RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS - Essay Example So, effective and efficient groups work provides security and social satisfaction for customers and organization supporting individual needs and promoting communication, formally or informally. Recent trends underline the important of client-oriented relations and high level of cohesiveness in working groups which ensures clients satisfaction and improve service level. (Buchholz and Roth 1987). The advantage and benefits of working in teams are joined actions of all team members and an opportunity to work on complex problems and solutions. For this reason, team work plays a crucial role as it is concerned with provision of services for the diverse client population. Design of a team and effective leader can be seen only as tools for providing effective support. Neither a group work nor a leader in isolation cannot secure effective work of modern organizations. Group work is a complex notion which depends upon different strategies and methods. Modern organizations deal socially and economically with diverse settings. The class-based approach has a tendency to foster autonomy of client population. ... (Dickson and Hargie 2003). The main challenge of team work is effective communication and coordination of all team members, motivation and rewards. In general, a work team can be defined as a group of individuals working interdependently to solve problems or accomplish tasks. Teams are a powerful design option for organizations that hope to meet the challenges of increased global competition, improve output quality, and address the social needs of the ever-changing global workforce. However, the success or failure of work teams in multinational organizations will depend largely on communication. Effective communication requires that HR practitioners adapt key assumptions about motivation, structure, and accountability. Adapted assumptions must support lateral thinking, collaboration, interdependence, a focus on process, permeable boundaries, and mutual responsibility. Following LaFasto and Larsen (2001) the "key ingredients" for successful teamwork are "openness, supportiveness, action orientation and personal style" (p. 5). Work teams are most effective when there is high task interdependence or a high degree of coordination and collaboration required between team members to accomplish tasks. Thus, a group of insurance sales agents who are geographically dispersed and have little interaction with one another to carry out their tasks would most likely be an inappropriate context in which to implement teams. The agents would probably see such an effort as an empty, poorly developed strategy designed to capitalize on a management fad. Work teams are also more appropriate when the tasks that their members carry out are complex and well designed (Dickson and

Learning Disabilities Why Self esteem Essay Example for Free

Learning Disabilities Why Self esteem Essay As a child goes through teenage life, he or she is exposed to many different challenges, stressors, and prospects. An imperative factor in handling these challenges is a positive self-concept and high self-esteem. Through teenage life, schools should be preparing students to become a comfy part of the general population, quickly bending to their environs (Saghatoleslami, 2010). A population of students that necessitate closer attention are Learners who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. Learners with learning disabilities are likely to represent 2% to 10% of the student population (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). Learners with learning disabilities tussle with self-concept and self-esteem, which in tum can lead to amendment difficulties, substance abuse, depression, and suicide ideation. It is, therefore, essential to monitor the self-worth of students and help mend and advance their self-concept and self-esteem. When bearing in mind students with learning disabilities, it is important to weigh their self-concept and self-esteem in a different way, understanding different social factors that come into play (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). There are many facets to self-concept and self-esteem, and coping with a learning disability has an influence on a students quality of life. For both students with LD and students who have not been diagnosed with LD, active parental involvement can directly influence a students self-concept and self-esteem (Saghatoleslami, 2010). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law, splits 12 types of categorizations of learning disabilities, in which children may be fit for special education and interrelated services. These types are; (a) autism, (b)deafness, (c)deaf-blindness, (d)hearing impairment, (e) mental retardation, (f) multiple disabilities, (g) orthopedic impairment, (h) severe emotional disturbance, (i) visual impairment, (j) speech or language impairment, (k) traumatic brain injury, (l) and specific learning disability (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Autism is an age-linked disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social relations, typically evident before age three. Deafness is an earshot impairment that is so austere that the child is lessened in processing linguistic info, with or without augmentation; deaf-blindness is a synchronized visual and hearing impairments. Hearing impairment is of the audible range, whether perpetual or mutable. Mental hindrance rel ates to suggestively below usual general cerebral functioning, which prevail concurrently with shortfalls in adaptive performance. Multiple disabilities: the exhibition of 2 or more disabilities such as mental retardation-blindness, an amalgamation that involves special accommodation for ultimate learning (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Additionally, there are corporal impairments; orthopedic impairment is physical disabilities, which include congenital impairments, caused by illness, and impairments from further causes (Berdine, 2010). Grave emotional disorder is a disability where a child of typical intellect, has strain over time and to a patent degree, building pleasing interpersonal relationships; (a) retorts inappropriately psychologically or emotionally under ordinary circumstances; (b) exhibits a pervasive mood of unhappiness; (c) or has a propensity to develop physical signs or fears. Detailed learning disability is a malady in one or more of the basic psychosomatic processes convoluted in understanding or in expending language, written or spoken, which may patent itself in an imperfect knack to speak, read spell, think, write, or do mathematical calculations; dialogue or language impairment: a communication (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a type of linguistic i mpairment, or the voice impairment can be considered a detailed learning disability. Traumatic brain injury is an assimilated injury to the brain caused by a marginal physical force, resulting in partial or total functional disability or psychosocial impairment or possibly both (Berdine, 2010). Visual impairment is a pictorial struggle (including blindness) that, even with correction, unfavorably affects a child educational performance. Learning disabilities can disturb students in diverse manners. As studies designate, self-concept and self-esteem are two vital elements during a students foundational years. Throughout this time, students begin to express and realize who they will turn into as grownups. The self-concept that is established during this time canines over into maturity (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). For this purpose, it is vital to consider the adverse effects of LD, especially during a teenager life. Dyson points out that children who have proficient denial, disgrace, and disappointment have outlooks of low self-worth and defenselessness (2008). Both students with LD and students without LD exhibit varying levels of self-concept and self-esteem. These self-concepts adapt and grow as a student develops from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. Students with LD reported that they felt worse about their general intellectual ability than students without LD (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). This can result in negative self-concept and low self-esteem. By implementing evidence-based interventions, students with LD can develop a positive self-concept and improve their self-esteem. One such response includes positive parental involvement. When parents are involved in the lives of their children in a positive way, the self-concept and self-esteem of their child improves. A challenge of active parental involvement pertains to the difficulties of communicating with a child who has LD (Dyson, 2008). Utilizing parental programs to overcome such adversities positively affects the parent/child relationship. Through this active inte raction, adolescents with LD improved academically and emotionally. A lot of children with LD get these emotions more often than students with no LD. This can have a philosophical effect on their educational self-concept as well as their general self-esteem. The importance of this topic is substantial, as the American Psychiatric Association (2007) establish that between 3% and 8% of the learners’ population, especially children are affected by LD. Utilizing the Self-Perception Profile for teenagers, Moller and (2009) established that high school learners with LD conveyed they felt worse about their general mental ability than did students not diagnosed with LD. Furthermore, using the Piers-Harris Childrens Self-Concept Scale, it has been shown that students with LD scored significantly lower on the subscale of Intellectual and School Status. This is significant because these students were in separate classes with other students in special education (SPED), including students with emotional disturbances or cognitive impairments. When students are deliberately taken out of the general classroom, it becomes apparent to them that they are different from typically developing students. By separating students, it can have an adverse effect on their self-concept. This can have an adverse consequence on their self-esteem and academic achievement (Ochoa Emler, 2007). The response to this unruly is not as easy as moving towards an inclusive system where students with LD learn with typically developing students. In a study shepherded by Barrera, it was revealed that the self-concepts of students with learning disabilities attending comprehensive schools were inferior to those of their classmates devoid of learning disabilities (2009). The discoveries are all too shared, since a meta-analysis prepared by Barrera established the same incongruity (2009). Due to these common judgments, many schools have relocated away from an integrative class. In other situations, the self-concepts of students with learning disabilities may be improved through adapting instruction to the wants of each student (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). Constructing the best erudition environment for each student wishes to be a precedence within the overall school system. Once students with LD associated themselves with others with LD, they conveyed that they felt improved about their recital than children with LD, who likened themselves to their aristocracies without LD (Ochoa Emler, 2007). This largesse contradictory information. When unraveling students with LD from archetypal students, it can have an undesirable consequence on their self-concept and self-esteem. On the affirmative side, nevertheless, when students with LD are studying with other students with LD, they may incline to compare themselves to their partners with LD. This outcome in a more optimistic self-concept and advanced self-esteem in students with LD. Every school is exclusive in its tactic to students with LD, and it is significant to consider these educations when determining whether or not students with LD should be encompassed in the general classroom or placed in a distinct studying setting. Age is an imperative factor in appreciating what the best intervention is for a stu dent with LD. While academic interventions were most consistently effective for elementary students, counseling interventions were the most reliably effective for middle and high school students (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). These results have an effect on the academic self-concept for the student and do not necessarily hold true for other dimensions of self-concept. Elbaum and Vaughn also pointed out that, overall, counseling and mediated interventions were the only interventions that had a significant effect on general self-concept (2010). These findings complement previous statements regarding the importance of creating an intervention strategy that is malleable, as well as unique to each student who passes through the intervention plan (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). To create a single intervention strategy, it may be useful for a school to use the interpersonal competence profile. By using the ICS-T and the ICS-S and comparing the two, a unique strategy can be created for each student that best serves his or her learning style. This tool can be useful to determine if an inclusive or separated intervention strategy would best help each student with LD. The insight provided by Berdine; because self-knowledge emerges from, and is sustained by, our experiences with others, negative self-views have interpersonal as well as personal components (2010). This means that for people to enjoy improvements in their â€Å"self-views†, changes must occur not only in the way they think about themselves, but also in the environments that sustain their own self-views (Berdine, 2010). The value of this quote is substantial. Not only is this positive self-concept paramount for students with LD, it is also significant for everyone. Our experiences in life and our perception of who we are define what we eventually become. In Positive Teacher and Parental Involvement, it is important for teachers and parents to affect the self-concept and self-esteem of students with LD by remaining positive and encouraging them to succeed. This is evident, as it was exhibited that there was an incongruity between self-assessments of students with LD and their ed ucators verdicts. They discovered that students alleged themselves to be more proficient than their teachers rule on them. Furthermore, Moller and Pohlmann (2009) indicated that teachers were commonly unaware of students perceptions of abilities. For better communication between teachers and students, it may be beneficial for tutors to devote time to students to converse their perceived strongholds and weaknesses. When parents were positively involved in the lives of their children, the self-concept of their children was affected in a positive way (Ochoa Emler, 2007). The students paternities can also petition or appeal to the learning institution, or to the director of distinctive education and complain of their child being gaged. They may sense that the child is not developing as he, or she ought to be, or identify or detect certain glitches in how the child does. If the school believes that the child, undeniably have a disability, then the school must perform a valuation. If conservatory staff do not sustain that the learner has a disability, they may well decline to consider the child, but should apprise the parents in lettering as to their whys and wherefores for rebuffing. If parents believe intensely that their child does, certainly, have a disability that needs special edification, they may entreaty a due process earshot, where they will have the chance to spectate why they believe their juvenile should be appraised. To be assessed, there are numerous of probable assessments that are acknowledged in the IDEA, that is, Individuals with Disa bilities Education Act (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). When parents interacted and maintained, a positive attitude with their children, a more positive self-concept was developed and self-esteem was raised (Berdine, 2010). Conversely, when the interaction between parent and child was minimal, or family communication was poor, negative self-concept and low self-esteem resulted. Dyson (2008) found that children with LD themselves can contribute to a lack of communication between child and parent. In line, child and parental cognitive-behavioral factors reciprocally amplify one another over time. For parents of high school students with LD, communication was often directly related to the nature of the learning disability (Berdine, 2010). When a parent and child were unable to communicate wholly due to the childs disability, it adversely affected the relationship. This alone is reason enough for parents of children with LD to explore various options for the betterment of communication with their children. When this lack of communication comp ounds over time, stress can be built up for the child as well as the parent. If the guardian of a child with LD exhibits stress surrounding their childs disability, that child tends to have problems with social competence as well as display more behavior problems (Dyson,2008). This presents a direct correlation between parental stress regarding a childs disability and the self-concept and behavior of that child. When parents show a positive environment for their child with LD, it helps to reinforce a sense of positive self-concept and high self-esteem. Children with LD have a strong academic self-concept and high self-esteem when they receive positive feedback from teachers and parents (Dyson, 2008). When children have a healthy self-concept, they are less likely to have a low self-esteem (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). To determine if a child is adequate for classification in one of these regions of exceptionality, an individualized appraisal or valuation, of the child must be carried out. This is accomplished through IDEA. The IDEA stipulates a number of requirements regarding estimates of children alleged of having a disability. While a more comprehensive description of these requirements is presented in the Persons with Disabilities Education Act, these rations are briefly summarized as follows: In advance a child is evaluated for the first time, the school district must acquaint parents in writing (Berdine, 2010). Parent’s commitment gives written consent for the school system to carry out this first evaluation also identified as a pre-placement appraisal. Evaluations must be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team such as speech and dialectal pathologist, occupational or physical therapist, medical specialists, and school psychologist. They must include at least one teacher or sentinel who is knowledgeable about the area of the childs alleged disability. The assessment must carefully investigate all areas related to the childs suspected impairment (Dyson, 2008). Indeed not a sole technique may be used as the sole norm for determining a childs eligibility for special services or for deciding his or her suitable educational placement. Moderately, the evaluation method must utilize a variety of valid evaluation instruments and observational data. All testing must be done independently. Trials and other evaluation materials must be delivered in the childs primary language or manner of communication, unless it is evidently non-realistic genuine to implement. All tests and other evaluation resources must be authenticated for the particular drive for which they are used. This tells that a test may not be used to evaluate a student in an exact area unless the test has been premeditated and validated through examination as measuring that definite area. Valuations must be conducted in a fair way. This means that the trials and evaluation resources and procedures that are the castoff may not be ethnically or culturally prejudiced against the child (Mon tgomery, 2011). The assessment team must guarantee that any test used is administered correctly by a person fitted to do so, that the test is being used for the objectives for which it was meant, and that the childs disability does not conflict with the childs ability to take any test measuring specific abilities, the childs visual impairment changes his or her ability to read and rightly answer the questions on an test. Suitable, comprehensively, and accurately assessing a child with an alleged disability clearly presents a substantial challenge to the assessment team (Dyson, 2008). Valuation in educational locales serves five main purposes: (a) screening and proof of identity: (b) to screen children and recognize those who may be experiencing delays or learning problems; (c) eligibility and diagnosis: to govern whether a child has a disability and is entitled to special education amenities, and to analyze the specific nature of the students glitches or disability;(d) IEP growth and placement: to p rovide comprehensive evidence so that an Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be enhanced and proper decisions may be implemented of the childs educational placement; (e) instructional scheduling: to develop and plan instruction apt to the childs individual needs; and evaluation: to assess student development. (Berdine, 2010). One program that was used to influence parental/child interaction positively was Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP). (Barrera, 2009) Used STEP to deliver parents with training on how to answer more positively to their children. The outcomes displayed that parents had a very strong influence on their childrens self-concept. Additionally, Barrere suggested that classroom interventions to augment self-concept might be enhanced by involving parents in a synergistically designed parent program (2009). As previously mentioned, students with LD are more likely to struggle with social competence (Dyson, 2008). Having active parental involvement in the life of a student with LD helps facilitate improvement in this realm, thus positively influencing a students self-concept (Dyson, 2008). Intervention strategies for students with LD within the school setting resulted in underwhelming outcomes at times. To better the chances of success, schools may see benefits by involving paren ts in their intervention strategies. When parents interacted with their children frequently, positive outcomes generally occurred. As Reese, Bird, and Tripp (2007) found parent-child conversations regarding positive past events contained the highest amount of emotional talk regarding the child. Additionally, during conflict discussions, a moderate amount of positive talk was found. This positive talk can have a profound effect on the self-concept of a child. The link between conversations regarding past positive events and childrens self-esteem was substantial (Brown Hooper, 2009). In Critical Analysis, there were three main research questions addressed in this studies: (1) what is the dissimilarity stuck between self-esteem and self-concept? As the constructs of self-concept and self-esteem share similarities, it is important to delineate the two constructs in order to depict their differences clearly. Self-concept is defined as peoples overall composite or collective view of themselves through multidimensional sets of domain-specific perceptions. These judgments are based on self-knowledge and evaluation of value or worth of ones competences formed through involvements with and understandings of the environment. A persons self-concept not only comes from internal individual perceptions, but can also be influenced by different experiences and external information from others. Peoples self-concept addresses a more factual side of their life, such as knowing what they enjoy or what they tend to think about themselves. Self-esteem, as defined by Ochoa and Emler, is the sense an individual has about himself or herself that affects the way he/she views himself or herself (2007). These opinions include self-observations, perceived feelings of him/herself, and self-knowledge. How the individual feels is addressed within self-esteem, whereas self-concept addresses what the person thinks or sees about himself or herself. Self-concept is a construct that stays relatively constant over time, while self-esteem can vary throughout a persons lifetime (Berdine, 2010). (2) How do students with learning disabilities and scholars who have not been established with a learning disability compared in regards to self-concept and self-esteem? Present study endorses that there is an alteration in the levels of self-concept and self-esteem between students who have been detected as having learning disabilities and students who have not been analyzed as having a learning disability. Barrera, (2009) established that high school students with LD reported that they felt worse about their general Intellectual ability than did students who have not been diagnosed with LD. Students with Learning disabilities who were in separate classes with other students in SPED, such as students with emotional disturbances or cognitive impairments, were found to have a lower self-concept on the Intellectual and School Status subscale. This finding suggests that the separation of the individual with a learning disability from the general education classroom can have an adverse e ffect on the students self-concept. Comparatively, Brown and Hooper (2009) showed that students with learning disabilities attending inclusive schools had a lower self-concept than classmates without a learning disability. Whether students are included in the general education classroom or separated and placed with other students with disabilities, their self-concept was consistently lower than that of students without disabilities (Montgomery, 2011). It is important to note the research that the self-concepts of students with disabilities can be heightened through tailoring instruction to the needs of the individual student. According to Saghatoleslami when students with LD compared themselves to other peers with LD, they felt better about their performance than did children with LD, who associated themselves with their peers without LD (Saghatoleslami, 2010). These findings suggested that pairing students within the general classroom on the basis of instructional level and individual needs positively influenced the self-concept and self-esteem of pupils with learning disabilities. (3) Does the level of active parental and teacher involvement have an effect on a students self-concept and self-esteem? According to the existing research, active parental and teacher involvement has a positive impact on students self-concept and self-esteem. Dyson (2008) found that children with LD have a positive academic self-concept and high self-esteem when they receive positive feedback from teachers and parents. The environment the parent provides, as well as the dialog between the guardian and the youth, are both factors that play a role in the students development of self-concept and self-esteem. For instance, Dyson (2008) found that if a parent of a child with LD exhibits stress surrounding their learners disability, that child tended to have problems with social competence as well as display more behavior problems. When parents presented a positive environment for their child with LD, it helped to reinforce a positive self-concept and a sense of high self-esteem. Addition ally, communication was often related to the nature of the learning disability, especially when the parent and the child were not able to communicate due to the childs disability. This, in turn, adversely affected the relationship between a parent and child (Ochoa Emler, 2007). It was supported that with positive interaction and a parents positive attitude toward their children, a more positive self-concept was developed and self-esteem was raised from the child (Montgomery, 2011). The emphasis is a positive interaction and support from the parent to positively influence self-concept and self-esteem. Along with a positive stress, there is also a weight on alliance between the home and school to upkeep consistency between the two settings. Saghatoleslami (2010) found that active parental involvement in a wellness-based prevention program in schools was helpful in building positive self-concepts in children and college students. Additionally, Montgomery, (2011) suggested that classroom interventions used to increase self-concept might be enhanced by involving parents. The involvement of parents or other supportive figures, bettered the chances of success across settings, as there were collaboration and communication occurring between parents and teachers. A limitation of the analysis is the broadness of the subjects. While there is an assortment of LD types, there was no sub-typing of LD in this study. Furthermore, self-concept and self-esteem were measured on a broad scale, with minor sub-typing of self-concept. Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, and physical attractiveness were not taken into consideration when measuring a students self-concept or self-esteem(Dyson, 2008). Finally, this studies are not applicable across cultures. The vast majority of research reviewed was conducted in the United States. Based on the analysis, it is clear that the most complex measure of self-concept and self-esteem is necessary. In future research, obtaining more data regarding self-concept and self-esteem will make additional subtypes available, both for these two domains, as well as subtypes of LD (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). Further implementations need to be aimed at supporting students with LD. The focus of future support for students with LD should be not only academic, but have emotional and psychological support as well. Many interventions are aimed at improving the grades of students with LD. In addition to this, specific attention should be placed on the betterment of their self-concept, as well as the improvement of their self-esteem. Both teachers and paternities should be included in future studies to promote positive self-concepts and increase self-esteem. Through in future studies, effective evidence-based solutions will be found. References American Psychiatric Association. (2007). Diagnostic and statistics: manual of Mental Disorders. Washington, DC: Author. Barrera, M. (2009). Roles of definitional and assessment representations in the identification of new or second language learners of English for special education. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Berdine, W. H., (2010). Assessment in Special Education (5th Ed.) Boston: Little Brown. Brown, F J. Hooper, S. (2009). Journal of Intellectual Disabilities. 13 (3), 195-201 DOI: `10.1177/1744629509346173 Dyson, L.L. (2008). Children with Learning Disabilities within the Family Context: An assessment with siblings in global self-concept, academic self-perception, and social competence. Learning Disabilities Research Practice, 18, 1-9. Elbaum Vaughn, (2010), Parent- teacher- and self-rated motivational styles in ADHD. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Moller, Pohlmann, B. (2009). Achievement and self-concept of students with Learning Disabilities. Social Psychology of Education, 12(1), 113-122. Montgomery, M. (2011). Self-concept and children with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27(4), 254-262. Ochoa, G.M., Emler, N.P, (2007). Adjustment problems in the family and school contexts. Attitude towards authority and violent behavior in school in adolescence. Adolescence, 32, 779-794. Reese, E., Bird, A., Tripp, G. (2007). Childrens self-esteem and moral self: Links to parent-child conversations regarding emotion. Social Development, 16, 460-478. Saghatoleslami, M. (2010). Adjustment to college: College students with learning disabilities. Dissertation Abstracts International, 66, 2315. Source document

Haimons Covert Scheme Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Haimon has a certain tendency to be overlooked in Sophocles’ Antigone. At first he appears to be a minor character, an accessory to the overt conflict occurring between Kreon and Antigone. We see Haimon supporting his father, but soon thereafter in conflict with him. Haimon expresses disregard for the life of his cold bride to be, yet is defined as being driven by lust. Several questions come up: who does Haimon really support, what drives his actions, and what is his ultimate intent? Unraveling these issues is a tricky task, but what we find is Haimon is far more than an accessory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Haimon is introduced in third-person, making his character easily overlooked and marginalized from the start. Ismene says â€Å"oh dearest Haimon, how your father dishonors you,† yet he isn’t even present (573). When Haimon does enter, his father assumes he knows of the situation, meaning he had time to plot his actions. Haimon begins by showing Kreon that he is really on his side, a very common technique for disagreement that can be found in such books as Dale Carnegie’s. The general idea is to start by wining a person’s favor so he will be more open to criticism later. It not uncommon to hold the view that Haimon isn’t using such a technique but actually does support Kreon, however there are problems with such a view. Haimon says an interesting ambiguous statement: â€Å"your judgments, being good ones, guide my path aright† (636). The ambiguity is subtle, but it can imply Haimon follows only when Kreon’s judgment is good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of yet no disagreement has surfaced, but when it does it also shows a degree of planning. Haimon maintains distance from saying his father is wrong, by mentioning that the city favors Antigone’s actions and â€Å"things might also turn out well some other way† (687). Haimon then presents a parable: â€Å"on a ship, if he who holds the power strains the rigging tights and does not yield, he turns his rowing benches over and completes his voyage upside down† (715). The refinement of the parable does not imply an improvised remark but something premeditated. At this point the reader should ask what motivated this change in Haimon’s views – or was it even a change at all? Within a short span of time Haimon’s stated views change, but there is no clear motivator for the change. Perhaps that... ...character, to consider motivation and intent. Changes in a character’s view don’t occur spontaneously, motivation for change or previous deception regarding the view must be considered. If one moment Haimon supports Kreon and the next opposes him, what causes this change? Likewise, the reader should consider what the character is doing while not the focus of attention. Haimon knew about the events that were unraveling, what can he plan while the focus is elsewhere? Ambiguous terms factor greatly into an interpretation of Haimon’s motivation. Lust and passion are associated with women, but can just as easily be applicable to power or money. Looking at these issues combined we can answer the original questions; whom does Haimon support, what drives his actions, and what is his ultimate intent? Haimon does not support Kreon; he does support Antigone’s views, but is not bothered by threats of her death. As the chorus states, Haimon is driven by lust, but t his lust is for power rather than for Antigone. Combine these issues together and what we find is Haimon’s intent – he seeks to exploit a situation where Kreon is in poor standing to fulfill his lust for power by taking the throne.

Iran Contra Affair

The Iran-Contra scandal had a big effect on the United States but it had a huge effect on Nicaragua. Through out 1985-86, the Reagan administration was selling weapons to Iran illegally in order to encourage Iran to free hostages in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Reagan administration wanted to support the Contras in Nicaragua, a rebel group fighting to overthrow the Sandinista government. The administration decided to use the money made from selling arms to Iran, and had it sent to the Contras without passing through the United States. Walsh, p2. ) In this paper, I am going to provide the background of the situation. I will explain how the money from the missile sales was used to support the Contras. I will also tell how everything became public, the end of United States support for the Contras and about then investigations and public hearings in the United States. But finally this paper is about the significance, or impact, of the Iran-Contra affair. The Sandinista National Libera tion Front was founded in 1963.Named after Augusto Ceser Sandino, it was an extreme leftist organization â€Å"of Castroite and Maoist direction. † There were only about 150 members as of 1975, but sympathy was growing. (Times, 1/3/75) By August 1975, the SNLF had â€Å"begun to gain strength as discontent with the Somoza regime [had] spread through the middle classes. † (Times, 8/6/75) By August 1977 according to The New York Times, Amnesty International said that â€Å"there had been widespread abduction, torture and killing of peasants by the National Guard† during the previous year. 8/16/77) The strength of the SNLF continued to grow. In October 1977, the SNLF, for the first time, was â€Å"joined by non-Marxist opponents of the regime† including some conservatives. (Times, 10/20/77) By May 1978 opposition groups, including the SNLF, were proposing a coalition government that would exclude Somoza. (Times, 5/1/78) By November 1978, the Carter Administr ation was trying to push Somoza â€Å"into a compromise with his opponents. † (Times, 11/21/78) After 4 years of growing violence, including street fighting in the capitol, Somoza finally resigned. 9/17/79) After the Sandinistas took power in 1979, the remnants of Somoza’s National Guard scattered. As Kornbluh and Byrne describes The Iran Contra Scandal, they were reduced to small bands of some 250 men, hiding in Honduras and Guatemala, where they resorted to random violence and stealing to survive. The CIA brought these small groups together. After the Contras started receiving money from the CIA, the number of attacks on the Sandinistas increased a lot. Attacks during this period included, sabotage of highway bridges, sniper fire on small military patrols, the burning of customs warehouses and crops, and ‘the assassination of minor government officials’†( Kornbluh, p. 2; they are quoting from a document in the National Security Archives). On Decemb er 1, 1981, President Ronald Reagan signed a finding allowing our government to help the Contras. Beginning in March 1982, the whole thing became public as articles in the Nation, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Newsweek reported on CIA aid to the Contras.Congress reacted to this by passing the Boland Amendment, which read: None of the funds in this Act may be used by the Central Intelligence Agency of or the Department of Defense to furnish military equipment, military training or advice, or other support for military activities, to any group or individual, not part of a country’s armed forces, for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Nicaragua or provoking a military exchange between Nicaragua and Honduras. (Kornbluh, p. ) In spite of this, the Reagan Administration continued to aid the Contras, all the time denying that they were doing so. Among the aid they sent was the Psychological Operations in Guerrilla Warfare training manual, referred to by thos e who knew about it as the â€Å"murder manual. † (Kornbluh, p. 2) The Reagan administration later on came up with a new strategy, to portray the Contras as freedom fighters and the Sandinistas as oppressors. In 1984, the CIA sowed mines in a major port in Nicaragua causing a severe amount of damage. The Contras took credit for this.But a few weeks later the press exposed the CIA involvement. In response, Congress passed a second Boland Amendment, which said that neither the CIA nor the Defense Department could fund the Contras, either directly or indirectly. From then on the administration worked through the National Security Council, and NSC staff member Oliver North. NSC William Clark established Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean (housed in State Department but reported to the NSC), Oliver North attended the meetings: responsible for all Contra affairs.Because the CIA was prohibited from operating inside the United States, Director William Case y had senior propaganda specialist Walter Raymond transferred to the NSC. As Raymond declared, his job was to â€Å"concentrate on gluing black hats on Sandinistas and white hats on Contras. † (Kornbluh, p. 5) All this time, CIA intelligence analysts were saying that the Contras couldn’t win, even with American support. Robert Owen, Oliver North’s personal intermediary with the Contras is quoted as saying they were simply â€Å"profiteers. 1 Meanwhile, during 1985-86, as mentioned earlier, the Reagan administration was selling weapons to Iran illegally in order to encourage Iran to free hostages in the Middle East. After the 1979 hostage situation at the United States Embassy in Tehran, Carter had imposed an embargo on selling weapons to Iran. When Reagan came to power in 1981, the Embassy hostages were freed, but Reagan continued the embargo policy. In 1983, the administration strengthened it through operation STAUNCH, a worldwide voluntary arms embargo agains t Tehran. But for several reasons, some people in the administration supported softening the stance toward Iran.The idea that selling weapons would help win the release of hostages encouraged them to act. The way the United States diverted the funds is complex. Basically, the United States sold arms to Iran, hoping to get hostages freed, then used the money they got to arm and support the Contras. All of this was done secretly. On October 5th, 1986, an American plane was shot down by Sandinistas over southern Nicaragua. The two pilots were killed, but the â€Å"cargo kicker,† Eugene Hasenfus, parachuted out and was captured by Sandinista soldiers. He told the Sandinistas everything he know about United States involvement with the contras.The next day, the story was on the front page of every major United States newspaper. Then, on November 3rd, 1986, a Lebanese paper published a story that revealed the United States trading of arms for hostages. (historycommons. org, p. 1) Ha ving these two pieces of the puzzle soon led to people discovering the connections between the arms-for-hostages deals and secret aid for the Contras. Once the Iran-Contra connection had become public, Reagan appointed John Tower, Edmund Muskie and Brent Scowcroft to a President's Special Review Board charged with investigating the affair.People expected the Tower Commission to be a whitewash, but its report brought to light many of the details of what had happened. On November 26, 1986, Attorney General Edwin Meese ordered the FBI to begin an investigation of the Iran-Contra episode. December 19, 1986, Lawrence E. Walsh was named to the Office of Independent Counsel to take over that investigation. The Tower Commission, congressional investigations and the work of the Independent Counsel led to indictments of Oliver North and John Poindexter on March 16, 1988.North was convicted on charges of obstruction of justice, misleading Congress, and accepting an illegal gratuity, but an app eals court overturned the verdict because testimony to Congress given under immunity might have affected his trial. Poindexter was also convicted and his convictions overturned on appeal. (Kornbluh, p. xxviii) In 1992, George H. W. Bush pardoned six others who had been indicted or convicted of crimes in the affair. The Iran-Contra affair made the United States look untrustworthy internationally, as well as causing people to distrust their government.The United States government depends on a system of checks and balances among the congress, executive and judicial branches. If the executive branch does whatever it wants and hides its actions from the congress, then the people are no longer in charge of their government. This is a genuine threat to democracy. When Somoza resigned in 1979, the Sandinistas and others who had opposed Somoza formed a junta to govern until there were elections. The country was a mess. There was poverty, malnutrition, disease, pollution from pesticides, fact ory runoff and raw sewage into Lake Managua.The Sandinistas tried to address these problems and might have succeeded if the Contras had not undermined a lot of what they did. Money from Cuba and Eastern Europe was spent on building up an army to combat the Contras instead of being used for other important needs. The Sandinistas won an election in 1984 with 67% of the vote; most international observers deemed the elections fair. Exhaustion on both sides, fear of losing to the Contras, and mediation by other governments in the area led to the â€Å"Sapoa ceasefire† between the Sandinistas and the Contras on March 23, 1988.In the elections that followed in February 1991, the Sandinistas, who were expected to win, were soundly defeated. The new President was Violeta Chamorro, widow of a prize winning newspaper editor who had struggled against Somoza. When the Chamorro government took power, the situation of the country was even more desperate than in 1979. 2 All in all, the Contr as and the United States support for them were disastrous for Nicaragua. Notes 1 This paragraph is based on information from Kornbluh. 2 This paragraph is based on information from Britanica.Works Cited Britinaca. com. http://www. britinica. com/EBchecked/topic/413855/Nicaragua . â€Å"Iran-Contra and Arms-for-Hostages Scandals: Eugene Hasenfus† http://www. historycommons. org/jsp? irancontraaffair_key_figures . Kornbluh, Peter, and Malcom Byrne. The Iran-Contra Scandal: The Declassified History. New York: The New Press, 1993. The New York Times, January 3, 1975-September 17, 1979. Walsh, Lawrence E. Independent Counsel Report. â€Å"Executive Summary,† p. 2. http://www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/walsh/execsum. htm .

Global and International Business Contexts Essay

Introduction This report has been written by the Boston Consulting Group and uses Porter’s national diamond analysis model to evaluate the attractiveness of investment opportunities in the Tunisian wine industry. Also discussed are two key management issues that need to be taken into account before developing operations in Tunisia followed by recommendations on two strategies for entry into the Tunisian wine industry market. In terms of background to this report, it should be noted that the global market for wine industry is changing significantly with substantial differences in the structure of the wine industry around the world. For instance, there are 232,900 wine producers in France but the top 10 brands control only 4% of the market. In contrast, four firms control over 75% of the Australian wine market. Hence there is a marked difference in industry structure when comparing the â€Å"New World† producers (e.g. Australia, Chile, United States) to the â€Å"Old World† fir ms. These structural differences are driven by institutional diversity and contrasting patterns of historical development in countries. However, they are also driven by the competitive strategies employed by particular firms which are determining factors discussed in Porter’s Diamond model. Porter’s diamond model allows an analysis of why some industries within nations are more competitive than others and takes into account the home base of a business (Tunisia) as one element that plays an important part in  successfully achieving competitive advantage in the global market. (See insert 1.1) Part 1: Porter’s National Diamond Analysis Porter’s national diamond analysis model has four main determinants, which are factor conditions, related and supporting industries, demand conditions as well as strategy, structure and rivalry. Factor Conditions Factor conditions are those factors that can be utilised by companies inherently found within a nation which might provide competitive advantage such as human resources, material resources, knowledge resources, capital resources and infrastructure. These factor conditions can be built upon by companies to improve their competitiveness. Factor conditions could be divided into two resources as home grown resources and highly specialised resources. As Michael Porter described, the home grown resources are important and in the case of Tunisia includes the natural resource of a climate well suited to wine growing, plenty of sunshine, fertile soil as well as limited pollution which all aid the industry of grape planting. Political and historical factors through Tunisia’s history such as the romans, French occupation which resulted in over 600 caves being created for wine aging and a recent flourish in the Tunisian wine industry after the 1980’s has left Tunisia with a number of cooperatives and engineers all with specialist skills in wine production where modern techniques are being used creating innovation, technical progress and competitive advantage. The relative low cost of employment and salary levels in Tunisia compared to European countries brings with it a further home grown Tunisian competitive advantage together with an increasingly skilled base of employees who have worked in the wine industry. (http://www.tunisieindustrie.nat) Salary Per hour rate In Tunisia: 48-hour workweek: 1.538 DT per hr – Equates to 53p (in British pounds) per hour 40-hour workweek: 1.584 DT (http://www.tunisieindustrie.nat) Demand Conditions This is the demand for products in the home market which can be influenced by three factors; the mix of customer’s needs, the scope of domestic demand and growth and how the needs of domestic market translate into the global market. Whilst the annual domestic wine consumption per person in Tunisia is only 8/9 litres compared to an average of 60 litres a year in France, a domestic wine industry is likely to encourage greater levels of demand at  home from loyal customers to increasing levels of tourists (Ariaoui, 2007). Also consumer attitudes and behaviour play a role in domestic wine consumption because wine plays a very different role in European culture as compared to American, Australian culture or even Tunisian culture. In Europe wine remains part of everyday life and consumers often drink it along with the daily meal. Financial incentives offered by the Tunisian authorities have further helped to support the domestic wine industry making it more attractive to foreign i nvestors. As in new world producers, these investments in the Tunisian wine industry have helped encourage innovation enabling Tunisian wine growers to enhance the consistency and the quality of their wines by reducing operating costs through the increasing use of machinery to harvest the grapes crops. Tunisia can also learn from the New World which has more extensive and well-developed markets for its grapes, making it easier for wineries to find multiple avenues for sourcing production. Related and Supporting Industries At present, Tunisia make wines ranging from average to high levels of quality and they export their products to the whole world including famous brand names such as Carignan, Mourvà ¨dre and Muscat of Alexandria. The Tunisia government has supported their domestic wine industry through the construction of railways and roads (national infrastructure) to enhance the innovation and technological development in wine making which in turn is benefiting other related and supporting industries such as transport, holiday and leisure industry, technology and machinery. Taxes at 18% on wine consumption in Tunisia also provide an important income for the Tunisian treasury and so restrictions are unlikely in the future as in such nations as the US, Chile, and South Africa and should ensure continued support from the Tunisian government. Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry The structure and management systems of firms in different countries can potentially affe ct competitiveness and how well a company is able to use its existing organisational structure whether it is hierarchal or flat, against current and potential competitive companies. It is very important that the Tunisian wine industry pays close attention to its industry and company structures and strategies to ensure it is suitable for expansion into the global market. Porter argues that domestic rivalry which involves company structures and the need to pursue competitive within a country like Tunisia  could help provide the wine industry with a basis for achieving global leadership. Structural differences including institutional differences in wine production countries vary considerably and are often influenced by regulatory agencies such as in France, for instance which employs very strict regulations that constrain production so that producers can only designate sparkling wine as â€Å"Champagne† if they produce it using three grape varieties grown in the region with the same name unlike Australia which has a very loose regulatory structure allowing winemakers to source grapes from diverse geographic regions within the country. Different levels of subsidies have led to structural differences globally in wine making such as European governments who often subsidise their small farmers who grow grapes whereas subsidies tend to be lower or nonexistent in most New World nations. In addition, capital markets and corporate ownership patterns differ between geographic regions where typically Europe tends to have many more privately held firms in contrast to most of the largest winemakers in the United States and Australia who have become publicly traded corporations. Land ownership and historical patterns of development represent another major factor explaining the structural differences between global wine production areas. For example in the Old World, winemaking has been organised around family farms for centuries. and the land has remained in family ownership for generations. However currently, Tunisian landowners appear to be able to exert power in particular locations where high-quality land is scarce. This appears to be a problem where most producers are small, and good new acreage in Tunisia is extremely scarce but it is worth noting that grapes now cover more than 10,000 hectares of land in Tunisia compared to around 100 hectares in 1889 and wine production ranks third in Tunisian agriculture just behind olive oil and wheat production (Ariaoui, 2007). Finally, the competitive strategies of firms can affect industry structure such as the United States and Australia where publicly traded firms are much more prevalent. These firms have altered the industry structure and competitive landscape through their acquisition strategies, consumer branding and advertising strategies, capital investment plans, and technology initiatives. Consolidation of the wine Industry began to increase over the past decade, particularly among the New World producers with the consolidation of some premium wineries merging with direct rivals such as Rosemount creating some major global producers.  In terms of industrial structure, Tunisia, as yet is a small but relatively high cost producer of wine in comparison but now successfully exports millions of litres of wine annually to Europe, Russia and the US with two thirds of its wine production being controlled by the UCCCV (Union Centrale des Coopà ©ratives Viticoles) and is looking for global partners to exploit and develop Tunisian wine production opportunities. Part 2: Contemporary Management issues Leadership Style It is undisputable that many of the global wine producing companies who used to dominate the market are now experiencing a decline in market share. There are several reasons that can be used to explain such a decline including leadership style. The appropriate leadership styles are those that can enable the manager to interact closely both with the employees and the customers and as a facilitator whose major role is to bring together and create an organisational culture that is streamlined a geared towards meeting the goals and mission of the organisation. If the Tunisian Wine Industry is keen to expand, its management team should know that leading others is not a simple task. As a people manager, a leader has to treat everyone as equal regardless of their title or position and maintain a pleasant demeanor (Ljungholm, 2014). It is about focusing on gaining trust and commitment rather than enforcing fear and compliance. To be able to lead well, leaders need to be guided by appropriate leadership theories. Some of the theories proposed include supportive leadership model and transformative leadership model. These models should enable the Tunisian wine industry to adapt new environment easily and are described below. Supportive leadership model Supportive leadership model, is where the manager supports every stakeholder emotionally and professionally in an attempt to ensure that he or she performs optimally. It also focuses in forging and creating collaborating and binding relationships among employees (Mahalinga Shiva, & Suar, 2012). The workplace is often made up of people from diverse backgrounds, with varying needs and wants and it calls for patience, understanding and proper leadership skills. The supportive model believes that influencing people to do something is more productive and sustainable than barking orders and instructions to people (Hutchinson &  Jackson, 2013). A leader should always keep in mind that as a manager, he or she has to â€Å"Treat everyone as equal regardless of their title or position and remember to smile a lot and always maintain a pleasant demeanor.â €  The leader should focus on gaining trust and commitment rather than fear and compliance (Hutchinson & Jackson, 2013). This cannot be achieved without deliberately motivating the people to become better. Motivating them requires that you first understand their training and development needs. The leader should learn to foster warm relationships amongst the Tunisian employees to understand them and identify ways in which interpersonal relationships can be improved for a more fulfilling work experience. Transformative leadership model The second most important model is transformational leadership theory or model. This is a new model that was formed in around 1970s following the realisation that there was need of greater flexibility in employment. The current employment conditions have changed significantly and this model is particularly relevant to the Tunisian wine industry which is relatively new as an industry (1980’s onwards) and because most of the Tunisians of employable age are from the millennial generation. One thing to note about this new generation is that it is educated and culturally more mixed than any generation before them. In the US this typically means they are job-hoppers who hate officialdom and mistrust traditional hierarchies (Goudreau, 2013). This group of employees, according to Forbes, is willing to sacrifice pay for increased vacation time and the ability to work outside the office. According to the study conducted by Forbes, one of the ways of motivating this generation is that they want employers who offer flexibility or rather alternative work arrangement. The transformational leadership is characterised by a lot of motivation as under this leadership model, the leader is expected to provide constructive feedback, encourage employees to exert effort and to think creatively about complex problems (Xueli, Lin & Mian, 2014). Transformational leadership is based on what is called lead, learn and grow model.. A leader can implement transformational leadership by keeping track of the impact of his action, engaging in formal evaluation at the right time (Abbasi, & Zamani-Miandashti, 2013). A leader must also be willing and able to learn on an ongoing basis and should realise that learning is never complete. That is why under transformational leadership, no one is an expert (Watts, &  Corrie, 2013). Unlike in most European wine producing areas the problem with most leaders there, is that they tend to believe that they are qualified or that they are expert, whereas in Tunisia producers are looking for expertise outside of the country and seem willing to learn. Tunisia wine production has an opportunity to analyse and create and take into account the appropriate leadership style for the wine industry and country that will be maximise competitive advantage before wine production operations can be developed in the country. Part 2: Continued Contemporary Management issues Knowledge and Change Management Rapid changes in business and technology and increasing competitions means organisations have to adapt the best training and education to enable them continue to stay on top of their games. The complexity, relative newness and competitiveness of the Tunisian wine industry environment requires that Tunisian companies will have to continuously raise the bar on their effectiveness to compete globally. Top performance increasingly demands excellence in all areas, including leadership, strategy, productivity, and adaptation to change, process improvement, and capability enhancement on knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies, trust and motivation. An organisation in the wine industry should ensure that all levels of employees are given the opportunity to continue to improve by acquiring new skills through training. Much of the improvements needed in business to meet the demands of changing markets and economic conditions can only result from well-implemented organisational change measured against increased technological excellence and operational efficiency as well as productivity. Kotter (2011) defines change management as the utilisation of basic structures and tools to control any organizational change effort. Change management’s goal is to minimise the distractions and impacts of the change. Organisational change is incredibly complex and one of the key skills for managers is to understand the nature of change and to prepare themselves to lead and manage change in their unique organisational contexts. Where there is a lack of knowledge in the Tunisian wine business in terms of management strategies to deal with changing markets and economic conditions, Tunisia will need to look at their alliance business partners and those business  sectors in Tunisia that are successful in order to transfer and recruit the necessary management skills to succeed. Part 3: Market entry strategy – Strategy No 1 Formulating a mode of entry is very important factor that a company or industry intending to expand into a new market should bear in mind and predicts whether the company will turn out to be successful or not. The entry mode, according to International Business Publications (2009), is important in protecting the company from facing challenges such as legal, registration and even cultural challenges. In selecting the entry mode, the company should put into consideration the cost of doing business in destination country, and determine which entry mode will help in cutting down those costs and at the same time will ensure that the Tunisian wine industry gets maximum profits and also the largest market share in the target nation. In terms of advantages and based on the market situation, this paper proposes that the Tunisian Wine Industry should adopt cross-border strategic alliances to take advantage of a number of benefits compared with the export strategies. For example it creates different synergies in the domestic and foreign markets. In addition, it promotes production alliances, which help each of the allied firms to reduce production costs both in their domestic plants as well as their foreign plants. As far as distribution costs is concerned, the cross-border marketing, which is a product of cross-border strategic alliance, reduces the allied firms’ distribution costs in their foreign market (Qiu, 2006). Compared to other entry mode methods, cross-border strategic alliances create different synergies in the domestic and foreign markets (Qiu, 2006). Some of the synergies include production cost synergies and distribution costs synergies. These synergies will help the Tunisian wine industry to reduce the production and distribution costs and hence increase profits. In terms of disadvantages, cross-border strategic alliances can sometimes lead to a loss of control of individual wine production and their related services. Members of Tunisian wine production may well find that they can become restricted and unable to take decisions by themselves without first referring to the alliance partners. In addition, the complexity of making business alliances work is high and could further complicate business  structures, exacerbate cultural differences and have detrimental effects on intercompany working relationships. Part 3: Market entry strategy – Strategy No 2 Alternatively, the Tunisian Wine Industry may enter into new market through what is called licensing. Licensing mode of market entry allows foreign firms, either exclusively or non-exclusively to manufacture a licensed product in a certain market under specific condition and for this reason is particularly relevant to the situation faced by the Tunisian wine industry. A licensor in the home country makes limited rights or resources available to the licensee in the foreign country in which he or she is to do the business. This includes any resources may like patents, technology trademarks, managerial skills that can make it possible for the licensee to manufacture and sell in the foreign country a similar product to the one the licensor has already been producing and supplying in his home country. This enables the licensor to have several shares in similar companies without necessarily having to open a new branch in other countries. The licensor is usually paid on basis of one time payments, mechanical fees and royalty payments usually calculated as a percentage of sales resultant thereafter. The decision of making an international license agreement depend on the respect that foreign government show for intellectual property. The licensee should be able to cooperate with the licensor to avoid unhealthy completion in the market. In terms of advantages, licensing is a flexible agreement and can be adjusted any time to suit the conveniences of the both parties. However, this mode of entry can be disadvantageous to the licensee, as parts of the profits have to be shared to the licensor on these terms. Recovering the initial profit and getting reasonable profits can take a relatively longer period of time. Again it can also result in the loss of control over manufacturing and marketing of goods and export to other countries. A further risk to the Tunisian wine industry to take into account when considering this strat egy is that the foreign licensee may sell similar competitive wine products after the licensing agreement has expired. Recommendations To Board of Directors To conclude, when entering into a new market, there are many existing factors  to keep in mind. Porter’s national diamond model can help potential investors by allowing them to understand the macro environment in the Tunisian wine industry. Generally speaking, factor condition, demand condition, related and supporting industries and rivalry could encourage the entering activities. It is worth noting that the past high cost performance of Tunisian wine could also become a strong competitive advantage by restricting new entrants into the Tunisian wine producing market. As for recommendations, Tunisia offers the advantages of a natural wine producing climate and fertile soils, a relatively low cost of employment, significant financial incentives and investment in the countries’ infrastructure by the Tunisian government and unrestricted company structures and land ownership. The limitations of Tunisian wine industry relate to the relatively higher costs of wine production in Tunisia, increase in licensing opportunities across the wine industry and cross border alliances which can complicate international working relationships and introduce some uncertainty in the future as licensees from other countries continue to exploit Tunisian wine production opportunities resulting in possible delays in the release of profits available to international investing businesses. Appendices: Appendix 1 Insert 1.1 – Porters National Diamond Analysis Model References: Ariaoui Jamal, (Web) A Guided Tour of Tunisia’s Wine road, Magharebia, 2007 Rugman, A. & Collinson, S. (2012). International Business. (6th ed.), Pearson: Prentice Hall Dicken, P. (2011). Global Shift. 6th ed. Sage Hill, C. (2009) International Business, 8th edition, McGraw-Hill Peng, M. & Meyer, K. (2009) International Business, Cengage Learning Porter, M. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93. Porter, M. (1990). The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Harvard Business Review, March-April. Peng, M. (2014) Global Business, 3rd International Edition, South-Western Cengage Learning Xueli, W., Lin, M., & Mian, Z. (2014). Transformational Leadership and Agency Workers’ Organizational Commitment: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Justice and Job Characteristics. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 42(1), 25-36. Goudreau, J., 2013, 7 Surprising Ways to Motivate Millennial Workers. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2013/03/07/7-surprising-ways-to-motivate-millennial-workers/ Ingrid B. (2006). Facilitating to Lead. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-7879-7731-4 Watts, M, & Corrie, S 2013, ‘Growing the ‘I’ and the ‘We’ in Transformational Leadership: The LEAD, LEARN & GROW Model’, Coaching Psychologist, 9, 2, pp. 86-99, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. LJUNGHOLM, D 2014, ‘The Performance Effects of Transformational Leadership In Public Administration’, Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, 6, 1, pp. 110-115, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. SHENG-MIN, L, & JIAN-QIAO, L 2013, ‘Transformational Leadership and Speaking Up: Power Distance And Structural Distance As Moderators’, Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journa l, 41, 10, pp. 1747-1756, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. Abbasi, E, & Zamani-Miandashti, N 2013, ‘The role of transformational leadership, organizational culture and organizational learning in improving the performance of Iranian agricultural faculties’, Higher Education, 66, 4, pp. 505-519, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. Mahalinga Shiva, M, & Suar, D 2012, ‘Transformational Leadership, Organizational Culture, Organizational Effectiveness, and Programme Outcomes in Non-Governmental Organizations’, Voluntas: International Journal Of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations, 23, 3, pp. 684-710, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. Hutchinson, M, & Jackson, D 2013, ‘Transformational leadership in nursing: towards a more critical interpretation’, Nursing Inquiry, 20, 1, pp. 11-22, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 October 2014. Qiu, L. D. (2006). Cross-Borde r Strategic Alliances and Foreign Market Entry. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Retrieved from: http://www.etsg.org/ETSG2006/papers/Qiu.pdf

The Old West - Myths and Reali essays

The Old West - Myths and Reali essays For many years, Hollywood has been filming many movies and popular TV shows that portray the life and experience of the Old West for what it was really not, heroically mythical and dangerously romantic. What were the proposes of Hollywood in filming many films about this popular subject of life and history? For the most part of it, Hollywood was romanticizing the life and experience of the Old West in their movies and TV shows. However, some movies like Tombstone, by George P. Cosmatos, are non-fiction, of real character names and of real events, but they still are largely romanticized by Hollywood. The portrayal of the movie Tombstone is very romanticized compared to how the Old West really was, Hollywood added romanticism to make it more interesting and to appeal to a larger number of audiences. Hollywood could have made the movie more realistic by following more of what life was really like in the Old West, many parts of the video were not portrayed as they really were back in th e Old West. The western film Tombstone, starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, was portrayed and romanticized by Hollywood as and adventurous and heroically mythical, non-fiction story about the life and experience of cowboys in the Old West. Although the characters and their life story in the Old West is non-fictional, the movie was romanticized by Hollywood as no more than a myth to how the life in the Old West was. The movie began with Cutting Bill Brosis, character played by Kurt Russell, killing a young newly wedded Mexican couple and a priest. He accuses the groom of killing a fellow cowboy, but what about the bride and the innocent priest? Why did he killed them? This event and portrayal of the cowboy was one of Hollywoods biggest mistakes, they portrayed the cowboys in the movie as fearless killers who kill for the fun of it. Doc, the drunkard character played by Val Kilmer, is also poorly portrayed in comparison to a real cowboy from the ...

Biography of Anna Comnena, the First Female Historian

Biography of Anna Comnena, the First Female Historian Byzantine Princess Anna Comnena (Dec. 1 or 2, 1083–1153) was the first woman known to personally record historical events as a historian.  She also was a political figure who attempted to influence royal succession in the Byzantine Empire. In addition to The Alexiad, her 15-volume history on her fathers reign and related events, she wrote on medicine and ran a hospital and is sometimes identified as a physician. Fast Facts: Anna Comnena Known For: First female historianAlso Known As: Anna Komnene, Anna Komnena, Anna of ByzantiumBorn: Dec. 1 or 2, 1083 in Constantinople, Byzantine EmpireParents: Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, Irene DucasDied: 1153 in Constantinople, Byzantine EmpirePublished Work: The AlexiadSpouse: Nicephorus Bryennius Early Life and Education Anna Comnena was born on Dec. 1 or 2, 1083, in Constantinople, which was then the capital city of the Byzantine Empire and later of the Latin and Ottoman empires and finally of Turkey. It has been called Istanbul since the early 20th century. Her mother was Irene Ducas and her father was the Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, who ruled from 1081 to 1118. She was the eldest of her fathers children, born in Constantinople just a few years after he took over the throne as emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire by seizing it from Nicephorus III. Anna seems to have been a favorite of her father. She was betrothed at a young age to Constantine Ducas, a cousin on her mothers side and a son of Michael VII, the predecessor to Nicephorus III, and Maria Alania. She was then placed under Maria Alanias care, a common practice of the time. The young Constantine was named a co-emperor and was expected to be heir to Alexius I, who at that time had no sons. When Annas brother John was born, Constantine no longer had a claim on the throne. He died before the marriage could take place. As with some other medieval Byzantine royal women, Comnena was well-educated. She studied the classics, philosophy, music, science, and mathematics. Her studies included astronomy and medicine, topics about which she wrote later in her life.  As a royal daughter, she also studied military strategy, history, and geography. Although she credits her parents with being supportive of her education, her contemporary, Georgias Tornikes, said at her funeral that shed had to study ancient poetry- including The Odyssey- surreptitiously, as her parents disapproved of her reading about polytheism. Marriage In 1097 at the age of 14, Comnena married Nicephorus Bryennius, who was also a historian.  They had four children together in their 40 years of marriage. Bryennius had some claim to the throne as a statesman and general, and Comnena joined her mother, the Empress Irene, in a vain attempt to persuade her father to disinherit her brother, John, and replace him in the line of succession with Bryennius. Alexius appointed Comnena to head a 10,000-bed hospital and orphanage in Constantinople. She taught medicine there and at other hospitals and developed expertise on gout, an illness from which her father suffered. Later, when her father was dying, Comnena used her medical knowledge to choose from among the possible treatments for him. He died despite her efforts in 1118, and her brother John became emperor, John II Comnenus. Succession Plots After her brother was on the throne, Comnena and her mother plotted to overthrow him and to replace him with Annas husband, but Bryennius apparently refused to take part in the plot. Their plans were discovered and thwarted, Anna and her husband had to leave the court, and Anna lost her estates. When Comnenas husband died in 1137, she and her mother were sent to live in the convent of Kecharitomene, which Irene had founded.  The convent was devoted to learning, and there, at age 55, Comnena began serious work on the book for which she will long be remembered. The Alexiad A historical account of her fathers life and reign that her late husband had begun, The Alexiad totaled 15 volumes when it was completed and was written in Greek rather than in Latin, the spoken language of her place and time. In addition to recounting her fathers accomplishments, the book became a valuable source to later historians as a pro-Byzantine account of the early Crusades. While the book was written to praise Alexius accomplishments, Annas place at court for most of the period it covered made it more than that. She had been privy to details that were unusually accurate for histories of the time period. She wrote about the military, religious, and political aspects of history and was skeptical of the value of the Latin churchs First Crusade, which occurred during her fathers reign. She also wrote of her isolation at the convent and of her disgust with her husbands unwillingness to carry through with the plot that would have put him on the throne, noting that perhaps their genders should have been reversed. Legacy In addition to recounting her fathers reign, the book describes religious and intellectual activities within the empire and reflects the Byzantine  concept  of the imperial office. It also is a valuable account of the early Crusades, including character sketches of the First Crusades leaders and of others with whom Anna had direct contact. Comnena also wrote in The Alexiad about medicine and astronomy, demonstrating her considerable knowledge of science. She included references to the accomplishments of a number of women, including her influential grandmother Anna Dalassena. The Alexiad  was first translated into English in 1928 by another pioneering woman, Elizabeth Dawes, a  British classical scholar and the first woman to receive a doctorate in literature from the University of London. Sources Anna Comnena: Byzantine Princess. Encyclopedia Britannica.Anna Comnena: Byzantine Historian of the First Crusade. Women in World History Curriculum.

En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives

En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives En Dashes Clarify Compound Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol Some style guides recommend using en dashes in place of hyphens for a wide variety of uses, but The Chicago Manual of Style, the guidebook of record for most American publishing companies, advises a more limited set of applications. According to Chicago style, these sentences would all be written with hyphens, not en dashes: â€Å"He had long flown the San Francisco-Los Angeles run.† â€Å"In 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act went into effect.† â€Å"The final score was 6-5.† â€Å"After discussion, the board voted 6-3 to approve the project.† â€Å"Their father-son rivalry persisted for many years.† â€Å"The Michelson-Morley experiment was a significant milestone on the way to the theory of special relativity.† What, then, are en dashes for? First, they separate two numbers in a number range (as in the inclusive page numbers in a chapter, or the years of birth and death in a person’s life span). Second, the en dash functions as a superhyphen. It is this second function that this post details. In a simple phrasal adjective, two single words that, as a temporary compound, modify a noun are often hyphenated: â€Å"Her high-handed gesture backfired.† (The hyphen’s function is to eliminate ambiguity, so that the sentence is not understood as referring to a handed gesture that is high.) But when the first of the two terms in the temporary compound is itself a compound, the greater suspensive strength of the en dash is employed, as in â€Å"She wears jam jar–bottom glasses† or â€Å"The character’s origins go all the way back to the golden egg–laying magic goose.† Alternately, these sentences can be styled with hyphens between the three words in each phrasal adjective, as in â€Å"She wears jam-jar-bottom glasses† and â€Å"The character’s origins go all the way back to the golden-egg-laying magic goose.† This style is used when en dashes are discouraged or not an option, such as online (on Web sites, en dashes, unlike hyphens, require use of a code) or in newspapers, most of which do not use the longer symbol. However, such use of hyphenation does not demonstrate the subtle relationship between the elements of the phrasal adjective. In addition to linking an open compound to another adjective, an en dash serves to connect a proper noun to a word that indicates resemblance or another relationship: â€Å"The character is part Clint Eastwood–type cowboy.† â€Å"You can see him as a Leonardo da Vinci–like genius.† â€Å"She evolved from being a slick Mata Hari–esque female to a more rounded, tomboyish figure.† This structure clarifies that type refers, for example, to â€Å"Clint Eastwood,† not to â€Å"Eastwood† alone. En dashes connect the concepts in the following phrases: â€Å"Academy Award–winning actor,† pre–Industrial Revolution technology,† â€Å"ex–vice president,† and â€Å"non–United Nations action.† However, when connecting a term to a hyphenated compound, a simple hyphen is used, as in â€Å"non-English-speaking visitors† or â€Å"non-government-sponsored programs.† Another case in which a hyphen, not an en dash, is employed is â€Å"post-9/11,† because the short form of the month-date designation is not considered a compound. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowEnglish Grammar 101: Verb Mood25 Idioms with Clean

Commercial Contract Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Commercial Contract Assessment - Essay Example A reasonable person is an imaginary person created by judges. Thus, a reasonable man is one who is an ordinary â€Å"Joe" type of character. According to Howarth (1984), promisor or promisee objectivity is one where a reliable person stands on the shoes of either the promisor or promisee and looks at the incidents from that angle. A detached objective is one where a reasonable person sees if he were in other person’s position, but looks at the incidents, as if â€Å" he is a fly on the wall†. (Taylor & Taylor 2007:22). Spencer also recognised a â€Å" fly on the wall theory† and also known as â€Å" detached objectivity† by Howarth, according to which the phrases employed by one contracting party must be assessed, not as they seemed to his co-contracting party, but as they would have seemed to a rational man following the negotiations. (Vorster, 1987). In Upton-on-Severn R.D.C. v. Powell, where D was authorised to have the services of the fire brigade specified to his province free of charge, whereas he had no such privilege to the assistance of fire brigades from other areas. D, in the mistaken belief, called upon the Upton fire brigade that he resided in their region. The Court of Appeal held D was needed to pay for the services enjoyed contractually. Thus, Lord Greene M.R.s verdict â€Å"appears to be most exceptionally destitute of any ratio decidendi.† The verdict is in tune with the â€Å"fly on the wall† theory, as the fire brigade had not come to a conclusion, nor would a reasonable person in his status have come to a conclusion, from Ds demand for assistance that an offer to reimburse for their services was being made. (Vorster 1987). In â€Å"Butler Machine Tool Co. Ltd. v Ex-Cell-O Corporation (England) Ltd [ 1979] 1 ER 965† the vendor delivered to the purchaser the printed, tear-off acknowledgement slip which was part and parcel of the order. It read as â€Å"we acknowledge your order on the

In this assignment you will draw two primary sources and two secondary Research Paper

In this assignment you will draw two primary sources and two secondary sources written after 1990 to explore a topic addressed i - Research Paper Example There are several factors that played a key role in the collapse of one of the greatest empires in the world. According to Bauer (84), several factors that occurred within a span of approximately 500 years were instrumental in the collapse of a strong empire, the Roman Empire. Expansion of the Rome Empire can be referred to as one of the major causes of its collapse. Rome kept conquering many nations and therefore there was rapid growth in the land they owned. Consequently, there was great need to defend the borders and the territories of Rome. As they struggle to keep this under their control, emperors increased taxes on non-Romans and these created more enmity where frequent rebellions arose. Lack of enough solders to safeguard their territories forced them to employ foreigners who were against them resulting in the collapse of the empire. Since the empire was growing at a rapid rate, it needed more soldiers for it to remain a great conqueror. As such, militarism was adopted as a m ean of the emperor and his compatriots remaining in full control. In this case, constant fighting needed heavy military spending. This demand for the military was high since the Roman Empire became over stretched, and the need for more solders was proportional to its needs for expansion and protection of their overstretched territories. Due to this, there was overspending in the military body, hence other fundamental activities were left with few resources. Vital issues such as provision of houses to the public, quality roads and channel were left untouched. This also resulted in emperors raising taxes repeatedly resulting in increased levels of inflation. Roman Empire faced a failing economy and increased levels of inflation. Inflation is a state where prices increase and the purchasing power of currency declines. The Rome Empire was in this situation and the government was threatened of impoverishment as it did not have sufficient cash to cater for its needs. Overexpansion and eff orts to protect their territories resulted in this. For instance, the increased population required more militaries and the demand forced them to recruit and train more people. This process was demanding and more money was used in paying the large numbers of military personnel .The other factor is that after they diminished new lands conquering, the flow of gold to their economy decreased. This resulted to less use of coins and the coin become less valuable. Due to over-expansion of the territories, there were more merchants from the conquered places who raised the prices of the goods that they sold. Several persons changed their way of trading and butter trade erupted eventually. People stopped using coins and they began to undertake barter trade in order to get what they wanted from others. This went to as far as paying salaries in the form of food and clothing while tax collection also changed and vegetables and fruits were used to pay taxes. In this case, the expansion of territ ories shows how the economy was affected resulting to its decline. According to Goldsworthy(72) Over expanded Roman Empire territory had people from different ethnic groups and was over populated. As a result, the labor force was composed of slavery resulting in unemployment. Plebs in

Cross culture communication and negotiation Essay - 1

Cross culture communication and negotiation - Essay Example The author point out how both native and non-native speakers should make their approach in order to understand each other and co-construct the conversation in intercultural communication in an age when English is becoming a global language. 5. Dovidio, J.F., Hebl, M., Richeson, J.A. & Shelton, J.N. 2006. Nonverbal communication, Race, and intergroup Interaction. [Online] Available at: http://www.yale.edu/intergroup/Dovidio_Hebl_Richeson_Shelton_2006.pdf In this article, the authors analyses the importance of nonverbal communication in cross cultural communication and negotiation process. It says that members of majority and minority groups in general may differ in the types of nonverbal behaviors they display regularly. It also analyses Social Identity and Nonverbal Behavior in Intergroup Interaction. 6. Rudlin, P. 2008. Indirect communication: I see what you mean. MultiLingual, Jun2008, Vol. 19 Issue 4, p49-51, This article focuses on the importance of non-verbal communication in Ja pan. It says that Japanese prefer to use eye contact, teeth sucking and head movements to avoid confrontation and disagreement with others. Listeners and speakers are expected to understand the real meaning of their movement and vague expressions to convey that it is not necessary to talk about it. 7. Mandal, M.K., Harizuka, S., Bhushan, B. & Mishra, K.C. (2001). Cultural variation in hemifacial asymmetry of emotion expressions British Journal of Social Psychology (2 001), 40, 385–398 The authors of this article argues that emotions such as happy, sad, fear , anger, surprise, disgust etc are displayed differently by people of different cultures after analysing the emotions of Japanese, Oriental Indian and...All these developments result in increased cross cultural communication and business negotiation processes. Cross cultural communication and negotiation are vital in determining the success and failures of international business. Stuhlmacher & Citera (2005) pointed out that â€Å"Negotiations are often categorized as distributive (win-lose) and integrative (win-win)† (p.24). Even though everybody wants to conduct negotiations to yield a win-win result, in most of the cases, it results in win-lose results. Both the parties argue their points strongly while doing negotiations. Such arguments often end up in conflicts. The success of business negotiation rests in the abilities of the parties in solving such crisis. While doing international business, the negotiators belong to different cultures, and hence it is quite possible that the ideas conveyed by one by one person may not be perceived properly by the other person. It should be noted that verbal as well as nonverbal communication are important in communicating the ideas of one person to another. In cross cultural business negotiations, the negotiators are from different cultures and hence their verbal as well as the nonverbal means of communication could be entirely different.

3 works of art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

3 works of art - Essay Example The gown looks like the nun uniform and she is lazily enveloped into the reverie or dream about the angel. This is an epitome of the spiritualism that an image can depict. Moreover, the environment that hooks up the angel and St.Teresa looks dreamy, implying the supernatural feeling that the paint is showing. In this paint, Caravaggio is showing a pretty realistic image of St.peter being crucified. He is keen on the posture of the people and the wood used to make the crucifix. It is a paint that shows the crucifixion of St.Peter as he asked people to do. He is crucified upside down as a symbol of not imitating his Lord Jesus Christ. The painting is so real that it shows the cloth that is wrapped around him to conceal his loins, the people lifting the cross and the obscurity of their faces in the shadows. The picture arouses feelings of sadness by looking at the way St.Peter has left his mouth open with his long beard and dully eyes, showing so much pain. The people lifting the crucifix are also showing fatigue since it is clear that they are straining to life the crucifix to its intended right position. This paint is a fascinating image that describes the evolution of the Catholic Church by Peter Paul Rubens. He is so artistic in the painting of women and men in their full physical features laying on each other in various postures. There is also the presence of leopards in shady trying to roar at the infants on the ground. This is a description of the spread of Catholic Churches across the world and the numerous challenges it has faced, behind the leopards, the adults and the infants is a dark blue sky that is not fully clear. It shows the beautiful sky, symbolizing the hope and feasibility of the Catholic Church

Internship Report Paper ( Mos Kaffee GmbH ) Essay

Internship Report Paper ( Mos Kaffee GmbH ) - Essay Example The organization operates its business functions in Berlin which is supposed to be closely linked with the coffee industry. According to a report published by Euromonitor (2011), Germany has been referred as a coffee drinking nation which has been verified by considering the fact that in the year 2010, the per capita use of coffee in Germany had raised by 150 liters in terms of the total volume. As stated by the German Coffee Association, coffee is regarded as a health drink in Germany. They have also claimed that coffee particularly encourages various psychological related activities and positively supports sporting activities that include fitness and also prevents the occurrences of various diseases such as diabetes. These sort of publicities about the consumption of coffee ultimately posed considerable influence upon the activities of the consumers which were perceived to affect the growth as well as sales of coffee in lieu of both value and volume by a large degree (Euromonitor, 2011). It was in the era of 1670s that the coffee houses and stores were established in Germany. Progressively, the establishment of coffee houses rose considerably and by the year 1777, coffee became a crucial part of the culture of Germany and every city of the country possessed at least one coffee house (Diaz & Pedersen, 2009). It has been observed in this context that the German business market focused upon important aspects which included the awareness for sustainability in the coffee industry along with considering various environmental issues. In relation to the coffee industry, the business market of Germany has been viewed as the main consumer of the organic products. Moreover, the German business market is regarded as the largest importer of coffee in the world. The chief market players in the coffee sector of Germany entail Kraft and Dallmayr Kaffee among others. The first coffee store was established in Berlin in the year 1721 in order to serve superior quality of coffee to the general public as consumers which helped in gradually attaining immense popularity especially in the coffee segment (Tucker, 2011). Mos Kaffee GmbH bought two franchisees of Einstein coffee shop that is regarded as one of the renowned coffee shop chains in Berlin. In order to acquire the franchise permission from Einstein, a cost of â‚ ¬15.000 was incurred and the business organization is required to pay them 4% of their sales volume every month. The business culture of Mos Kaffee GmbH has successfully penetrated in almost every individual part of the German society as the most thriving coffee chain in the nation. The business organization offers high quality coffee to its wide number of customers and intentionally targets the wealthy society in order to attain considerable market share along with gaining competitive position. Gradually, as the business of the organization started to grow, Mos Kaffee GmbH made plans to open two coffee shops especially in Berlin-Mitte and the other one in the Audi-Center located in Germany. The several coffee houses that are available in Berlin apart from Mos Kaffee GmbH include the Cafe Kranzler, Cafe Savigny, Cafe Aedes, Cafe Richler, Cafe Mohring and Wintergarten. The Wintergarten is regarded as the prettiest amongst all the coffee shops that presently exist especially in Ber

3 works of art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

3 works of art - Essay Example The gown looks like the nun uniform and she is lazily enveloped into the reverie or dream about the angel. This is an epitome of the spiritualism that an image can depict. Moreover, the environment that hooks up the angel and St.Teresa looks dreamy, implying the supernatural feeling that the paint is showing. In this paint, Caravaggio is showing a pretty realistic image of St.peter being crucified. He is keen on the posture of the people and the wood used to make the crucifix. It is a paint that shows the crucifixion of St.Peter as he asked people to do. He is crucified upside down as a symbol of not imitating his Lord Jesus Christ. The painting is so real that it shows the cloth that is wrapped around him to conceal his loins, the people lifting the cross and the obscurity of their faces in the shadows. The picture arouses feelings of sadness by looking at the way St.Peter has left his mouth open with his long beard and dully eyes, showing so much pain. The people lifting the crucifix are also showing fatigue since it is clear that they are straining to life the crucifix to its intended right position. This paint is a fascinating image that describes the evolution of the Catholic Church by Peter Paul Rubens. He is so artistic in the painting of women and men in their full physical features laying on each other in various postures. There is also the presence of leopards in shady trying to roar at the infants on the ground. This is a description of the spread of Catholic Churches across the world and the numerous challenges it has faced, behind the leopards, the adults and the infants is a dark blue sky that is not fully clear. It shows the beautiful sky, symbolizing the hope and feasibility of the Catholic Church