Law of Diminishing Marginal Return Essay

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Return suggests the inverse relationship of marginal utility that a person derives from the quantity of his/her consumption of that given good or commodity. In other words, the higher the number of quantities one consume for a particular good/commodity, his/her marginal utility from consuming that given good decreases, and vice versa. For instance, a person derives 10, 14, 16 units of utility from consuming 1 unit, 2 units, and 3 units respectively of Pepsi Cola. Given this, though the utility of the person is in increasing trend [10 to 16 utils], but the marginal utility exhibits a decreasing trend [4 to 2 additional utils] as the number of Pepsi Cola is consumed by the given individual. The Water-Diamond Paradox is considered a contradiction since, relatively, water is more essential to life compared to diamonds, yet, diamonds have higher price compared to water or the price of water is way cheaper compared to diamonds. In most cases, those things that have higher values are the ones with higher prices. But for the Water-Diamond Paradox, water, which has higher value, has lower price compared to diamonds, thereby not conforming to the above stated idea. The difference between ATC and AVC, given that the number of outputs increases, is equal to zero since increase in the level of output do not directly affects TFC, which is the difference of ATC and AVC. Oftentimes, it is the AVC that is immediately affected for a given increase on the number of output or level of production of a given firm. Economies of scale provide an illustration of the relationship of increase in the production efficiency and the production volume of a given firm. For instance, Pepsi Corporation purchased more equipment for its production line. The said purchase of new machineries improves the overall efficiency of Pepsi’s production line, which results to higher number of Pepsi Cola produced at a given period of time. On the other hand, Diseconomies of Scale provide an illustration of the relationship between the increase on the number of output produced and cost of production. Meaning, as the number of output produced increases; the cost of production also increases. For instance, Toyota is already efficient with 100 workers. Aiming to further extend their profits, Toyota management hired new 20 workers, making their workforce equal to 120. Those additional workers will only increase the production cost of Toyota, while the volume of cars produced will still be almost the same or equal to the time when workforce of Toyota was still 100. Fixed costs would be the computers, land, building that I will use for my internet business; while variable costs would be the electricity and labor cost. In order for my business to take advantage of economies of scale, I must increase the number of computers in the internet business in order for me to accommodate more customers. The event of increasing the number of computers will stop by the time the marginal profit starts to decline since my marginal cost become larger than my marginal revenue. Generally, businesses shut their operations down if the difference between total revenue of producing equilibrium quantity of good/service is less than the total variable cost of producing equilibrium quantity of good/service. Or, the business must shut down if price of producing equilibrium number of products is less than the average variable cost. On the other hand, the business will continue to operate if the price level is greater to the average variable cost. Answer #7a Sustainable development would be the economic principle which I think would determine how long firms producing ethanol from alcohol will survive can. Given the limited resources that we have today and the ever increasing consumption of every consumers, it is a must for ethanol producers the how status of sustainability of corn in the economy in order for them to have an idea the amount of corn that will be available in the next coming years [long run]. Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel which can be produced through utilizing corn, starch, woodchips to name a few. Given the rise of cellulosic ethanol in the market, the demand for corn in the market also increased, and so with its price (Cox 1). Therefore, in the long run, the rise of cellulosic ethanol will more likely to increase the cost of production of corn-based industry due to the price increase in corn caused by its high demand in the market. Works Cited Cox, Jeff. â€Å"Big Ethanol Shakeout Coming? † 21 August 2007. CNNmoney. com. 19 July 2008 .

Conoco Report Essay

Last week I attended Forrester’s Content & Collaboration Forum 2011. Forrester notes that in five years, almost half of US workers — about 63 million people — will work virtually. I am already one of them. This will change everything in workplace IT support from designing workplace information strategies for collaboration, to delivering content experiences tothe firm. For this international, integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real — and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective glo bal communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. Moreover, they recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business challenges. Seven years later, the ConocoPhillips’ knowledge-sharing program is ranked as best-in-class across industries.† Dan mentioned that Conoco Phillips is fourth largest traded company in US with 30,000 employees around the world and many contractors who also participate in their knowledge sharing. They have been many changes in the last 12 years as a number of companies were acquired, along with the merger of Conoco and Phillips. This activity has triggered a big need for knowledge sharing. He likes the term knowledge sharing rather than knowledge management. I completely agree. Dan said it is about getting people to talk to each other. Trust is important for this. They are now going to reorganize and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. Dan said that more than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. Dan said that his boss is the SVP of Planning and Strategy and he reports to the CEO so people listen to him as where you sit in the org chart matters within his firm. I think this is true for most firms. The most successful KM efforts I have seen all have a senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting  documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. They started the Archimedes Awards to knowledge sharing. Categories are: Give, Grab, Gather, and Guts. Dan gave some examples about safety improvements that also led to big financial returns. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. Dan said that they have functional excellence models that give specifics for improvements. They promote purposeful collaboration. Dan said serendipity can be useful at times but being purposeful works best in their firm. He said that knowledge accumulates in networks and their firm has a matrix organization. Leadership behavior is important for knowledge to flow and manager support for knowledge sharing is critical. They now have 150 networks of excellence. The first few were launched in 2005. They had 20 by the end of the year. These networks were built on trust and relationships, not technology. Prior efforts failed because they were technology focused. He showed an example covering upstream rotating equipment. A big problem is lost production opportunity. There is a group that addresses this issue to keep equipment running safely. Networks are open to all employees, not just group members. Related networks are connected because issues are related across networks. Their Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. He does not believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. I would agree and add the formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Dan showed a diagram of all the cross-connections. They are massive. Knowledge silos do not seem to an issue for them. They have three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki. The wiki is the first place to look for content. Ask and Discuss was covered above. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. It was fun for me to hear about a successful knowledge management effort as I used to be involved with many in the 90s and early 2000s.

Philosophy Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy Ethics - Essay Example Somehow, some acts are universally taken as condemnable, and people collectively abhor the corrupt behavior, and look down the people observing the same. I came across the moral corruption of some people belonging to the Middle East, where they secretly practice same sex relationships without displaying slightest tolerance for it publicly. Being one of the most religious regions of the entire globe, the Middle East maintains the reputation of the area f the fundamentalists, due to the very fact that the followers of three major faiths including Jews, Christians and Muslims reside there. The teachings of all these faiths vehemently condemn homosexuality, as it is completely prohibited according to these faiths. The Middle East states have introduced severe punishments and penalties on finding homosexual acts, and even announce capital punishment to the offenders. During my stay in Kuwait, I came to know the very reality that the Kuwaitis have imposed strict rules related to veil for women. Consequently, mixing of genders at public or private gatherings and functions are not allowed. Even the families of native people do not develop family terms and relationships between themselves. They pretend to be chaste and pious, which do not enter into social contacts with women, and thus sexual relations with them and adultery has no concern with their culture. They criticize the western societies for practicing adultery and fornication at massive scale, and thus have completely ignored the moral values and ethics from their very life. They blame the Europeans for introducing very favorable rules and laws to the people in respect of getting involved into immoral extra marital activities, which do not have any association with the Christian faith. The Arabs also maintain serious reservations about gay rights prevailing in the USA, Europe and other

Creating of a Legally Binding Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creating of a Legally Binding Contract - Essay Example The formation of a legally binding contract requires an offer to be made properly which should be accepted properly. An offer once accepted becomes a promise and when it forms a consideration for the parties, it becomes an agreement. When the parties to an agreement have an intention to create legal relations, the agreement becomes a contract. A legally binding contract gives legal rights to a party to a contract in case of breach of a contract by the other party. Let us take a deeper look at the formation of a contract. The most important thing is the competence of the parties to enter into a contract. Every person is competent to contract unless he is a minor or of an unsound mind. A contract with a minor is not a valid contract. Also, it cannot be validated by ratification by a minor when he reaches the age of majority. Simon and Davina can be easily assumed to be of the ages of majority. A contract with a person of unsound mind is also not a valid contract. There are some people who are occasionally of sound mind and occasionally of an unsound mind. The contracts made with them at the time of their sanity are valid contracts. However, the burden of proof falls on the party which contracted with such a person that he was of a sound mind when he entered into the contract. The first ingredient of a legally binding contract is an offer. When a person signifies to another person, his intention to do something or refrain from doing something in return of a promise that the other person would do or refrain from doing something, the first person is said to have made an offer to the second person. The first person would be called an offeror or proposer and the second person would be called an offeree. An offer should be made properly. It should be communicated to the offeree. There should not be any ambiguity in the terms of the offer i.e. the terms should be definite, clear and easy to understand. In Guthing v Lynn [1831] 2 B & Ad 232, 9 LJOSKB 181, the buyer of a horse promised to pay extra  £5 â€Å"if the horse is lucky for me†. It was held that this promise was not enforceable as the statement was too vague to explain that in what way the horse was required to be lucky. An offer may be made generally to a variety of people or it may be made spe cifically to a particular person. It may contain a condition for acceptance which must be fulfilled for a valid acceptance. In this case, Simon is in the process of negotiation with Davina. It can be said that Simon’s offer to Davina is wide and open. He has made the offer of hiring Davina as a mentor to support the finalists of his TV program â€Å"Your Hired†. It is assumed here that Simon has offered Davina a definite sum of money for her services.

Compare and contrast the current U.S. financial crisis with past Research Proposal

Compare and contrast the current U.S. financial crisis with past economic crises - Research Proposal Example The last half of the twentieth century was highlighted by a series of economic crises that saw currencies devalued, credit over extended, and debt defaulted. The countries of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Asia all became saddled with inflation, a low growth rate, and the inability to service their growing amounts of debt. Today, the world sits on the precipice of another growing financial crisis. The liquidity of banks is in question, currencies are in peril of devaluation, productivity is falling in some of the most highly industrialized nations, and public and private credit has reached record levels. Is the current crisis, and past crises, simply a matter of economic policies being out of step with our political goals as Kissinger contends? Or are there underlying economic issues that have been at the foundation of these crises that could have been avoided by altering the economic and monetary policy? The purpose of this paper is to trace the similarities and the differences of t he causes of these crises, as well as the national and international response to them. It will uncover the commonalities that characterize a financial collapse, the degree of political influence, and the most effective, or ineffective, response to a financial crisis. Many historians place the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 and the stock market crash. The first half of 1929 had seen stock prices on Wall Street driven up by speculators and creating an asset bubble. After the crash, the Economist reported on November 2, 1929 that, "There is warrant for hoping that the deflation of the exaggerated balloon of American stock values will be for the good of the world" (qtd. in Bierman 2). This mirrors the effect that speculators have recently had on the real estate and oil markets, both of which have contributed to the current economic crisis.

A Qualitative Study on African American Women Administrators as Dissertation

A Qualitative Study on African American Women Administrators as Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Dissertation Example Despite this major accomplishment, African American women who are employed in HBCUs still face varied barriers that impede their advancement to ranks of powers. This study will explore the various barriers that confront African American women who are working as administrators in HBCUs in Georgia. In addition, this study will look at the various challenges and situations that serve as major roadblocks to the advancement of African American women in higher ranks in HBCUs. Chapter 1 presents the rationale of the study. By outlining the need to study African American women administrators, this study will help in the further enlightenment of the power dynamics evident in race and gender studies. In this chapter, the different barriers experienced by African American women holding administrative positions in HBCUs in Georgia are introduced. This chapter also discusses the problem and background of the study. In order to address the problems being examined by this study, a qualitative appro ach will be used. Qualitative methodology can help identify possible barriers that may exist for African American women striving for higher level administration positions through the in-depth analysis of the contexts that operate within the dynamics between African American women and positions of power. ... In addition, this chapter focuses on the significance of the study, nature of the study, theoretical framework, assumptions, limitations, and delimitations Background of the Problem According to Davis (2009) despite the high percentage of African American women employment in higher education, they still could not get into the office of the president in these higher educational institutions. Between 1986 and 2006, the percentage of African American women representation in college and universities rose from 4% to 8%. Although statistics show a growth in representation of African American women as presidents, in 2006, all women represented 45% of faculty and senior administrators revealing the lack of promotion into presidencies at college and universities (American Council on Education, 2007). Consequently, even though the number of woman occupying presidential positions has increased tremendously, this increase has been at a slower pace. The American Council of Education (ACE, 2007) s tates that from 1986 to 2006 women presidents went from 9.5% to 23% (p.7) compared to white men presidents which make 92% in 1986 and 88% in 2006. As regards African American women, Garner (2006) posits that they are making strides in representation in tenured track positions as well as presidencies. In fact, these presidential opportunities have created a voice for leaders such as Dr. Marvalene Hughes, president of California State University-Stanislaus, encouraging administrators to get a mentor in order to prevail against the glass ceiling that hinders female opportunities of promotion to higher levels of administration, ultimately resulting in presidency (Hamilton, 2004). By understanding the history and the

Understanding Organisation Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Organisation Development - Essay Example Organization Development (OD) is a planned effort to increase the overall effectiveness of an organization by changing the existing beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of the organizations. It is not possible for an organization to stick with the conventional methods in a world which undergoes rapid changes, literally in every second. This paper briefly explains the importance of organization development in a changing world. There are no organized or standard definitions for organization Development because of the vast areas it covers. ODportal.com defined organization development as changing people and organizations for positive growth (ODportal.com, n. d). Gallos defined OD as an effort; planned, organization- wide, and managed from the top to increase organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions in the organization’s process using behavioural science knowledge (Gallos, 2006, p.1). People or the workforce is the backbone of every organization. Even though other resources like materials, machines and money are important for an organization, all these resources are controlled by the manpower and the importance of manpower cannot be underestimated in development of an organization. People or the workforce is undergoing constant changes every day. The requirement of the current generation is different from that of ancient generation. Science and technology has developed a lot and the life styles and the living standards were also changed a lot. Based on the changing workforce and changing customers or consumers, organizational principles also need changes. Organizational culture, climate, attitude, behaviour, structure etc need to be changed or updated in order to meet the demands of the changing world. OD is the only option available for organizations to accomplish this task. â€Å"Organizational Development (OD) is all about managing change† (Devalt, 2008). â€Å"As our children growing up, we used the tool of OD in our parenting†

PAYING FOR FAILURE AT AIG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PAYING FOR FAILURE AT AIG - Essay Example 2. Yes, the decision of rewarding the executives was a wrong or a failure decision, as they were the ones that took the company to this stage. It was not necessary for AIG to retain those executive who were not doing well to the company. Instead of rewarding them, they should have been fired and the company should have recruited more qualified, able and committed staff that had the experience of corporate crisis management and could help company to come out of the danger zone. 3. Yes, had I been the president of AIG, I would have refused to pay bonuses to the current executive staff because they did not deserve it. Plus when the company is already incurring huge losses, rewarding them was a wrong decision to make. Moreover, rewards must always be given on the basis of performance and in this case, they did not perform well. Rewards are a sign of appreciation and encouragement for the employees. But rewarding employees when the company is already suffering huge losses is not the right policy as this would discourage others who have worked hard. In this case, the employees who are being rewarded are the ones who are responsible for the current losses of the company, and few are those who have already left the company thus that showed that they were not even loyal to the organization. 4. If I have received the bonus then I would have returned it because if I was one of those then I would know that I did not deserve to get a reward for doing nothing. I would have only accepted the reward after I could manage to get the company to come out of trouble, before that, I think I would have refused it. 5. Government should only use tax revenue to help boost the economy so that eventually it could help the common tax payers. But using that money unfairly is not just to the tax payers and economy itself. Investing money somewhere that will not directly produce any benefit to the masses is

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING SPECIALTY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING SPECIALTY - Essay Example Even though such psychiatric nurses have been in existence for a very long time, there continues to be changes or evolutions that are experienced in the delivery of their roles. The current stage in the specialty’s evolution can be pointed to be concentrated on the nature of management interventions that are used in treating patients. By this, reference is being made to the introduction and use of multi-formulated interventions to care. Such multi-formulated interventions focus on the combination of psychosocial interventions, spiritual interventions, medication, and therapeutic relationships (Penades, Catalan and Salamero, 2006). In order that psychiatric nurses will be able to go about this evolution well, the body which is responsible for certification of students which is the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has introduced a new competency area for students which aim to promote advanced practice nursing. Once the need for the evolution was made public, there were several experts and commentators who expressed doubt at the possibility of the change being possible. The author however holds the opinion that the specialty has the potential to evolve. For those who argued that the evolution was not possible, their major point of argument was that the multi-formulated intervention was going to defeat the conservative practice where care giving had been very concentrated on specific areas of disorder (Kemp and Davis, 2006). This should however not be seen as a reason for the failure of the evolution. The reason this is said is that mental health conditions come in many different forms and are often accompanied with the exhibition of different lines of disability. Often, these disabilities touch on several aspects of life including cognition, behavioral, psychological, social, and spiritual. In the light of this, using an isolated and focused intervention

Ambassador for Ethopia paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ambassador for Ethopia - Term Paper Example Religious allegiances of Ethiopian population are generally mixed, with Orthodox Christianity being followed by 43,5% of religious population, with different forms of Islamic faith (33,9%) and Protestant Christian churches (18,6%) being the second and the third most popular confessions, respectively (â€Å"Ethiopia†, 2011). As regards population density, it should be noted that it amounts to 186/sq. mi, and therefore Ethiopia ranks as the 123rd by population density among the nations of the world. The annual population growth of Ethiopia exceeds 3.194%, with 42.99 births/1,000 population (â€Å"Ethiopia†, 2011). This would make Ethiopia 8th among the world’s countries by population growth and 6th by birth rate, respectively. Total fertility rate equals 6,02 children born/woman. However, the extremely high infant mortality level (77.12 deaths/1,000 live births) definitely presents a difficulty to further demographic development and stabilization of the country, wh ile life expectancy at birth amounts to mere 56.19 years (â€Å"Ethiopia†, 2011).

Berlin Wall Essay Example for Free

Berlin Wall Essay What Was the Berlin Wall? The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. Dates: August 13, 1961 November 9, 1989 Overview of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall was erected in the dead of night and for 28 years kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. Its destruction, which was nearly as instantaneous as its creation, was celebrated around the world. A Divided Berlin At the end of World War II, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into four zones, each occupied by either the United States, Great Britain, France, or the Soviet Union (as agreed at the Potsdam Conference). The same was done with Germanys capital city, Berlin. As the relationship between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers quickly disintegrated, the cooperative atmosphere of the occupation of Germany turned competitive and aggressive. Although an eventual reunification of Germany had been intended, the new relationship between the Allied powers turned Germany into West versus East, democracy versus Communism. In 1949, this new organization of Germany became official when the three zones occupied by the United States, Great Britain, and France combined to form West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany). The zone occupied by the Soviet Union quickly followed by forming East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). This same division into West and East occurred in Berlin. Since the city of Berlin had been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany. Mass Emigration Within a short period of time after the war, living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became distinctly different. With the help and support of its occupying powers, West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced such a rapid growth of their economy that it became known as the economic miracle. With hard work, individuals living in West Germany were able to live well, buy gadgets and appliances, and to travel as they  wished. Nearly the opposite was true in East Germany. Since the Soviet Union had viewed their zone as a spoil of war, the Soviets pilfered factory equipment and other valuable assets from their zone and shipped them back to the Soviet Union. When East Germany became its own country, it was under the direct influence of the Soviet Union and thus a Communist society was established. In East Germany, the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted. By the late 1950s, many people living in East Germany wanted out. No longer able to stand the repressive living conditions of East Germany, they would pack up their bags and head to West Berlin. Although some of them would be stopped on their way, hundreds of thousands of others made it across the border. Once across, these refugees were housed in warehouses and then flown to West Germany. Many of those who escaped were young, trained professionals. By the early 1960s, East Germany was rapidly losing both its labor force and its population. Having already lost 2.5 million people by 1961, East Germany desperately needed to stop this mass exodus. The obvious leak was the easy access East Germans had to West Berlin. With the support of the Soviet Union, there had been several attempts to simply take over West Berlin in order to eliminate this exit point. Although the Soviet Union even threatened the United States with the use of nuclear weapons over this issue, the United States and other Western countries were committed to defending West Berlin. Desp erate to keep its citizens, East Germany decided to build a wall to prevent them from crossing the border. The Berlin Wall Goes Up There had been rumors that something might happen to tighten the border of East and West Berlin, but no one was expecting the speed nor the absoluteness of the Wall. Just past midnight on the night of August 12-13, 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers rumbled through East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, these crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up concrete posts, and strung barbed wire all across the border between East and West Berlin. Telephone wires between East and West Berlin were also cut. Berliners were shocked when they woke up that morning. What had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for  operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. The Size and Scope of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall stretched over a hundred miles. It ran not only through the center of Berlin, but also wrapped around West Berlin, entirely cutting West Berlin off from the rest of East Germany. The wall itself went through four major transformations during its 28-year history. The Berlin Wall started out as a barbed-wire fence with concrete posts, but just a few days after the first fence was placed, it was quickly replaced with a sturdier, more permanent structure made out of concrete blocks, topped with barbed wire. The first two versions of the wall (barbed wire and concrete blocks) were replaced by the hird version of the Berlin Wall in 1965. This version consisted of a concrete wall, supported by steel girders. The fourth version of the Berlin Wall, constructed from 1975 to 1980, was the most complicated and thorough. It consisted of concrete slabs reaching nearly 12-feet high (3.6 m) and 4-feet wide (1.2 m), plus it had a smooth pipe running across the top to hinder people from scaling the Wall. And tentatively approached the border and indeed found that the border guards were letting people cross. Very quickly, the Berlin Wall was inundated with people from both sides. Some began chipping at the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels. There was an impromptu huge celebration along the Berlin Wall, with people hugging, kissing, singing, cheering, and crying. The Berlin Wall was eventually chipped away, into smaller pieces (some the size of a coin and others in big slabs). The pieces have become collectibles and are stored in both homes and museums. After the Berlin Wall came down, East and West Germany reunified into a single German state on October 3, 1990.

The Evolution Of Corporate Espionage Business Essay

The Evolution Of Corporate Espionage Business Essay Espionage is the use of illegal means or deceptive practices to gather information. It is also commonly referred to as industrial or economic espionage. Industrial Espionage (or Economic Espionage) is the clandestine collection of sensitive, restricted or classified information. This information by its very nature is not openly accessible and can only be obtained through covert collection means. Industrial Espionage might include the theft of sensitive or restricted competitor information (such as financial data, restricted manufacturing processes, customer accounts, etc.), covert recruitment of sources within a competitors firm, and other such methods. Each and every day covert activities are being conducted for the purpose of obtaining information that can create value for another organization, be it a business or another government. Corporate initially meant united in one body (1398, from L. corporatus or corpus which means body  [1]  ). However, in due course of time the term the connotations attached with it finally paved way for the new age definition which is pertaining to a corporation or a group come together for a common goal. Moving onto Espionage, it means the systematic use of spies to get military, political or industrial secrets (1793, from Fr. Espionage  [2]  ). Corporate Espionage basically suggests impregnating a corporate system or structure with spies or systems so as to facilitate leakage of information which could in all probability mar the growth, financial stability the prospects of the victim organization to have sustained development in future. Corporate Espionage would cover illicit activities like theft of trade secrets, bribery, blackmail technological surveillance. And with developments that followed in the recent years, even attempts to sabotage a corporation may be conside red corporate espionage. Basically there are three primary motivations behind corporate espionage. First, an individual corporation may use corporate espionage to advance their goals towards maximizing shareholder value. Secondly, state-sponsored corporate espionage is an essential ingredient of modern day economic warfare or military application of the intellectual property. Thirdly, special interest groups may conduct corporate espionage to gather data to further their cause (i.e. environment interests). There are also instances where the distinction between legal and illegal intelligence gathering activities is blurred. Probably the most notorious case of corporate espionage that has been dealt in this study is Proctor and Gambles attempt to find out more about Unilevers hair care business by hunting through their garbage bins. Distinction between corporate espionage and competitive intelligence The difference between competitive intelligence and industrial espionage, is significant. By definition, industrial espionage refers to illegal activities which range everywhere from outright theft to bribery and everywhere in between. Conversely, competitive intelligence collection is governed for the most part by adherence to corporate and professional ethics which preclude the use of illegal means to obtain information. Moreover, the distinction between the two is in terms of modus operandi. At bottom, the competitive intelligence process consists of collecting information as elements which when legally, ethically but rigorously collected and analyzed, can provide the same kinds of information as might otherwise have only been available through such illicit means as theft. Burglary, outright theft or bribery might be some of the ways that criminals would resort to in order to obtain what a competitor may need constituting an act of corporate espionage. The evolution of corporate espionage over decades and the rationale behind its use The history of corporate/industrial espionage probably dates back to the sixth century when Justinian, the Byzantine emperor hired two monks to visit China. He wanted them to gain an understanding of silk production in China and to smuggle silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds out of that country to break its worldwide monopoly on silk production. The monks smuggled these eggs and seeds out of China in hollow bamboo walking sticks. Subsequently, in a few years the Byzantine Empire replaced China as the largest silk producer in the world. Over the centuries, industrial espionage practices continued to play a major part in the development of many countries. In the 18th century, alarmed by the industrial and military supremacy of Great Britain, France sent its spies to steal the latters industrial secrets. Corporate espionage gained more attention in the last few decades. Some of such instances are mentioned herein: In 1999, one of the most famous cases of corporate treachery, a Taiwanese company head was arrested as he was convicted to have paid an Avery Dennison (U.S. Label manufacturer) employee $160,000 for the secret formulas for the companys pressure-sensitive adhesive. In 1996, General Motors sued Volkswagen, charging that GMs former head of production had stolen trade secrets turned them over to Volkswagen. In 2000, Oracle Corporation head Larry Ellison had hired an investigation firm to dig out embarrassing secrets about Bill Gates headed Microsoft. In 2001, FBI arrested two employees from Lucent Technologies for conspiring to steal lucent trade secrets sell them to the Chinese government. In 2003, Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari charged Toyota with stealing the design for its Formula One racing car. Looking at the recent trend it becomes clear that corporate espionage cases have been increasing by leaps and bounds. The reasons for this can be attributed as: -advent of the information age with its tools and technologies has made it much easier to gather information and analyse intelligence. -Trained intelligence analysts can easily ferret out deeper information through masqueraded phone calls, purported interviews of the victim companys employees, going through their garbage, creating e-relationships with employees or joining use nets frequented by them. -The second issue that places most companies at risk is lack of employee awareness and education. At times, the management is to blame for the myopic approach that IT security should safeguard its intellectual property. The misplaced over-dependence on technology to protect the companys intellectual property is ridiculous, given that, even in the most digitised companies, over 70 per cent of critical information is still in non-digital forms. -Companies that invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in firewalls and PKIs (public key infrastructure) forget that over 15 per cent of their employees are talking to prospective new employers (or competition) at that very moment. Or that several third parties and temporary employees are swarming all over their organisation with complete access. -The single factor that makes corporate espionage devastating is its transparent nature. Physical assets when stolen get noticed and things can be attended to rapidly. But a company could be getting robbed of intellectual property or competitive advantage for years and might still not know what exactly is going wrong. Thus what began as that innocuous glance at what competition is doing, just to keep oneself abreast of the latest developments in the business one was in, is now taking the ugliest forms of ethical and legal violation. And this includes the entire gamut of wrongdoing: the selling of technological knowhow, product design, research papers, client lists and other trade secrets by loyal employees, infringing intellectual property law, teams resigning en masse from a company, taking along with themselves upscale, lucrative customers to the new entity, selling defence secrets in the lure of monetary kickbacks, and what not. In fact, corporate espionage has moved far from within the confines of the corporate sector to foreign nations, with many IT expatriates and even foreign employees with acquired citizenship acting as a conduit for the flow of confidential information from one corporate to another, from one nation to another. Cross border businesses and employees, remotely located custom ers in an era of E-Commerce, telecommuting contractual employees-all these are adding to the ease with which these acts of malfeasance are being committed. It is interesting to examine the Annual Report to U.S. Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, FY 2008, it brings out the following:- The threat to the United States from foreign economic intelligence collection and industrial espionage has continued unabated since the publication of the Annual Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, 2007. Economic espionage cases went up slightly and nearly every day brought reports-in the press and in the classified world-of new cyber attacks against US Government and business entities. Additionally, the increasing use of new modes of communication and social networking provided uncharted opportunities for transferring information and spying on the part of enterprising foreign intelligence services. According to evidence amassed by the US CI community, a wide variety of foreign entities continued to try to illegally acquire US technology, trade secrets, and proprietary information. With companies encouraging outsourcing of research and development (RD) and establishing foreign bases of operation, foreign entities had more opportunities to targe t US information and technologies and mask their collection activities. As a result, it was increasingly difficult to measure fully the extent of their espionage and illegal acquisitions. Nonetheless, the CI community assessed that the cost in FY 2008 remained high, given the number of legal cases, investigations, and technologies targeted. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The FBI opened 55 new cases and pursued 88 pending cases during the reporting period, slightly more than reported in FY 2007. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ICE made 158 arrests in FY 2008 and achieved 187 indictments that resulted in 143 convictions for export-related criminal violations, more than any other Federal law enforcement agency. These efforts-similar to the previous year-significantly contributed to preventing sensitive US technologies, as well as weapons, from reaching terrorists, hostile countries, and violent criminal organizations. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ DOC/BIS participated in more than 792 export investigations. This resulted in 40 criminal convictions, $2.7 million in criminal fines, over $800,000 in forfeitures, 56 administrative cases, and $3.6 million in administrative penalties. Wide Ranging Group of Actors According to information compiled during the reporting period, businessmen, scientists, engineers, and academics, as well as state security services from a large number of countries, continued to target US information and technology. The bulk of the collection activity, however, came from a core group of countries. Enduring Acquisition Methods While the most frequently reported collection methods remained the same during the past year, requests for information (RFI); exploitation of open-source media; and requests to purchase or share technology were often used. Some reports indicated an increase in the use of multiple methods in single contacts. General techniques included: RFIs Collectors used direct and indirect requests for information in their attempts to obtain valuable US data. These types of approaches often included requests for classified, sensitive, or export-controlled information. Solicitation or Marketing of Services Foreign companies sought business relationships with US firms that would enable them to gain access to sensitive or classified information, technologies, or projects. Acquisition of Technology Collectors continued to exploit direct and indirect acquisition of technology and information via third countries, the use of front companies, and the direct purchase of US firms or technologies in 2008. Conferences, Conventions, and Trade Shows These public venues offered opportunities for foreign adversaries to gain access to US information and experts in dual-use and sensitive technologies. Official Foreign Visitors and Exploitation of Joint Research Foreign government organizations, including intelligence and security services, also targeted and collected information, frequently through official contacts and visits. Statistics on visits and assignments to DOE facilities indicate that the number of visitors remained relatively stable compared to 2007. The statistics also show that visitors made multiple visits to individual facilities. China and Russia accounted for a considerable portion of foreign visits to DOE facilities during FY 2008. Cyber Attack and Exploitation Cyber threats are increasingly pervasive and are rapidly becoming a priority means of obtaining economic and technical information. Reports of new cyber attacks against US Government and business entities proliferated in FY 2008. Several adversaries expanded their computer network operations, and the use of new venues for intrusions increased. Threats against mobile telephones rose as well. Blackberry and iPhone-essentially general purpose computers-are susceptible to malicious software, according to opensource reporting. Foreign Targeting of US Travelers Overseas Foreign collectors also targeted US travelers overseas. Collection methods included everything from eliciting information during seemingly innocuous conversations to eavesdropping on private telephone conversations to downloading information from laptops or other digital storage devices. Targeted Information and Sectors Foreign collectors continued to seek a wide range of unclassified and classified information and technologies. Information systems attracted the most attention; aeronautics, lasers and optics, sensors, and marine systems were other top targets. Where as in case of India a report by Leslie DMonte Sapna Agarwal / Mumbai  February 10, 2007 from Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/corporate-espionage-goes-undetected-unsolved-in-india/274229/) highlights the existing state of affairs , in that Corporate espionage virtually goes undetected and unresolved in India. The arrest of a VSNL employee for allegedly leaking information to a competing company is one of the few cases of corporate espionage to have come to light. However, a majority of corporate espionage cases go undetected. If detected, very few complaints come to light. And in the few cases that complaints are registered, hardly any action is taken. Only 20 per cent of corporate espionage cases are detected. Of this, a mere 20 per cent get reported and only 10 per cent can be solved, says Raghu Raman, CEO, Mahindra Special Services Group. Moreover, there have been very few convictions in India till date for corporate espionage or data theft, while not a single case has been registered under Section 66 of the IT Act 2000 the recent online ticket booking fraud cases where airlines were duped, is a case in point. In data theft cases, proving the crime is difficult. Besides, it could span across countries, under different jurisdictions, making it more difficult for law enforcement agencies, explains Vijay Mukhi, president, Foundation of Information Security and Technology (FIST). Every company I meet knows they are victim of some or the other form of data theft, but are not aware of how to deal with it, he adds. Any corporate leveraging intellectual property rights (IPR), offering cost-effective solutions or innovative or ingenuous solutions and not taking structured measures to protect its IPR, loses 5-10 per cent of their revenues to data theft, corroborates Raman. We get at least one or two cases every month, besides many inquiries; our clients ask us for specific information from their competitors or send dummy interviewees to find out salary packages, says Sunil Sharma, CEO, Authentic Investigation, Delhi. Ajay Jugran, Partner of law firm, Lawcombine, says, This malady is deep-rooted. Its prevalent when PSUs call for bids. Trading in bidding information is rampant. Companies are even using annual maintenance (AMC) contractors to plant surveillance software in rival firms. The software gives a daily log of the data via e-mail. Corporates have not woken to this fact despite the fact that the law (unless for national security purposes) does not permit this, explains cyberlaw expert and Supreme court lawyer, Pavan Duggal. Corporate Espionage has risen to epidemic levels. Espionage strategies range from illegal to merely seedy. In most cases, the best defense is employee awareness. The current organisational focus on risk management, governance, and compliance has, for some, blurred the responsibility for ensuring the security of an organizations assets. Corporations have to reconsider the effectiveness of their overall security programs, given the current threat of corporate espionage. Comprehensive security programs should address this threat. Though espionage cannot be eliminated, implementing multi-layer safeguards will at least minimize losses. What Can Companies Do? As competition in the global market place increases, so will the instances of corporate espionage. Therefore, companies both big and small need to take steps necessary to protect themselves from becoming a victim. Here are four necessary steps to help protect valuable data from falling into the hands of competitors. 1. Companies must identify what information is sensitive and classify it as such. Information such as RD processes and innovations or new market strategies are easily identified as sensitive. However, other information such as personnel files, pricing structure, and customer lists are often overlooked and left unprotected. 2. A company should conduct a risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities, and the probability that someone will exploit those vulnerabilities and obtain sensitive information. 3. Establish, review and update security policies and appropriate safeguards, both procedurally and technologically, to thwart attempts to exploit vulnerabilities and gain access to valuable company data. 4. Train all employees. Users, managers and IT staff all need to be trained in what business information needs to be safe guarded, techniques that can be used to gain access to sensitive data, and what procedures should be taken to report compromises or suspected attempts to solicit sensitive information. Government Involvement in the Espionage Threat Countermeasures -The government must conduct a threat assessment to determine risk and External / Internal flaws in the security the major corporations both private and public sector undertakings so as to prevent any possible attack of espionage. This would help protect such information as is necessary for keeping the economy of nation on track and preventing from it from any derailment by the financial loss that might be caused due to espionage activities. -There is a need of initiative on the part of government to make policies and procedures that would help in controlling the rampant increase of espionage activities. Such policies and procedures must be in writing and easy to understand and should be accessible easily. Further it is also needed that such regulations passed by government must be disseminated so that it becomes friendlier for the victim of corporate espionage to take recourse to the measures provided under this. -The government must also stay updated with regard to various developments that take place in the corporate world. For this revision of such policies and procedures is required from time to time. Such policies must also be updated annually so as to keep in touch with the latest technological developments. -The government must also take care of its assets, its people, its information, and its property so that it can utilize all these resources properly without any threat of being espionage by enemy organizations. -The government while handling various public sector undertakings must take care of its human resources. There must be Proper Position Descriptions of all the employees which must be accompanied with Pre-Employment Investigations about their background. It must be followed by Periodic Investigations so as to check any change in the behavior of a disgruntled employee. -The government must also advocate for the publication and release of Audits and Investigations. There must be regular audits of all areas, as this would help in investigations of losses and investigations of violations of policy. After doing this the government would be successfully able to check corporate espionage.

Carolingian Renaissance Handwriting

Carolingian Renaissance Handwriting The Carolingian Renaissance is known for the cultural transitions and great achievements that were obtained in the 8th century under the direction of Charlemagne. Charlemagne, who was also known as Carolus Magnus and Charles the Great, was one of the greatest leaders during the Middle Ages. He was a military man, king of the Franks, and was appointed as Roman emperor in 800 AD. Throughout Europe, he was seen as a great example of an emperor and Christian king. Not only did he revive the political system but also the cultural life of Europe. His activities were seen as a strong foundation of the European civilization which developed during the Middle Ages around 400 A.D. This was his effort in improving the educational standards of the people of the church and his men who held roles in the government. His choice for doing such thing was to have control with his people and others. This educational reform had many great accomplished during that period. Along with this advancement, monas tic scriptoria all over the kingdom used the same type of handwriting. Thus it made the hard work of copying the manuscripts easier and it was seen favorable by many. Also most manuscripts from the medieval times, whether with illuminations or not, were written on parchment. The usage of â€Å"vellum† signified that the manuscript was of great importance. This period allowed many more books to be made and with that more types of books were being used in society. In relation, illuminated manuscripts were items that were the most common during the Middle Ages. They were great examples of medieval painting and being well-preserved made them great surviving specimens of that time period. New innovations for manuscript layouts and embellishments were incorporated into the fabrication of manuscripts. In consequence, the many advances of the Carolingian Renaissance can be seen through the new layout and fabrication of a manuscript, the use of illuminations and different types of ill uminations being produced and the introduction of the Carolingian minuscule or Caroline writing. A typical illuminated manuscript has the components of having texts along with embellishments in the means of using decorations. These decorations range from decorated borders, initials and miniature drawings. If one were to elaborate on the exact definition of the term â€Å"illuminated manuscript†, it would be related to manuscripts highlighted with silver or gold. Earliest surviving illuminated manuscripts date back from around 400 AD to AD 600 and are thought to have been from Italy, Constantinople and Ireland. However, the majority of the surviving manuscripts come from the Middle Ages along with the many manuscripts from the 15th Century Renaissance period and the few from the Late Antiquity stage. Most of these manuscripts were made for religious purposes but evidence shows that there too was an abundance of secular texts that were illuminated. Also these illuminated manuscripts started off in the form of codices, and at times antique scrolls. There is also a continued existence of loose single sheets and some illuminated manuscript fragments which remain on papyrus form. During the Early Middle Ages, books were fabricated in monasteries for business, display or personal use. This led to the beginning of commercial scriptoria that were located in major European cities such as the ones belonging to Italy, Paris and also the Netherlands. Most medieval manuscripts illuminated or not, were scripted on parchment. Such parchment was composed of stretched and treated animal skins of sheep, calf or goat. The term vellum was used to describe manuscripts of great value and high quality. These manuscripts were important because they were used for illuminations. Vellum was made up of un-spilt calf-skin and the other high qualities of animal skins were simply considered as parchment. â€Å"A large manuscript required the use of a whole cow skin and also the whole skin of a sheep to fabricate a folded sheet of two to four pages.† Hides of a whole herd wo uld be required for thick books which made the creation of a Medieval book extremely precious and expensive. About 258 leafs would need approximately 130 animals and it would make piles of four gatherings of leafs. At the start of the Middle Ages, paper use was used to formulate manuscripts and early books that were printed had space left over for miniatures and rubrics to be incorporated later on. Illuminated initials and decorations along the margins were also commonly used. However when printing started to become more popular, there was an increase of books produced and at the same time illuminations decreased. In the early 16th century, illuminated manuscripts were still being produced but not in great quantities. These manuscripts were mainly produced for the rich individuals in society. Books were not owned by many and are seen as a great possession and treasure to have along with the great sense of importance in society. The Carolingians got a sense of Mediterranean art and culture when Charlemagne went to Rome, where he held the title as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800. He was the symbolic representative of Rome and he since he wanted to revive the Roman culture and learning of the West, it made him the promoter of the arts. He had the goal of joining the artistic accomplishments of the Early Christian and Byzantine culture with that of his own. While Charlemagne was in power, the Byzantine Empire was divided because of Iconoclasm, which was the destruction of religious monuments and sacred images. He made the smart choice of not favouring either side. There were consequences that arose when he decided not to adopt the iconoclastic traditions and at the same time he incorporated a few human figures in society. The Carolingian art promoted the development of Western Romanesque and Gothic art. If Charlemagne partnered with the Iconoclast, Western art that one views it today would be non-existent. Evidenc e of such art can be seen from the surviving manuscripts, sculptures, works of metal and other artifacts from that age. During the Carolingian Renaissance, the illuminated manuscripts were the most number of works that survived from that era. Charlemagne had great ideas while he was in power. While in command new Gospels and liturgical works were prepared, as were educational materials used to depict historical, scientific and literary works originating from ancient authors. The Carolingian art had different monastic centers throughout the Carolingian Empire which were known as ateliers. These ateliers were special because each one had its own unique style and it was influenced by the artists and current styles of that place and time. These images were drawn after the texts were complete. Illustrators designed and planned the abstract and complex images on wax tablets which were the common drawing apparatus of that period. These wooden tablets were hollow for the incorporation of wa x and the writing apparatus used for it would be a bone or a stylus. On the other tip of the writing utensil would be a spatula to scrape away errors or to erase the whole image and is re-used again. After that process of â€Å"preliminary drawing† is finished, the drawing is then traced or illustrated meticulously on the vellum. Pinpricks and other markings are used to accomplish a great manuscript. Such work ethics can be seen with the fabrication of the Lindisfarne Gospels. Another new incorporation that can be seen in the sacred gospels is the introduction of â€Å"red dots†, as part of the page decoration which, was tedious work and needed to be done with patience and care. The sacred scriptures would also be composed of the Evangelists portrait, an image of a carpet made out of spirals and enamel work and finished off with a grand display. Other work methods can be seen through incomplete manuscripts that survived from that time. Most manuscripts usually were not composed of illustrations because they were mainly used for educational purposes and its only illuminations would be decorations on the initials. If there were manuscripts with full illuminations, it would be used for display purposes and be seen as an illustration book. That was the state of manuscripts during the Middle Ages, but great changes occurred towards the fabrication of manuscripts during Romanesque period. These changes included the incorporation of more illumination and decorations in the books and the study books contained some images, but they were not illustrated with colour. This tendency grew into the Gothic period where there were bigger image sizes but at least one if not many decorations around the page. Foliate patterns on elaborate boarders were the common fixings integrated in the manuscript. â€Å"A Gothic page might contain several areas and types of decoration; a miniature in a frame, a historiated initial beginning of a passage of text, and a border wit h drolleries.† A different artist was utilized to work on different part of the decoration. An artist had their own unique skill that they used when working on a certain piece of an image. A standardized form of Latin, which originated from Classical Latin, was used in the texts along with new formed words. Medieval Latin was most used in that time and was a common language used by the people of Europe. In fact, this language was commonly used by businessmen and scholars for communication, learning and administration purposes. The texts were usually incorporated first when it came to constructing an illuminated manuscript. Script depended on the style that were currently being used in society and the one that were most popular. Scripts such as Uncial and half-Uncial were introduced because of the ongoing development and usage of unique texts such as insular miniscule and insular majuscule. Before these texts were established, the Roman letters were used during the Middle Ages. Around the 13th century, black thick and solid letters were shown and it was made more in style around the Middle Ages. Around the 9th century, rooms made solely for writing became extremely popular and were apart of most monasteries. This room was called a scriptoria and it was there were most books were copied. This was a brutal job and it was shown through the hard work done by the monks. The process included the need to check for mistakes and to correct errors that have been made through the years. The copiers would need to study the text and script very carefully because one mistake would be a sin and they would be severely penalized. Other discrepancies such as poorly lit rooms, bad weather conditions and physical fatigue made this job even more difficult for the monks. There was also â€Å"no standard scholarly language†. Charlemagne decided to change the then current writing style and tried to make a standard method for writing. The writing style that society was used to at that time consisted to all uppercase letters and texts without interruptions and punctuations. There was no eviden t division between the words. This old writing style was the old un-spaced Roman capital script called â€Å"uncial†. Charlemagnes brilliant idea worked as it made copying and reading easier for everyone. This style of writing is called the â€Å"Carolingian Miniscule† and is still currently being used today. Unlike the older style, this new one had a separation between words and there was evident use of punctuations in the text. Charlemagne also made standards for Medieval Latin because there were evident changes in the Latin language during the last couple of decades. Different expressions, new phrases and words were developed and integrated into the language. Composing a manuscript included the copying of an old piece of literature, having a decorated picture and possessing fancy capital letters. This act was seen as a great accomplishment at that period. The sacred scripture and writings of the bible were transformed and transfigured into many different forms. Most ministers were illiterate and people who were not from the ordained clergy did not have access to these sacred texts. Charlemagne disliked oblivious priests who could not read nor comprehend their own scriptures. Charlemagne created laws and decrees that stated that clerics would loose their position and job in the office if they were illiterate. Bishops had to respect such demand and needed to be literate but there are some cases where bishops were not able to read and write. Charlemagne enforced a â€Å"standardized Vulgate Bible†, which was a common Benedictine Rule and a basic liturgy. However, in order to obtain such concept, he needed to have a â€Å"standardized written language†. Charlemagne found an orthodox churchman from England named Alcuin to help him gain a step closer to his schemes. Alcuin and his fellow monks examined many ancient classical scripts in order to find incentives for the new script. In consequence, the Carolingian miniscule was establishe d which was the unification of the small and capitalized letter. The Carolingian miniscule comprised of letters that possessed â€Å"the most decorative flourishes and the system of ligatures was eliminated.† As this style of writing dispersed into England during the 10th century and in Spain in the following century, Carolingian miniscule reformed to being the â€Å"written language of oppression and religious orthodoxy†. It established itself as the official script and literary hand and style of the Frankish region. Later on, scripts such as the ones of â€Å"Gothic†, â€Å"Roman† and â€Å"Humanists† preceded in time and thus making this script most commonly used today. Thus, Charlemagne took all these differences and transformations and added them to the new scholarly language which is known as Medieval Latin. Thus, the many advances of the Carolingian Renaissance is depicted through the new layout and fabrication of a manuscript, the use of illuminations and different types of illuminations being produced and the introduction of the Carolingian minuscule or Caroline writing. Charlemagne is seen as a great leader who has done many successful things for his people and kingdom. Though was not literate he tried and had a lot of perseverance. Depictions of Charlemagne wanting to be able to read and write are recorded throughout history. He would try and attempt to write everyday with wax tablets and even asked the help of men who were able to write. The Holy Roman Emperor would also leave notebooks and writing tablets underneath his people hoping that one day he will be able to become literate. However, it was simply too late for him to become literate because he needed to have practiced such skill since his youth. Though he was not literate he still had the ability to be a great leader. Charl emagne ruled individuals from different ancestry lines who were descendants of many races and who spoke languages that were unique from one another. Some of these individuals included the Romans, Goths, Lombards, Burgundians, Saxons, Franks and many others groups. Western Europe was filled with monasteries where several â€Å"national styles† of the cursive formations of Latin surfaced such as Merovingian, Visigothic, Germanic, and Anglo- Irish. Each party had a â€Å"monastery dialect† which was used by individuals to facilitate copying in an exclusive way and abides with each cloisters preference. His way of reconciling the many people and facilitating the hard work of the laborers made his excellent influence of the many changes he incorporated seen today. The ancient and valuable artifacts that are seen today are because of his ability to unite society and individual characteristics as one.

Essay --

â€Å"If men were angels, no government would be necessary† (Madison, Federalist No. 51), said Madison in Federalist 51 In Federalist No. 51. This quote basically says everything about Madison’s political theory and how he felt the country should have been ran. In federalist No. 10, Madison stood for the republican government that was proposed by the constitution. He states that the only way to control factions within states is to make a representative form of government. Madison states â€Å"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention†¦ as short in their lives as they have been violent in the deaths† (Madison, Federalist No. 10). Madison believes that with democracies come factions, these â€Å"special interest groups† as we call them now and with these groups comes unequal balances that they would make in society. Although in Federalist No. 10, Madison mainly argues against having a full democratic government, I believe as we see later that Madison believes in our now present form of government, a two-party system. I believe his true core values were to have the government keep a fair and balanced setting with the whole spectrum of society. In Federalist No. 51, Madison talks about the works of checks and balances and how important it is to the government. I believe Madison’s core values were the fairness and safety of the over all government as a whole. When upholding these standards, he wanted to make sure that the power of the government in future actions was safe and that it was a base to start building upon. Madison touches on the importance of ‘checks and balances’ and why they play such a huge role in distributing power among the branches. Checks and balances are meant to check the levels of government and to ens... ...uthors’ ideas about Logic of American Politics in that government now, you have to come to a common agreement. In Madison’s beliefs, he believed that equality and liberty were two of the most important things. In the textbook, they explain that congress most come to common ground before agreeing on anything so many things are hard to accomplish. In Madison’s ideas, I believe this is what he was truly encompassing; he didn’t want one side of an argument win and have those majorities rule. He wanted everyone to be heard not just those of the ruling party. As for Collective Action, the textbook relates to Madison by ways of coordination. Madison believed that it would be better to work as one huge group than a ton of tiny factions. He believed that all beliefs and ideas should be represented as a group rather than individually to minimize as much problems as possible.

Politics and Politicians :: essays research papers

In politics it would be novel to have a gracious rival. Modern political campaigners might take a lesson in graciousness and kindness from the great British statesman, Edward Campbell . Once when Campbell was opposing Thackereay for a seat in Parliament, the two contenders, in course of their campaigning, met and engaged in friendly conversation. On taking leave of his rival Thackereay remarked, 'May the best man win!' 'Oh, no,' replied Campbell, 'I hope not, I want to win!' E.J. Dionne Jr., author of They Only Look Dead, ascertains that politics in America today are nothing more than 'politics of moral annihilation'. As an example of this he refers to the presidential election of 1992. Normally , press conferences are called when political matters arise. The conference mentioned was called by the conservatives. Paula Jones came forward and accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment; apparently Mr. Clinton made 'unwelcomed sexual advances" . He continues to point out that these are the same conservatives that only a few years earlier had denounced the idea of sexual harassment as 'feminist invention'. It is acts like this that are aiding in the 'moral annihilation' of politics. The overall impact of such politics is undermining the intelligence of the American populous by turning political campaigning into a childlike power struggle. Both the Democrats and Republicans have reverted to a state of guerrilla media warfare.Every time election year rolls around we begin to hear the usual complaints of how politics is morally corrupt. It typically means we get to see the superficial image-oriented campaigning, negative attacks against one's opponent, and the thirty-second spot commercials that intrr upt our favorite sitcom. Experts note that the rates of political participation in the United States, as measured by the percentage of eligable voters who register and actually cast their ballot, has been dropping for years, in part due to the fact that citizens are disgusted with the conduct of political campaigns. From this we can clearly see overall impact of this type of politics does infact undermind how the populus acts in 3 ways: 1)don't watch televison2)don't care and 3)don't vote.This then brings us to the second point of how this is harmful to democracy. As I stated before it turns political campaigning into a chi ldlike game for power. Author Daniel O'Connell once said: 'A politican doesn't stand on his own record; he jumps on the other fellows. Politics and Politicians :: essays research papers In politics it would be novel to have a gracious rival. Modern political campaigners might take a lesson in graciousness and kindness from the great British statesman, Edward Campbell . Once when Campbell was opposing Thackereay for a seat in Parliament, the two contenders, in course of their campaigning, met and engaged in friendly conversation. On taking leave of his rival Thackereay remarked, 'May the best man win!' 'Oh, no,' replied Campbell, 'I hope not, I want to win!' E.J. Dionne Jr., author of They Only Look Dead, ascertains that politics in America today are nothing more than 'politics of moral annihilation'. As an example of this he refers to the presidential election of 1992. Normally , press conferences are called when political matters arise. The conference mentioned was called by the conservatives. Paula Jones came forward and accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment; apparently Mr. Clinton made 'unwelcomed sexual advances" . He continues to point out that these are the same conservatives that only a few years earlier had denounced the idea of sexual harassment as 'feminist invention'. It is acts like this that are aiding in the 'moral annihilation' of politics. The overall impact of such politics is undermining the intelligence of the American populous by turning political campaigning into a childlike power struggle. Both the Democrats and Republicans have reverted to a state of guerrilla media warfare.Every time election year rolls around we begin to hear the usual complaints of how politics is morally corrupt. It typically means we get to see the superficial image-oriented campaigning, negative attacks against one's opponent, and the thirty-second spot commercials that intrr upt our favorite sitcom. Experts note that the rates of political participation in the United States, as measured by the percentage of eligable voters who register and actually cast their ballot, has been dropping for years, in part due to the fact that citizens are disgusted with the conduct of political campaigns. From this we can clearly see overall impact of this type of politics does infact undermind how the populus acts in 3 ways: 1)don't watch televison2)don't care and 3)don't vote.This then brings us to the second point of how this is harmful to democracy. As I stated before it turns political campaigning into a chi ldlike game for power. Author Daniel O'Connell once said: 'A politican doesn't stand on his own record; he jumps on the other fellows.

The Role of Women in Society Essay -- Women Females Society Essays

The Role of Women in Society Women are important in our society. Every woman has her own job or duty in this modern society in which men are still the 'strongest gender';. We can ´t forget that women ´s life is a lot more complicated than a man ´s life. A woman has to take care of her own personal life and if she is a mother , she has to take care also about her children ´s life too. Marriaged women have lots of worries and believe it or not , they carry out a more stressfull life than marriaged men. Several times in my life I have heard commentaries about the lack of importance of women. I am personally against these kind of commentaries. In my life the most important person I remember is my mother. She is a professional also , but besides her profession , she always took good...

Napster Case Study

Napster & MP3: Redefining The Music Industry Introduction Napster was the first, very innovative music technology application that allowed users to download MP3 from the internet and other peers for free, or at a cost. Napster strongly adapted the word sharing and put it their own terms to avoid any copyright infringement but it ended badly on their part. This disruptive technology was leading the market and had over 60 million users by 2001. Although very similar technologies were soon after developed, Napster was still on top and lead the market.Many users knew exactly what they wanted but getting it seemed to be the difficult part once Napster and the RIAA went into a legal battle. More commonly, the industry has been shaped from Napster and the base product that has been derived. Napster may have been a failure to the industry but it shaped the industry for the future from 2001 until present and for years to come. 1. What is Napster’s business model? Being as though Napste r was the first to market with their music search engine for MP3 files, they successfully managed to set up an online community where users could download these files.Napster had its market segments and was targeting the college and high school demographic, as described in the case study. The main objective was to give users the opportunity to listen to the songs before they wanted to go ahead and purchase them. During the dot. com boom, when Napster was created, it seemed as though the developers only wanted to create the program to attract a client base to increase the value of the company mainly to sell it off to a larger, more valuable company. Once the main database of Napster was created, they started off by seemingly trying to create a membership based business model.They had a free membership to start as a trial run, basic membership for relatively inexpensive that would cost between $2. 95 and $4. 95 per month. This basic membership would have a limit on file transfers. The y also had a premium membership that would cost between $5. 95 and $9. 95 with an unlimited amount of file transfers. Most of these file transfers came from peer-to-peer which was part of the interesting aspect of Napster. Users could upload files from their computer to their Napster desktop and another user could download straight from their computer.Certain users had a better rating than others and so forth. It seems as though their business model was working until the music industry became aware of what was really going on. 2. How have Napster and MP3 changed the music industry? Napster and MP3 were the start to the online music industry databases during the dot. com boom. This was the beginning of the greatest innovations yet to come. Not only did this lead to what we now use as iTunes but it went through multiple transformations with different music download programs and revamped the way artists were selling their music.CDs were most common before Napster and now, the percentag e of CDs compared to online purchases are completely reversed. Many people don’t even own CD players unless they are on their computers and iPod or iPhones are the new use of music play. Without Napster, none of this would even be possible because the whole concept of having the MP3 on a database where you can see each song and download right from the Internet. Now, you have to purchase each song or album and the artists get credit for their work.Back when Napster was the source with MP3, there were possible ways around the memberships and for a very light fee, you could get music for almost nothing where the artists were not getting the compensation that they deserved and worked for. The music industry is completed revamped since Napster and thanks to Napster and MP3, we now have the convenience to purchase a song or album right at the touch of our fingertips or click of a button as opposed to going to a store and buying a CD. 3. Who are the winners and the losers in the ind ustry transformation?Explain why in detail. Within the industry transformation, there are many different aspects to be considered when discussing the winners and the losers. In terms of the artists and musicians, I believe that although they started out as losers, in the end, they ended up winning because for already discovered, well-known singers, they are getting the royalties they are owed and for new, up and coming artists, they are getting their name out there in a much less expensive way than before and still making some sort of money to support their dream.The agents and label companies will become winners as well through the transformations. The larger companies will most likely lose some strength and then gain back once they begin to find new artists and those artists begin to take off. The risk/reward of the digital market here will yield much more reward and their financial strength from the start will help them be a winner here. I feel the biggest loser in throughout the entire industry transformation is the packaging and CD production industry. Because CDs are no longer at an all time high, they will no longer be needed.There is very little need for this and it has almost become a niche market, barely used for music anymore, unless someone is burning their own music onto a CD. Albums being created and sold solely onto a CD has decreased substantially and within the next few years could become something in the past. This is the biggest loser by far through the music industry transformation. Although customers might think they are losing because now they have to pay for songs, they are winners because the quality of the music is better as well as the people creating.The level of effort matters to the customers when creating their next masterpiece of an album and if they weren’t getting the compensation they feel they deserve, it would be hard to justify a very complete, well written album. Customers are winners during the industry transformat ion. As for the biggest winner, I believe digital retail has won in this category. Apple and Microsoft have both done an amazing job with allowing iTunes to properly run on both of their software where it is so extremely easy to access any song, album, artists, video, TV show, movie, you name that a person could possible think of.To have a song on there takes a very small amount of work for Apple and it is one of the most genius programs to every be invented by one of the most powerful companies we will ever come across. At this time, if you were to watch a TV reality singing show, for example, X-factor, and you see a live performance you really enjoy, you can literally go on iTunes the very next day and purchase that specific person singing that very song. The digital retail market is only growing and technology has done something so amazing by growing the concept of Napster into something that can yield such amazing results.This is by far the biggest winner of the music industry t ransformation. 4. From the perspective of the stakeholder who stands to lose, is there anything you can do to change this? From the perspective of the stakeholders in Napster, it seems that they would all end up losing and there really is not much to be done to change this. Even though the concept of Napster really did drive the entire music and social media industry to a new place, it was a highly illegal application where many people lost a ton of money.Because of the money put into this application, stakeholders will end up being the losers when they lose their investment when they expected a return. 5. How will the industry change over the next 5-year period? As difficult as it is to say how the industry will change within the next 5 year period, I believe there will be many more drastic changes between now and then. Technology is rapidly growing and altering while new products are being brought into the market.I believe that iTunes will be around for some time but as they conti nue to update and make it better, faster and stronger, it will only take up more of the market share. As of right now, they have a tool called â€Å"genius† where it searches through the music you already have and suggests new music for you to buy. This tool is extremely helpful and can create thousands of new playlists and songs for a person to listen to. New artists, groups, reality TV shows, YouTube sensations and small town discoveries are being made every single day.The next pop star could be in the local coffee shop one day and on your TV screen the next. The industry is so quickly growing that it is almost impossible to keep up with technology and talent wise. 6. As viewed from the perspective of the record companies, retailers, artists, and Napster, what strategy would you pursue, and how? If I were viewing this situation from the perspective of the record companies, retailers, artists and Napster, I would pursue the strategy of Phase 2.In this day and age, many peopl e try and keep up with the technology that they are given. Napster was first to market with their idea and what they were given but many people were not happy. In Phase 2, it gives Napster the option to still let people play the music that they had already had on their original Napster, but from there forth, purchase the rest of the music and pay where the price is due. Napster was a disruptive technology that absolutely lacked refinement and had some major performance problems whether those were the slow search or the filters.However, this application was proven to be somewhat practical once it was perfected through the years. Apple used Napster’s disruptive technology and built their sustaining technology from the concept and played out the revenue aspect of Phase 2. That being said, I would stick with Phase 2 and continue to grow the industry based of of each song and price because even though many customers would initially complain, this would eventually turn into the nor m, like it has, and will drive the music industry to become a much more organized and beneficial industry.

Reflecting on ‘Reflective practice’ Essay

â€Å"Maybe reflective practices offer us a way of trying to make sense of the uncertainty in our workplaces and the courage to work competently and ethically at the edge of order and chaos†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ghaye, 2000, p.7) Reflective practice has burgeoned over the last few decades throughout various fields of professional practice and education. In some professions it has become one of the defining features of competence, even if on occasion it has been adopted – mistakenly and unreflectively – to rationalise existing practice. The allure of the ‘reflection bandwagon’ lies in the fact that it ‘rings true’ (Loughran, 2000). Within different disciplines and intellectual traditions, however, what is understood by ‘reflective practice’ varies considerably (Fook et al, 2006). Multiple and contradictory understandings of reflective practice can even be found within the same discipline. Despite this, some consensus has been achieved amid the profusion of definitions. In general, reflective practice is understood as the process of learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice (Boud et al 1985; Boyd and Fales, 1983; Mezirow, 1981, Jarvis, 1992). This often involves examining assumptions of everyday practice. It also tends to involve the individual practitioner in being self-aware and critically evaluating their own responses to practice situations. The point is to recapture practice experiences and mull them over critically in order to gain new understandings and so improve future practice. This is understood as part of the process of life-long learning. Beyond these broad areas of agreement, however, contention and difficulty reign. There is debate about the extent to which practitioners should focus on themselves as individuals rather than the larger social context. There are questions about how, when, where and why reflection should take place. For busy professionals short on time, reflective practice is all too easily applied in bland, mechanical, unthinking ways, Would-be practitioners may also find it testing to stand back from painful experiences and seek to be analytical about them. In this tangle of understandings, misunderstandings and difficulties, exactly how to apply and teach reflective practice effectively has become something of a conundrum. This paper explores current ideas and debates relating to reflective practice. In the first two sections, I review key definitions and models of reflection commonly used in professional practice. Then, in the reflective spirit myself, I critically examine the actual practice of the concept, highlighting ethical, professional, pedagogic and conceptual concerns. I put forward the case that reflective practice is both complex and situated and that it cannot work if applied mechanically or simplistically. On this basis, I conclude with some tentative suggestions for how educators might nurture an effective reflective practice involving critical reflection. Defining reflective practice †¦reflection can mean all things to all people†¦it is used as a kind of umbrella or canopy term to signify something that is good or desirable†¦everybody has his or her own (usually undisclosed) interpretation of what reflection means, and this interpretation is used as the basis for trumpeting the virtues of reflection in a way that makes it sound as virtuous as motherhood. Smyth (1992, p.285) The term ‘reflective practice’ carries multiple meanings that range from the idea of professionals engaging in solitary introspection to that of engaging in critical dialogue with others. Practitioners may embrace it occasionally in formal, explicit ways or use it more fluidly in ongoing, tacit ways. For some, reflective practice simply refers to adopting a thinking approach to practice. Others see it as self-indulgent navel gazing. For others still, it  involves carefully structured and crafted approaches towards being reflective about one’s experiences in practice. For example, with reference to teacher education, Larrivee argues that: â€Å"Unless teachers develop the practice of critical reflection, they stay trapped in unexamined judgments, interpretations, assumptions, and expectations. Approaching teaching as a reflective practitioner involves fusing personal beliefs and values into a professional identity† (Larrivee, 2000, p.293). In practice, reflective practice is often seen as the bedrock of professional identity. â€Å"Reflecting on performance and acting on refection†, as McKay (2008, Forthcoming) notes, â€Å"is a professional imperative.† Indeed, it has been included in official benchmark standards laid down for professional registration and practice (see table 1 in Appendix 1). One example is in the way it has been included, explicitly and implicitly, in all Project 2000 curricula for Nursing Diplomas, while reflection is highlighted as a pivotal skill to achieve required Standards of Proficiencies in nursing and other health professional education (NMC, 2004; HPC, 2004). It has also become a key strand of approaches to the broader field of continuing professional development, work-based learning and lifelong learning (Eby, 2000; HPC, 2006). Given its growing emphasis in professional practice and education, it would seem important to explore the concept of reflective practice in some detail. To this end, this section distinguishes between different types of reflective practice and looks at the sister concepts of reflection, critical reflection and reflexivity. Reflection ‘in’ and ‘on’ practice Dewey (1933) was among the first to identify reflection as a specialised form of thinking. He considered reflection to stem from doubt, hesitation or perplexity related to a directly experienced situation. For him, this prompted purposeful inquiry and problem resolution (Sinclair, 1998). Dewey also argued that reflective thinking moved people away from routine thinking/action (guided by tradition or external authority) towards  reflective action (involving careful, critical consideration of taken-for-granted knowledge). This way of conceptualising reflection crucially starts with experience and stresses how we learn from ‘doing’, i.e. practice. Specifically Dewey argued that we ‘think the problem out’ towards formulating hypotheses in trial and error reflective situations and then use these to plan action, testing out our ideas. Dewey’s ideas provided a basis for the concept of ‘reflective practice’ which gained influence with the arrival of Schon’s (1983) ‘The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action’. In this seminal work, Schon identified ways in which professionals could become aware of their implicit knowledge and learn from their experience. His main concern was to facilitate the development of reflective practitioners rather than describe the process of reflection per se. However, one of his most important and enduring contributions was to identify two types of reflection: reflection-on-action (after-the-event thinking) and reflection-in-action (thinking while doing). In the case of reflection-on-action, professionals are understood consciously to review, describe, analyse and evaluate their past practice with a view to gaining insight to improve future practice. With reflection-in-action, professionals are seen as examining their experiences and responses as they occur. In both types of reflection, professionals aim to connect with their feelings and attend to relevant theory. They seek to build new understandings to shape their action in the unfolding situation. In Schon’s words: The practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomenon before him, and on the prior understandings which have been implicit in his behaviour. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation. (Schon, 1983, p. 68) For Schon, reflection-in-action was the core of ‘professional artistry’ – a concept he contrasted with the ‘technical-rationality’ demanded by the (still dominant) positivist paradigm whereby problems are solvable through the rigorous application of science. A contemporary example of this paradigm is the evidence-based practice movement, which favours quantitative studies  over qualitative ones, and established protocols over intuitive practice. In Schon’s view, technical-rationality failed to resolve the dilemma of ‘rigour versus relevance’ confronting professionals. Schon’s argument, since taken up by others (e.g. Fish and Coles,1998), was as follows: Professional practice is complex, unpredictable and messy. In order to cope, professionals have to be able to do more  than follow set procedures. They draw on both practical experience and theory as they think on their feet and improvise. They act both intuitively and cr eatively. Both reflection-in and on -action allows them to revise, modify and refine their expertise. Schon believed that as professionals become more expert in their practice, they developed the skill of being able to monitor and adapt their practice simultaneously, perhaps even intuitively. In contrast, novice practitioners, lacking knowing-in-action (tacit knowledge), tended to cling to rules and procedures, which they are inclined to apply mechanically. Schon argued that novices needed to step back and, from a distance, take time to think through situations. Whether expert or novice, all professionals should reflect on practice – both in general and with regard to specific situations. Schon’s work has been hugely influential – some would say ‘canonical’ – in the way it has been applied to practice and professional training and education. For example, in the health care field, Atkins and Murphy (1993) identify three stages of the reflective process. The first stage, triggered by the professional becoming aware of uncomfortable feelings and thoughts, is akin to Schon’s ‘experience of surprise’ (what Boyd and Fales, 1983, identify as ‘a sense of inner discomfort’ or ‘unfinished business’). The second stage involves a critical analysis of feelings and knowledge. The final stage of reflection involves the development of a new perspective. Atkins and Murphy argue that both cognitive and affective skills are prerequisites for reflection and that these combine in the processes of self-awareness, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation (see Appendix 2). In the education field, Grushka, Hinde-McLeod and Reynolds (2005) distinguish between ‘reflection for action’, ‘reflection in action’ and ‘reflection on action’ (see Appendix 3). They offer a series of technical, practical and critical questions for teachers to engage with. For example, under reflection for action teachers are advised to consider their resources and how long the lesson will take (technical); how to make the resources relevant to different learning styles (practical); and to question why they are teaching this particular topic (critical). Zeichner and Liston (1996) differentiate between five different levels at which reflection can take place during teaching: 1. Rapid reflection – immediate, ongoing and automatic action by the teacher. 2. Repair – in which a thoughtful teacher makes decisions to alter their behaviour in response to students’ cues. 3. Review – when a teacher thinks about, discusses or writes about some element of their teaching. 4. Research – when a teacher engages in more systematic and sustained thinking over time, perhaps by collecting data or reading research. 5. Retheorizing and reformulating – the process by which a teacher critically examines their own practice and theories in the light of academic theories. While Schon’s work has inspired many such models of reflection and categories of reflective practice, it has also drawn criticism. Eraut (2004) faults the work for its lack of precision and clarity. Boud and Walker (1998) argue that Schon’s analysis ignores critical features of the context of reflection. Usher et al (1997) find Schon’s account and methodology unreflexive, while Smyth (1989) deplores the atheoretical and apolitical quality of his conceptions. Greenwood (1993), meanwhile, targets Schon for downplaying the importance of reflection-before-action. Moon (1999) regards Schon’s pivotal concept of reflection-in-action as unachievable, while Ekebergh (2006) draws on  phenomenological philosophy to argue that it is not possible to distance oneself from the lived situation to reflect in the moment. To achieve real self-reflection, she asserts, one needs to step out of the situation and reflect retrospectively (van Manen, 1990). Given this level of criticism, questions have to raised about the wide adoption of Schon’s work and the way  it has been applied in professional practice and education (Usher et al, 1997). There have been calls for a m ore critical, reflexive exploration of the nature of reflective practice. Reflection, critical reflection and reflexivity Contemporary writing on reflective practice invites professionals to engage in both personal reflection and broader social critique. For example, work within the Open University’s Health and Social Care faculty has put forward a model whereby reflective practice is seen as a synthesis of reflection, self-awareness and critical thinking (Eby, 2000) (see figure 1). In this model, the philosophical roots of reflective practice are identified in phenomenology (with its focus on lived experience and personal consciousness) and also in critical theory (which fosters the development of a critical consciousness towards emancipation and resisting oppression ). Self-awareness Roots: phenomenology – The cognitive ability to think, feel, sense and know through intuition – To evaluate the knowledge derived through self-awareness to develop understanding Reflection Roots: existential phenomenology and critical theory -interpretive and critical theory – tool for promoting self- and social awareness and social action – improving self-expression, learning and co-operation – links theory and practice Reflective Practice Critical thinking Roots: scepticism and critical theory – identifying and challenging assumptions – challenging the importance of context – to imagine and explore alternatives which leads to reflective scepticism Figure 1 Skills underpinning the concept of reflective practice. Other authors argue for the concept of critical reflection, which is seen as offering a more thorough-going form of reflection through the use of critical theory (Brookfield, 1995). For adherents of critical reflection, reflection on its own tends to â€Å"remain at the level of relatively undisruptive changes in techniques or superficial thinking† (Fook, White and Gardner, 2006, p.9). In contrast, critical reflection involves attending to discourse and social and political analysis; it seeks to enable transformative social action and change. For Fook (2006), critical reflection  Ã¢â‚¬Å"enables an understanding of the way (socially dominant) assumptions may be socially restrictive, and thus enables new, more empowering ideas and practices. Critical reflection thus enables social change beginning at individual levels. Once individuals become aware of the hidden power of ideas they have absorbed unwittingly from their social contexts, they are then freed to make choices on their own terms.† Fook and Askeland argue that the focus of critical reflection should be on connecting individual identity and social context:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Part of the power of critical reflection in opening up new perspectives and  choices about practice may only be realized if the connections between individual thinking and identity, and dominant social beliefs are articulated and realized.† (Fook and Askeland, 2006, p.53). For Reynolds (1998), four characteristics distinguish critical reflection from other versions of reflection : (1) its concern to question assumptions; (2) its social rather than individual focus; (3) the particular attention it pays to the analysis of power relations; and (4) its pursuit of emancipation (Reynolds, 1998). By way of example, Reynolds argues that when managers critically reflect (rather than just reflect) they become aware of the wider environment in which they operate. They begin to grasp the social power exercised by their organisation through its networks and relationships. : In the field of teaching, Brookfield (1995) characterises critical reflection as ‘stance and dance’. The critically reflective teacher’s stance toward teaching is one of inquiry and being open to further investigation. The dance involves experimentation and risk towards modifying practice while moving to fluctuating, and possibly contradictory, rhythms (Larrivee, 2000). A key concept giving momentum to the idea of reflective practice involving both personal reflection and social critique is reflexivity. Reflexive practitioners engage in critical self-reflection: reflecting critically on the impact of their own background, assumptions, positioning, feelings, behaviour while also attending to the impact of the wider organisational, discursive, ideological and political context. The terms reflection, critical reflection and reflexivity are often confused and wrongly assumed to be interchangeable. Finlay and Gough (2003, p. ix) find it helpful to think of these concepts forming a continuum. At one end stands reflection, defined simply as ‘thinking about’ something after the event. At the other end stands reflexivity: a more immediate and dynamic process which involves continuing self-awareness. Critical reflection lies somewhere in between. Previously, I’ve proposed five overlapping variants of reflexivity with critical selfreflection at the core: introspection; intersubjective reflection; mutual collaboration; social critique and ironic deconstruction (Finlay, 2002, 2003). These variants can similarly be applied to  distinguishing between the types of reflection practitioners could engage in when reflecting on practice. Reflective practice as introspection involves the practitioner in solitary self-dialogue in which they probe personal meanings and  emotions. Intersubjective reflection makes the practitioner focus on the relational context, on the emergent, negotiated nature of practice encounters. With mutual collaboration, a participatory, dialogical approach to reflective practice is sought – what Ghaye (2000) calls a ‘reflective conversation’. Here, for example, a mentor and student, or members of a team, seek to solve problems collaboratively. Reflective practice as social critique focuses attention on the wider discursive, social and political context. For instance, the practitioner may think about coercive institutional practices or seek to manage the power imbalances inherent in education/practice contexts. Finally, reflective practice as ironic deconstruction would cue into postmodern and poststructural imperatives to deconstruct discursive practices and represent something of the ambiguity and multiplicity of meanings in particular organisational and social contexts. At the very least, a critical and possibly satirical gaze could be turned to challenging the ubiquitously unreflexive rhetoric of reflective practice. In practice, introspection is the dominant mode of reflective practice. Sometimes presented as merely a promising personal attribute (Loughran , 2006), it is a predominantly individualistic and personal exercise (Reynolds and Vince, 2004) in which practitioners tend to focus on their own thoughts, feelings, behaviours and evaluations. This passes as legitimate ‘reflective practice’ which professionals then can use to advance their cause to fit formal requirements for continuing professional development. While such reflective practice may take place in dialogical contexts such as supervision sessions, the onus stays on the individual practitioner to reflect upon and evaluate their own practice. What is lacking is any mutual, reciprocal, shared process. Institutional structures and quality assurance  systems encourage, perhaps even require, this individual focus. It starts early on during professional education and training where learners engage professional socialisation and are taught how to reflect, using structured models of reflection. One of the consequences of the lack of consensus and clarity about the concept of reflective practice is the proliferation of different versions and models to operationalise reflective practice.