The Chinese Economy, Culture & Society

The social values and history have shaped and formed the economical developments and the current environment of business in the People's Republic of China. They have determined the patterns for negotiation and the Chinese perceptions of business, and their feelings towards westerners. The implicit and explicit rules that the Chinese society has on the development of businesses, and the economy in general, are very important issues for any person going into China to understand and consider. In order to achieve a successful partnership between Chinese and Western cultures it is essential to have a basic understanding of history and cultural developments that have shaped the current environment of business. The three pillars of China are economy, culture, and society. The Chinese economy has been formed as a result of centuries of history and development, which reflect the philosophy of China and its current economical position. China started as a mainly agricultural based society with the subsistence group; the family. For more than 2000 years the Chinese economy operated under a type of feudal system; land was concentrated in the hands of a relatively small group of landowners whose income depended on rents from their peasant tenants. Agricultural taxes levied by the imperial government and crop yields subject to drought and floods kept agriculture relatively underdeveloped and organized in small units with the use of primitive methods for basic subsistence. The conclusion of the Opium War of 1840 formally initiated a period of Western penetration of China from the coastal treaty ports. Railroads and highways were constructed, and some industrial development began. Such activity had little impact, however, on the overall Chinese economy. In effect, China was carved up into a number of competing colonial spheres of influence. Japan, which tried to attach China to its East Asia prosperity Sphere, was able to create only isolated nodes of a modern economy. The Chinese Communist party emerged in the 1920s in the midst of a mounting economic crisis caused by foreign intervention and increased landlord influence in the countryside. For more than two decades, it expanded its control over large rural areas by introducing an agrarian program based on the control of rent and usury, and by giving power to peasant associations. On October 1, 1949, the Communist party successfully established a unified national government and economy on the mainland for the first time since the end of the imperial period in 1912. From 1949 to 1952 the emphasis was on halting inflation and ending food shortages and unemployment. The new government initiated a land reform program that redistributed land to 300 million poor peasants into cooperative farms. In 1958 the rural people's communes were established, and these dominated agriculture in China until the early 1980s. The commune was based on the collective ownership of all land and major tools by its members, who produced mainly to meet state planning targets and who were rewarded according to the work they performed, although basic necessities were guaranteed to all members. In the urban-industrial sector, state ownership of property and of industrial and commercial enterprises was gradually extended. Industry grew steadily from heavy investment under the first five-year plan, and the state-owned sector achieved an overwhelming importance. The second five-year plan was introduced in 1958, trying to get China ahead into industrialization. This program was characterized by large investments in heavy industry and the establishment of small-scale versions of such industries as steel refining. The program, however, caused great disruptions in economic management and in rational economic growth, and in 1960 the program had to be abandoned. The Chinese economy then entered a period of readjustment, but by 1965 production in many fields again approached the level of the late 1950s. The third five-year plan began in 1966, but both agricultural and industrial production were severely curtailed by the effects of the Cultural Revolution; a fourth five-year plan was introduced in 1971 as the economy began its recovery. After eliminating the vestiges of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, China's leaders decided to move at a faster pace on all economic fronts to make up for the loss suffered in the preceding ten years. A fifth five-year program began in 1976 but was interrupted in 1978, when the Four-Modernization program was launched. It included the modernization of agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology. A ten-year plan for 1976-85 stressed improvement in economic management and a larger role for private and collectively owned (as opposed to state-owned) enterprises. This program was superseded by a more modest ten-year plan for 1981-90, but efforts to attract Western technology and investment continued, as did a program of incentives to increase agricultural production. Policies introduced in October 1984 called for further decentralization of economic planning and for increased reliance on market forces to determine the prices of consumer goods. China has potential to be the biggest market of the world with 1.3 billion people. Furthermore, it posses billions of unexplored resources and the biggest and cheapest labor force in Asia. The size and underdevelopment make it a potential monster that has created interest in every investing and developing country in the world. The Chinese economy is an increasing economic possibility for anyone. Chinese culture and society can be divided into two major periods, Imperial China and Communist China. The modern Chinese society can be defined as a combination of centuries of values and communist propaganda achievements. The imperial China had a strong class system where 90% of the people were poor and possessed limited resources to develop culturally, socially and personally. This situation led to the strength of the large family and the basis for the distinctive collectivism of China. The well being of the family and the state are the main goals for any action in society. If actions taken do not contribute to the family or the society as a whole, then the actions will not be regarded as proper. Eliminating almost any form of individualistic thinking. The Chinese Family is the main economic unit of society. The development of the Chinese economy is based on the family. The Chinese family is the economic unit in which members produce and consume in common. Also, it is the religious unit responsible for the performing of rites required for the well being of the family. The social security of the Chinese family relies on the effective performance and interaction between religion and family. These concepts strongly clash with western individualism collection of wealth for personal gain. A clear example of this is the overseas Chinese control family-run business empires that already dominate much of Asia. They invest billions in China, helping their ancestral homeland become the world's fastest-growing economy. Together, China and its approximately 56 million offshore Chinese are the most important commercial and political forces for China and reflect, again the family based economic strategy that they follow. In addition to the traditional imperial Chinese society, the Communist values shape and blend into modern Chinese philosophy. One of the early acts of the Chinese Communist party after it gained control in 1949 was to officially eliminate organized religion. Previously the dominant religions in China had been Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Most temples and schools of these four religions were converted to secular purposes. Only with the constitution of 1978 was official support again given for the allowance of formal religion in China. The constitution also stated that the Chinese population had the right to hold religious beliefs. Moreover, China has a long and rich cultural tradition in which education has played a major role. Throughout the imperial period (221 BC-AD 1912), only the educated have held positions of social and political leadership. In 124 BC the first university was established for training prospective bureaucrats in Confucian learning and the Chinese classics. Historically, however, few Chinese have been able to take the time to learn the complex language and it's associated literature. It is estimated that as late as 1949 only 20% of China's population was literate. To the Chinese Communists, this illiteracy was a stumbling block for the promotion of their political programs. Therefore, the Communists combined political propaganda with educational development. Chinese education has been strongly affected by the communism in China. Since education was for the rich and privileged during imperial age of China. One of the most ambitious programs of the Communist party has been the establishment of universal public education for their large population. In the first two years of the new government (1949-51) more than 60 million peasants enrolled in â€Å"winter schools,† or sessions, established to take advantage of the slack season for agricultural workers. Mao declared that a dominant goal of education was to reduce the sense of class distinction. This was to be accomplished by reducing the social gaps between manual and mental labor, between the city and countryside residents and between the worker in the factory and the peasant on the land. After long periods of breaks and changes in policies colleges reopened in 1970-72. Admission was granted to many candidates because of their political leanings, party activities, and peer-group support. This method of selection ceased in 1977, as the Chinese launched their new campaign for the Four Modernizations. The governments stated goals for rapid modernization in agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology required high levels of training. Such educational programs by necessity had to be based on theoretical and formal skills more than on political attitudes and the spirit of revolution. After the revolution every thing changed in China. The stability of social values and structure where the highest achievement for the Chinese philosophy. These values where already deep in the Chinese culture; however, they were strengthened with communism and used into the development of China. The Chinese society had become a combination of strong family and moral values and a country thriving for modernization and industrialization. This concept of stability as the highest achievement obstructed the development of China in the past, and still creates problems today. The sole concept of risks disturbs the grounds of Chinese culture in contrast to western society where risk is the main drive for development and investment. The radical change from imperialism and strong class differences to the equality philosophy implemented by Mao Tse Tung created the modern China. Its development from feudalism to communism created a conservative China, with very few attempts to move towards capitalism. It was through the imperial years that mercantilism and trade took place, yet it never flourished, as the capitalistic model westerners know, until China's re-opening to the western world in the 70's. China has always had the elements for development. In fact, they could very well have had an industrial revolution before England. China possessed many key elements that transformed Europe into a modernized industrial economy (compass, printing, gunpowder, etc). Nevertheless, there is much more to China than just industrial and economical development. Thus, when considering developing a business in China one should always consider the cultural factors that makes the Chinese society so strong and differentiating it from western societies. The fact that China wants to grow, does not mean that it will do it with the western models and philosophy, rather it will be with models developed from their own culture. This is the point that can be attributed to cause most of the problems between Chinese and Western cultures, and the point to be accepted in order to be successful in developing a successful business relationship in China. Negotiating in China can be very frustrating. Differences in decision making styles and negotiating tactics cause misunderstanding and tension. Chinese culture is based on the importance of rituals and ceremonies and so is Chinese business. Business meetings are as important as the dealings during receptions. To exemplify the process of dealing with China in order to develop a productive relationship we will use the case of Kentucky Fried Chicken in China. This case includes the different problems and strategies used in the negotiation and development of business in China, specifically in setting up a foreign joint venture. However, the problems that arise and the current working environment of the Chinese economy cannot be understood without first understanding the history and the cultural revolutions that have shaped it. This brief outline of the history of China leads insight into some of the problems and the resolutions that a manager for KFC experienced during his venture with the Chinese. In 1986, Tony Wang was Vice President of the Southeast Asia division of KFC. He had an opportunity of bringing the world's largest chicken restaurant company into the world's largest populated country. Wang was an experienced entrepreneur and had been working for KFC for seven years. No other fast food companies were currently operating in the People's Republic, so Wang did not have anything to go by and had nothing to help him evaluate the attractiveness of the Chinese market. The main downsides of operating in China were huge demands on managerial resources and the low prospects of significant hard currency repatriation. The first decision that Wang was faced with was where to open the location of the first KFC. Obviously there were differences from city to city but a reliable way to evaluate these differences did not exist. Wang was interested in the enormous potential of the Chinese market, but he knew that many other companies had failed in similar ventures. Ta-Tung, (Tony) Wang was born in the Sichuan province in the People's Republic of China in 1944. He moved to Taiwan when he was young and graduated from the Chong-Yuan University with a degree in engineering. He later moved to the United States, and in 1973 completed a masters degree in management science from the Steven's Institute of Technology in New Jearsey. He then attended New York University where, in 1975, he received his post-master's certificate in international business management. Wang joined KFC in 1975 at the headquarters in Louisville. Wang was convinced of the large potential for American-style fast food in China. He attended a lecture by the mayor of Tianjin (the third largest city in China), who spoke of the many opportunities for investment in his city. Wang was asked by the mayor to sit on a council to advise on improving the fast food industry in Tianjin. KFC was currently owned by R.J. Reynolds, who was very interested in getting into the Chinese market to sell their cigarettes. American smokes were in high demand in China. Wang had the support of top management. He spoke perfect Mandarin and English and was as comfortable working in New York as he was Beijing. He also had experience negotiating with the Chinese. As Tony Wang investigated more and more into the necessary requirements his concerns began to grow. He knew that Chinese workers would have problems working under the KFC guidelines, and time-consuming, expensive training programs would be a necessary requirement. As well large capital outlays would be needed to find and negotiate a partnership, to sign a lease and gain operating permits. Wang began to thoroughly research the Chinese market. The first item that he began to look at was location. The reason that this was so important was because the location would have dramatic impact on the profitability, future expansion to the rest of China, and the managerial resources commitments. Four cities were selected as potential locations for the first store: Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Tianjin – One of the major advantages of Tianjin was the established contacts that Wang had there. As well, it was only one of three municipal governments in China that were not controlled by the Central Government in Beijing. The major problem with Tianjin was it lacked a convenient supply of grain-fed chickens. Local chickens were fed using fish meal fed chickens. This presented a problem given that the Chinese place great emphasis on freshness and taste. Tianjin also was not a very popular tourist location. Wang expected most profits to be in Renminbi, but some foreign currency would be needed for profit repatriation and purchasing needed supplies, which could only be purchased outside of China. Shanghai – Shanghai has over 11 million people, and is regarded as China's most prosperous business centre. Shanghai is home to a large variety of Western hotels, business facilities and tourists, however it also is not a very popular tourist spot, because of the pollution and loud noise. The investment could not be justified if it did not supply an adequate amount of foreign currency. Shanghai did, however, contain several feed mills and the largest poultry supplier in China. Gangzhou – Gangzhou is located in Southeast China only a short distance from Hong Kong, and is recognized for it preferential treatment for foreign investment. It has greater autonomy in approving foreign investment projects, reducing tax rates, and encouraging technological development. Many tourists visit Gangzhou because of its close proximity to Hong Kong. As well any operations could be managed directly from the existing Hong Kong operations. As well, Wang did not anticipate difficulty finding a supplier for chicken. Beijing – Beijing is the second largest city in China. It is the political and cultural centre and has relatively high levels of affluence and the education of its inhabitants. It is also the tourist centre of China, with many attractions located in and around Beijing. A Beijing location would also give a higher profile. This could be both good and bad. If they received approval from the central government, they would be able to enter the rest of the Chinese market without hassle. However, because of the higher profile, the government might decide that they would not fit in to the Chinese landscape, which would prevent them from ever succeeding. Outside of Beijing there were also numerous poultry farms. Wang knew that the location was the most important detail, and would decide whether KFC would succeed or not. There were currently no other competitors in the Chinese market, so now was the time to strike to take advantage of the situation. The risks were high, and Wang needed to weigh out these risks to estimate whether the expenses would lead to for a huge gain or a huge loss. In early February 1987, Wang decided to open operations in Beijing. This was decided because of Beijing's high amount of tourists and its autonomous municipal government. However, he was feeling more worried about the venture. KFC signed a joint venture partnership. Wang's worries were stemming from the difficulty he had been experiencing getting things done in a city governed by a bureaucracy that seemed impossible to either understand or work with. He felt that he would never be able to find a location in the city and government approval was required on everything. Wang was also concerned whether Chinese workers would be able to meet KFC's demands for cleanliness, quality and service. The establishment of a joint venture was considered essential because Wang described the chinese, â€Å"completely impossible for us to understand. In fact, trying to do so is a complete waste of time.† Trying to understand investment regulations, winning approval for operating licenses, leases, and employment contracts could certainly prevent them from proceeding. A local partner was not required under Chinese law, however Wang felt it would be beneficial in setting up operations and maintaining continued viability. Through ties R.J. Reynolds had with the Ministry of Light, a partnership was formed between KFC and the Beijing Corporation of Animal Production, a Beijing city government-controlled producer of chickens. After careful inspection KFC found that this would indeed work out, as Animal Production already produced three of the approved breeds of chicken required for operations. Negotiations with the poultry producer commenced with Mr. Jue Xia, a senior manager in the Beijing corporation. Xia felt that it would not be able to meet KFC's large demand because they did not have access to large enough reserves of grain. Xia was also hesitant about KFC's quality standards. However, they thought that a partnership with a Western firm would be beneficial for them as they would gain international experience. Xia felt that Tony Wang was unlike most American managers; he was a man he could deal with. The Beijing Corporation helped Wang find a chicken supplier but they lacked close contact with the government agencies that would be essential to setting up operations. So a third partner was needed. Both partners agreed that the Beijing Tourist Bureau would be able to meet their requirements. The Tourist Bureau was responsible for the supervision of the construction and operation of all hotels and restaurants in Beijing. They also had a lot of experience speeding up the construction of many Western hotels, and had many times participated in a joint venture in these operations. During these negotiations it happened that KFC was sold to Pepsico. During this time KFC was the second largest fast food chain in the world. It was initially thought that Animal Production had only come on board because of pressure from the Ministry of Light Industry, who wanted to win points with Reynolds, so the acquisition came at a bad time. As it turned out, however, Pepsico's connections with the government in Beijing were even stronger then Reynolds, so negotiations continued with a renewed interest. To convince the partners to become part of the venture, Wang offered a guarantee of five percent return on equity, much better than they could receive domestically. This sealed the deal in winning over the partners. KFC retained 60% of ownership, The Tourist Bureau received 27%, and Beijing Animal Production took 13%. This was the actual breakdown of assets that each partner was contributing to the arrangement. This deal was privately pre-approved as acceptable in negotiations with the Foreign Economic Development and City Planning Commissions. The approval of the partnership also required on the sharing of the corporation. With one-half coming from KFC and the other half split between the other two partners. The deal also stated that the chairman would be appointed by Animal Production and the vice-chairman would be appointed by the Tourist Bureau. This concerned Wang because of loss of control over operations. Wang countered by establishing the new store as a franchisee, with the franchiser being KFC's head office in Singapore. This would require 3% royalty payments to be paid to the head office, and require the store to purchase its seasoning mixes from the head office, both using hard currency. Wang also appointed a day-to-day general manager in Beijing, who would be appointed by KFC and have control over operations. Although it seemed like all major challenges were over, they weren't. The approval of the partnership did not give any operating authority for KFC in the city. They needed a â€Å"Licence to Execute a Business Activity.† Approval of this required the signatures of the District government, the Commerce Department, the Taxation Department, the Health Department, and the Food Supply and Logistics Department. None of these agencies had any coordination, so approval from each separately was required and this could take months or years. Tony Wang stated: † We are pioneers in China, but so are the Chinese. However, whether they want to learn or not is another story. Many Westerners make the same big mistake in China: they assume that they can just pay to have the required work done or at least expedited. This just doesn't work in China. The Chinese are not motivated by a desire to do things right simply for the sake of doing things right. They don't want your help in speeding up the process. They just want to avoid problems. And unless we can convince them otherwise, we are their biggest problem.† A license was necessary before a lease could be signed, but Wang was worried that a desirable location might not be found. All buildings and possible space in Beijing is occupied. As well, Chinese regulations stated that new tenants would have to guarantee the employment of any workers left jobless when a new tenant took over. This worried Wang because he would be stuck with a number of unskilled Chinese that he would have to employ. Wang wanted the first store that was to be opened to be big and flashy because it would determine the future success of KFC in China. This was strategically a good idea but it ran counter to the culture in China where there was a history of hostility towards Western culture. In February 1987, a license was issued by the city, allowing KFC to operate in Beijing. The Tourist Bureau played an integral role in speeding up the application. Under the license KFC was given a tax remission for two years; profits in three years, four and five would be taxed at 16.5%, with profits thereafter taxed at 33% Wang now had to select a site to open the first location. But no matter where a location was chosen KFC would still require a building permit, as well as hookups for electricity, water, gas, and heating before the store could open. Wang discovered that many of these services were difficult to obtain, and it was not uncommon for applications to not be processed for months. Another concern was the company's need to secure import licenses needed to bring equipment into the country: pressure frying machines, cash registers, blending and cutting equipment for the kitchen. Each item required a separate permit that could take months to attain. During all these negotiations Tony Wang realized that no one had thought to test market the area. It was known that the Chinese liked chicken. From KFC's success in Hong Kong, it was assumed that it would be accepted, but no one had had time to find out for sure and they were forced to cross their fingers. Another problem was finding a reliable supplier of quality potatoes. If they were unable to do this they would have to use mashed potatoes, and Wang did not know how the Chinese would receive this. The largest concern facing Tony Wang was whether or not the Chinese employees could meet the quality, service, and cleanliness requirements. The Chinese employees would have little appreciation for KFC's international standards of cleanliness or product quality. Most domestic organisations lacked any incentive programs, work was seen as something to be avoided, and service was a foreign term. The KFC organization would not allow the store to open if these levels were not met. The ironic part was that Chinese consumers would accept less then what was required. This would create conflict with the partners. Tony Wang also wondered what KFC would do with the soft currency that the venture would generate, and wondered whether or not there would even be any profits. Wang was faced with three options: 1. Pull out – cut the company losses and avoid negative publicity if the venture failed. This would allow for further research and KFC could try to re-enter in a few years when there was more complete information. 2. Go ahead slowly – taking more time evaluating the situation to make sure the partnerships were secure and the market would accept KFC, however this would invite competitor response. 3. Go ahead full – the market had high potential for success for KFC, and, with 1.1 billion people, large potential for profits. Wang decided to go full ahead. The location was finally found. The central government approved the lease because Wang sold them on the idea that the restaurant would represent a symbol and statement of the People's Republic open policy with the West. The lease was finally approved in April of 1987, however they did not have the building permit, which would allow them to make necessary renovations. They also required hookups for gas, water and heating. Applications were continually lost or just went unanswered.

Maoist Attack and Demand for Telangana State Essay

Telangana is a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It has borders with states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east, Orissa and Coastal Andhra region on the east and Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh on the south. This region has an area of 1,14,840 square kilometres and a population of 3,52,86,757 which is 41. 6% of Andhra Pradesh state population. The Telangana region has 10 districts: Adilabad, Hyderabad, Khamam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal. The Krishna and Godavari rivers flow through the region from west to east. The Telangana movement refers to a group of related political activities organized to support the creation of a new state of Telangana, from the existing state of Andhra Pradesh in south India. The Telangana Movement The movement to create Telangana has been continuing from 1952 onwards. In February 2009 the in February 2009 the state government declared that it had no objection, in principle, to the formation of separate Telangana and that the time had come to move forward decisively on this issue. To resolve related issues, the government constituted a joint house committee. In the lead-up to the 2009 General Elections in India, all the major parties in Andhra Pradesh supported the formation of Telangana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) again announced that they would create two more states, Telangana and Gorkhaland, if they won the election. The Congress Party said it was committed to Telangana statehood, but claimed that Muslim minorities were opposed to the creation of separate state, along with the majority of the people. The MIM party and Muslim leaders within Congress felt that the new state would jeopardize the interests of minorities, the safety and welfare of Muslims, and the future of the Urdu language. The Telugu Desam Party promised to work for Telangana statehood. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) joined a Mahakutami (â€Å"grand alliance†) with the TDP and other parties to defeat the Congress party for denying statehood. The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), founded in August 2008 by film star Chiranjeevi, pledged support to Telangana statehood if it becomes inevitable. The Nava Telangana Praja Party announced that it would merge with PRP after it concluded that there was not enough political space for two sub-regional Telangana parties that had Telananga statehood as their main agenda, Devender Goud later quit PRP and returned to the Telugu Desam Party. In the 2009 elections, Congress returned to power both at the center and state. It won 154 out of 294 Assembly seats and 33 out of 42 Parliament seats. Within Telangana, Congress won 50 out of 119 Assembly seats and 12 out of 17 Parliament seats. On 29 November 2009 TRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament. He was arrested by the government of Andhra Pradesh. Student organizations, employee unions, and various organizations joined the movement. General strikes shut down Telangana on 6 and 7 December. Student organizations planned a massive rally at the state Assembly on 10 December. The government warned that the rally did not have permission and deployed police troops throughout Telangana. The apparent decline in KCR’s health led to a sense of urgency to the issue. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Maoist terrorist organization in India which aims to overthrow the government of India through violent means. It was founded on 21 September 2004, through the merger of the People’s War, and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). The merger was announced to the public on October 14 the same year. In the merger a provisional central committee was constituted, with the erstwhile People’s War Group leader Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathi as General Secretary. The CPI (Maoist) are often referred to as Naxalites in reference to the Naxalbari insurrection conducted by radical Maoists in West Bengal in 1967. They claim to be fighting for the rights of the tribes in the forest belt around central India. That region contains deposits of minerals which are of interest to mining companies like Tata and Essar. There have been numerous human rights violations of the tribal people at the hands of government agencies. Naxals have been charged by the government of running an extortion economy in the guise of popular revolution, extorting vast amounts of money from local branches of mining companies and other businesses. They have been involved in several cases of blowing up schools and railway tracks, and accused of keeping the areas under their control away from modernity and development, so they can impose their will on the uneducated rural populace. In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the Naxalites as â€Å"the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country. The Indian government, led by the United Progressive Alliance, banned the CPI (Maoist) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as a terrorist organisation on 22 June 2009. As of June 2010, Indian Government has identified 83 districts in 9 states as â€Å"Naxal-hit†. Currently it has presence in remote regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh as well as presence in Bihar and the triba l-dominated areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa. The CPI (Maoist) aims to consolidate its power in this area and establish a Compact Revolutionary Zone from which to advance the people’s war in other parts of India. A 2005 Frontline cover story called the Bhamragad Taluka, where the Madia Gond Adivasis live, the heart of the Naxalite-affected region in Maharashtra. The current general secretary of the party is Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapati. The highest decision making body of the party is its Politburo, comprising 14 (or 13) members, 6 of whom were either killed or arrested between 2007-10. Amongst those arrested, Kobad Ghandy is the senior-most member. Other arrested Politburo members include Pramod Mishra, Ashutosh Tudu and Amitabha Bagchi. Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, the spokesperson for the party, who was gunned down in Andhra Pradesh was another Politburo member. Prashant Bose alias Kishan-da, Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji and Katakam Sudarshan alias Anand are the three prominent members of its Politburo. Kishenji and Anand currently head the Eastern Regional Bureau and the Central Regional Bureau of the party respectively. The Central Committee of the party, which takes command from the Politburo and passes on the information to its members, comprises 32 members. The party hierarchy consists of the Regional Bureaus, which look after two or three states, the State Committees, the Zonal Committees, the District Committees and the dalams (armed squads). The military wings of the respective organisations, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (military wing of MCCI) and People’s Guerrilla Army (military wing of PW), were also merged.

Answers of qustion the Business process management (BPM) Essay - 1

Answers of qustion the Business process management (BPM) - Essay Example Business Process Management tries to continuously improve business processes through decreasing costs and increasing revenues, thereby creating a competitive advantage over rival competitors (Rainer & Cegielski, 2011). In contrast, Capability Maturity Models refer to process improvement approaches aimed at helping an organization’s software development process. Capability Maturity Models were developed and promoted by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), which is a research and development center that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (â€Å"What is Capability Maturity Model†). A Capability Maturity Model is used to present guidelines on process improvement during a project’s lifetime or with an entire organization. In both organizational development and software engineering, Capability Maturity Models serve as process improvement approaches. Through this, organizations get to assess essential elements, resulting in effective process improvement . Business Process Management governance and Capability Maturity Models allow product developers to achieve great levels of maturity in the software development process. Harmon (2007) points out that there are a number of factors that determine the maturity process of a software product in an enterprise.

Famous Insanity Defense Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Famous Insanity Defense Cases - Essay Example Insanity defense dates back from Ancient Greece and Rome, however, the first definition that is closer to the modern definition of insanity defense was given by an English Court, in 1843, the insane person being compared to a wild beast. However, an earlier definition explains insane defense as it follows: â€Å"If a madman or a natural fool, or a lunatic in the time of his lunacy do [kill a man], this is no felonious act for they cannot be said to have any understanding will.† In the USA, some of the leading historical moments directly connected to the insane defense are: the case Durham v. United States , (which established the Durham rule, also known as the â€Å"Product test†), the drafting of the American Law Institute Test (1953), the Hinckley case , which led to the adoption of Insanity Defense Reform Act in 1984 and the well known Andrea Yates case. The Andrea Yates case is one of the most mediated criminal cases involving insanity defense of the 21st century. Unfortunately, this is due to its dramatic implications. However, in spite of the horrifying implications, the defense attorneys managed to prove her mental instability and avoid her being convicted to prison for life time or maybe even death penalty. Andrea Yates is woman from Texas who one day killed all of her five children by drowning them, and after that, she called her husband and the police and let them know what she had done. The theories regarding this case are numerous and they continue to appear. Some are sure that the woman was suffering from a severe mental disorder, others disagree. The first trial found Andrea Yates guilty and gave her a life sentence. She was granted a second trial one year later and the jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense attorneys focused on proving Andrea Yates’ mental illness, which according to family, f riends and psychiatrists who had treated her in the past, was a FACT. In spite of the prosecution expert – Dr. Welner and other evidence, Andrea pleaded not guilty during the second trial. Dr. Park Dietz made a list of events that had affected Andrea Yates during her life and may have contributed to her mental disorder: â€Å"Giving up her career; Giving up her possessions; Changing her

Critical Thinking in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Thinking in Business - Essay Example It is recommended that the Director should immediately discuss the ground reality with the local governing authorities, the authorities should be requested for taking some remedial actions, and if not, and the authorities should be warned that the company might shun their Lagos branch. A developing country, with poor infrastructure, can not afford to lose foreign investment, and it is expected that the authorities will resolve the issue, and the malpractices of the client agents will get affected and sorted out. (Saxton, 1989) The recent studies have concluded that the application of comprehensive code of conduct and ethics had significant impact on the opinion with reference to ethical behavior in organization, and Thomas should adhere by it, the company's moral reputation should not be put at stake merely for the approval and satisfaction of client agents. It is understandable that codes of ethics can't help in solving the most difficult ethical problems in business, and it is important for the director to work out certain solution without compromising on the ethical values. If the malpractice of the company gets exposed to the international community, the company will have negative impact on its growth and operations. (Barnett, 1996) It is important to evolve and portray BIM as good business firm that is financially successful and economically efficient enterprise which would combine profit-making with social responsibility. Furthermore, it is expected that the firm provide handsome and suitable remuneration to its employees to become involved in their communities and eventually to transform into good corporate citizen. Therefore, Thomas should take some relevant measures after in consultation with the company's high management, and should provide possible and sufficient incentives to the employees, so that their personal need and greed should not make them compromise over the company's value. The question is not just about the Thomas crossing the floor, but his subordinates are likely to practice the similar approach, which is also a matter of concern, and should be avoided. The two significant consequences will reference to adoption of ethical techniques include, 1. Under modern conditions, ethics can be conceptualized in two different levels, i.e. ethics with reference to actions and ethics with reference to conditions of actions, i.e. based on rules or institutions, also called institutional ethics or order ethics. It is most important to avoid any existing or expected contradiction between the two. 2. Another important aspect is with reference to ethics under pre-modern conditions i.e. the selection of evaluation and selection of the rules. It is important to understand that adherence to common values as a foundation. In the age of globalization, the practice of agreement and consensus on values has diluted. (Davis, 2003) The Director Thomas Harvey has another option i.e. adoption of strategy for mutual advantages, such technique will surely resolved the dispute, if the involvement of the local authorities is to be ignored for any reason. The client agents and the company should bring themselves to justify ethical norms in terms of mutual advantages or benefits, in this regard; three different options can be evaluated.

Sustainable Business and Ethics Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Sustainable Business and Ethics - Thesis Example The mission statement of Adidas Group is to become the global leader in the arena of sporting goods which encompasses brands that are developed on the passion for sporting lifestyle and sports as an important consumer-oriented aspect. The mission statement of Adidas suggests that the company focuses on being a leader in design and innovation of sporting products based on the changing needs and demands of the customer groups. Additionally, this mission statement also suggests that Adidas is a company driven by passion and innovation which it aims to incorporate through every part of its value chain and business functionalities. The mission and vision statements formulated for the Adidas business plan are designed on the basis of the primary objective of these statements to address the organizational components, organizational value chain and the organization as a single performing unit. The sustainability initiatives of the company encompass different innovative strategies and initiatives like investing in suitable Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR) initiatives, focusing on maintaining legal and ethical compliance and ensuring the adherence to the international and local regulations and policies of operating in the sports good industry. Becoming a sustainable company has remained one of the primary objectives of Adidas. For achieving the desired level of sustainability in its business practices and functions, Adidas has dealt with varying internal and external challenges. There are five key challenges that have to be faced by the company in its current initiative of tapping in the sports industry of the United States of America. These include being competitive, being a preferred employer, being a responsible multinational company, show an adequate amount of environmental responsibility and also ensure the maintenance of sufficient levels of social responsibility in the management.

Analyse the condition in which American nations became, according to Essay

Analyse the condition in which American nations became, according to Benedict Anderson, Creole Pioneers of nationalism - Essay Example 534). Colonies came with high developed military, marine, governmental and entrepreneurial capabilities. England started their colonies in both West Indies and North America as they had the ability to build ocean-worthy ships though they did not have a strong history of colonisation on foreign land as Spain did. Benedict Anderson, the author of one of the most important concept in political geography described nations as imagined communities. Born in Kunming, China, and brought up in California then after he moved to Ireland. The major factors contributing to nationalism in the past three centuries as Anderson described were the use of historical materialist or the Marxist approach (Jackson and Penrose 1998, p. 1). In respect to this, Anderson argued that Marxist thought had included nationalism but had proved an uncomfortable irregularity for this theory. He defined a nation as imagined political community seen as both inherently limited and sovereign arguing that the main cause of nationalism and the creation of an imagined community is the reduction of access to particular script language in this case Latin. The other cause is the movement to abolish the ideas of the celestial rule and monarchy, as well as the appearance of the printing press under a scheme of capitalism. The introduction of imagined communities was as a result of reconciling Marxist theories and nationalism and also to put into consideration what Anderson envisaged as a twisted context for the appraisal of nationalism. This distortion still continues both within and outside the academy. In Latin America and Indonesia, Anderson defined a nation as an imagined political community and put it as both inherently limited and sov ereign. Marshall (2007, p. 448) describes the concept of imagined communities as currently standard within geographical books. The concept does not necessarily mean that a nation is false but refers to a nation as being constructed from popular

Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Advertising - Essay Example The poster would say â€Å"man, that’s so ‘a part of a city, especially a slum, occupied by a minority group or groups, sequestered them based on socio-economic status† followed by something that says â€Å"think of your words.† Another example would be â€Å"that’s so ‘happy’† or â€Å"that’s so ‘person who is attracted to someone of the same gender† with the same slogan. Visually, I imagine these print campaigns being visually simple, with a black and white background portrait of a person with a serious expression. This would create the inherent connection that language affects people, and is powerful. The text is solid and bright, with a color difference between the main text and the definition text. These would encourage people to actually think of the meaning behind their words and the idea that they have power in and of themselves. Furthermore, it will make people be more critical of the language they use and how it could affect

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 115

Case Study Example Considering Jon was not totally on board with holding the meeting at Monte Sereno, giving in to a rate of $99, a complementary cocktail fair, and a free conference service is too much for a simple hotel representative. To negotiate each of Jon’s demands further and end with a win-win conclusion, Julia can comprehend Jon’s primary interests or concerns. At the beginning, Julia had simply prepared for questions about the $1,000 conferencing service and $110 hotel rooms, which she gets from regular customers on a virtually everyday basis. With Jon, Julia has to see the bigger picture by investigating with Jon’s staff or simply asking him directly about the benefits of a complementary cocktail fair when the meeting will end in a week. If anything, the cocktail should come at the end of their stay at the hotel and not at the beginning. This is an example of how important knowing a client’s primary interests furthers negotiations progresses (Lazer,

Academic Plagiarism - the Practices and Perceptions Essay Example for Free

Academic Plagiarism the Practices and Perceptions Essay Plagiarism is a common concern in education, entertainment, and some parts of history. The Online Merriam Webster Dictionary (2012) defines plagiarism as â€Å"the act of stealing and passing off the ideas or other words of another as one’s own.† This activity is unacceptable and is still performed. Because of this practice, however, researchers conducted surveys in several schools to comprehend this act of dishonesty. The reasons for the practice of cheating are complex but also essential to examine. See more: Ethnic groups and racism essay Brian Hansen (2003), a CQ Researcher in Combating Plagiarism, analyzed the practice of plagiarism among schools and the media. He states, â€Å"The perception [among college professors] is that students are no longer learning about plagiarism adequately at a high-school level, so there’s an education and re-education process that needs to take place† (2003, p.777). Various students may not recognize their research as a dishonest activity because their professors may have not introduced the idea of plagiarism to them. Dominic A. Sisti (2007), a researcher regarding plagiarism, said â€Å"student responses reflect a lack of clarity regarding what exactly their school’s policy says regarding copy-paste practices† (2007, p. 225). Because of the lack of clarification, it is essential that professors give direct and comprehensive instructions for each student before he or she works. Patrick M. Scanlon and David R. Neumann (2002), two researchers who have also conducted surveys about plagiarism, noticed that the measures of incidence of cheating suggest a contradiction between what students say and do. â€Å"Some [students] have argued that colleges and universities are not doing nearly enough to foster a commitment among students to academic honesty† (2002, p.376). The lack of acknowledgement is one of the leading causes for students to academically plagiarize. When students are unaware of the idea of plagiarism, they tend to complete their work without much concern or effort. Students may refer to term-paper purchasing websites or directly copy and paste from the web. In Hansen’s CQ reader, McCabe found that â€Å"44 percent of the students considered minor, cut-and-paste Internet plagiarism as ‘trivial’ cheating or not cheating at all† (2003, p.778). This fact suggests that students do not have a standard of cheating. Sisti had also observed what students perceived as cheating. â€Å"Their comments clearly indicated that they did not feel cheating was a significant concern. Further, statements by these students reinforced the findings of previous research that show cheating gets easier as students continue to cheat and that students are not really concerned about being caught† (2007, p. 217). Among these students, they may feel the right to cheat because of the influence by others. In Scanlon and Neumann’s research, they state that â€Å"Students consistently judged plagiarism by others to be more prevalent than their own self-reports would suggest† (2002, p.380). This means that the students viewed academically cheating common in their generation. The lack of concern between students and cheating is one of the few major sources of plagiarism. Another cause of academic plagiarism is because students feel that they cannot complete their task within the given amount of time. Among these students, they referred to the Internet for their research as their major source of information. Scanlon and Neumann share their concerns by stating that, â€Å"university administrators, faculty, and staff should be concerned about the impact of the Internet in shaping a new generation of students’ conception of what does and does not constitute fair use of then countless texts so readily available at the click of a mouse† (2002, p. 374). â€Å"The amount of online plagiarism reported here should be a matter of concern, although the current study does not point to an epidemic of Internet plagiarism. Academic dishonesty is most strongly associated with the perceptions of peers’ behavior† (2002, p. 383). However, if teachers do use plagiarism-detection websites, students may still view plagiarism acceptable. Sisti concluded that â€Å"students might incorrectly interpret the system feedback, believing that plagiarism is simply a degree of acceptable paraphrasing (2007, p. 228).† This means that students will not only misunderstand their topics, but also lack future referencing and the meaning behind plagiarism. The Internet provided these students term-paper purchasing websites and complex reading which directs them to cheat. Therefore, educators must be aware of students’ uses of the Internet when resorted for academic research. Fortunately, there are plagiarism-detection soft wares available for teachers’ use. However, teachers who rely on these programs must initially teach their students the proper way to do their research and how to cite their sources if they choose to quote or paraphrase. If more students become aware of this problematic behavior and if teachers show greater concern, then it is very possible for the plagiarizing activity to minimize. Corrected Annotated Bibliography Hansen, B. (2003, September, 19). Combating plagiarism. The CQ Researcher, 13(32), 775-594. Retrieved from http://www.cqpress.com/docs/Combating%20plagiarism.pdf Plagiarism is a problem that is not only found in education. This form of cheating is also found in music and history. Many people who plagiarize may not be aware of this kind of cheating. Hansen (2003) states that â€Å"The perception [among college professors] is that students are no longer learning about plagiarism adequately at a high-school level, so there is an education and re-education process that needs to take place† (p. 777). Because of this, several professors experienced great consequences by responding to academic cheating. Hansen was concerned if the Internet played a major role towards academic plagiarism; because of its existence, few teachers refer to plagiarism detection programs such as turnitin.com. Another concern that Hanson addressed was how news organizations did not sufficiently guard against plagiarism used in the media. He, then, concluded that plagiarism has not dramatically change in comparison to book text copying and Internet plagiarism. Plagiarism. (2012). Merriam-Webster.com/. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize Scanlon, P. M., Neumann, D, R. (2002). Internet plagiarism among college students. Journal of College Student Development, 43(3), 374-385. Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/~ladare/eac595/readings/scanlon-neumann.pdf The awareness of academic plagiarism allowed Patrick M. Scanlon and David R. Neumann (2002) to survey students about partaking in such activity. The focus of the survey was to assess students’ perceptions and practices. In Scanlon and Neumann’s study, they address that students’ perception on peer behavior, their faculties’ ethical views, and their awareness of institutional sanctions greatly contribute to their reasons to plagiarize (p. 375). Students are vulnerable to what others may think and not fully understand the consequences of plagiarism. In other words, they also feel that it is more acceptable to copy from the Internet if their peers are also plagiarizing. Students who participated in this study were to confront the eight different types of plagiarism as self-reports. Scanlon and Neumann analyzed that the Internet will not affect the way one writes or performs his research. Sisti D. A, (2007). How do high school students justify Internet plagiarism? Ethics Behavior, 17(3), 215-231. Retrieved from http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/pdf/top10/HEBHdown.pdf Dominic A. Sisti (2007) surveyed 160 high schools about the usage of the Internet. He merely focused on Internet plagiarism, which includes the copy and paste method and term paper purchasing. The top reason why students resorted to academic dishonesty was because of the limited time given to complete their research. According to Sisti, â€Å"The results indicated that students were more easily able to justify copy-paste plagiarism for a variety of reasons that mirror justifications of other forms of conventional plagiarism† (p. 215). In other words, the students felt that copying and pasting was a better option than term paper purchasing because of the less risk of getting caught. In addition to Sisti’s research, he exclaimed that students would admit that they felt confused by a professor’s instruction which directed them to plagiarize. Due to this fact, Sisti offered educators several strategies for managing academic dishonesty

Aesthetics In Piano Music From Romanticsm To Modernism Music Essay

Aesthetics In Piano Music From Romanticsm To Modernism Music Essay Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty (Aesthetics, 2010, Online). It is also a study of relationship between human and reality in an aesthetical investigation. Arts is the main object of investigation particularly, where its essence of beauty, ugly, sublime and other aesthetical aspects are examined. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory which is also called the judgements of sentiment and taste (Aesthetics, 2010, Online). The study of aesthetics is very diverse. It can be a speculative approach to philosophical ideas; it can also be drawn on current research methods through other related disciplines such as psychological analysis, anthropological and sociological methods, linguistics and culture learning methods, description of experience and so on. The perception of beauty is very subjective as it is basically based on our personal feeling and own experience. Different people have different feelings towards an aesthetical object thus often arguments are speculative and changed along with time and experience. Therefore, aesthetics is an independent discipline where the essence of beauty and its significance are examined. In this essay, the aesthetic of piano music in both Romanticism and Modernism will be discussed. As we know, these two neighbouring periods showed a tremendous different contrast in social development and movements, hence music as well had been morphed into a new aspect. Moreover, the style of piano playing was also changed due to the aesthetical values of composers and pianists were also affected. 1. Piano Music in Romanticism 1.1 Romantic Characteristics The term romantic derived from the medieval romance which has several meanings. A romance was a poem or tale about heroic events or persons, or it could also connote something distant, legendary, and fantastic. Basically, it suggested something imaginary, far away from reality. In the nineteenth century, the term was applied to literature, music, and art. The term contrasted with classic poetry, which was objectively beautiful. Thus, romantic poetry, which was not bound by rules and limits, focused more on the individuality of expression (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Instrumental music was regarded as an ideal art in Romanticism as it started to grow more importance compared to vocal music. It is because of the genre was free from words, images, characterised costumes, props and others. However, composers imagination often led them to explore new sounds although they still kept their works in a Classical framework. Besides, many romantics composers were also writers or had friends who were writers, such as Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and others. They always linked the intrumental pieces to literary works so as to draw out the inner meanings of the text through the music. At times, the use of literatures and descriptive titles were also added after the work was created (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Hence, distinctions were made between types of instrumental music absolute music and programmatic music, which later indirectly led to arguments between these two camps. Romantic views of music have been influential. Composers created music to express their own ideas and feelings rather than to suit the tastes of their patrons or audiences (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Originality was hence importance for composers and tradition was balanced with their own individuality and creativity. 1.2 The Aesthetic of Romanticism Musical Expression and Emotion In the Romanticism, music had reached the peak of emotionalism which was shaped by the lyrical melodies, daring harmonies, colourful instrumentation, and the strong contrast of form. Musical expression and emotion had been such a powerful force to influence the composers. The most crucial figure in the nineteenth century culture would be Richard Wagner. He was also one of the most influential musicians of all times. He brought German Romantic opera to a new height, created the music drama, as well as his rich chromatic idiom influenced later composers (A History of European Music, 2010, Online). Not only in composing great music, Wagner also wrote a number of essays regarding music and aesthetics, causing huge arguments among scholars at that time including the famous German philosopher and music critic Eduard Hanslick. In a series of essays, Wagner argued that music should serve dramatic expression. He felt that Beethoven had exhausted instrumental music because in his opinion the Ninth Symphony showed the path to the future with its union of music and words. He saw himself as the true successor to Beethoven. He therefore created Gesmatkunstwerk (total or collective artwork) as he felt that poetry, scenic design, staging, action, and music should work together. In other words, the words or texts related the events and situations, while the orchestra conveyed the inner drama (Burkholder, 2010b, Online). Although Wagner and his contemporaries such as Liszt saw the legacy of Beethoven pointing toward new genres and musical approaches, Johannes Brahms on the other hand matured himself as a composer in the Classical repertory. He combined Classicism with Romantic sensibility. He composed in Classical traditions but he also added new elements in order to appeal to contemporary audiences. Overall, he has been viewed as conservative, but he was a trailblazer. He was among the first to draw upon both the music of the past and present, a process or method that has been repeated by numerous composers of the twentieth century (Burkholder, 2010b, Online). In the mid Romanticism, the term New German School was coined as Wagner, Liszt, and Berlioz were leaders. Although Liszt and Berlioz were not Germans, Beethoven was their model. However, the term helped polarized the division between supporters of Liszt and Wagner, and supporters of Brahms and Hanslick. Among the composers who sided with Wagner and Liszt are Bruckner, Wolf, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. These two camps debated the topics of music and its aesthetics, especially in musical meaning and expression, absolute and program music, tradition and innovation, Classical genres and forms as well as the new ones, and the list goes on. 1.3 Wagner versus Hanslick Expression was the growing importance as a source of aesthetic value. It pays no heed to the claims of formal convention. Music was viewed as a medium of expression and it has the power to influence listeners mind. The use of poetic titles was a manifestation of Romanticism, which signifying musics expressive powers. For instance the post-Beethoven composers especially Liszt, employed poetry to give a clearer expression so as to elevate the art to a powerful metaphysical status. Whatever its subject matter, the status of poetic or programme music was hotly debated in late nineteenth century music criticism and it naturally invoked the related concept of absolute music. In 1854, Eduard Hanslick wrote his own reflections on the nature of the beautiful in music (Vom Musikalisch-Schà ¶nen). In his book, he argues about music and feelings and disagrees with the exaggerated philosophical and cultural pretensions of the writings by Wagner and Liszt. Hanslicks convincing arguments quickly brought his book to attention. This indirectly overshadowed Hanslick as the leading critical antagonist of Richard Wagner and the New German School in general. Hanslick opposed their claims that programmatic instrumental music and the symphonically through-composed declaimed music drama represented the way of the musical future (Grey, 2010, Online). In other words, he is a typical classical formalist. Hanslick was the protagonist of Brahms. They both advocated for the continuity of classical tradition and opposed the radical dissolution of melodic and formal convention celebrated by the progressives of the day as a means of achieving greater expressive truth or the articulation of an ideal or conceptual content (Grey, 2010, Online). Hanslick writes: Music is not contingent upon, or in need of, any subject introduced from without, but it consists of sounds artistically combined. The ingenious coordination of intrinsically pleasing sounds, their consonance and contrast, their flight and reapproach, their increasing and diminishing strength this it is, which in free and unimpeded forms, presents itself to our Mental Vision. What is it then that music expresses? The answer is musical ideas. Now, a musical idea, reproduced in its entirety, is not only an object of intrinsic beauty, but also an end in itself and not a means for representing feelings and thoughts. The essence of music is sound in motion (1986, p.64). Hanslick thinks that the expression or representation of distinct feelings cannot be considered the content of music or the basis of its aesthetic value. He describes the content of music as tonally moving forms. He articulated that instrumental music is not a representational medium, and that representational impulses are likely to distract both composer and listener from musics true nature as beautiful (and freely or abstractly expressive) form (Grey, 2010, Online). The Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwek, however, provoked Hanslicks never ending opposition. He never agreed the composers exaggerated self-promotion and the dramatic and poetic expression. Hanslick thinks that music is purely autonomous while Wagner (who is also an anti-Semitic) portrays the postulate of autonomous musical beauty as a kind of ideological conspiracy to promote the ideals of a Judaized musical culture (Grey, 2010, Online). For Wagner, the content of music is not only sound but also the connotation of emotion that blended together. He thinks that the study of the aesthetics of music as autonomous restrains the beauty of music. 1.4 Programmatic Piano Music Piano music in the Romantic period was still expanding the formal structure from the Classical. However, the expansion of form (those elements related to form, key, instrumentation, harmony, and the like) within a typical composition made the pieces more passionate and expressive. So, it became easier to identify an artist based on the work. Piano music basically struggled to increase emotional expression and power to describe these deeper truths, while preserving or even extending the formal structures from the classical period. But are the composers aims in the romantic period just to focus in expressing their music? What kind of aesthetic value instilled in the listeners mind at that time? The most successful piano music composers in the romantic period certainly were Chopin and Liszt. They not only sought to fuse the large structure harmonic planning with chromatic innovations, but also brought the piano music to a virtuosic level. They also analogized piano music to poetry and its rhapsodic and narrative structures, while creating a more systematic basis for the composing and performing of concert music (Romantic Music, 2010, Online). In other words, they continued using previous practices such as the sonata form but extended them with increasing focus on impressive melodies, emotional harmonies, and themes. The use of literary inspiration was paramount to the composers. For instance, Chopin famous four ballades were inspired by Adam Mickiewiczs poems; while Liszts Sonettos were inspired by Francesco Petrarcas (Petratch) poems. Liszt also transcribed a huge number of songs from Schubert particularly where the texts came from Goethe, as well as transcribed from operas. Besides poetry and literature, composers also composed piano music through their experience and travel. Liszts Annà ©es de pà ¨lerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) is a good example when he travelled to Swiss, Italy, and France he wrote the music. This shows his complete mature musical style which ranges from virtuosic fireworks to sincerely moving emotional statements where he gained from his experience of life and travel. Another example will be the piano cycles, Kinderszenen of Robert Schumann which came from the composers reminiscences of childhood. Obviously, audience at that time were fully influenced by the powerful emotion through the aids of text, poetry and literature. They no longer restricted themselves in the frame of stereotyped abstract titles like Sonata in C Major, Rondo in A minor, Prelude and Fugue and so on, but they had more variety of direct programmatic titles such as Romance, La Campanella, Wanderer Fantasy and the like. The music intended to evoke extra-musical ideas and let the audience experience the unique emotions. Generally, composers had more freedom in form and design so that a more intense personal expression of emotion in which fantasy, imagination and a quest for adventure play an important part (Romantic Music, 2010, Online). 1.5 Piano Playing Style in Romanticism Moreover, the piano performing style in the romantic period was virtuosic and phenomenal. Virtuoso concerts became immensely popular. This phenomenon was actually pioneered by Niccolo Paganini, the famous violin virtuoso, and it was then developed by Liszt on piano. Carl Czerny claimed Liszt was a natural player who played according to feeling, and reviews of his concerts especially praise the brilliance, strength and precision in his playing (Liszt, 2010, online). One of the most detailed descriptions of his playing from this time comes from the winter of 1831/1832, during which he was earning a living primarily as a teacher in Paris. Among his pupils was Valerie Boissier, whose mother Caroline kept a careful diary of the lessons. From her we learn that: M. Liszts playing contains abandonment, a liberated feeling, but even when it becomes impetuous and energetic in his fortissimo, it is still without harshness and dryness. [] [He] draws from the piano tones that are purer, mellower and stronger than anyone has been able to do; his touch has an indescribable charm. [] He is the enemy of affected, stilted, contorted expressions. Most of all, he wants truth in musical sentiment, and so he makes a psychological study of his emotions to convey them as they are. Thus, a strong expression is often followed by a sense of fatigue and dejection, a kind of coldness, because this is the way nature works. (Liszt, 2010, online). From the quotation above, the piano playing style of Liszt is full of emotion. As we know it was the performance practice that every pianist would play the piano with beautiful tone colour, especially what the Chopin had called the Bel Canto playing in shaping lyrical melodies. Moreover Liszts facial expression and gestures at the piano would reflect what he played (Liszt, 2010, online). Also noted that the extravagant liberties he took created a dramatic feeling. Hence, pianists started to take tempo rubato for granted with their ancillary body movements so as to communicate with the audience more musically and successfully. Generally, the aesthetics of piano music in Romanticism were multi-facets. Performers not only swayed their body to make an intimate relationship with music, but also from their movements they conveyed emotional intentions to the audience. They made the piano sings with touching tone colour as well as their virtuosic playing and stage presence made vivid impressions to the ectasied audiences. However, these beautiful piano playing styles were then fully rejected in the Modernism by Prokofiev, Schoenberg, and Cage. These will be discussed in the later chapters. 2. Piano Music in Modernism 2.1 Modern Characteristics Modern music must be understood in terms of their own frame of reference and what artists (whether composers or performers) are trying to do. It was dissonant, controversial and shocking as compared to the prevailing Romantic period. Composers tried to achieve disorder rather than order. The art of creating sometimes replaces the importance of the object created. During that time, the Establishment considered modernism scandalous and an offense to good taste, common sense, and the conventions of polite society. It was also considered rebellious and threatening to the establishment order. However, when the arts of the modernists began to achieve world-wide attention and became more common, acceptance eventually followed. Museums were founded to exhibit modernist works, symphony hall started to promote more modern music, and middle-class society became collectors as modernist paintings rose in commercial value. These indirectly made a new establishment for modernism in art, music, literature, and architecture. In the era of modernism, lots of movements were created such as expressionism, serialism, cubism, dadaism, surrealism, and others. All of these separate movements within modernism combined to produce some distinct characteristics. Modernity has no respect for the past, even its own past. Therefore, it not only entails a ruthless break with any or all preceding historical conditions, but it is characterized by a never-ending process of internal ruptures and fragmentations within itself (Harvey, 1990, pg. 12). The image of creative destruction is very important to understanding modernity. How could new art, music, literature, and architecture be created without destroying much that had gone before? Artist Pablo Picasso and composer Arnold Schoenberg adopt through their individual works that the modernist must destroy in order to create, and the only way to be truly creative is through a process of destruction that is liable in the end to be itself destructive of those creations. (Harvey, 1990, pg. 19). It is important to note that the modernism that emerged around the first World War was a reaction to the new conditions of production (the machine, the factory, urbanization), circulation (systems of transport and communication), and consumption (rise of mass markets, advertising, mass fashion), as it was a pioneer in the production of such changes. These influenced the trend of music such as Darius Milhauds Machine Agricoles (1919) and Sergei Prokofievs The Factory form Pas deacier (1927) demonstrate the influence of the machine age. Undeniably, modernism was also an urban phenomenon that emerged with explosive urban growth. Modernism was an art of cities which confirmed how important the urban experience was in shaping the cultural modernist movement (Harvey, 1990, pg. 25). Machines, new transport and communication systems, skyscrapers, and bridges were all influences from which aesthetic modernism drew much of its stimulus. Finally, modernism in the arts, music, literature, and architecture could not represent the world in a single language. It is so diverse that understanding had to be constructed through the exploration of multiple perspectives. 2.2 The Aesthetic of Modernism Music and Atonality In the twentieth century, concert halls became museums for musical artworks created over the last two centuries. Living composers at that time found themselves competing with music of the past. Composers sought to continue tradition while offering something new. They needed to make decision about what to preserve and what to change. Hence, individuality took over conventionality causing that some composers abandoned tonality while others redefined it. Moreover, their composition turned to more national styles. Composers in the early twentieth century faced the challenge of creating works worthy of performance alongside the classics of the past. The music they created had to be of high quality in the tradition of serious art music. The music also had to have lasting value that rewarded performers and listeners through multiple hearings and study. Thus, these gave rise to young composers wanted a more radical break from the past. They reassessed inherited conventions and did not aim to please their listeners on first hearing so as to challenge perceptions and capacities (Burkholder, 2010c, Online). The major movement in Modernism came from serialism. Serialism is the process of giving a mathematical order to the way one composes music. The techniques used in these kinds of pieces have been termed such as twelve-tone, dodecaphonic, matrixes, tone rows, and others. The serialistic style of composition, most notably employed by Arnold Schoenberg, Alan Berg and Anton Webern, became so influential that these composers are often referred to as the Second Viennese School (1903-1925). This band of composers and their students believed in the idea that the use of mathematical representations could restore order to the composition of music without having to rely on the techniques of the past. 2.3 Schoenberg and Atonality in Piano Music Schoenberg wrote Six Little Piano Pieces Op. 19 in 1911. This is an example of Schoenberg short refining works, but also represents his early free atonal piano masterpiece. The entire work, a total of six little pieces, each creation embodies its own characteristics. Schoenberg abandoned the traditional tonal harmony and took equal importance of every single notes. He showed a new way of musical organization in 20th century piano music. The sounds created were not ever heard before, but many times were not well received by audiences. However, he was championed for what he had invented and his influence spread. The emancipation of the dissonance was Schoenbergs concept of freeing dissonance from its need to resolve to a consonance. This indirectly creates a distinctive musical language of Schoenberg which reflects the composers deep inner spiritual meaning that is the aesthetics of expressionism. Schoenbergs new music not only breaks the stereotyped tonality which had ruled the music for more than thousand years, but also after breaking, he re-established atonal music to a new order the twelve-tone system. Hence the new aesthetics value in Modernism was created. There is no more tonal centre in his music which providing the core. There is also no functional relationship between notes to notes, chords to chords. Tonal harmony is avoided absolutely at it best. Thus as compared to the piano music in Romanticism, the melody in Schoenbergs music is no more impressive and not as beautiful as before, the melody cannot be even easily sung in the mind. Hence, the aesthetics towards Schoenbergs atonal music is ambiguous; it can be beautiful, sublime, or even the other sides. There are no more clear boundaries in appreciating the music. In Schoenbergs early tonal period (before 1908), the composer was greatly influenced by Brahms and Wagner especially in the late works of German Romantic music. They were full of flavour, and the chromaticism which Wagner had developed had reached the limit. Hence in order to express the music more meaningfully, Schoenberg had to destroy all the tonality systems and began to explore new expressive musical style. He was inspired by the Marxism and Expressionism movements at his time and the atonal works were then created. For instance, the performance of his famous melodrama Pierrot lunaire Op. 21 (1912) shows the work as despair, fear, tension, pain and other pathological mental status, while the emotional musical language is also exaggerated, distorted, and weird. In the first decade of 20th Century, Schoenberg successfully established a new concept of musical arts, and thus set another standard for the aesthetic values which are subject to a strong challenge at that time. The aesthetic concepts were changed partly because of the tremendous changes in social thinking. From a social point of view, the extreme fear, agitation, depression, and twisted soul were embodied in Schoenbergs atonal music. These actually were influenced by the serious economic crisis in Europe at that time, social conflicts, and disasters caused by the World War I. From the cultural point of view, the performance of this non-rational atonal music reflected the artists humanistic ideas where serious imbalance of sense and sensibility occurred in the Europe at that time. These let Schoenberg to open the door of his inner creative power. Where tonality had reached its extreme limit, his creation of atonality frees the spirit and essence of expressionism, which contains a pr ofound social content and psychological motivation in that anxious time. The Six Little Piano Pieces although are small and insignificant, it definitely reflects the creative thinking of Schoenberg the new Expressionist aesthetics. Hence in order to understand Schoenbergs atonal music, one should escape and avoid from any musical representation, but from the spiritual essence to feel him, learn from him. 2.4 New Piano Playing Style in Modernism Prokofiev In the composition arena, Schoenberg particularly had made the emancipation of dissonnance. However, besides the changes in compositional techniques, how is the piano playing technique like in Modernism? Do pianists still equip the traditional technique or playing way to interpret the more radical modern piano music? Or perhaps any new playing way formed? As the Romantic pianisism were striving for making incredible beautiful singing line on the piano, Prokofiev however developed new kind of piano playing style which is more percussive and ear sore on the first heard. This new type of piano playing not only expressive but also it carries some sorts of hidden messages the elements of irony and mockery. Hence, Prokofiev again wrote new aesthetics elements on piano playing in the Modernism. Debussy wanted to suggest a piano without hammers. Prokofiev, Bartok, Stravinsky and Hindemith had the opposite view. Nonsense, they said in effect. The piano is a percussive instrument, and theres no use trying to disguise the fact. So lets face up to it and treat the piano as a percussive instrument. (Schonberg, 1964, p.389-90) From this quotation, Prokofiev together with his contemporaries were trying to argue that the piano could not be a singing instrument with superbly legato, as it is the nature of piano to have hammer effects which cause the piano to be percussive. Certainly, they all were bored with the beautiful, heavily wet sustained sounds from the piano pedal effect that went far beyond anything Chopin had dreamed of. They looked for another kind of new sound for which the piano can produce. So, they had to accept the fact that piano is a percussive instrument, the tones produced cannot be cheated or covered by the sustaining pedal. Harold Schonberg, a music critic of the New York Times, said about the playing of Prokofiev in a recital: Young Serge Prokofieff, the pianist of steel, came raging out of Russia, playing his own music and startling the West with his vigor, his exuberance, his wild rhythm, his disdain for the trappings of romanticism. The anti-romanticism age was under way [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Prokofieff at the piano attacked the music with a controlled fury, blasting out savage and complicated rhythms, giving or asking no mercy. He went about it almost without pedal, and with a percussive, metallic-sounding tone. (Schonberg, 1964, p. 390) Noted that the anti-romanticism is also a key of Prokofievs piano playing style. Remember, in his time, the early 20th century piano performance practice, pianists especially like Alfred Cortot, Paderewski, Rachmaninoff, and others play expressively with great liberty. They took tempo rubato for granted and more aware of bel canto playing on the piano. This performance tradition was actually passed down from the time of Chopin and Liszt. The famous Russian pedagogue, Heinrich Neuhaus, who is the teacher of great pianist Sviatoslav Richter, said about Prokofievs piano playing: Energy, confidence, indomitable will, steel rhythm, powerful tone (sometimes even hard to bear in a small room), a peculiar epic quality that scrupulously avoided any suggestion of over-refinement or intimacy, yet with a remarkable ability to convey true lyricism, poetry, sadness, reflection, an extraordinary human warmth, and feeling for natureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shlifstein,1968, p.233) Although the views are subjective, these quotations give us clearer views of Prokofievs piano playing. Basically, Prokofievs tone on the piano was somewhat dry, but he still played with amazing assurance and freedom. Beneath his fingers the piano does not sing or vibrate. Hence, this evoked contradictory on the piano playing style should the pianists tone be deliberately violent or ugly, or should he strive for musical beauty? Definitely, Prokofiev had made a revolution on the aesthetics of piano playing to the violently, ugly playing style on the piano. This playing style is obvious in his later piano sonatas, especially in the three War Sonatas. The Pianists Responsibilities No matter how the aesthetics of piano music changed, the relationships among composer, pianist, and listener are always inter-related. Pianist, as a medium between the creator and the beneficiary, carries an important role in a performance. For me, regardless of playing the pieces from which period or time to the hardly understandable extreme contemporary piano music, a piano performance is not just a musical performance, it contains rich and valuable aesthetics thinking. From the aesthetic view of Hanslick, he states that music only contains its sound movement and its musical form and structure. If that case, they should be the only essence of piano music without incorporating the personal feeling and emotion into it. However personally, as a pianist, I am more in favour to have music can express emotion and meaning other than just mere sound so as to communicate with the audience as well as to convey the composers messages and intentions. A piano music score is just a carrier of written material, it does not make sense from a hearing point of view. However, if the score is being played by the pianist, it can express meaningful significance. So in a piano performance where the music is accepted and played, it creates a social consciousness relationship with its audience. It thus gives impact to the audience whether auditory, visually or emotionally. At the end, the pianist translates all the static musical symbols on the scores and liberates them into reality so as to make it into life. The aesthetic of piano playing is always based on the individuality of performers as well as the commonality of playing facts. The provisions of piano playing is not absolutely clear, we can never play the music authentically. Hence it is the tendency that every pianists will show their understanding of the music based on their own aesthetical point of views. Together with their unique personality, different pianists play the same stories with different resonance. Their own unique playing style are irreplaceable and cannot be represented by other pianists because their characters of playing were accumulated continuously from the past creative performances. Their innovations always grow with their experience of playing. The commonality of piano playing however restricts and limits performers playing style. It is the style of composers, and the style of playing of that period, that merged into a common playing style. Pianists still have to follow the conventions. Hence pianists individuality cannot exceed the basic style restriction or the commonality of a work in other words. For instance, each performers show different characters of playing on Beethovens Piano Sonata with their own treatment, but they still restrict themselves in a framework of typical Beethoven style, which is the general spirit and characteristics of Beethoven. In short, before playing the music with our own individuality and feeling, we must first respect to the composers

Anti-Semitism in Anthony Trollopes Palliser Novels :: Anthony Trollope Palliser Novels Essays

Anti-Semitism in Anthony Trollope's Palliser Novels Because Anthony Trollope belonged to the Liberal party, one would assume that he would be less concerned with the glorification of a specific social class to the neglect of any other. Yet, of the major novelists of the Victorian period, none was more infatuated with the code of the gentleman than Trollope. His political beliefs, which might seem to conflict with those of a Liberal, are best defined by his own description of himself as "an advanced, but still a conservative Liberal" (Autobiography 291). This left-centrist attitude serves as the basis for the moral standard of his novels and is embodied by the various "gentlemen" in his work. Trollope idealized the gentleman more than Fielding and as much as, if not more, than Thackeray. The characters in his novels judge each other by their interpretations of this standard, which may or may not coincide with Trollope's definition. This discrepancy between Trollope and his characters is very interesting, but in some instances can be misleading. Nineteenth-century Europe, sparked by the Enlightenment's notion of equality, underwent numerous revolutions, both political and social. In England this was represented by the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832 and the repeal of the Corn Laws. Both were huge victories for the Liberal, then Whig, cause, regardless of which party was in control of the government at the time. Trollope's stance on such issues can be seen in his treatment of similar measures, some fictitious, others real, in the novels that comprise his Palliser series. In England during this time, the quest for equal treatment under the law for all residents was gaining popularity. Bills were passed which legalized Catholicism and which made citizens of the Jews living in England. As anti-semitism was a more thorough prejudice than that of Anglicans against other Protestants and Catholics, it is of interest to examine how one of the more, if not the most, realistic novelists of the time portrayed English Jews. As Trollope mainly concerns himself with upper-class society, social movement is necessarily a major issue in his novels, and added to his predisposition to prejudicial class awareness, Trollope behaves very questionably with regard to his non-English characters, particularly his Jewish characters. European Jews have consistently been oppressed throughout their history on the continent. The most widespread slurs used against Jews, then and now, are founded in resentment of the fact that Jews, in Europe, have historically found employment in banking, pawnbroking, and usury.

Essay --

We live in the 21st century where no human right is an equal right. We were issued human rights to be treated equal but everyday life situations show me that society is so unfair. Human rights are made to be inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is entitled to do because he or she is a human being. Human rights are meant to be natural rights to anyone who takes part in America's population. Human rights can be defined as rights that are believed to belong justifiably to every person. World War I and World War II of the twentieth century is what led to the development of the human rights. The human rights were derived from 18 members of many various political, cultural and even religious backgrounds. Authors consisted of those from John Peters Humphrey, Charles Malik, Peng Chun Chang, William Hodgson and Eleanor Roosevelt to name just a few. At the time that human rights were created it was for the people who faced such horror. I put myself in society shoes and I notice that the Human Rights are more of a dream than reality. When stating my opinion, each state has its own violation of the human rights of some kind. Tortured or abused in at least 81 countries, unfair trials in at least 54 countries, and lastly but definitely not the least restriction in freedom of expression in at least 77 countries. So many human rights are being violated in our everyday life yet America is considered the ideal place to live. Human rights violations still plague the world today. Who can recall how article three of the Declaration of Human Rights stating "everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person" has been violated in such ways. An estimate of 6,500 people were killed in the year of 2007 in armed conflict in Af... ...the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enlist. People are very bias when it comes to gay and lesbian relationships. Everyone is supposedly treated equal and fair correct? Or at least that's why we have Human Rights to abide by to ensure that all is treated as one. But the question that still rises in my mind, if there are people in society who is not being treated as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights say we should who will enforce them? Who do those who don't have the equal opportunity as some turn to? The government, do we reach out to society, maybe those that stand higher ground than us, start petitions for those who seem to be getting unfair treatment. I not only support same sex marriage because of myself but because in my opinion love has absoutely no gender. A right was set as freedom to many but not to all, coming with a crutch.

Prejudice and Racism in Heart of Darkness? Essay -- HOD Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness: Racist or not? Â   Many critics, including Chinua Achebe in his essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", have made the claim that Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, despite the insights which it offers into the human condition, ought to be removed from the canon of Western literature. This claim is based on the supposition that the novel is racist, more so than other novels of its time. While it can be read in this way, it is possible to look under the surface and create an interpretation of Conrad's novel that does not require the supposition of extreme racism on the part of Conrad. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that Conrad was a product of a rather racist period in history, and it seems unfair to penalize him for not being able to transcend his contemporaries in this respect. Â   This novel, it seems, must be read in a symbolic manner. Objects and characters are not so simple as they seem. Achebe tells us: "Quite simply it is the desire... in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest" (251-252). If Africa is a foil to Europe, as stated here, then perhaps Conrad only uses the continent of Africa symbolically, without regard to its people - as Achebe himself states, descriptions of Africans as anything more than vague limbs in the darkness are few and far between in the novel. The opposition between light and darkness in the novel, far from being Conrad's own, is traditional in Western literature. Conrad simply uses the most familiar of symbols for the dichotomy between good and evil to enhance his novel's psycho... .... One might also argue that while Marlow is racist, Conrad is not - something like the scenario in another famous river novel, Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, I reject this claim - Marlow does the vast majority of the speaking in this novel, and so the reader identifies him as the novel's narrative voice even though there is, strictly speaking, a frame story outside of this. Â   Finally, even if Conrad was more racist than other authors of his time, why is this so significant? The novel is still valuable as an object of art, for the psychological insights it offers both into the human condition at large and into the motivations of European imperialism and colonization. A novel such as this should not be removed from the canon on the simple basis of its offensive potential. All great literature must have at least the potential to offend.

There is Need to Review Our Education System

Liting Wang Professor Feindert ENGWR 48007 April 2018 Critique of â€Å"There is Need to Review Our Education System† T he article â€Å"There is Need to Review Our Education System: Africa News Service. (Apr. 1, 2009)Africa News Service. News Provided by Comtex. Byline: Rhoda Kalema† looks at some pressing issues that the education system in Uganda is currently facing. She is a well-known woman. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"she was honored in 1996 by Uganda's Forum for Women in Democracy as a transformative leader. On March 13, 2018, she received the Sudreau Global Justice Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pepperdine University School of Law and the Ugandan Judiciary.† There have been no proper mechanisms to foresee high-quality education is offered in the country. She explains that, the experience of educational people feels afraid for what was happing to the education world. They worry about the future get lost on what will happen to the education. If people do not have good education, they will not have a bright future. As a result, the country will fall backward and weak. It will affect the country's improvement. She suggests that, the educational administrator should start to look at this situation. In addition, both learners and teachers face challenges that make it impossible for the education system to be ranked anywhere in the world. The government is aware of these challenges but offers no solution. Through critique, the key issues facing the primary, secondary, and vocational education in Uganda are examined. The opinion that is currently viable to revive this whole situation is an overall reviewing of the education system from the tradition one to a modern one that will suit the needs of the students and benefit them to fight in equal terms with the rest of the students, if not in the world but Africa. The Ugandan government should take an example of the neighbouring Kenya, which has had several amendments in their system, and currently they have embarked on a new system of 2-6-6-3. This will make sure that the current students do not undergo the kind of suffering experienced by their fore front-runners. Everyone in the country and even those that have been lucky to secure jobs outside the country never experienced a balanced education about 25-30 years ago, and it is for this reason that they are in pain over what is happening in the education system. What is bothering them is Uganda's future is doomed to be at a loose end, if drastic measures are not put into place. Many stakeholders have reflected on several aspects that they have observed which will bring doom to the Ugandan education sector unless a review is done instantaneously and aggressively. One of the most intriguing factors with the education system is one that dates back more than four decades ago when fresh graduate teachers had the aspiration of literally igniting the classrooms. Shortly when they dive into the adventure towards greatness, these graduates understand that the procedure has been pre-decided and what is required of them is to stick within classroom limits of the syllabus. The objective here is to cover the syllabus, and any idea of presenting new substance is disapproved. There is no space for learning for information's purpose, an instructor in class is to educate and how well one educates is obvious through students' execution in exams. Those who have different thoughts of possibly to energize the students, and familiarize them with new ideas and thoughts, influence them to think, and long to know more, are left to swallow their skills and watch as the students follow the old road of the low-quality education. Guardians and parents expect more from schools. They have high expectations that school will change their kids. Occasionally, they even observe the instructor as a wonderful professional of sorts, after all an educator could influence a child to learn. A typical presumption is that tutoring will shape the children and the instructor will be the one individual to guarantee this happens. In any case, things are not as basic and practical as they appear, and teachers face challenges explaining to parents that with this old education system, they should not expect much from their children. What the government has failed to understand is that Education is a public entity, which has a good aim of providing quality training with a specific end goal to reduce variations (instruction as an equalizer). Framework change should address parts of value and correspondence and additionally the more extensive quality objective. The change procedure must be incorporated, problematic, and transformative for there to be substantial outcomes for all students. An intricate procedure must be acknowledged through community-oriented associations amongst government and other key players, for example, guardians, current society, and the private area. Sometimes individuals expect too much from old system framework models to deliver present 21st-century skilled students. Uganda like the rest of Africa has a considerably young populace that forms an important part of the human resource. The youth forms the vital group that is thought to take Africa to the next African Rebellion urged by education and training. Based on the problems that the Ugandan education system is facing, the following are some of the ways that can help redeem the learners from surging into the problematic conditions just like their predecessors. Education syllabus The current education syllabus needs through amending to suite Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE). This will enable students to gain more skills based on their talents rather than based on theories. Practical's need to be more encouraged in schools as different learners have different learning abilities. Promotion of students With a review of education systems, students can be graded based on their talents rather than their class performance. Even with the recommendation of automatically promoting students to the next grade, there can be incentives, which will see students grouped based on their talents. Vocational/technical courses The revised curriculum needs to focus on the vocational and technical teaching, to provide young skills together with the academic learning. Teaching the young people skills means that they will never be lost children. This calls for the movement to come up with improved and more accessible vocational colleges, which are modern and which go hand in hand with the rest of the world to ensure students rank well outside Africa and the rest of the world when they go job seeking. In addition to that, parents should be taught to encourage their children not to follow the old model of only seeing them worth if they take white color jobs. In conclusion, anything that contributes to meeting the huge needs of the education systems in Africa is a positive thing. Such programs or projects are driven by people who want to serve the general good of the country in the area that, as a reminder, is the top priority of all priorities. The impression that one's gets is that there is a desire to be involved in proposing the beginnings of a solution, a standard foundation for teaching that will integrate specific local features and at the same time train future citizens of an interconnected and culturally very mixed world. A change of school learning system will reflect this concept, and it is an interesting one. The important thing is that there are on-going discussion and dialogue, and adjustments constantly being made to ensure the consistency at country level and then ideally, at the level of each regional African community, of an educational offering that necessarily has to be diversified. This is also one of the recommendations from the summary of the debate that we must have high-level, national education authorities, which must be separate and independent from the governments. They should also be tasked with the responsibility of managing the fundamental choices affecting education systems in the long term, to set a course that is not changed every time there is a change in government. Work Citedâ€Å"There is Need to Review Our Education System.† Africa News Service, 1 Apr. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A196876335/OVIC?u=sacr73031&sid=OVIC&xid=d3a28488. Accessed 3 Apr. 2018.