thing about punctuality, (e) gets impatient watching others doing a job he or she thinks can be done better, (f) plays to win- even when playing with children, (g) drums fingers impatiently, (h) does lots of arm waving when talking, (i) hurries others along who are speaking, (j) tries to steer conversations to her or his own interests, (k) tries to pack a lot of work into little time, (l) shows no interest in aesthetic aspect of surroundings (m) gets very cross in queues, (n) has the motto if you want something done properly, do it yourself and (o) pushes other people hard at work Students with this kind of behaviour do not usually get along with their peers since they want everything perfect and bossy. If the students are aggressive and dominant then they will be fidgety and argue with the teachers and be disruptive to prove their points. Also, it is can be very alarming if teachers have that types of behaviour since they can be cold, detach and no-nonsense person with no lenience who the students will fear and this can cause students to underperform since they do not understand what is requires of them from the teacher. These persons will have a high self-esteem and confidence and will work hard and be professions. The students will be hard working striving for only A. This type of behaviour cause stress, frustration and aggression that is not good for the students or the teachers health. Summary Personality can be defined as the pattern of behaviour that is enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions and behaviours that differs from every individual and is used to adapt to the world. A classroom is not just a cognitive habitat, but consists of intricate personal interactions which deeply affect the learning and teaching process. The unconscious mind is a perceptual battleground in which the Id, ego and superego are engaged in unending conflict. Defense Mechanisms which are unconscious methods by which the ego distorts reality to protect itself from anxiety are: Repression, Rationalization, Displacement, Sublimation, Projection, Reaction and Regression Both heredity and environment plays and important part in an individuals personality development. The cognitive development and social learning and moral guidance help to make decisions rather than overacting with the egos but the superego controls all the extreme actions and it helps both the internal and external determinants to harmonize. Eysencks big five are: Neuroticism-Emotional Stability, Introversion-Extraversion, Openness-Convergence, Agreeableness-Antagonism and Conscientiousness-Undirectedness. Three types of temperament: Easy Child, Difficult Child and Slow-to-warm-up child. Variations in performance are not entirely a question of intellect, motivation or thinking skills, but may depend on the personal attributes which can enhance or inhibit the quality of that performance Type A behaviour personality can cause a person to be difficult to deal with and understand. Conclusion The researchers can confidently conclude that this was the most informative and beneficial researcher that they have ever pursued: understanding personality From the readings the researchers believe that there is still so much yet to uncover about personality. Understanding personality opens the eyes of an individual to accept and tolerate the behaviours, attitudes and cultures of others. The researchers being teachers looked at how the concept of personality can influence their attitudes and behaviours when dealing with the adolescents. Understanding the personalities and difference will help teachers to interact better with the students and also they are better able to counsel the students into tolerating each other and to help students and teacher to better deal with situations. Personality studies will never come to an end because each person is different, complex and sophisticated in their own way.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Politics Of Far Right Movements In Global Politics
Politics Of Far Right Movements In Global Politics Far right, which also be known as the extreme right or radical right, has been defined by various scholars and authors in various ways. Despite argument over the exact definition, far right is generally defined as an extremism of right-wing politics. According to Muddes work, the ideology of far right (2002 10-11), Hartmann defines far right as a collective term for all progress-hostile forces. However, there are objections to this restricted definition since this definition illustrates far right parties as single-issue movements, and conceals other important features of far right ideology. Most scholars and authors define far right as a political ideology which based on a combination of prominent features, consisting of Supremacism, Authoritarianism, Racism, and extreme-Nationalism. For examples, Macridis defines far-right as an ideology that revolves around the same old staples, such as, racism, xenophobia, and nationalism. Backes and Jesse defines far right as a collective term for anti-democratic dispositions and attempts, that are traditionally positioned at the extreme right of the left-right spectre (Mudde 2002: 10-11)Whereas, Falter and Schumann prescribes a set of core ideas of far-right ideology including, extreme nationalism, ethnocentrism, anti-communism, anti-parliamentarianism, anti-pluralism, militarism, law-and-order thinking, a demand for a strong political leader and/or executive, anti-Americanism and cultural pessimism'(Falter 1988: 101)Obviously, these definitions of far right reflect the existence of sharing of some core ideas among far-right, tradi tionalism, andconservatism through historical and ideological connection. Old Radical Right had been constituted in France after the French Revolution in 1789 as the main ideology among those supporters for counter-revolution who refused to accept the new republic regime and aimed for restoration of the French monarchy and aristocracy. The rise of radical right parties in Europe such as Nazi Party in Germany and Fascist Party in Italy before 1945 could be seen as the prosperity of old radical right. The old radical right commonly based on various hostile ideas towards Liberalism, Parliamentarism, Sentimism, Communism, Capitalism, and Bourgeois. All of these ideas had been resisted and insulted by radical right parties in the past. Together with the outbreak of Nationalism since the 1930s, far right parties could gained outgrowth from this nationalism and gained more popularity which had given compatibility for these parties to challenge existing states and accounted for much of the aggressive expansionist policy of some fascist regimes (Guibernau 2010: 9) especially, in the period since 1930s until the end of World War II. New Radical Right Mainstream political parties consider the new radical right as fascist parties that have no legitimacy. If we contemplate the fascist regimes of the 1922 1945, we will see a movement. According to Linzs perspective, traditional fascist can be defined as anti-liberalism, anti-parliamentarism, anti-Semitism, anticommunism. In contrast, despite their standpoint is strongly anti-establishment, the new radical right accepts the rules of parliamentary democracy. New Radical Rights oppose the corporatist and state-controlled economies defined by a strongly hierarchical political leadership but the radical right support a small government. The new radical right accepts market capitalism; however, one of its main ideological weaknesses are the inadequacy of an alternative economic programme like the mainstream political parties. New Radical Rights has their standpoint as anti-globalisation stand but the new radical right uses the means and new technological advances at the core of globalisat ion in order to promote its movement not only within but also across national boundaries. The main pillars of the new radical rights discourse New radical rights discourse consists of a high resistance to the existing establishment and a commitment to democratic reform, an explicit anti-immigrant narrative, and high emphasis on protecting western values and the national preference principle. Anti-establishment and democratic reform Although its extremely critical view of the functioning of liberal democratic systems, the new radical right does not support their replacement of liberal democratic system by some kind of fascist style political system. In contrary, the new radical right stands advocating a radical regeneration of democracy. In this perspective it is referred to as a promoter of hyper democracy. The new radical rights doctrine concern with a claim for genuinely popular participation and representation by means of radical reform of the established political institutions and the whole political process. In the same line, it defends the use of referendums and open lists in elections. According to Margaret Canovan perspective, the new radical right seeks to undermine and degenerate issues that associated with the political establishment, for example immigration policies, multiculturalism, affirmative action and political correctness. Anti-immigration There are fear and resentment towards immigrants and refugees that have been growing within western societies. The large influx of refugees from Eastern Europe and Africa into European countries in the 1990s gave the rise of issue invasion of the poor and it was expressed as the storming of Europe. There are a number of economic, social, political and cultural arguments which have been developed to create the legitimacy as a negative attitude towards immigrants. These come from the downward pressure that migrants push on wages and rising unemployment among the native population, to their comparatively high birth rates with potential detrimental implications for the existing welfare system, demographic developments, and national identity. Anti-immigrant sentiment open hostility towards immigrants. It can extend to describe radical right-wing parties do not have their standpoint against all migration but extremely against those immigrants who will pose a cultural threat to western valu es and national identity and culture. In present, there are the wave of Islamophobia generated by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Muslims are recognized as posing the most serious threat to western civilization and are often portrayed as the most alien and difficult to assimilate. The radical right regards the growing number of Muslims settling in Europe as a severe danger to western culture and values. In European countries, mainstream political parties are enthusiastic to deserve electoral support from ethnic communities of immigrant origin entitled to vote, in particular where such communities are of sizeable dimensions. This is a factor which is also regarded with suspicion and resented by the new radical right, which expresses skepticism at the idea that immigrants and refugees could make any valuable contribution to their society. The rise of the new radical right cannot be described by looking exclusively at economic factors, it seems safe to say that the global economic downturn has stresse d the economic as well as the political and cultural concerns that drive people toward the new radical right. In times of crisis minorities receive a severe treatment. They are criticized for the misfortunes affecting the overall society. They are considered guilty because of their supposed inefficiency, laziness, and lack of culture, susceptibility to crime, arrogance or economic success. Western values and the national preference principle The new radical right advocates the preservation of western values, a principle that is often turned into a call for national preferences; that is, citizens should enjoy priority access to social welfare and to the protection of their own culture and language, compared to foreigners. Citizenship should determine a sharp boundary between those who belong and those who do not, and the latter should be excluded from the social, economic and political rights associated with it. The principle of national preference mingled with hostility toward those considered too different in terms of values, culture, and often skin-colour should be considered as part and parcel of a project of white resistance or cultural nativism destined to protect what is described as an endangered European identity. The new radical right exhibits a cultural nativism tinted with populist overtones that connects with the dream of a white Europe. It is very important to highlight the transnational character of this populist nativism that reaches beyond nationalism by defending the cultural preservation o f the European culture. The new radical right presents itself as an alternative to traditional political parties and founds its discourse on a critique of democracy, a protest against elites and a concern about the cultural preservation and integrity of national identity comprehend as part and parcel of European identity. Integration and ethnopluralism New radical rights concerns about the preservation of national identity and the nation. It leads to the new radical right to oppose multiculturalism, which, in their view, promotes the destruction of individual cultures. In Western Europe, the new radical right has reacted to this by promoting an organic conception of the nation, which regards foreign bodies as a threat to a nations life and health. The term ethnopluralism has been coined by the new right to advocate respect for cultural and ethnic differences while maintaining that the best strategy to protect them is to avoid their mixing with each other. Ethnopluralism, as defined by the new radical right, stands for the protection of national culture and identity while arguing that the national culture and identities of immigrants should also be preserved. In pragmatically, different cultures and identities should not be mixed because it is in the mixing that culture and identity are weakened, levelled down and eventually destroy ed. Rise of far right in Europe It has been noted (Knigge, 1998: 255) that Generally, extremist movements are movements of disaffection (Lipset Raab 1978: 428). They appeal to people who are dissatisà ¬Ã ed with the status quo and who feel threatened by ongoing changes in society. These changes however, are complex and related to economic, political and social developments alike (Stà ¶ss 1991). Therefore, the rise of far right in Europe especially since 1980s can considered to be the result of the dissatisfaction of the changes which cause by Globalization. The Evolution of Extreme right-wing parties in Western Europe The rise of right-wing extremist parties in Europe have come in the wave. According to Widfeldts interpretation of research conducted by Klaus von Beyne, the German political scientist, far-right can be divided into three phases (Widefeldt, 2010). The first phase started from the end of Second World War to the mid 1950s. During the first phase, the support for extreme right-wing parties had marginal because people still feared the influence of Fascism and Nazism. Therefore, the political parties which supported on far-right was excluded outside the political area even the German Sozialistische Reichsoartei, the successor of Nazi. At that time, there were only the Italian Movimento Sociale Italiano, the successor of Mussolini fascists, which continually took a seat in national parliament. After the mid 1950s, the second phase started. Far right political parties gradually represent in parliament with the new pattern in the past far right political parties had an ideology on Nazism an d Fascism but after mid 1950s they changed to against Post-war economic and modernization process, for example. Since the 1980s, the third phase have begun. Due to the process of globalization, many European countries have experienced the overwhelming of immigration. Simultaneously with the economic recession of those countries, some citizens not only have seen foreign workers as the cause of unemployment and the status decline of Native Europe but also the cause of disappearance of homogeneous culture. Therefore, several political parties in Europe have perceived this weakness and support anti-immigration as new form of ideology and campaign. As a result, several far right political parties have been increased in their electoral supports and can gain political participation in Parliament. The Evolution of Extreme right-wing parties in Eastern Europe Regarding to Eastern Europe, the extreme right wing parties has been established after the end of Cold war. Even though the characters of social and politics in the former Communist regime like Eastern Europe suit with nationalist extremist, the increase of right-wing political parties are still low in Eastern Europe. A recent study (Mudde, 2012) has described that there are only four political parties which have largest share of support in parliament includes Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Greater Romania Party, Serbian Radical Party and finally Hungarian Movement for a Better Hungary. Besides these four political parties, other political parties in Eastern Europe seems too small, no electoral support from citizens to be the representative in parliament. Even though extreme-right parties in Eastern Europe are unsuccessful, most operations from extreme right-wing are outside of the political arena. For example, In Eastern Europe, especially Russia and Serbia, the extreme right s kin head gang and neo-Nazi group spread across Eastern Europe. The rise of electoral vote of far-right parties after financial crisis The global financial crisis in 2008 bring up the far-right parties across Europe in terms of citizens expressing their dissatisfaction of mainstream government. In other words, European citizens has perceived the mismanagement of the economic crisis by their own government which leads to decrease in GDP growth and increase in unemployment rate. Therefore, citizens have lost confident in their own governments and show more preference in far-right parties which in that time far-right parties try to exploit the situation by accusing a scapegoating such as foreign workers or immigrant for the cause of unemployment and the status decline of Native Europe. Even though the ideology and campaign of far right parties are various in different states depending on national histories and traditions, all of these political parties have mainly focused on anti-immigration, anti- multiculturalism and Islamophobia. Since 2008 global financial crisis, far-right political parties have gained a share of support in national parliaments across Europe especially in Norway, France, Hungary, Netherlands, England, Austria, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and finally Switzerland. Besides the national parliament, it was reported (BBC NEWS, 2009) that far-right political parties gained more seat in the 2009 European Parliament Election compared to the 2004 European Election and central-right political parties slightly drop in gaining the seat from 282 seats in 2004 to 264 seats in 2009. However, the central right political parties, namely European Peoples Party, still be the largest group in European Parliament. In other words, they gained 264 out of the 736 seats and prevailed over European Socialists Parties and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe which both two parties gained 183 and 84 seats, respectively. Regarding to the far-right parties, called Union for Europe of the Nations, the groups members believe in national sovereignty and opponents of European integration. This gr oup gained more seats from 23 in 2004 to 28 in 2009. The result of European Election in 2009 is meaningful to the rise of far right in Europe because its winning in election implies that far-right parties achieve in build mass organizations on the ground resulting to the power in broadcast their ideologies and the effective implementation of their own policies. The eletoral impacts of globalisation The emergence and notable growth of the new far right has occurred with significant increases in international integration, post-industrialisation and the rise of post-materialist values and policy orientations. There is a relationship between a major feature of contemporary structural change, globalisation, and electoral success of new far-right parties. Elections have served as important markers of far-right success and failure. Often, landmark breakthroughs by far-right parties have put them on the map for wider audiences. Direct elections to the European Parliament, too, have provided useful occasions for far-right parties to make their mark. Economics Theory and research on the economic impacts of globalisation stress that transnationally mobile manufacturing and financial enterprises as well as highly skilled professionals, technical personnel and managers are the winners of internationalisation (Rodrik, 1997). Globalisation of markets, however, generates losses and new economic insecurities for some occupational strata and sectors. Specifically, Heckscher-Ohlin/Stolper-Samuelson models predict that semi- and unskilled workers bear significant costs of the globalisation of developed economies. That is, models of factor-price convergence suggest that the relative prices commanded by comparatively scarce factors in the developed economies (semi- and unskilled workers) decline with internationalisation as the relative demand for comparatively abundant factors (highly skilled workers) increases. Together, trade, capital mobility and immigration of workers may contribute to the decline in the relative wages and employment of increasin g numbers of lower-skilled workers. In addition, the traditional middle class may be economically disadvantaged as well as facing threats to traditional institutions, values and status. Overall, the evidence suggests that internationalisation is associated with modest declines in demand for lower-skilled workers and some increase in economic uncertainties as well as attendant threats to the social status, values and institutions of affected groups. Nevertheless, despite the absence of a dominant role for globalisation, international integration should contribute to the inclination of some voters to support parties that oppose international liberalisation and offer clear programmatic solutions to associated problems; this seems particularly likely if perceptions of burdens exceed actual costs of globalisation. Perceptions and Politics A.M.Mayda and D.Rodrik draw conclusions for the developed democracies as a whole from their analysis of International Social Survey Program and World Values Survey data. They conclude that a majority of citizens in the typical developed democracy supports restricting trade and that these protectionist attitudes vary systematically with education and occupational levels. Mayda and Rodrik find that in developed democracies where human capital is abundant, workers with higher education and occupational attainments are more likely to support free trade. Generally, the tangible effects of international integration on significant socio-economic groups, the likely tendency of citizens to weigh costs of globalisation more heavily than benefits and the widespread support among mainstream parties have offered an electoral opportunity for Radical Right Wing parties. These parties have commonly targeted electoral appeals to those who face economic uncertainties if not losses in the wake of globa lisation and domestic change and to those who possess diffuse anxieties, fears and resentments in the wake of structural changes. Specifically, right-wing parties, while supporting free markets and liberalisation domestically, have systematically criticized international openness. As the national economy moves towards global concerns in seeking foreign investments, invariably other aspects of domestic policy are affected. Capital moves to where it finds the most attractive home, thus seeking low-tax economies which places pressure on national macro-economic policy as the states tax-raising capacity is reduced by the tendency towards attracting investment. This weakens the states capacity to provide public services, fostering dissatisfaction among the citizen and reducing national cohesion (Day Thompson, 2004: 175). Furthermore, a general shift in focus of national policy to cultural and identity issues could serve to favour the far right. While politics at elite level concerns transnational and international matter, for the citizen, local and domestic affairs are still to the fore. Moreover, mass publics in all likelihood tend to weigh the costs of globalisation more heavily than benefits. In sum, theory and evidence suggest that globalisation modestly affects the demand for lower-skilled workers and may contribute to insecurities of employment and income for many wage earners. Duane Swank and Hans-Georg Betz conclude that international integration, or the notable increases in transnational flows of trade, capital and people in recent decades, has contributed to the electoral success of new far-right parties in Western Europe. The magnitude and nature of globalisations effects, however, are significantly shaped by national welfare state structures. Where national systems of social protection are comprehensive, generous and employment-orientated, rises in trade openness and capital mobility do not contribute to support for right-wing parties; where welfare programmatic structure is occupationally based or liberal in character, increases in transnational market flows are associated with moderate shifts in support to the new far right. The role of the media The far right discourses resonance depends on the intermediating role played by the media (including social media). Far-right parties and spokespeople have a particular media attraction because they can successfully represent themselves as new political kids on the block and can press their core issues of immigration and Islam, all too readily reported and sensationalised as alien to the host society. In addition, popular media places the spotlight on the charismatic party leader with a populist message, rather than on more unassuming and collegiate figures. That is because the media lower the barriers of entry into the electoral market by giving new parties the means to disseminate their message across a wider audience than their organisational or financial resources would allow. The far right has also sought to bypass the conventional media by using the internet to that effect. Through online behavior, Bartlett, Birdwell and Littler (2011) suggest that the emergence of populist parties and movements which often described as far right comes from 3 different sets of grievances that motivate citizens: economic grievances, disillusionment grievances and immigration grievances. The economic explanation of populism contends that economic frustration is the prime motivator of populists. This view has two components: first, that most supporters of parties and movements are blue-collar workers or the victims of globalisation and outsourcing, and second, that these workers are motivated to join by financial concerns. The second set of grievances concerns voters disillusionment with prevailing political parties and institutions. One argument advanced by scholars is that this disenchantment has led citizens to vote for populist political parties or join street groups out of protest. According to this protest vote model, supporters of populist parties are not necessarily ideologically committed but support them to vent frustration. The final category of grievances concerns immigration. Some studies have demonstrated that concern, worry or antipathy toward immigrants is the feature that unifies populist groups. Much of the academic literature suggested that a large degree of concern relating to immigration was economic in nature, however, more recent research suggests that immigration is seen as a threat to cultural identity. As highlighted by Matthew Goodwins recent report, Right Response, which is an increasingly favoured view. Since the end of World War II, immigration has become one of the most divisive issues on the political agendas of Western democracies. Many individuals in European democracies express unease or out-right concern with the potential effects of migration on their countries, while others in these same countries are less uneasy or even welcoming toward newcomers. Left-right self-placement is likely to capture the potential ideological confluence between political dissatisfaction and hostility to immigration, with those on the far right expected to be more negative about political institutions and politicians and about immigration. Those who actually voted for the far right are, of course, very likely to be hostile to immigration and to politics because of ideas stoked by far-right party rhetoric. In the past ten years, and particularly since 2007 with the worldwide financial crisis, the sense of Europeanness has seemed to lessen (see Checkel and Katzenstein 2009). Immigration, the so-call ed war on terror, slow economic growth, and finally the financial crisis have caused citizens across Europe to view their national governments as the main focus of their identities and political activity (Checkel and Katzenstein 2009). The rise of anti-immigrant, nationalist parties has been pronounced in Scandinavian countries, typically seen as bastions of leftwing and liberal social policy. Indeed, the terrorist attacks in Norway in 2011 have led to a good deal of introspection about the rise of far right anti-immigrant groups, largely as Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist, was a member of the Norwegian Progress Party before becoming disillusioned with their moderate approach. A Case Study of Oslos Massacre The most recent well known Far Right movement that caused a horrible shock to people of the entire world is The Oslos Massacre in 2011 which killed 77 people. A massive blast shook the centre of Oslo in the afternoon on Friday 22 July 2011, blowing out the windows of the prime ministers offices and damaging the finance and oil ministries.Rubble and glass littered the streets and smoke from the fires drifted across the city from the devastated area the heart of the Labour Party government. Witnesses described the scene as like a war zone. Police set up cordons and evacuated buildings while ambulances took dozens of injured people to hospital. Police confirmed the next day that the blast was caused by a car bomb, and that undetonated explosives remained in the area. The bomb contained an estimated 950kg (2,090lbs) of explosives made of fertilizer, 8 people were killed in this incident. In the late afternoon, a ferryman was asked to transport a policeman to the island of Utoeya, located in a lake about 35km (20 miles) north-west of Oslo. The uniformed man was said to have been armed with a pistol and an automatic rifle. He had described how he was there to do research in connection with the bomb blasts But the policeman turned out to be a gunman, and he went on to shoot and kill many of young people staying at the island camp. About 30 minutes later, a specialist police SWAT team was despatched from Oslo to Utoeya. Meanwhile, the gunman continued his killing spree undisturbed, randomly shooting victims, according to eyewitness reports. Survivors described chaotic scenes as teenagers fled from the gunman, some plunging into the water to swim to safety. He shot at those who tried to swim away. Others hid in the undergrowth, cowering in fear. The gunman was described as tall, blond and Nordic-looking had called campers to him as if to offer help, only to open fire on them. Officers eventually arrived on the island, Haarvard Gaasbakk, the leader of the first police squad to arrive on the island, said a group of youngsters directed them towards the gunman.We then spotted the gunman shooting on the southern part of the island and we hear a lot of shooting the gunshots are coming fast and thick, he said. As the officers ran into a clearing in the forest, they suddenly came face to face with the gunman, hands above his head and his weapons 15m away on the ground. Mr. Gaasbakk said the gunman was arrested and one officer took charge of him while the others ran to give the victims first aid. The shooting spree had lasted more than an hour. Officers have said he still had a considerable amount of ammunition for both his guns a pistol and an automatic rifle when he surrendered. Hospital sources said the gunman had used dum-dum bullets, designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage. A Norwegian court has found that mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is sane and sentenced him to 21 years in jail. Breivik, who admitted killing 77 people when he bombed central Oslo and then opened fire at an island youth camp, told the court he would not appeal. He insisted he was sane and refused to plead guilty, saying last years attacks were necessary to stop the Islamisation of Norway. Afterwards Breivik said he did not recognise the court, which he contended had sided with the multicultural majority in parliament, but said he would not appeal as this would legitimise the proceedings. He accused the governing Labour Party of promoting multiculturalism and endangering Norways identity. In the pre-trial hearing, February 2012, Breivik read a prepared statement demanding to be released and treated as a hero for his pre-emptive attack against traitors accused of planning cultural genocide. He said, They are committing, or planning to commit, cultural destruction, of which deconstru ction of the Norwegian ethnic group and deconstruction of Norwegian culture. This is the same as ethnic cleansing. Experts in far-right ideology told the trial Breiviks ideas should not be seen as the ramblings of a madman and Breiviks attacks ignited a debate about the nature of tolerance and democracy in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik is a right-wing extremist and now regarded by many as a Christian fundamentalist, extremist, and terrorist. He claims he has a mentor and refers to him as Richard the Lionheart. He claims that he is a member of an international Christian military order based on the Knights Templar which was established in London in 2002 by nine individuals with a large number of knights and even bigger number of civilians including a number of cells in Europe. He was a member of a local Masonic lodge and was a proud freemason and he also claims he has contacts with the EDL and as his mentors codename is Richard the Lionheart it seems to suggest the EDL is very influential on him and his political views. His main political goal was to stop as he refers to it, the Islamification of Western Europeà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã
¸. He claims he killed nearly eight people, who were in the majority non-Muslims, in order to save Europe from a Muslim takeover. Mario Borghezio, for instance who belongs to the anti-immigration Northern League party in Italy, which is a partner in Italys government coalition, condemned Breiviks attacks, but supported his position against Muslim immigration to Europe. He was reported to have said, Some of the ideas he expressed are good, barring the violence. Some of them are great. Following his apprehension, Breivik was characterised by analysts as being a right-wing extremist with anti-Muslim views and a hatred of Islam, who considered himself a knight dedicated to stemming the tide of Muslim immigration into Europe. He was at first described by many in the media as a Christian fundamentalist, Christian terrorist, nationalist and right-wing extremist. Conclusion The rise of new far-right ideology in Europe both as in politics and as movements could be considered a
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