Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Theory

Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Theory In the past decade of increased globalization and diversity, business across borders has increased. Although cross border business faces a lot of challenges not only from the political and socio economic paradigm but also from culture (Porter, 1990). National culture has gained importance, as it is significant in managing global operations. Multinational business strategy research has long acknowledged the importance of national cultural characteristics as determinants of management behavior (Cheng, 1989; Rosenweig and Singh, 1991). So now, what is culture? It is true that no two human would know the same things but they often have great deal of knowledge in common. This common knowledge or collective memory to a large extent make people work together, communicate and live together. This forms communities and if shared among enough people in a country, its characteristics are called national culture. The common knowledge constitutes one of the elements which make national culture uni que (The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 2nd edition, revised and updated, by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., and James Trefil, is reviewed). There are a lot of theories that attempt to explain culture like the ones proposed by Fons Trompenaar, 1993; Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, 1961, Edward T.Hall but Geert Hofstedes Cultures consequences has been remarkably influential and his work has provided the foundation for many studies on, intercultural relations (Hart, 1999), cross-cultural management control systems design (Harrison McKin- non, 1999), international business research (Chandy Williams, 1994), and psychology (Baskerville, 2003; Oyserman, Coon, Kem- melmeier, 2002; Schimmack, Oishi, Diener, 2005; Triandis, 2004), most often seeking to determine how differences on cultural dimensions (i.e., power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity) impacted work related values and behavior. (National Culture, Leadership and Citizenship: Implications for Cross-cultural Management, p 78) According to Geert Hofstede the culture is defined as collective programming of mind and explains that it lies between human nature on one side and individual personality on the other (Hofstede, 1991). Hofstedes cultural framework has been applied in a wide variety of contexts and his work has gained great support and is of prime importance to many researchers in various disciplines. As stated by Baskerville, Cultures Consequences demonstrates an average of 94 citations per annum in the last 18 years. Part of this level of usage appears to reflect efforts of researchers unaware of debates concerning the legitimacy of Hofstedes dimensions (R.F.Baskerville, 2003). So huge is the acceptance of hofstedes work. Geert Hofstede an expert of studies in culture from Netherland developed a cross- culture model. The five dimensions of culture are defined as follows Power Distance: the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, 1991: 28; Hofstede Peterson, 2000: 401). Uncertainty Avoidance: intolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity (Hofstede, 1991: 113; Hofstede Peterson, 2000: 401). Individualism versus Collectivism: the extent to which individuals are integrated into groups (Hofstede, 1991: 51; Hofstede Peterson, 2000: 401). Masculinity versus Femininity assertiveness and competitiveness versus modesty and caring (Hofstede, 1991: 82-3, 1998b; Hofstede Peterson, 2000: 401) (McSweeney, 2002) Hofstede defined culture as a Collective programming of mind, his concept of culture promotes an image of the individual as merely a passive carrier of a predetermined cultural template (Ailon, 2007; Ailon -Souday Kunda, 2003). As much as Hofstedes work has been universally accepted as I was researching I came across a number of critics for his work (e.g Galit Ailon (2008); R.F.Baskerville (2003); McSweeney (2002)). It was then it dawned on me the validity of the theory that even I had used in my graduate dissertation like an unquestionably acceptable principle. As G.Ailon (2008) stated it is not he (Hofstede), the individual, who is of interest here; instead,the discursive practices that governed his text that predominated and ran through him (Foucault, 1972: 139)that are of interest. So here I am going to critically evaluate his theory within a certain degree of my personal understanding of it although heavily relying on the articles of McSweeney and Galit ailon. A significant aspect of national culture research of Hofstede is the transparency with which he related the cultural dimensions with other studies of country or national differences for the purposes of making international comparisons. Each of the dimensions of index was compared to seven other national measurements: GNP, latitude, economic growth, population size and growth, population density and organization size. So the socio economic data used by him does describe cultural dimension rather the historical origins of nations. (R.F.Baskerville, 2003). His study comes to show that a nations attributes are culturally influenced. And most of the critiques have remarkably questioned the simplest of facts that many have failed to think. As Mikael Sondergaard puts it , most of the debate on hofstedes work has been on the following aspects of his study: surveys are inappropriate instruments to measure culture unit of analysis of nations is not the best unit suited for studying culture One company cannot provide information about the entire nations culture IBM data is old and obsolete Four dimensions cant tell the whole story (http://geert-hofstede.international-business-center.com/Sondergaard.shtml). I am going to be discussing the above mentioned in detail now, though Hofstedes work has entailed substantial contribution in the field of cultural studies there are some pertinent issues that leaves doubt on the validity of the typology produced by him. It is not possible for national culture to be uniform, there is considerable diversity. An assumption of a homogeneous culture can only be made by assuming that culture is coherent, pure, stable, and nothing external like other cultures and non cultural factors influence a national culture.(McSweeney, Forthcoming) Which is hard to believe in reality because when a number of cultures and subcultures co-exist it is impossible for it remain independent and completely uninfluenced by the other. Otherwise we have to consider cultures as being tough enough to withstand any attempts to change them. Some of the issues are discussed in the due course. The surveys were the backbone of the study. The surveys were carried out on 40 IBM subsidiaries around the world between 1964 and 1973 and used about 117000 questionnaires. Most of the researchers state that a survey is not an appropriate instrument for accurately determining and measuring cultural disparity. This is especially apparent when the variable being measured is a value which culturally sensitive and subjective (Schwartz, 1999). Two surveys were carried out and results are a combination of responses from both the surveys. A closer examination revealed that not all questionnaires were used and that the average number per country was small and sometimes evens a minuscule. In only six countries () the number of respondents were more than 1000 and in Pakistan was only 70 The narrowness of the Hofstede surveyed research population radically compounds the scale problem (McSweeney, 2002). This leads to a doubt in the statistical integrity of the results obtained from the survey. A s Schwartzs (1992) puts it that one cannot derive the normative ideals of a culture from the average of individual responses (p. 51). The PD (Power distance) index was based on three questions in the IBM questionnaire. The first question was a five point scale , and it asked how frequently in their experience employees were afraid of expressing disagreement with their managers and second and third questions asked about their preferred leadership style (autocratic, persuasive, consultative, and democratic) and the style that closely matched their boss. G.Ailon (2008) states that in each stage of the research process an attempt of neutralization is visible. This begins with the standardized uniform questionnaire that has been used worldwide. In effect, how- ever, uniformity was, meant ot direct respondents in the paths determined by a Western, managerially oriented research team. The questionnaire coerced a western axis of comparison on non-western cultures. It had a egalatarian portrayal of western culture and ignored racial and colonial inequalities and defined racial power distance under uncertainity avoidance. Th is fact, enabled a country like South Africa due to apartheid to be represented in the sample by white respondents only whether partial in terms of population sample, questionnaire content, or both, it constituted a political act that, however unwittingly, neutralized racism and colonialism by excluding them from measurement.Hofstede also tried to neutralize certain aspects of the dimension by universalisation, stating that Hierarchial inequality is something we inevitably find, the essence of organsation and so the choices given on the questionnaire was already based on the notion of its universal inevitability thereby trapping the respondent in an invisible way to positively answer the neutrality and inevitability of the managerial power.(G.Ailon, 2008).Though they had choices , and their answers did vary, these were again manipulated and labeled in such a way that hofstede tried to expropriate the meaning of the answers from his respondents, claiming, in so many words, that anyth ing they said proves his point-using their voices to turn his hypotheses into axioms (G.Ailon, 2008). The large power distance in France and Belgium (which were exceptions in Nordic, Anglo, Germany) he attributed to the cultural inheritance of Roman empire, likewise the small power distance in Pakistan he attributes to their Islamic religious background and belief that all are equal in the eyes of god. He used such exemptions to justify his claim that small PD countries are economically developed, large PD countries are less developed or developing.(Ailon.G, 2002). It emphasizes that those from small power-distance cultures are likely to accept responsibility, while those from large power-distance cultures are likely to be more disciplined (Triandis, 1993) The Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) index was based on three questions again and they were related to the frequency of nervousness and tension at work, the second was How long do you think you will continue working for this company? Please indicate the extent to which you personally agree or disagree . . . [that] company rules should not be bro- ken- even when the employee thinks it is in the companys best interest (Hofstede, 1980:76 -77, 405, 408 409). Hofstedes book states those in weak uncertainty-avoidance cultures may be very high in basic innovations, while those in strong uncertainty-avoidance cultures may triumph in precision manufacturing. (Triandis, 1993) Though Hofstede admits that better indicators could have been developed in ascertaining the UA, because it wasnt a familiar concept when they developed the IBM questionnaires, he very strongly and emphatically links a high UA to a number of socio-psychological tendencies. (G.Ailon, 2008) low UA, for example, is suggested to result from advanced modernization; older democracies; dense populations in poor countries and sparse populations in wealthy countries; tolerant religions that stress relativity; historical events marked by less legislation and more settlement of disputes by negotiation and/or conflict, as opposed to mere inheritance of developed systems of legislation; low mean age of population leaders; and smaller organizations (1980: 185). The suggested consequences of low UA include slower economic growth after World War II, weaker nationalism, less aggressiveness versus other nations, looser societies, stronger feelings of citizen competence, a casuistic approach to legal is sues, a stronger accent on lay competences as expressed by having more nurses per doctor, more religious tolerance, pragmatic or introvert meditative religions, rel- ativism, empiricism rather than theoricism in social sciences, more ambitious employees, managers who are more involved in strategy issues, and so forth (1980: 186-187). He is just forcing people to envision a world where everything is interconnected through simple logic (G.Ailon, 2002). At a point Hofstede states people from lower UAI cultures will tend to do better in cross-cultural contacts (1980: 398), I doubt this as it is something that is related to individuals personal communication skills and doesnt matter if he were from a country with a low UA index. Hofstede justifies the power of managers with a western background that they have a low UA and Small PD and so they are most suited for strategic and cross cultural management. So is that only the western managers have this skill which they imbibed from culture a nd their counterparts around the world lack this vital skill. (G.Ailon, 2008) The Individualism (IDV) index was based on work goal questions in which the respondents were asked to rate the importance of a variety of statements, in which high IDV were attributed to giving importance to doing a job leaving out personal and leisure time and, low IDV were attributed to having good physical skills and training opportunities at work. These tried to assess a person independence from organization and second to assess what the individual expected from the organization. (G.Ailon, 2008) As McSweeney put it power distance and individualism and collectivism were statistically identified by him only in nationally averaged data. At the level of individuals, they had near- zero inter-correlations (Bond, 2002; Schwartz, 1994) for those dimensions and thus no explanatory power at that level. Hofstede states that those from high-collectivism cultures may show employee commitment, while members of organizations from high-individualism cultures can profit from management mobility . Hofstedes book states that those from cultures high in femininity may be able to provide personal services, custom-made products, and be especially successful in biochemistry, while those in masculine cultures may excel in mass production, efficiency, heavy industry, and bulk chemistry; The masculinity index like the IDV was also based on work goal question and it attempted to measure the extent to which respondents endorsed ego goals (related to earnings and advancement) and social goals (related to cordial relations at work place and a friendly atmosphere). This index is based on the universal dissection relating to sexual character and goals, in which men are more assertive and tough and women are more nurturing and Tender. He states that the distribution of labor is affected by the goals of the organization. This according to me is true but he also goes to say that business organizations have goals of achievement which relates to the masculine index and it is not surprising they are run by men and their climate is set by men, which I as a girl would detest. Not just from a point of defending my own sex but from the common world examples, A study organized by the Finnish Business and Policy stated, Companies managed by women are on average ten per cent more profitable than those with a man as CEO. The study was conducted on atleast 14000 limited liability finish companies in 2003. (http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Study+companies+managed+by+women+more+profitable+than+those+run+by+men/1135230562325). Even in a country like US which has a fairly good masculinity index of 62, You have companies form the fortune 500 like yahoo, pepsico, New York Times and Kraft foods that are run by women ceos so it doesnt necessarily mean one has to be a man to be the big boss. Though national culture is not theorized as the only culture or a totality of cultures, within a nation, but by definition it culturally distinguishes the members of one nation from another. (McSweeney, 2002). Hofstede says that each country has a unique culture. I would slightly differ from that opinion, because that sort of unique cuture may be attributed to the cultural heritage and aspects like performing arts that may vary from country to country uniquely but on the basis of individual attitude and behavior it seems a little irrelevant. If you take India for example, it is culturally diverse and it does have numerous subcultures but the attitude and behaviors differ so widely even inside a subculture. Hofstede states that National culture is said to be carried by all individuals in a nation (1980a: 38) or a central tendency (1991: 253). The IBM survey responses within each country were characterized by radical differences. This now leaves doubt on his assumptions of national culture as being same in all individuals in a nation. He assumed that the average tendency of the IBM employees responses as the national representative. There seems to be no valid reason to prove it due to the complete ignorance on the background of those interviewed, who mostly well educated, middle class The samples for his study was exclusively from a single company called IBM. A study fixated on only one company cannot possibly provide information on the entire cultural system of a country (Graves 1986, 14-15; Olie 1995, 135; SÃ ¸ndergaard 1994, 449). The responses were also from only the marketing and sales executives of the company for which Hofstede claimed they shared the same organizational culture as that of all the other employees of IBM. The cultures carried by each respondent are effectively assumed to be three exclusively non-interacting and durable cultures: the organizational, an occupational, and the national. He assumes there is only one IBM culture and not cultures, which, as it were, possesses all employees and every occupation has a common worldwide occupational culture (McSweeney, 2002). Furthermore, McSweeney also evidences Hofstedes blind assumption that every individual in the company had the same organizational and occupational culture regardless of the commi tment and loyalty each individual had to his organization and also the duration of service by the employee to the organization which are all factors that lead to the bond that an employee creates overtime with the organization he works for. Though after a few years Hofstede did acknowledge that there is a variety of distinct cultures within and between units of the same organization and also redefined his statement on organizational culture so his assumption made in the first study wouldnt be invalidated (McSweeney, 2002). It is not known if the factors he redefined are supposed to be self evident. Regarding occupational culture, as McSweeney puts it, Hofstede assumes that members of a single occupation around the world share the same occupational culture. Clarification regarding his acknowledgement of cultural heterogeneity in organizations is needed i.e. it lacks clarity. Another instance where we might raise a brow is authenticity of replies by the questionnaire respondents, thou gh the answers were confidential, the respondents prior knowledge of the end purpose of the survey might have influenced their answers so as to improve theirs or their divisions position (McSweeney, 2002). Yet hofstedes reliance on his supposition that the answers are immune to respondents gaming and were the pure outcomes of unconscious pre-programmed values (1980a,1991; Hofstede Peterson, 2000). Another aspect is the comprehensiveness of the questionnaire to elicit all the necessary inputs to assess a culture. As McSweeney stated in any circumstance the IBM subsidiary had many nationally atypical characteristics. When initially IBM had centralized control and its US ownership during a period in which foreign direct investment was comparatively new. In instances where working for high technology was rare in third world countries like Bangladesh and India than in an industrialized nation like United states. What happens when countries are integrated, for instance the integration of Hongkong into the Peoples Republic of China (McSweeney, 2002).Does the national characterization change? Does the attitude and behavior of people at work place change immediately? Do we immediately consider a nation with a larger sample to portray the national culture of two countries? Political influences and social institutions, law are the non cultural feature that influence culture in a large way and that Hofstede excludes and denies having a link with national culture. For example, Christmas was once illegal in England, during 1647, during which singing Christmas carols could end a person in prison for almost six months but it was later reinstated in 1660. Dont you think this must have has an obvious effect on the culture (mental programming) that children born and raised in that 22 year period developed. Though this is dated way before the study was undertaken I have quoted it as an example to say there might have been other consequences that might have likely influenced any cultural feature. Hofstede might acknowledge these as exceptions but they have to considered when drawing conclusions about a nations culture. Has Hofstede really identified all the primary cultural level dimensions? Many others like Schwartz have tried to identify some national cultures using different questionnaires and have produce very different descriptions. In fact Schwartz(1994) found seven cultural level dimensions which indeed was acknowledged by Hofstede as simply not being identified because questions related to those dimensions /descriptions were not asked in his survey. Hofstede gave a bipolarity to each of his dimensions for example the individualism and collectivism , but as Triandis (1994) puts it , the two can coexist and are simply emphasized more or less depending on the situation. But Hofstedes dimensions do not consider such co-existence and blindly ignores such important cultural qualities.(McSweeney forthcoming) Another obvious flaw I found on the credibility of his typology is his addition of the fifth dimension: Confucian Dynamism (1991) or long versus short-term orientation'(1999). He extracted this from a Chinese Values Survey (CVS) by the Chinese culture connection group which identified hofstedes fourth dimension (Uncertainty avoidance) as irrelevant to their population and downgraded it to a non universal dimension.(Bond,1988;lowe Oswick,1996).As stated by Mcsweeney(2002) from the wide literature of culture , it is still essentially a thing to be grasped and cannot be described by dimensions and units. Another consideration advanced by researchers is if Hofstedes model reflects the present day (Roberts and Boyacigiller, 1984; Sondergaard, 1994). Hofstede (1980a, 1991) assumes that cultural values are stable over time. But is his work out of date after thirty years? Hofstede claims to have identified entire nations culture and not that which is specific to workplaces (McSweeney, 2002) and Producers of scientific knowledge, it seems, not only misrepresent the Rest (the primary emphasis of postcolonial writing; e.g., Said, 1978) but also misrepresent the West. (G.Ailon, 2008) There is no denial that Hofstedes work has given substantive findings. His findings do tap some of underlying significance of nations culture. However interpreting them and using it to deal with other nations requires a certain degree of caution. Hopefully, these findings eventually lead to a valid measure that captures the richness of the various cultural dimensions and can be deployed at an individual level. Given the diversity of the world marketplace, it is essential for marketers have a proper measure of culture in order to understand consumer behavior. (Blodgett et al, 2008) As McSweeney puts it Hofstedes research can legitimately be called a cross-national opinion comparison only from the point that data from organizations in different countries were compared Culture is conceptualized as a force, as a determinant, but descriptions of it are based on analysis answers to fixed-choice questions.(McSweeney, forthcoming), which I think were manipulative enough (even if it wasnt in certain cases, they were justified by researcher to correlate with his findings) to extract the desired answers of the researcher. It was argued that what Hofstede identified is not national culture, but an averaging of situational specific opinions from which dimensions or aspects of national culture are unjustifiably inferred. Hofstedes claim to have empirically measured national culture differences relies on crucial but unwarranted assumptions. (Mc Sweeney, forthcoming). Hofstede has given bipolarity to each dimensions for example his masculinity and Femininity any culture will present a number of contrary adages (All good things come to those who wait and time and tide wait for none as a part of its repertoire (Mcsweeney, 2002) Hofstede miserably failed to identify that theses bipolarities could co-exist in any situation. Hofstedes replies to McSweeney were evasive and non-adhering to the main aspect of the critique. As G.Ailon (2008) put is If one accepts the framework, it basically follows that one must also accept the logic of the critique. Generalizations about national culture are no good. Him identifying a nations culture with the responses from a very small sample in each country (compared to the countrys population except for those 6 countries with more than 1000 respondents), and also using the questionnaires that werent created purely for research purpose is a very visible flaw. He tried to expropriate the meaning of the answers from his respondents, claiming, in so many words, that anything they said proves his point and used their voices to turn his hypotheses into axioms (G.Ailon, 2008) The analysis throws light on the dominance of western theories, regardless of intentions, it reinforces a certain set of values of managers, Westerners, Europeans while at the same time devaluing the Rest. Though he tried to compensate and praise the east by adding his fifth dimension. I would say Hofstede tried to provide like a Single Magical formula (Elman Service, 1968:409) and easily valued culture using statistics and scientific stamps and Xs and Ys. Just so that this would allow research to be completed more quickly and easily through employment of his prefabricated depictions of causal national culture. This actually in my view devalues culture that has a myriad of ethos. His employment of very unusually sophisticated statistical techniques in the late 1970s probably were a reason for his models legitimacy (Oyserman et al. 2002a, for an overview) To conclude, from what I infer from all the readings, more research is needed to give a tough measure of culture and also identify the shifting cultural maps which is greatly influenced by, and influences, globalization and technology, however this is difficult to achieve and may have temporal value due to the dynamic nature of culture. References: McSweeney, Brendan. (2002) Hofstedes Model of National Cultural Differences and Their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith a Failure of Analysis. Human Relations. 55, no. 1: 89-118. Ailon, Galit. (2008) Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Cultures Consequences in a Value Test of Its Own Design. Academy of Management Review. 33, no. 4: 885-904. 3. Blodgett,Jeffrey, Aysen Bakir, and Gregory Rose. 2008. A Test of the Validity of Hofstedes Cultural Framework. Journal of Consumer Marketing. 25, no. 6: 339-349 Baskerville, Rachel. (2003) Hofstede Never Studied Culture. Accounting, Organizations Society. 28, no. 1: 1-14. Testa, Mark. (2009) National Culture, Leadership and Citizenship: Implications for Cross-cultural Management. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(1): 78-85. Jones, M. (2007) Hofstede Culturally questionable?. Oxford Business Economics Conference. Oxford, UK, 24-26. Triandis, H. (1993) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Geert Hofstede. , 38(1), 132-134. In my opinion Mikael SÃ ¸ndergaard on Cultural differences by Mikael SÃ ¸ndergaard.Available: http://geert-hofstede.international-business-center.com/Sondergaard.shtml, (Accessed:2009, December 27) McSweeney, Brendan. (Forthcoming) Dynamic Diversity: Variety and Variation Within Countries , 1-25.

Film genre, narration, reality tv :: essays research papers fc

Genres (Researched from â€Å"Film Art: An Introduction† by D. Bordwell and K. Thompson.) â€Å"Types of films are commonly referred to as genres (pronounced â€Å"zahn-rahz†). The word genre is originally French and simply means kind or type.† (Bordwell & Thompson, 2004: 108). Genre groups films, which share similar filmic qualities and themes, into various subsections according to the type of film they are associated as. Various film genres are recognisable by the way they are presented and patterned or the way that they portray a certain emotion or feeling, as those of humour or horror. There is no distinct way by which we can define genre. Some films incorporate various aspects of different genres, thus we cannot define exactly what kind of text-book definition genre it is and being that all people are different, a comedy to one person may be a complete bore to the next. In a sense, certain films portray their genre as a subjective opinion. Film genre, in the modern filmic world today, is also very reliant on the actors that star in the feature. Automatically we, as viewers, would associate brawn and large stature with an action film, but occasional films tend to meld these characters into completely different subgenre, giving the film a very hybrid, generic feel to it. Genres are ways of providing films with the intended associations. It is a convention in which people can refer to initially grasp the notion of a film, â€Å"for the vast publicity system that exists around filmmaking, genres are a simple way to characterize film. In fact, reviewers are often central in gathering and crystallizing notions about genres.† (Bordwell & Thompson, 2004: 110). Genres are helpful in the general public as they give spectrum to different people and their different tastes. It also accommodates for any mood one may be in if they wanted to watch a film. It characterizes the films and sorts them into place for the viewer’s pleasure, â€Å"At all levels of the filmmaking and film-viewing processes, then, genres help assure that most members of society share at least some general notions about the many films that compete for our attention.† (Bordwell & Thompson, 2004: 110) Most genres share specific genre conventions. Stereotypical plots or certain predictable characters are expected to appear during a film of a desired genre. These are the conventions which group films into subgenres. Other than visual and audio conventions, those concerning mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, lighting and editing, genres often also make boundaries around the type of thematic notions that are presented within films.

However Fahn

However, the street celebrations that accompanied the British and French declaration of war gives historians the impression that the move was popular and politicians tend to go with the popular mood. Was much done to avoid the start of the war? By 1914, Europe had divided into two camps. The Triple Alliance was Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Triple Entente wasBritain, France and Russia. The alliance between Germany and Austria was natural. Both spoke the same language – German – and had a similar culture. In previous centuries, they had both been part of the same empire – the Holy Roman Empire.Austria was in political trouble in the south-east of Europe – the Balkans. She needed the might of Germany to back her up if trouble got worse. Italy had Joined these countries as sne teared their power on ner northern border. Germany was mainland Europe's most powerful country – so from Italy's point of view, being an ally of Germany was an obvious move. Each member of the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria nd Italy) promised to help the others if they were attacked by another country. The Triple Entente was less structured than the Triple Alliance. Entente† means understanding and the members of the Entente (Britain, France and Russia) did not have to promise to help the other two if they got attacked by other countries but the understanding was that each member would support the others – but it was not fixed. France was suspicious of Germany. She had a huge army but a poor navy. Britain had the world's most powerful naw and a small army. France and Britain Joining together in an understanding was natural. Britain was also concerned about Germany because she was building up a new and powerful navy. The inclusion of Russia seemed odd when Russia was so far from France and Britain.However, Russia's royal family, the Romanovs, was related to the British Royal Family. Russia also had a huge army and with France on the west of Europe and Russia on the east, the ‘message' sent to Germany was that she was confronted by two huge armies on either side of her borders. Therefore, it was not a good move by Germany to provoke trouble in Europe – that was the hoped for message sent out by the Triple Entente. Certain specific problems also helped to create suspicion throughout Europe. The first was Germany's fear of the huge British Empire. By 1900, Britain owned a quarter of the world.Countries such as Canada, India, South Africa, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand were owned by Britain as part of the British Empire. Queen Victoria had been crowned Empress of India. Huge amounts of money were made from these colonies and Britain had a powerful military presence in all parts of the world. The Empire was seen as the status symbol of a country that was the most powerful in the world. Hence Britain's title â€Å"Great Britain†. Germany clearly believed that a sign of a great power was posses sion of overseas colonies. The ‘best' had already been taken by Britain but Germany resolved to gain as much colonial territory as possible.Her main target was Africa. She colonised territory in southern Africa (now Namibia) which no-one really wanted as it was useless desert but it did create much anger in London as Germany's new territories were near South Africa with its huge diamond and gold reserves. In reality, Germany's African colonies were of little economic importance but it gave her the opportunity to demonstrate to the German people hat she had Great Power status even if this did make relations with Britain more fragile than was perhaps necessary for the economic returns Germany got from her colonies.A second issue that caused much friction between Britain and Germany was Germany's desire to increase the size of her navy. Britain accepted that Germany, as a large land-based country, needed a large army. But Germany had a very small coastline and Britain coul d not accep na Germany needed a large navy. Postcard from 1912 of the Spithead review of Britain's Navvy Britain concluded that Germany's desire to increase the size of her naw was to hreaten Britain's naval might in the North Sea.The British government concluded that as an island we needed a large naw and they could not accept any challenges from Germany. As a result, a naval race took place. Both countries spent vast sums of money building new warships and the cost soared when Britain launched a new type of battleship – the Dreadnought. Germany immediately responded by building her equivalent. Such a move did little to improve relations between Britain and Germany. All it did was to increase tension between the two nations.

A Comparison of Dr. Kings I Have a Dream Speech and...

Today I have chosen two speeches which are critical to the growth and development that our nation has gone through. Two men from different backgrounds and different times with one common goal, equality for all. The Abraham Lincoln’s â€Å"Gettysburg Address† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† both address the oppression of the African-Americans in their cultures. Though one hundred years and three wars divide the two documents, they draw astonishing parallels in they purposes and their techniques. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the bloody war between the states in favor of the north. The battle over states rights, mainly the right to keep slaves, had finally peaked in July of 1863.†¦show more content†¦He states that the Civil War tested weather a nation with the standards and principals of the United States would make it. He dedicates the ground that the solders died on the great battle which they had just fought and stated that the solders would not be buried, but instead left were they fell in battle. Lincoln then tell the troops not the let the brave men who died’s deaths to have been in vein. He then says that the country shall have a new birth of freedom and that the United States shall not perish. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The march on Washington D.C. was a turning point in the passionate battle for civil rights. Years of segregations and mistreatment of the African-Americans had pushed them to the edge. King knew that he had to say something to calm his people and make sure that their demonstration did not turn into a violent one. He said a hundred years ago, or as King affectionately referred to it, five score ago, Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in a war to free the African-Americans from the tyranny of slavery. But despite the bloodshed they were still not free. King too touches on the fact that the fore fathers some one hundred and eighty seven years ago said that all men are created equal and entitled to liberty. King went on to say his people would not just go away and were not just blowing off steam. That these changesShow MoreRelatedFigures Of Speech : I Have A Dream 2022 Words   |  9 PagesAndrew Fenn Date Submitted: 10/8/2014 COM 322 – Dr. Marcel Figures of Speech in â€Å"I Have a Dream† On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his magnum opus â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech to a crowd of over 250,000 civil rights activists in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Even though the monologue clocks in at just over fifteen minutes in length, Dr. King’s words have been cemented as the catalyst for civil rights reform through his strategic implementation of rhetorical devices. MakingRead MoreA Rhetorical Analysis: of I Have a Dream Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesIn Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to ris e above the injustices A Comparison of Dr. Kings I Have a Dream Speech and... I Have a Dream and Glory and Hope were two speeches given, respectively, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela at times of great need; at times when ignorance and racially-based hubris intertwined themselves in the sparse gaps of human understanding. At first glance, the facets of humanity and blanket tranquillity seem to be in natural accord. Philosophers have struggled with the reason behind the absolute absence of peace as everybody, by definitions both classical and modern, longs for peace; conflict arrives from the disagreement on how to obtain it. The speeches I Have a Dream are similar both linguistically and structurally in that both speakers apply strong emotional appeal to support their propositions of freedom,†¦show more content†¦The use of repetition of phrases in order to give more meaning to what is being said is used throughout the inauguration speech of Nelson Mandela as well. By way of illustration, Nelson Mandela concludes his address with the phrases, ‘Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Not only does such a concise list of ultimatums show his efficiency as a leader, but it also exhibits his linguistic brilliance and ability to end a speech both effectually and eloquently. Evoking arguments of literacy and historicity covertly is a powerful speechwriting technique. Within both speeches, numerous geographical and historical allusions are made to develop the credibility of the particular speaker. Personal appeal creates a strong introspective bond with the listener, appealing directly to his or her psyche and creating the illusion that their individual struggle is being addressed regardless of how general the analogy made was. One of the most recognisable and abrupt instances of this strategy lies within King’s speech when he almost immediately commends Abraham Lincoln, and what contributions he believes Lincoln made to the Civil Rights movement. He recalls â€Å"Four score and seven years ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  of the Gettysburg Address, a reference that is powerfully perturbing considering that the setting speechShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesaware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whetten, David A. (David Allred) Developing management skills /David A. Whetten, Kim S. Cameron.—8th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-13-612100-8 1. Management—-Study and teaching. 2. Management—Problems, exercises, etc. Kim S. II. Title. HD30.4.W46 2011 658.40071 173—dc22 I. Cameron, 2009040522 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

Do video games make children behave violently (Doom, Grand Theft Auto) Free Essay Example, 1250 words

In Grand theft auto (GTA) the player is supposed to be a criminal in a big city and is given tasks to perform by the various kingpins in the city and by completing the tasks the player can rise through the ranks in the criminal organization. There are other games like ‘Hitman’ where the player is an assassin. All these games involve extremely violent situations with tasks that range from shooting people to bombing buildings. For example, in ‘Hitman’ the player even has to hide the dead body of the person he killed in order to avoid detection. Each version of these games is more graphic, progressively more violent and is expected to be so. One of the first incidents that drew attention to the fact that video games can have an effect on the mind set of children was the Columbine high school tragedy that occurred in the US. Two teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Keebold shot dead 12 students and one teacher and injured 21 students in a heinous massacre and finall y committed suicide. Even though a school massacre in the United States was not a new phenomenon, what made this case different was that both the killers were gamers and fans of the violent video game ‘Doom’. We will write a custom essay sample on Do video games make children behave violently (Doom, Grand Theft Auto) or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Even though there are many people who disagree that video games were responsible for the attack, it must be looked at from another point of view. â€Å"How do two adolescent boys not only come up with the idea for a paramilitary attack on their high school but also maintain interest, plot a strategy, field test their weaponry and carry out the attack with a precision not usually associated with teenagers? † (Larkin) These teenagers had taken this game very seriously. In his website Harris had even created add-on levels on his website and posted instructional files. The frustration that these boys faced in real life was given an outlet by playing these games. â€Å"Certainly the long hours playing Doom and Quake allowed Harris and Klebold fantasy outlets in which their masculine prowess was unchallenged† (Larkin). A sawed off gun that one of the boys carried was named â€Å"Arlene† after one of the characters in Doom (BBC) The im plicit message in all of these games is that in order to progress to the next level the player has to kill anything that comes in front of him and the only way to do that is by collecting firepower. Another message that is propagated is that the player is always on the right side and his actions are always justified. These children are more sensitive to what goes on in the cyber world than what happens in real life.

Animal Testing (Speech Outline) - 1200 Words

bSpecific Purpose/b Ââ€" To persuade my audience that animal testing is wrong and how other safer alternatives should be taken. br brbCentral Idea/b Ââ€" By going the extra mile in using safer alternatives when experimenting with animals will not only prevent conflicts from pro-life activists, it will minimize lawsuits and morals will be preserved. br brbIntroduction/b brI. Okay I got a riddle I made up for the class. brA. What was once cute and furry but becomes a bloody rotted mess? brB. You guys give up? brC. Well the answer to this question is an animal that has undergone chemical testing. brII. I know that wasnt too funny but I needed some sort of attention-grabber and this hit home on the question of my†¦show more content†¦One of the ways animals are now protected is through laws and organizations. br1. One such important law that was signed in 1966 was the Animal Welfare Act that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. bra. In brief, certain animals could only be used in laboratories. brb. Also, records were to be kept on number of animals and details on the animal experimentation. br2. There are also such organizations as the National Institute of Health, The American Anti-Vivisection Society, as well as the The Humane Society of the United States to name a few. br3. One other animals rights organization, the Alternatives Research Development Foundation, has made it on the news recently with a winning lawsuit against the United States Agriculture Department. bra. With this won lawsuit, the USDA is required to expand Animal Welfare Acts to not only include chimpanzees, cats and guinea pigs, but to also include rats, mice, and birds. brb. Researchers estimate that biomedical laboratories will be required to pay from 80 to 90 million dollars for scientific research. brc. Director of the department, John McArdle, even estimated that there are around 23 million rodents used for research in medical schools, pharmaceutical companies and other laboratories. brd. According to this won lawsuit for the Alternatives Research DevelopmentShow MoreRelatedAnimal Testing Speech Outline965 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Testing Introduction Attention-getter: Visualize yourself somewhere locked and isolated, whether it is a closet, a cage, or a box. Now visualize yourself being constantly controlled, not being able to choose when to eat, when to drink, or even when to sleep. Thesis: Animal testing is a heavy topic that usually goes unnoticed. To many scientists, animal testing is beneficial and to society it is morally wrong. Credibility: After doing our extensive research, we are knowledgeable about animalRead More Animal Testing (speech Outline) Essay989 Words   |  4 Pages Specific Purpose – To persuade my audience that animal testing is wrong and how other safer alternatives should be taken. Central Idea – By going the extra mile in using safer alternatives when experimenting with animals will not only prevent conflicts from pro-life activists, it will minimize lawsuits and morals will be preserved. Introduction I.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Okay I got a riddle I made up for the class. A.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What was once cute and furry but becomes aRead MoreAnimal Testing. Persuasive Speech Outline Essay1237 Words   |  5 PagesZoee Gaige-Wilson Persuasive Speech Outline I. Introduction Animals can be ferocious and wild, but they can also be gentle and tame. Some are our pets, and some are powerful forces that are to be respected and admired. It is as easy to appreciate a loyal dog as it is to be in awe of a lion in its natural habitat. But the truth that many people either don’t know or don’t appreciate is that animals are essential to human existence and have played a vital role in improving the quality of ourRead MoreWe Like It1884 Words   |  8 Pagespersuasive speech will be on the topic of Animal Testing. Animal testing is the testing and experimentation of products on animals to test the safety levels and reactions. I chose to select this topic, because it really bothers me that animal testing is still allowed today. I have pets, and all my friends have pets and its just something I could never imagine them going through. I will need to find information concerning the laws on animal testing, the different types of animal testing used,R ead MoreInformative Speech On Pitbulls1055 Words   |  5 PagesDyana Churchill Communications 103 Informative Speech Outline 11 October 2017 Pit Bulls - How We Can Help Protect Them General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about that pit bulls are not always dangerous and how they can be such a great companion. Introduction (Attention Gainer :) What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of pit bull? According to Cesar Millan, â€Å"A bread is like a suit of clothes, it doesnt tell you anything about the dog inside.† CesarRead MoreAnimal Testing Is Inhumane And Should Be Banned Essay1813 Words   |  8 PagesKeep the Lipstick off your Dog Persuasive Speech Outline General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: to persuade my audience that animal testing is inhumane and should be banned. Thesis: It is not ethical to use animals for testing purposes. Animal testing, especially for cosmetic and consumer good purposes should be banned. Those companies that continue to use animal testing should be charged with animal neglect and cruelty. Animals live and have emotions just as human and deserve the rightRead MorePeter Singer: Sentience vs Self-Conciousness Essay1816 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Explain Singers distinction between sentience and self-consciousness, and what the distinction implies for the moral status of animals. Do you believe non-human animals have the same or a different moral status to human animals? Explain the basis of your answer.† More than three decades ago Peter Singer heralded the need for a new kind of liberation movement, one calling for a radical expansion of the human moral canvas and more importantly, a rejection of the horrors human beings have inflictedRead MoreReview of Conrad Kottaks Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity2863 Words   |  11 Pagescareful to outline the field of anthropology in as broadly useful and neutral manner as possible for American students. The book is truly global in its context, and it is careful to avoid any of anthropologys past failings relating to Eurocentric bias by including all countries within the scope of anthropology. Though not a critical instructional component for beginning students, Professor Kottak makes it clear in the appendix that the textbooks definitions, structure, and outline are distinctiveRead MoreUse of Minimally Invasive Techniques in Psychological Studies2908 Words   |  12 Pagesbrain structures. You then observe what happens to the animal before and after the lesioning. There are several ways to lesion. Electrolytic: Observe the animal for the particular behaviour of interest. Insert an insulated needle into the placement point. The needle is insulated except at the tip. Apply current and burn the tissue, which ultimately dies. Observe the animal for changes in behaviour. Advantages: It’s a goodRead MoreBreed Specific Legislation Persuasive Speech Outline2237 Words   |  9 PagesTroy Gladney Persuasive Speech Outline Comm 110 I. Introduction A. Attention getter: A lot of times Breed Specific laws ban pit bulls and even require that a pit bull be put down. In this game, you are giving a death sentence to one dog. Will you choose the right one? [Can you find the pit bull on line game] B. Relation to audience: By a show of hands, how many of you have a pet you consider to be part of your family? Think about how you would feel if a law banned the breed of

Annual Plant and Garden free essay sample

Over the years, as my love of gardening grew, and gradually developing in a hobby, and therapeutic in many ways. When my children were small, I did not have a lot of time for gardening, because gardening can be very time consuming. As my children grow, I shared my love for garden with them, we created great memories while playing in the dirt, as they would say. I take much pride in my gardening and have learned so much, in all my years as a hobby gardener, and my skills and knowledge have grown to I can garden in all four seasons. I have been gardening since I was a young girl. I am really not sure what sparked my interest in gardening. My mother had some house plants but no flowers outside. My Dad had vegetable gardens, that mom and I helped in. Then one early spring afternoon while my father was planting his vegetable garden; Dad said I could have the last row for anything I wanted. I was so excited I finally got to plant my own seeds; I choose Sunflower and Zinnia and then watch them grow over the summer. He helped me keep the weeds out (by tilling) and of course watered my row when he watered the whole garden. I remember that early summer day when I looked outside and my Zinnias was blooming, and shortly after my sunflowers started to bloom, oh what a happy little girl I was. Early next spring, dad tilled up my first very own garden, a small little flower garden in the front of our home. My neighbor gave me some flowers, to help me get started, I planted those and I had saved some of my dried flowers from last season, (dried flowers make seeds that reproduce plants). Everyday after school I worked in my flower garden, I pulled weeds,watered and kept the dried leaves plucked off, that helps the plant grow better and my dad showed me how to fertilize my garden. I had beautiful fragrance and colors the entire spring and summer. I really had no idea of what I was doing, because I was so young, but my neighbor helped me a lot with everything and my mother helped when she could also. So each year I learned a little more and just experimented with different flowers. In my young years of gardening, and a lot of trail and error, I feel that I am confident enough to do about anything I set my mind to. You must consider a few things before planting or buying flowers, if you want bulbs or perennials, flowers to come back every season; annuals, only for the season; the amount of sun or shade that the garden area receives; the ph and richness of the soil. These are the the very basic things to consider when you start to plan your garden. Other things to think about, before purchasing flowers, are if you want them to be planted in a container or ground. I prefer to plant perennials in my ground garden, because they come back every year but the do cost a little more then annuals. I usually plant annuals in pots, just simply because it is hard to store the containers, in the winter time. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to have flowers in a garden or a container and I could spend hundreds of dollars (if I had the extra money) on planting and landscaping. I prefer to add something new every year, like maybe a new kind of flower in a container, or maybe a new bush, or possibly add on to a existing garden. Occasionally I will need to move somethings around because of the sun or shade factor. When I am laying out a new garden I try and consider how much sun the area gets a day, how big or small they grow, and I prefer a couple plants to stay green or blooming year around, and I plant at least one plant from each season in a ground garden and the purpose for that is that something new blossoms every couple months. That I refer to is a continuation cycle of blooming in one area of the garden. It is hard to achieve that in a container. Some plants get planted to early in the spring season, because people get to excited to get started. In the early spring season we still having cool temperatures (still a chance to get frost) but the first gardening season of the year, some people get in a great hurry and plant things that need protection from frost. If the plant is not covered with cloth they can get frost bitten. When a plant gets frost bit, it could be deadly for the plant. The bulb flowering plants can survive the cold temperatures. Most of your spring flowers come from bulbs which are perennials, they return ever year and they multiply. Some of my favorites are the yellow Buttercups, pink and blue Hyacinths and all the red, pink, yellow and white Tulips and the purple, yellow, white and all the other colors of the Iris, (Tennessee state flower). Occasionally we have seen snow on these bulb blooming flowers, Gods nature and his work is just amazing to me. Some of the early spring gardening can be cold but the earlier you get out the better start your garden will have, you must clean out your garden by cutting all the dead plants away, so the new can grow, freshen up your mulch or rocks and began planting. All of the trees, shrubs and grass are turning green and coming alive. It is like energy to my soul. Spring time has so many different flowering plants, flowering bushes, and the colors and aromas can be breath taking to me with beauty. Unfortunately most of the spring colors do not last but a few short weeks but on the brighter side then comes summer time gardening. Summer gardening is just as rewarding as spring with the colors and fragrances. Summer time flowers are a little more challenging in some ways because you must fertilize weekly in order to produce and enhance the colorful blooms; they require water daily, because of the hot sun; pulling up the wild weeds and grass; plucking off the dried blooms, so they can reproduce; trimming the entire plant back, to control the size and continue to grow evenly; and if you chose to cut fresh flowers and arrange in a vase for the inside. I could spend hundreds and thousands of dollars (if I has wealthy) on planting and landscaping in my garden. I think the wisest thing to plant in the early summer is perennial flowers, because they come back every year. Some of my favorite summer blooms are the bright pink or red, knock-out rose bush; white or violet vincas ; yellow or orange shasta daisies; purple mexican heather; and the purple and white petunias. Those are just a few of what I plant in the ground and most of them require full sun and water daily. I mixed my evergreen shrubs with bright colored blooms of flowers. As summer comes to a end, and the heat and sun takes its toil on the garden, I begin to trim back my plants because they start to look weathered and worn. My potted flowers seem to go first, and then the plants in the ground. As summer is coming to a end, I also loose some interest in watering, because I know they are about to die out anyway. I then begin to pull my annual flowers up to put in the trash and prune my perennials way back. Preparing for the fall season. The Fall season is a beautiful time of the year all of the earth tones, like orange, yellow, bronze, burgundy and some purple mums and the bright little ansies. You have less variety of flowers but most of them are perennials. Many people only decorate with containers of mums, instead of planting them in the ground; and some pumpkins to accent their dried corn stalks and bails of hay. Gardening in the fall is fairly simple, because you are pruning all plants, bushes and shrubs; watering the new fall plants more than the existing ones. This is the time of the year you plant those bulbs for spring, like buttercups, tulips and others of your choice . After the first frost comes and most blooms are lost (unless you cover with cloth). After freezing temperatures move in you cut everything down close to the ground, and cover with a bed of hay to protect the plants from the cold and freezing winter that is coming. Winter time being the most care free time of planting because their is no need to water their is very few plants outside that are green and alive except the; evergreen shrubs, which stay green year around and produce red berries in the cold months; pine trees,with their pine cones being a great decoration for winter arrangements; snowdrops are little, white, snowdrop looking flower; and the delicate purple and yellow pansies . These are just a few of my favorite winter plants. With our winters in Tennessee being mild to moderate and not a lot of hard freezing temperatures. You normally are able to maintain your outdoor shrubs and the plants you have cut back and covered in the fall. And now the cycle begins all over in the spring. Gardening is a huge passion of mine, it gives me a peace that I can not describe. I absolute love gardening any time of the year around, with spring being the busiest season, but the most rewarding. Summer and fall are wonderful seasons, and winter be the slowest and most restful time of the year in gardening. Perennials, bulbs and annuals are all beautiful blooming flowers. I take great joy, enormous amount of time and energy and most of all pride in my flower gardens, over the years as a hobby gardner. .