Manufacturing Industry Protection and Liberalisation Essay Example for Free

Manufacturing Industry Protection and Liberalisation Essay For a long period in history, the Australian manufacturing sector has enjoyed protection with the government aiming at establishing a stable manufacturing sector to ensure self-sufficiency as well as provide job variety to its citizens. Successive governments over the past decades have introduced several structural changes. Australia now has a regime which is said to have the lowest protection for manufacturing industries. The argument is that protection is only given for a limited amount of time to allow the industry to establish itself. It is not only the manufacturing industry that has undergone reforms but the whole economy as a whole. Liberalisation of trade is becoming a norm in Australia with the government withdrawing from participating in trade matters and issuing fewer restrictions to businesses. The idea is to give them the freedom to make decisions without the government influence and this according to economic analysts is bound to improve the economy as competition increases (Productivity Commission, 2009). Conservatives and the labor party are against deregulation citing that sooner or later it could have serious negative impacts on the citizens through commodity price increases and rise in unemployment levels. This paper seeks to analyze the reasons for the reduction in the Australian manufacturing sector protection as well as the consequences this reduction is likely to have on the economy. Further, a discussion on liberalisation of the economy is introduced showing the reasons as to why liberalisation is a good idea for Australia. Decline in protection in the Australian Manufacturing Sector There has been a significant decline in the trade protection for the Australian manufacturing sector over the years. The tariff provisions reduced from 25 percent in 1983 to 6 percent in 1997 (Chemlink, 2001). Import duties on foreign manufactured goods have also fallen significantly from as high as 60 percent to 5% in 1997 (Chemlink, 2001)). The government following the advice of the productivity commission now plans to abolish tariffs on all manufacturers. The arguments behind the reduction in protection include the ability of the Australian industries to compete in the world market (Wilson, 1998). When the foreign produced goods are allowed into the Australian market, the competition caused should be a wake up call for local industries to be innovative in order to counter this competition. According to Anderman (2001); Productivity Commission (2009), tariffs offer little incentives for competition are likely to cause industries to be less innovative due to reliance on the government for protection. Protection is being reduced because it has led in the decrease of innovation which is a direct result of lack of competition. Protection creates monopolies within the country hence the high costs of goods. This is one of the arguments of protectionism and it maintains that due to protection from competition, industries tend to take advantage of this to charge high prices on the goods (Anderman, 2001). By allowing foreign goods into the market, monopolies are abolished by the competitive mood that results. The consumers can therefore get the same goods at a more favourable price (Landek, 2003). The Australian government through the AusAID wanted to help Least Developed Countries (LDC) to develop their export industry. The strategy used by AusAID was to remove tariffs on goods from LDCs. While benefiting these countries, Australia can easily import goods from these countries and have little effect on the productivity of Australian manufacturing industry and employment (Leigh, 2002). Effects on the Australian Economy As a result of the reduction in protection of the manufacturing sector, the domestic industry is highly likely to go into a slump and consequently slow down economic development in Australia. According to Anderman (2001), state protection ensures that domestic industries are saved from competition brought by foreign manufactured goods so that they can effectively establish and develop themselves. Reduction in protection just goes on to encourage the entry of foreign goods into the country. Since most of these goods are likely to have lower prices than Australian goods they will capture the market originally being served by Australian manufacturing sector pushing Australian industries out of business (Wilson, 1998). A situation where foreign goods are sold at a lower price than the price in the importing country is known as dumping which is quite harmful to the local goods market (Anderman, 2001). As the level of competition from foreign goods increases, high levels of unemployment are likely to be witnessed. This results from the fact that foreign goods flood the market and if they are cheaper than local goods they are likely to attract more customers (Anderman, 2001). The consequence of this will be that the Australian goods will have little of no market such that the industry owners will have no option but to close down. In return, workers will lose their jobs leading to economic suffering and high income inequality (Wilson, 1998). Current statistics as at the end of 2008 indicate that unemployment is at 5. 2 percent. According to Sterle (2009), the manufacturing sector provided more than one million jobs in 1996 but this had so far reduced by 300,000 at the end of 2008. Kelmax for example has already closed its Adelaide operations leading to a loss of 80 jobs. Other examples of companies which have laid down workers include Westpac, Manildra Group and Silcraft. Innovation in the country will be discouraged as cheaper goods enter the Australian market. Innovation is encouraged by the presence of a prospective market (Landek, 2003). However, if the market is not assured then investors may not be willing to take the risk. Stiff competition from foreign goods also reduces industry productivity such that profits are reduced. Since innovation requires large amounts of finances, the local industries cannot afford to innovate. The government will lose out on income with reduced protectionism. This stems from the keep money at home argument which maintains that when countries import, they get the benefits of the goods while the foreign country goes with the money (Anderman, 2001). This means that the importing country is benefiting the other by increasing its earnings on foreign exchange. By protecting its domestic industries, a country would have both the goods as well as the money. Likelihood of trade imbalance is increased when protection of domestic industries is abolished. An unfavourable balance of trade is dangerous to a country and it occurs when a country starts importing more than it is exporting (Anderman, 2001). Reduction in exports would come as a result of lack of incentive to innovate and closure of domestic firms. Liberalisation  One of the latest Australian government reforms is the liberalization of the Australian economy. Government reforms to liberalisation have been a topic of controversy as economists insist that free trade is in essence the key to economic welfare for Australia. Conservatives and the labor party are not for liberalisation. Labor party maintains that it will lead to harmful negative results in future (Sterle, 2009). According to them, liberalisation will give firms too much freedom which they may use to exploit customers, engage in unethical business practices and cause the decline in employment levels. I personally do not agree with these views and in this regard I totally support the government in the liberalisation reforms because I believe that it is going to work in favour of the Australian economy. Deregulation ensures steadfast commitment to competition which is a fuelling factor for development (Coonan, 2007). Competition is useful in two major ways: promotion of innovation and reduction in prices of goods. Trade liberalisation fosters competition leading to better quality goods and more affordable prices (Leigh, 2002). Competition promotes innovation so that as firms try to outdo each other they come up with better products to win customers. The direct results of innovation are better quality goods, development in technology and more competition so that development is a continuous process (Leigh, 2002). Free trade enhances competition among firms producing similar products and as we know it, competition has a significant influence on the reduction in prices as companies try to secure more customers and a gain large market share (Leign, 2002). We can therefore collectively say that competition leads to better quality goods for customers and variety at affordable prices. Free trade or liberalisation will create jobs for Australian citizens (Coonan, 2007). Arguments have been put forward by the conservatives that liberalisation it is likely to lead to a rise in unemployment levels. However, the gains obtained in free trade override the losses (Smith, 2007; Productivity Commission, 2009). There could be some sense in that firms in their efforts to increase their profits may lay down some workers (Smith, 2007). The number of new firms and expansion of existing firms however is likely to take on board more workers than those who have been left jobless (Landek, 2003). Increase in innovation and profits will definitely lead to the expansion of the existing industries which are going to need workers. This way, employment is enhanced as opposed to where government regulations limit the business operations. As an illustration of the advantages that liberalisation can bring, I take a case of the telecommunications industry in Australia. The liberalisation in the telecommunications industry has earned Australia an extra $15. 2 billion since 1997 following a decision by the Howard government to liberalise the sector (Coonan, 2007). In a report issued by the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts minister Hon Helen Coonan in November 2006, more than 17,550 jobs were created in the year 2005. Apart from these, use in Information Technology has risen with an average of 5. 9 million having subscribed for internet services and 80 percent of Australians have mobile phones. This should indeed serve as an illustration to the conservatives that liberalisation has positive economic effects and this is the way to go for Australia. Conclusion Tariffs and trade restrictions protect domestic industries from competition caused by free import of foreign goods. This ensures that new industries can establish themselves without having to bear competition pressures. With globalisation however, countries use of tariffs are going down and the reasons for this is to encourage competition so that the local industries can become more innovative and consumers can obtain quality goods at reasonable prices. This together with trade liberalisation have embraced the spirit of free trade that ensures minimal government intervention in trade activities. Just like in reduction in protectionism, deregulation or liberalisation ensures that consumers can get better goods due to increased innovation and quality goods as a result of increased competition among firms. In conclusion, trade liberalisation is an effective instrument in increasing the productivity of a countrys economy.

PKR-eIF2α Signaling Mediated Spatial Memory Impairment

PKR-eIF2ÃŽ ± Signaling Mediated Spatial Memory Impairment SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Activated PKR-eIF2ÃŽ ± signaling mediated spatial memory impairment, tau phosphorylation, AÃŽ ² pathology, oxidative stress, selectively synaptic protein loss in mice caused by low levels of Cu Mouse behavior analysis. Morris water maze test: MWM was performed as previously described (PMID:23402899) with minor modifications and the test was performed double blinded according to the standard operation protocol. The MWM consisted of a circular pool (120 cm diameter, wall depth 40 cm) in which all the mice were trained to escape from water by swimming to a hidden platform (2 cm beneath water surface) whose location only be identified by using the visual cures on the inner wall of the pool (Supplementary Fig. 3A). The water and the room temperature were kept at 23 ±1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The pool was divided into four quadrants by a computerized tracking software (Huaibei Zhenghua Biologic Apparatus Facilities Limited Company, Huaibei, Anhui, China). The platform was located half-way between the center and the wall in one quadrant and maintained at the same position during all the experiment. The navigation test consisted of 4 training trials per day and 5 consecutive training days. As can be seen in Table 1, mice were released with their heads facing the inner wall of the pool from the four quadrantal locations (N, E, SE, and NW) according the sequence as previous report (Supplementary Fig. 3B) (PMID:17406317), and not allowed to swim and search for the platform more than 60 s, after which they were guided to the platform and allowed to remain on it for 15 s. Each mouse was then returned to its cage for 30 min before its next trial. The latency to reach the hidden platform was recorded. One day or six days after the end of navigation test, mice received a probe test, in which the platform was removed. Mice were released from the NE location and allowed to a 120 s swim to find the previous location of the platform. The swimming path, the time spent in each quadrant, the distance traveled each quadrant, the probe time, the platform crossing number, the total distance traveled, and the average swimming speed was recorded by the computerized tracking software. Y-maze: In order to study the PKR role in exploratory behavior and spatial memory, we performed the Y-maze in the PKR+/+Tg+/- and PKR+/-Tg+/- mice as described previously (PMID: 8986335, 1393562). Response to novelty was tested in a Y-maze, adopting a two-trial procedure in this test. The apparatus was equipped with black materials with three identical arms each 50 cm long, 16 cm wide, and 32 cm high. Visual cues made from colored paper with different symbols and the floor of the maze was covered with soiled animal bedding (Beta wood chips). All the mice was performed with starvation treatment for 24h before Y-maze. In trial 1, one arm was blocked with black Plexiglas and referred to as the â€Å"novel† arm in Trial 2. The remaining two arms were designated as the ‘start’ arm and â€Å"other† arm respectively. Three arms were randomized between mice (but not for the same mouse) to reduce arm bias effects. At the start of testing, a mouse was placed in the start arm and was allowed to explore the start and other arms for 10 min (acquisition trial). At the end of Trial 1, the mouse was returned to its home cage and the bedding inside the maze was mixed to reduce the possibility of using odors as a cue. After an intertrial interval (ITI) of 1 h, the mouse was placed in the same start arm as in Trial 1. The previously blocked arm was opened in Trial 2 and the mouse was allowed to investigate all three arms for 5 min (recall trial). The dependent variables measured in Trial 2 were: (1) the amount of time spent in each arm for each minute; (2) the number of entries made into each arm for each minute (Entry). Those indexs reflect inquisitive behavior (i.e. response to novelty) and spatial recognition memory of the previously unvisited arm. Step-down test: This test was used to measure inhibitory avoidance and short-term memory, according to the previously described method (PMID: 24678498). The apparatus comprised a plastic chamber (12x12x18cm) with an elevated rubber platform (4.84.84.5cm) placed on the left side wall. The floor was made of caliber stainless steel bars (0.1cm in length) placed in parallel, 0.5cm apart. On the first training day, mice were exposed to a 5-min learning course, if the animals stepped down from the platform, they were exposed to an electric foot shock (36V, AC). After 24h, latency was reassessed and recorded as the learning grade (latency), which was taken as a measure of memory retention. Each acquisition trial was performed 5min in the PKR+/+Tg+/- and PKR+/-Tg+/- mice. Supplementary Table 1. Primary antibodies used for protein immunodetection in western blot analysis (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF). Antigen Supplier Application PAGE (%) Species origin Incubation conditions Ab dilution 8-OhdG US Biological, H9076-02 IF N/A Goat 10% NGS, 12h, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:200 acetylated-ÃŽ ±-Tubulin Santa Cruz, sc- 23950 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:5000 APP Cell signaling, #2452 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 AT8 Thermo, MN1020B WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 ATF-4 Abcam, ab50546 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 ATF-4 Abcam, ab50546 IF N/A Mouse 10% NGS, 12h, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:100 AÃŽ ²42 Abcam, ab10148 IHC N/A Rabbit 10% NGS, 12h, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:100 BACE-1 Abcam, ab2077 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 CCS Abcam, ab16962 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:100 CHOP Cell signaling, #2895 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 CREB Cell signaling, #9197 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 complexin-1/2 Santa Cruz, sc-33603 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 Cp Abcam, ab48614 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 Drebrin Cell signaling, #12243 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 eIF2ÃŽ ± Cell signaling, #5324 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 GSK-3ÃŽ ² Cell signaling, #9315 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 JNK Cell signaling, ##9252 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 Nitro-Tyrosine Cell signaling, #9691 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 NR2A Molecular Probes, A-6473 WB 8 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:500 NR2B Molecular Probes, A-6474 WB 8 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:500 PKR (N-Term) GenWay Biotech, GWB-A4757E WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:500 p-PKR (Thr 451) Invitrogen, 44668G WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:500 p-eIF2ÃŽ ± (Ser51) Cell signaling, #3398 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 p-GSK-3ÃŽ ² (Ser9) Cell signaling, #9336 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 p-CREB (Ser133) Cell signaling, #9198 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 p-JNK Cell signaling, #4671 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 p-PP2A Epitomics, 1155-1 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PP2A C subunit Epitomics, 1512-1 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PS396 Invitrogen, 44752G WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PS404 Invitrogen, 44-758G WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PSD-93 Cell signaling, #9445 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PSD-95 Cell signaling, #2507 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 PSD-95 Cell signaling, #2507 IF N/A Rabbit 10% NGS, 12h, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:100 synapsin 1 Invitrogen, 51-5200 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 sAPPÃŽ ± Covance, SIG-39139 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 sAPPÃŽ ² Covance, SIG-39138 WB 10 Rabbit 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 Tau-1 Chemicon, MAB3420 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:1000 Tau-5 Abcam, ab80579 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ 1:500 ÃŽ ±-tubulin Santa Cruz, sc-58667 WB 8-10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, RT 1:1000 ÃŽ ²-actin Santa Cruz, sc-47778 WB 10 Mouse 5% skim milk, 2h, O/N, RT 1:1000 N/A, not applicable; NGS, normal-goat serum; O/N, over-night; RT, room temperature. SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURES Supplementary Figure 1. Content of Cu in Serum and brain. (A-D) Total iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium content in the serum respectively; (E-H) Total iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium content in the hippocampus respectively; (I-L) Total iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium content in the cortex respectively; *P

Two Model Of Shrm Ulrich Model

Two Model Of Shrm Ulrich Model Strategic Human resource management is generally use to make sure that the organisational has well motivated, perfect in their work and committed staff to achieve their goals and objectives of the company. According to Boxall (1996) to improve the strategic human resource management SHRM for the senior managers you need to hire the more experienced qualified and developing their talent in the organisation through improve their basic skills by training and other courses, There are two model of SHRM Ulrich model and Best Practice model. Ulrich Model: Deve Ulrich is the real hero of the Ulrich model in 1997. Ulrich model of the business partnering is very popular in USA and UK and it has influential impact on these countries. Ulrich model is more aspiration for the upcoming HR professionals. He was the master of the human resource management and by using his model the most benefit was more responsible and flexible organisation in HR and it gives the opportunity to HR professional to become a real impressive business partner. (John Storey 2007) Strategic partner: Strategic partner is about of HR practices, activities and initiatives of the global business management and it is the task of HR management and the HR business partners. Strategic partners give the support to the organisation to expand their self in the world. There is example of Tesco who has their strategic partners in their company. Tesco is the biggest company in the UK and they expand their business and they had open their stores in the different countries in Thailand, China, Indonesia e.g. Simons Groups is the strategic partner for Tesco. Simon group is the construction company and they have  £200M a turnover company. Simons group work as a strategic partner in Tesco and they work with the supermarket chain to plan and deliver a number of products in the next few year including the new big stores and extension in distribution. Simon works in Tesco as a accounts director. Ben Brewerton said it is fantastic to work with the biggest retailer in UK and they ar e looking to our offer line with in the Tesco (Construction of Tesco2009). Change Agent: Change agent plays very important role in the organisation and the Ulrich model. Change agent means that making some changes and transaction of the business of the HR capital. The human resource management is the support for the changing activities in daily routine. Human resource management has to make sure that where the changes need to be done. According L. Bhat (2008) Apple become a change in the market in his all his business areas through his different kinds of invention like i-Pods, i-Phone, i-Macs, i-Pad and many more. They are change agent through his insight thinking and decision power of Steve Jobs who was the CEO of apple 1997 to 2009 Employ Champion: In the HR department the employs champion plays the vital role in the organisation. Employ champion means the leader of the all workers in the organisation. The employ champion needs to make sure that all the employees of the company are happy with their job; they feel secure in the company. The employ champion needs to take care of the employees interest and to protect them from the changes which are going in the organisation. Administration Expert:- Best Practice model: Best practice approach performed very well in each condition and by using the best practice approach it can lift the company in his performance and this model can lead the company as superior (Michel Armstrong 11th edition p.34). In best practice models there are some basic elements which will help the organisation to improve the organisational performance and these are. Employs security. Sophisticated selection. Team working and decentralization. High wages linked to organisational performance. Extensive training. Communications and involvement (Pferrer 1988 p.33). There are seven which HR strategies which are formal training system, performance based compensation, internal career ladder, formal training system, employs job security, employee rights and clear structure of jobs these cane help to increase the organisational performance and the best practice model (Delery and Doty 1996 p.34). Comparison: For the senior managers to ensure that they will choose the right models for the effective human resource management. As compare the two models Ulrich model and best practice model for senior managers the Ulrich model plays very important role in the effective human resource managers strategies. There are some drawbacks in the best practice model although this model can help the managers to increase its organisational performance. This model can cause the breakdown of momentum of teamwork, discipline, this model the best practice model create diversity between the employs and the management. In the best practice models they dont have the unity in their HR strategy management. In this model they just ignore the employs need and they just look after the economic performance (Dr. Ernesto Dimaculangan 2006). So as my point of view the Ulrich model is the best choice for the senior manager for the effective human resource management. In the start the Ulrich model is also calle d four-role model. Basically many of the author said that the four-role model and the three step model is same. The main difference in these to model is three legged model is easy to understand and four-role model is difficult to understand. Ulrich had made his mind to change the model in the simplest form that people and organisation can understand and it is easy to understand (Transact HR 2009. Ken article 2011). Most of the scholar like the Ulrich and model and appreciate this model it is simpler to understand and it is very effective and result oriented but some of the scholar have objection on Ulrich model. Reason for the importance of HRM in organisation: Human resource management plays very important role in the organisation. Organisation cant run without the human resource management. Human resource management help the organisation to set the goals in organisation and tell the procedure to the company how to achieve that on time. According to Ruth Mayhew she describes in his article that there are 10 specific areas for the human resource management and those are (Ruth Mayhew on demand media). Selection: Selection means choose the right person in the right place and the right time to the certain job accomplish. In the Vodafone Company the director of HR department using always the new approaches to managing the employees. The HR department give some responsibilities to their managers that they can select the some good employees for the achievement of the goals. HR Development: HR development means give training, conference, academies, meeting to the employee company for the achievement of the goals. The Vodafone Company focuses more on the training to satisfy the customer need. Vodafone delivers a variety of training through e-tools and e-module on cr. Vodafone is setting a new indicator to identify the number of employees and they have also classroom for the training. They had given the training in all department of the company for the achievement of the goals. Recruitment: It involves attracting the right standard of applicant to apply vacancies. Tesco advertise their vacancies in the different ways. Tesco always look at internal talent plan to fill the vacancies. In the internal talent plan they first look at the current employees within the company. If they didnt get any suitable people talent plan or developing on internal management programme. For the external vacancies they had advertise their vacancies through their own website and through their own store notice board. All the applications are made online for the managerial position. The chosen application has been interviewed followed by the attendance at on assessment centre for the final stage of the selection process. Sometime for the harder department they work hard to find the good applicant such as baker, pharmacist. Tesco advertise extremely through these things. Through their own website. Through offline media. Through television. Through radio Through different magazine Placing advertisement on Google. Employees Satisfaction: HR department has made the god relation with the employees which will make them more effective and improve the performance of the employees to achieve their objectives. Strategy: HR department help to improve the strategy of the organisation by using the different tool like strategic planning. HR improves the strategy for the growth of the business and for achieving the organisation goals. Compensation: HR department has to compensate their employees by different methods like if the company is running out with the short of staff and HR need to give some overtime to their staff and compensate them with the extra wages and pick and drop services. Benefits: HR department can give the benefits to the employees and by giving these benefits they can reduce their cost. HR can give the benefits in shape of increment, bounces and pension. If the HR will not give the benefits to the employees then the employees will de-motivate from this company and look for best offer which is offered from other company. Then the HR has to do recruitment again and it will increase in their expenses. Safety: HR department have to make sure that all the safety measures should be active and maintain in all the time. For the staff the HR department must sure that the employees work in the safe condition and they have a good environment in the working place of the workers. Liability: HR department has a liability to make sure that their employees are working in safe environment. HR department has made sure that their employees are not harassed and no discrimination in the working places. If these thing happen in then the employees will be de-motivate and then it is difficult to achieve their goals. Compliance: HR department has to make sure that all the employees have right documentation of their work. HR department has to compliance with the international employment laws of the country. Explanation and analyses of HRM: The Human Resource Cycle: Rewards Selection Performance Appraisal Training Source: Fombrun Tichy et al (1984) This framework helps the SHRM department to the weak point of the companies. By using this framework they have set their objectives in the companies. This framework has a cycle for HR department which they have to follow in the companies (Michel Armstrong 2003 9th edition P. 22) . Selection: Selection means choose the right person in the right place and the right time to the certain job accomplish. In the Vodafone Company the director of HR department using always the new approaches to managing the employees. The HR department give some responsibilities to their managers that they can select the some good employees for the achievement of the goals. HR Development: HR development means give training, conference, academies, meeting to the employee company for the achievement of the goals. The Vodafone Company focuses more on the training to satisfy the customer need. Vodafone delivers a variety of training through e-tools and e-module on cr. Vodafone is setting a new indicator to identify the number of employees and they have also classroom for the training. They had given the training in all department of the company for the achievement of the goals. Appraisal: Appraisal means how well employees doing job. Vodafone employees are working very hard for the achievement of goals due to training, meeting with the employees, improve the skills of the employees and make them more productivity. Managers also deliver the presentation thats why company built relationship between employees and manager. Reward: Vodafone is using reward system in the company. They have the different bonuses in the company for the different category of workers. By using this reward system the company can go for success employs are more productive and they are more motivated toward their goals. Performance: Performance means if the people work hard and the HR department, appraisal and reward going well the performance of company or people definitely affect all these factors, all of these factors are inter-related if any one effect all other factors will be effective. Explanation of HRM process and how strategies are developed: The human resource process play very important role in the organisation and human resource management help to build a strategy. The human resource process has different method to use in the organisation to make the organisation successful and those are job analyses, job design, recruitment, selection, training, development, performance management, compensation and employ relation. These are the processes which will help the organisation to achieve his mission goals and objectives (Lee Ross and Pryce 2010). 1. Job analyses: According to Susan M. Heathfield job analyses is used to collect the information from the other resources about its responsibilities, necessary skills and outcomes. It evaluate that what are the requirement of the job and what is its description (Susan M. Heathfield about.com). In HR process job analyses tells the company what kind of job is needed in the company and what are the requirements 2. Job design: In HR process the job design is the next step after the job analyses. In this job design it indicates individual person responsibilities and the contents how he achieve the objective of the company in his job. 3. Recruitment: It involves attracting the right standard of applicant to apply vacancies. In HR process the recruitment department has to recruit that person who has a ability to achieve the company goals and Selection Training Development Performance management Compensation Employ relation HR strategies: HR strategies plays very important role in organisation and HR strategies tell the organisation what to do with the organisation HR policies and procedures. According to Deer and Reeves says that Internally consistent bundles of human resource practices Richardson and Thompson (1999) says that HR strategies has two main key elements which are they must have their own strategic objectives and they have their action plans of the organisation (Michel Armstrong 10th edition 2006). HR strategies help to implement the program in the organisation and it help in the human resource department to make the decision to achieve the objective of the organisation. Human resource department use the HR strategies to set the objectives of the company and human resource strategies ideas how to achieve their objectives. As Grattan (2000) said the in this world there are no great strategies in this world there are only the great execution plans (Michel Armstrong 10th edition 2006). There are two main HR strategies and these are overarching strategies and specific strategies. Overarching HR Strategy: Overarching HR strategies are mostly use in the business and it is very successful hr strategy. Every company want to be at no 1 position by using this stra tegy. Overarching strategy tells the company what step the company has to taken for the organisation can attract and fulfil the need of the people and the company has to make sure that the employees are motivated committed and engaged for the achievement of their goals. According to Boxall and Purcell (2003) said that if the organisation choose the best employees with the best recruitment process then those employees will give the high performance work system and they will create a well disciplined and friendly environment for work which will help to increase their efficiency. Specific HR Strategy: Specific strategies are used in some places of the organisation which are talent management and continuous management. Talent management: Specific HR strategies use in the talent management and the talent management is looking for the great talent which will help them in make the improvement in required department where they need it. Continuous management: It is usually used in many places of the organisation where the management think that some continuous improvement must be done in these areas. This continuous management help the organisation to improve its performance and make their to be at no. 1 position in the market. Role of SHRM for senior managers: The HR managers have keen role in the effective planning and implementation of the policies and decisions that in tune with the business changes. They should act as strategic partners and be proactive in their role than mere reactive, passive spectators. The HT managers should understand how far their decisions contribute to business surplus incorporating human competency and performance to the organisation. Strategic HR managers need a change in their outlook from seeing themselves as relationship managers to strategic resource managers. Kossek (1987, 1989) argues that major HRM innovations occur when senior management takes the lead and adoption of innovative SHRM practices is dependent on the nature of relationship of the HR Department with the CEO and the line managers. Legge (1978) commenting on the actions of the personnel practitioner in the innovation process suggests that adoption of an innovation by an organization depends largely on HR practitioners credibility with inform ation and resource providers. HR Department and HR managers in these innovative organizations play a strategic role (Ulrich, 1997) linking the HR strategy with the business strategy of the organization. A crucial aspect concerning SHRM is the concepts of fit and flexibility. The degree of fit determines the human resource systems integration with organization strategy. It is the role of HR Managers to ensure this fit in between Human Resource System with the Organization Strategy. Conclusion: In writing an article the success of your business is through the effective use of human resource management. There are Ulrich models best practice model, framework and the process of SHRM and the roles by using these tools the senior manager can use the effective human resource management. Task 2 Case study BA has a big problem from last few years with their staff relation problem especially in cabin crew dispute and they have done the strikes. According to Steve Turner unite national aviation officer said Day by day the cabin crew and the deck staff relationship is going worst. BA hired the 1000 volunteer flights attended although they had already strong staff. Willie Walsh is the chief executive of the BA he hired the volunteer air craft, rival airlines, flight attend and volunteer crew member who help the passengers to drop them on their destination. While the strikes are going on they didnt reach to any decision and they had stop talking about this problem (Dan Milmo transport correspondent). Task 2 A: After dispute in the British airways staff and the crew member there are four HR strategies which will help to finish the dispute in cabin crew member. Employees Engagement Employees Retention Employees Development Employees Empowerment Task 2: British Airways merged with Iberia in 2011. Analyse the impact of the merger on strategic HRM at British Airways. There are some of the impacts of merger which are as under: Reduction of Cost: With the merger of these two companies both are enjoying the reduction in cost of operations. It is quite obvious when there is no merger; both of them are incurring some of the fix and variable cost to achieve their objectives but after merger there is no need of duplication of costs. They both can share the resources of each others. Better portfolio: With the help of merger the company has bigger and better portfolio with increase in the number of aeroplanes. Increase in aeroplanes ultimately means that more flights throughout the world. The coverage of flights has also become bigger as they now cover more than 200 destination worldwide and carry over 60 million passenger a year. Improved customer service: In the event of merger the level of customer service increases as these both companies have altogether different cultural values. As a matter of fact the reason behind merger is to grow bigger and this is not possible with the improvement in customer care, therefore to get more business and attracting more customers is only possible with the improved customer service. Combined head abilities/skills: Before the merger both of them have got limited skills and expertise but after merger this goes bigger and they both can enjoy the expertise of each other. For example if the administrative services are better with British Airways than Spanish Airlines, than they can just rely on BA for administrative services. While on the other hand if the Spanish Airlines are better than BA in cabin crew members and technical team, then they will leave these sorts of services for SA and enjoy the specialised services. There are some of the cultural differences which have the impact on the strategic HRM as under: The organisations in UK have the flat hierarchical structure where the gap between managers and workers or employees is very small. Managers directly involve themselves to help out the employees or give direct coaching or supervision. On the other side Spanish companies have a hierarchical structure where the manger plays a parental role. Communication plays very important role in any organisation and communication styles differ from country to country which is very confusing for the other country. Such as British people use indirect language where the Spanish use direct language and express what exactly they are trying to say. It is well known in any trade that those who avail risk enjoy the success and in this merger both the nations have different views about taking risk. British are risk takers and the Spanish are risk aversive. It is very big cultural difference which some time creates big problems in making decisions. It is the precious element in any organisation. This is anot her cultural difference between the both nations. British respect the deadlines and stick to agendas whilst the counterparts reschedule their deadlines. From the studies of both the cultures it is concluded that it is very important to know the demographic characteristics of both the countries before undertaking the mergers and acquisitions. More than 60% of the mergers and acquisitions become unsuccessful because of the lack of studies in cultural differences. Awareness about these characteristic is even more important than PESTEL analysis. To overcome this problem or to reduce the chances of failure cross-cultural training courses could be arranged before the merger to make it more successful. Biblography: Armstrong 2009 11th edition http://monizaharie.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/armstrong_hrmpractice.pdf CIPD Book Strategic HRM July 2012 (sited on 23/10/2012) http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/strategic-human-resource-management.aspx John Storey 2007 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TmsExMtSWB8Cpg=PA30dq=ulrich+model+of+Hrmhl=ensa=Xei=_cqHUMWfLamr0AXXmIHYDAved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=ulrich%20model%20of%20Hrmf=false HR Advice Website Sited on (23/10/12) http://hrmadvice.com/hrmadvice/hr-role/ulrichs-hr-roles-model.html Construction news for Tesco 2009 (sited on 23/10/2012) http://constructionnew.blogspot.com/2009/02/simons-groups-named-partner-for-tesco.html L. Bhat on his smoking apple article on 2008 (sited on 23/10/12) http://smokingapples.com/opinion/apple-change-agent/ Transact HR 2009. Ken article 2011 http://www.articlesbase.com/book-reviews-articles/four-role-model-and-the-subsequent-three-legged-stool-version-4821456.html Ruth Mayhew on demand media (sited on 28/10/2012) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/10-reasons-hr-important-organization-22424.html Michel Armstrong Human Resource Management Practice 2003 9th edition P. 22 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2AGbuhlTXV0Cpg=PA22lpg=PA22dq=fombrun+tichy+and+devanna+model+of+hrmsource=blots=ZlPp0HsRH5sig=a6hVwjt0Rdph1IKpypRLdgtPl10hl=ensa=Xei=Ov6OUJ6LHKTD0QX0qIHICQved=0CE8Q6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=fombrun%20tichy%20and%20devanna%20model%20of%20hrmf=false Lee Ross and Pryce book Human resource and Tourism 2010 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Tkq4q9JXr8MCpg=PA65dq=explain+hrm+processhl=ensa=Xei=_c6NUNKwGOKu0QXW3IGIBgsqi=2ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=explain%20hrm%20processf=false Susan M. Heathfield about.com (sited on 30/10/2012) http://humanresources.about.com/od/jobdescriptions/g/job_analysis.htm Michel Armstrong A handbook of human resource management practice 10th edition 2006 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D78K7QIdR3UCpg=PA124lpg=PA124dq=hr+strategies+in+michalsource=blots=ehMQNLQ8dUsig=fOSTPIOek9lBHcTuBGmo2DS9tQ8hl=ensa=Xei=rUeQULTVL6er0AW9l4Ewsqi=2ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=hr%20strategies%20in%20michalf=false task 2 Dan Milmo transport correspondent publish on the Guardian march 2010 (sited on 10/11/2012) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/30/ba-strike-staff-relations-dispute task 2 b Communiciad Blog Sited on (15/11/2012) http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/cross-cultural-training/british-airways-gains-a-new-wingman-by-merging-with-iberia-%E2%80%93-a-look-at-the-cultural-challenges-of-this-international-merger-and-acquisition/

Irish Campaign in America :: essays research papers fc

Early Modern Scotland Darien Company: A Necessary Disaster?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1690s were a time of much unrest in Scotland. The Glencoe massacre had served to discredit the monarch somewhat. Recent crop failures had led to a famine which was affecting much of the country. There was also a serious downturn in Scottish trade which greatly affected the economy. In the aftermath of this came the Darien Expedition. The Darien Scheme, as it is commonly referred to today, is one of the greatest failures in Scottish history. It was poorly planned, over ambitious and doomed, not from the start as one may think, but from the moment it was taken over by Scottish businessmen. The Scottish turned what could have been an extremely successful and lucrative company into a massive controversy which was to change the face of Scottish politics forever. Despite its massive failure, it can be argued that it was a necessary disaster. This episode was the talk of Scotland from its conception until its failure. It was the controversy of the day, and it undoubt edly contributed to the necessity of the Union. As will be explained below this tragic, yet farcical, episode in Scottish history made it obvious for both the English and the Scottish, that a re-evaluation of their relationship was required. While it would be an exaggeration to claim that the Darien incident alone led to the formation of the Union, it can be said to have been the icing on the cake, the straw that broke the camel’s back or numerous other clichà ©s. Either way the importance of the Darien Company in Scottish history cannot be denied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As mentioned above, Scottish trade had seriously begun to deteriorate. Past trade links were hampered by new foreign policies. Scotland currently had no choice but to follow England’s lead. As a result of purely English interests, the Scottish took part in wars to the determent of their own economy. The Scottish found that two of their best customers; France and the Netherlands, were now their enemies. The three Dutch wars of the seventeenth century and the two more recent wars with France had made it difficult for Scotland to maintain friendly trade with either. This greatly affected the Scottish economy which was already fragile to say the least. Also England had drawn Scotland into their economic war. Since 1660 the English had forbidden foreigners to take part in trade with English colonies, under their Navigation and Staple Acts. Irish Campaign in America :: essays research papers fc Early Modern Scotland Darien Company: A Necessary Disaster?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1690s were a time of much unrest in Scotland. The Glencoe massacre had served to discredit the monarch somewhat. Recent crop failures had led to a famine which was affecting much of the country. There was also a serious downturn in Scottish trade which greatly affected the economy. In the aftermath of this came the Darien Expedition. The Darien Scheme, as it is commonly referred to today, is one of the greatest failures in Scottish history. It was poorly planned, over ambitious and doomed, not from the start as one may think, but from the moment it was taken over by Scottish businessmen. The Scottish turned what could have been an extremely successful and lucrative company into a massive controversy which was to change the face of Scottish politics forever. Despite its massive failure, it can be argued that it was a necessary disaster. This episode was the talk of Scotland from its conception until its failure. It was the controversy of the day, and it undoubt edly contributed to the necessity of the Union. As will be explained below this tragic, yet farcical, episode in Scottish history made it obvious for both the English and the Scottish, that a re-evaluation of their relationship was required. While it would be an exaggeration to claim that the Darien incident alone led to the formation of the Union, it can be said to have been the icing on the cake, the straw that broke the camel’s back or numerous other clichà ©s. Either way the importance of the Darien Company in Scottish history cannot be denied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As mentioned above, Scottish trade had seriously begun to deteriorate. Past trade links were hampered by new foreign policies. Scotland currently had no choice but to follow England’s lead. As a result of purely English interests, the Scottish took part in wars to the determent of their own economy. The Scottish found that two of their best customers; France and the Netherlands, were now their enemies. The three Dutch wars of the seventeenth century and the two more recent wars with France had made it difficult for Scotland to maintain friendly trade with either. This greatly affected the Scottish economy which was already fragile to say the least. Also England had drawn Scotland into their economic war. Since 1660 the English had forbidden foreigners to take part in trade with English colonies, under their Navigation and Staple Acts.

Essay --

Lonnie Young III Susan Trudeau College Writing 25 November 2013 University College Program Today’s colleges are more geared towards admission requirements such as GPAs, standardized test scores, and advanced placement scores to accept students. Students are often denied for admission because their standardized test scores or grades are below the average scores. Some of the students might attend community colleges in order to transfer into the college of their choice or go to the University College Program. The University College Program at UDM is a secondary admission program. This program is for students who have not met all the university admission requirements. Students in the program must sign a contract to participate in support services the university has to offer. The contract plays an important role in the day to day life of UCP students. The contract not only includes several obligations for student in the program to obey, but also for admission into the program immediately. The reasons why the contract used are to keep students on the straight and narrow, academic dish...

European Literature during the Renaissance

Elizabeth Commits Mrs.. Mullen AP European History 19 September 2013 Literature in the Renaissance time period introduced new themes and ideas to the European population. Such writings revolutionized Europeans opinions and the roles in society of man, the Catholic Church, and ancient Greece and Rome. Four Renaissance works, Oration on the Dignity of Man, The Prince, â€Å"Frederic's Falcon†, and The Abbot and the Learned Woman, reflect the humanistic, secular, and classicist themes through the glorification of man and subsequent indifference or criticism of the Church.Monorail's Oration on the Dignity of Man demonstrates humanism more than the other themes. The entire purpose of the address is to leonine and celebrate humans. Essentially, the general opinion holds man as â€Å"the mediator of all creatures, the servant of superior beings, the lord of inferior ones the interpreter of nature by the keenness of his senses, by rational inquiry, by the light of his intellect† (Miranda 335). Humanism is channeled particularly through the statement â€Å"we are what we wish to be† (Miranda 337), which praises the perseverance and confidence of man hat he may do and be anything he wishes.According to Miranda, humans deserve to strive for the highest honors and to be of equal power of angels and God, for he calls man to â€Å"let us emulate their dignity and glory and, if we desire it, shall be in no way inferior to them† (Miranda 338). Machiavellian The Prince involves humanism in the sense of praising the reality of humans. Through the example of Pope Alexander X', Machiavelli recognizes the struggles man faces and his incredible ability to prevail over such hardships. Alexander â€Å"great spirit and high ambition† allowed him to overcome obstacles and employ successful designs during his rule.There is also a great value in the â€Å"truth of things† and not the imaginary; princes aren't perfect, yet it is a balance between g ood and bad qualities which makes them successful. Even when discussing princes who came to power through corruption and crime, Machiavelli still admires their bravery and spirit. Of Prince Stagecoaches: in respect of â€Å"the velour with which he encountered and extricated himself from dangers, and the constancy of his spirit in supporting ND conquering adverse fortune, there seems no reason to Judge him inferior to the greatest captains that have ever lived† (Machiavelli 347-348).In addition, Vocation's â€Å"Feedings Falcon† also references humanism in characterizing human emotions of love, generosity, and compassion. Foddering, the protagonist, is wildly in love with Mona Giovanni. The story praises reciprocal human kindness and generosity, for his actions reward Foddering in the end with his marriage to Giovanni. Similarly, Erasmus The Abbot and the Learned Woman emends human love and respect of one another: the woman and her husband share a love for learning, wh ich brings them closer together.The piece simultaneously scorns disrespect and cruelty toward other humans; the Abbot, who is very sexist and rude to the woman, is made the fool in the story for being so ignorant and standing on weak, immature arguments. Secularism, the indifference or criticism toward the Catholic Church, can be identified in the Oration on the Dignity of Man mainly through the undermining of God's (and the Church's) power. The oration does not capitalize â€Å"he† when speaking of God, suggesting that God is of equal power as any ordinary man.Moreover, when God creates Adam, He gives him and all humans the power and freedom to do what they want: muff, unhampered, may determine your own limits according to your own will, into whose power I have placed you† (Miranda 336). This declaration gives God less control and dominance over man, thus heightening the belief that the Church and God aren't superior to man. In The Prince, continuous reference to †Å"Fortune† as determining humans' lives omits God from interfering in the lives of man; â€Å"it was through no fault of his but from the extraordinary and extreme malignity of Fortune† (Machiavelli 343).The pope's weak power over territory is highlighted through Pope Alexander Vic's conflicts with monarchical rulers and his inability to take lands belonging and not belonging to the church. Criticism is apparent in Alexander creation of Pope Julius II, for Machiavelli notes that â€Å"after using his reputation for liberality to arrive at the Papacy, [Pope Julius II] made no effort to preserve that petition when making war on the King of France but carried on all his many campaigns without levying from his subjects a single extraordinary tax, providing for the increased expenditure out of his long-continued savings† (Machiavelli 351).When remarking that â€Å"No Prince was ever at a loss for plausible reasons to cover a breach of faith†, Machiavelli accept s that royalty disobeys the church often, but it's commonplace and easy to cover up. Secularism is present in â€Å"Frederic's Falcon† because there is a complete lack of the Church and its role in society; Fortune is offered to as the ruling factor of life instead of God. In comparison, The Abbot and the Learned Woman is secular through outright criticism of the Church, portrayed by the abbot's character.He is rude, ignorant, condescending, and close-minded; for his poor reasoning and indignant attitude, he is the fool and loser in the argument. The story serves as a lesson for the Church to reform its ways and become more accepting, open-minded, and educated in the modernizing world around them. References to the study and revival of ancient Greek and Roman history are included n Renaissance works as a meaner to intensify the glorification of man during the humanistic movement.Classicism reinforces the beliefs of humanism by comparing man to revered Greek and Roman figures. In Oration on the Dignity of Man, â€Å"What a miracle, Oh Ecclesiae, is man! † indicates Ecclesiae, a son of Apollo and the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing. Associating man with such an important Greek figure heightens man's value and superiority. Later on in this speech, man is said to symbolize Protests, a sea god known for his ability to assume different forms. This imprison of humans to Protests emphasizes their extraordinary ability to be versatile and dynamic.In The Prince, a reference to Chirps the Centaur demonstrates the value of princes to understand how to act both like the man and the beast; many successful princes including Achilles were trained by the centaur. According to Machiavelli, â€Å"it is necessary for a Prince to know how to use both natures and that the one without the other has no stability' (Machiavelli 353). The development of humanism, secularism, and classicism in the Renaissance affected how writers depicted society at the time.New ideas of the superiority of man arose, revitalization ancient Greek and Roman figures in order to further glorify the human. Along with praise of humans also came criticisms of the Church, questioning the Church's outdated beliefs and common frauds, encouraging major reforms. Often the Church wasn't mentioned whatsoever, showing the dwindling importance and influence of the Church in society. Renaissance writers captured the changes in European life through their works by crafting clever stories while giving their two cents on the issues at hand and revolutions to come.

Divine Power and Divine Retribution in Jose Saramago’s Blindness Essay

Divine Power and Divine Retribution in Jose Saramago’s Blindness Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Often, writers in literature pilfer from the world of reality in their quest to present compelling characters and gripping plots. Nonetheless, others replicate the real world in an abstract sense to sensitize or communicate the malicious and malignant threats, epidemics and plagues prevalent in the world. Such episodes of these phenomena inflict mass threats and destructions, nefarious villains as well as innocent victims who apparel and enthrall novelists. In some instances, divine retribution follows the nefarious villains as well as grapples the ignorant innocent victims. This is well presented by Jose Saramago in his epic novel, Blindness. This paper explores divine power as well as divine retribution in the book Blindness by Jose Saramago arguing that divinity intervention follows in instituting justice. Besides, divinity intervenes to punish ignorance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indeed, the novel does not state explicitly that the onus of the swiftly hitting epidemic is resultant from the hands of a divine power such as God. However, the author does not resist writing on a divine power, God. This is because Jose Saramago introduces and trails the action of the churches in supplementing the government’s effort to contain the situation. Moreover, there are multiple references to church leaders all observable in the novel. Besides, Jose Saramago’s presentation in the novel suggests that divine retribution followed a nefariously villainous person. He or she was inflicted or struck with blindness. Additionally, it is interesting to note that literal authors cannot write a masterful work in a spiritual, religious or cultural vacuum. Deductively, it is evident that Saramago alludes to divine intervention and divine retribution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interestingly, the Blindness novel depicts a thrilling plot with an incessantly straying narrator from presentation of dialogues and facts to reflection on moral academic and ethical analysis at great lengths. Divine intervention and retribution features at the onset of the story in the first page. It is here that the author dexterously delineates in detail the expected features at an ordinary road intersection. These include flickering of lights and pedestrians crossing the road. Everything is a routine, and the events unfold as usual. However, a car at the intersection does not move or give way to the traffic behind, in spite of the flickering green light, creating an unusual situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is innate to this situation and goes on to consider rational motives behind the car’s stillness. He states, â€Å"there have to be some mechanical flaws, a loose accelerator, a stuck gear level, suspension problems† (1-2) and many other listings of things that could have gone wary. This situation does not go unnoticed because a bystander comes to the attention of the driver. He opens the door catching the attention of the driver as well as the reader. It then dawns to the reader that the driver was struck with blindness. This is rather bellowing and discomforting. It is not incidental that blindness just hit the driver cum blind. The cause of the blindness can only be explained in terms of divine retribution or intervention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Saramago twists and turns the novel literally betwixt calamities. The â€Å"Good Samaritan† that came to the aid of the blind man later emerges that he is a thief. On driving the old man home, he steals his car. It is rather ironical that the good natured helper turns to be an immodest, insensitive and hands down thief. Indeed, it is immoral for an able person to take advantage of a handicapped person and exploit them taking advantage of their helplessness. The reader is appareled by the thief and only wishes for divine punishment. Therefore, the thief’s catching of blindness comes as a sigh of relief to the reader for what he or she considers as an immoral and ungracious act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scene of people being struck with blindness becomes an incessant phenomenon in the following pages. The narrator trails the lives of victims, and it emerges that they all had crossed paths one way or another. It is here that the narrator philosophizes divine retribution and intervention as calamity strikes the nation ravaging and resulting to outbursts among people with â€Å"I’m blind, I’m blind† uproars. In a series of skits between philosophical argument and conventional wisdom, the narrator presents a vivid account of the actions and motives of the escort and the car thief. Finally, blindness strikes these characters long before the narrator can conclude on the cause of the plague. Interestingly blindness strikes immediately without any bouts to announce its arrival. Divine retribution causes a fierily spread of the plague without a scientific explanation or physical symptoms. Blindness strikes swiftly, strange ly and impartially. For instance, the doctor realizes that he too is blind while watching television. The plague replicates in nature and strangeness to ancient floods and plagues that were acts of divine retribution such as in the bible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A clout to divine retribution is protracted from the doctor’s wife. She is the only victim of blindness who separates human flaws and godly affairs thereby attributing the epidemic to divinity. According to her, â€Å"this is unbearable filth of the soul of a human. Of the human body† (279). According to the narrator, â€Å"she said, as if to correct this metaphysical thought, then she added, it is all the same† (Saramago 279). The reader is left the quarry of the thoughts of divine power and retribution. Arguably though, why does divine power not punish the malicious and nefarious villains, as well? Thomas Talbott in his article, â€Å"Punishment, Forgiveness and Divine Judgment† argues that retributivist punishment theory. He justifids punishment by questioning if the punishment befits the error or crime committed. Therefore, punishment is not a rehabilitation or crime deterrence tool but a justice and equalit y feature (Talbott, 154).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just like other narrations, the Blindness narrator is obsessed with the behavior of people when put under extreme conditions. It is interesting to see the huge and expansive wary and panic among people following the blindness plague. Indeed, such a mega scale panic and social disarray contends the prevalence of a divine power with much stronger abilities than man can think. Different institutions in the society fall and crumble thanks to the plague for fear of the plague. The military cannot contain the massively and swiftly spreading plague create a heat of battle and confusion amidst the crisis. The government is also initiated into the crisis. It imposes a quarantine effort to control the contagion unsuccessfully resulting to collapse of the media, military and businesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Divinity fabling is also evident in the identity of the characters in the novel. For instance, the author does not give them real names but rather opts to identify them in generic form. For instance, there is the blind man, the Good Samaritan cum the car thief, the doctor, the doctor’s wife among many others. The book begins with the first blind man trailing him as his eyesight elopes while at an intersection, in his car. The first blind man is rescued by the Good Samaritan who takes him home. Later on, the good Samaritan steals his car and eventually loses sight. Indeed, divine retribution strikes and the thief is blinded just like other noble souls. The level of blindness infliction is as a resultant of divinity. It trails people who have crossed paths. For instance, the doctor was struck with blindness. Interestingly, he had attempted to treat the first blind man. People who had sat at the waiting room also got struck with blindn ess.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Saramago presents the proclamations of the churches and the church leaders, as well. They preached the end times claiming that the world was coming to an end. The narrator states, â€Å"they were proclaiming the end of the world†. He adds that they preached, â€Å"redemption through the visions of the seventh days, through penitence, †¦the purity and sanctity of the lymph, the black cat’s blood, the sleep of the shadow, the logic of anthropophagy, the rising of sea, painless castration and mainly divine tattoos..† (Saramago, 298). This presents the existence of divine power that claimed the people. References Cooper, Kate, and Thomas Talbot. â€Å"Punishment, Forgiveness and Divine Judgment.† Retribution, repentance, and reconciliation: papers read at the 2002 Summer Meeting and the 2003 Winter Meeting of the Ecclesiastical History Society. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Published for the Ecclesiastical History Society by the Boydell Press, 2004. 154. Print. Saramago, JoseÃÅ' . Blindness: a novel. New York: Harcourt, 1998. Print. Source document