Life at a Medieval University Essay

Life at a medieval university for clerics was in many regards similar to our present day college experience. When college was in session, life was basically split into two categories; life in the books, and life outside the books if you will. Scholars needed to focus their attention to the tasks at hand during learning hours. As we know today, the more time you spend studying, the better grades you’ll achieve. On the other hand, scholars needed a release from the daily grind of constant academic involvement. This may have included some popular pastimes such as drinking, gambling, and wreaking havoc downtown (nothing a modern student would do). The scholars experienced many of the problems that modern day collegians deal with as well. Some of these issues included finding the college that fits you best, shortages of funds, arguments with local residents, feuds with fellow clerics, and finding the path that would be fulfilling to them in their lives. There were only a few major differences being a life centered on religion and discussions based on theology, the fact that only males were accepted to study and the clothing that scholars wore. All in all, being at a university was for the betterment of the individual. Students back then had a similar motivation to go to school. By completing university study, you would achieve a higher status in society and live a better life. Another was to get out of a home town to see what else the world had to offer. College is the best time to explore because you’re housing and food are all accounted for. Wandering scholars took best advantage of this by traveling to different universities and getting a diverse education. One reason not many people went to school was because most were not privileged at this time (the literacy rate was very poor). Academic life was structured fairly well. Rules and rights were clearly laid out by the institution itself. Students were protected from harm by any member of the faculty, as they should be. In the â€Å"Royal Privileges Granted to the University of Paris by the King of France,† it is stated that â€Å"†¦neither our provost nor our judges shall lay hands on a student for any offence whatever; nor shall they place him in our prison, unless such a crime is committed by the student that he ought be arrested. † The article goes on to talk about how under the circumstances that the scholar is found to have committed a crime, he be handed over to an actual judge for further investigation. This shows that the university has governing powers within itself to a certain extent. If an encroachment can be resolved without going to the local or state government authorities, the scholar’s image can be protected. Even today we have University Police on campus who held regulate behavior on campuses, but do not have jurisdiction outside of the college campus. Clothing was another major aspect of scholarly life. Clerics wore long cloaks with nothing fancy that would make them stand out. Master teachers wore cloaks with the addition of a white stole. The stole was used to show status and authority over the rest of the student body. This seems to hint to the fact that all the scholars were on a level field of play, and it distinguished them from the rest of society. Typically our graduates of today’s colleges and universities adorn the traditional gowns when they receive their diploma. On a side note, I attended a private religious elementary school which enforced a policy of uniforms (shirt and tie for the guys, skirts for the girls). I believe that by wearing the same clothing as fellow students, people aren’t so concerned with what each other is wearing, and focus on learning. Religion played a major factor in medieval universities. As in my elementary experience of mass being part of the weekly routine, medieval universities had a major emphasis on religion. Robert de Sorbon tells us in his regulations that religious holidays will be followed strictly in the academic life. No meat would be allowed to be consumed on Advent and other days designated by the church. If you were at a university at this time, you would follow the religious standards, just as I could never get out of going to Friday mass at HGA. Nowadays, religion is a touchy topic. It is left to the discretion of the individual whether or not he or she wants to follow the practices and how closely. Church and state are now separated as to avoid major conflicts. Peter Abelard questions the theological teachings of medieval universities and is criticized for it. He says â€Å"Is God one, or no? † At this time scriptures were not to be questioned and were considered to be true. As we know now, science has become a major source of answers in society. Anyway, Abelard brings a whole new dimension to the table when he questions god’s existence and some of the things that the church stands for. The whole basis is to use logic and reason to ponder things in a philosophical fashion. This faith vs. reason debate involved Abelard and others who felt that god was in a persons being, or heart. Academia took up most of the students daily and weekly lives. Scholars took full advantage of down time to relax and enjoy themselves. Social life was the second major aspect of a cleric’s university experience. As we know, the student body greatly impacts the surrounding town’s economy; however social issues arise as well. When students and townspeople are in the same atmosphere, and drinking, fights are bound to break lose. These battles came to be known as â€Å"town and gown† ordeals. These were actually small wars where people would be killed! As many as three thousand students armed with weapons would flood the streets and begin fighting with townspeople, also armed with weapons. Students were also held fairly high in terms of their rights. This is what fueled most of the battles. The fact that a scholar was in progress of obtaining a degree made many seem untouchable, after all, they were going to make the world a better place with their elevated knowledge. Students were warned ahead of time by their proctors that there was a tension between the people of the town and the student body. Heavy drinking and gambling occurred frequently and poems were written as evidence. This served as a social release where students could let lose for awhile. Even today student go to the bars downtown and mix with the locals. There are rarely any incidents of deaths or injuries because of it though. The money generated by pizza shops, bars, taxi services and businesses due to the student influx is what keeps them afloat. On a lighter note, clerics needed some of the same things that modern students need. Money was a big necessity among students as it is today. In a letter home one student tells his sponsor that he is working very hard in school, and studying often, but he needs some money to pay for food, rent and other â€Å"unspecified† things (possibly beer money?). The way he words his letter makes it sound like he will not be able to go on learning without the timely delivery of some funds. The sponsor’s response shows that he knows the truth behind what the student has said. It humors me how students today do the same thing through emails and phone calls home. â€Å"I’m working so very hard in school, but the weekend is coming†¦ † Its all part of growing up and learning responsibility. In the end, life at a medieval university was not that much different from today’s experience. The focus on religion was very important, but reason came into play as well. Scholars were taught to question everything in order to get to the roots of a topic. Over time, there was a major shift from the theological answers to the scientific explanations of today. We test things in science with facts to find if they are true instead of looking toward God and scripture. As in life, there is a time for work and a time for play. We go to college because we know it is good for us, plus it gives us a little extra time in our lives to figure out what we want to be.

Difference Between CML and SML Essay

CML stands for Capital Market Line, and SML stands for Security Market Line. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. One of the differences between CML and SML, is how the risk factors are measured. While standard deviation is the measure of risk for CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. The CML measures the risk through standard deviation, or through a total risk factor. On the other hand, the SML measures the risk through beta, which helps to find the security’s risk contribution for the portfolio. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. While calculating the returns, the expected return of the portfolio for CML is shown along the Y- axis. On the contrary, for SML, the return of the securities is shown along the Y-axis. The standard deviation of the portfolio is shown along the X-axis for CML, whereas, the Beta of security is shown along the X-axis for SML. Where the market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML. Unlike the Capital Market Line, the Security Market Line shows the expected returns of individual assets. The CML determines the risk or return for efficient portfolios, and the SML demonstrates the risk or return for individual stocks. Well, the Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. Summary: 1. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. 2. While standard deviation is the measure of risk in CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. 3. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. 4. The Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. 5. Where the  market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML.

Necessity for Nuclear Weapons

The Necessity of Nuclear Power As time goes by and the world becomes more advanced technologically, we develop a greater need for energy sources. Most of the fuels that we use today are non-renewable, such as coal and oil. Nuclear power is a source of power which brings many benefits. It is less expensive because it is based on uranium, which is easily accessible. With very little amounts of uranium, great amounts of energy can be produced. A significant advantage is that by producing energy using nuclear power, the process does not give off Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide which contribute to the rising problem of Global Warming.One of the biggest advantages of nuclear power is the discoveries made in nuclear medicine, such as CAT scan, cancer therapy and MRI machines. Nuclear power has become more useful in the past century with the inventions of nuclear weapons. The invention of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and other weapons of mass destruction has given nations more power and source of safety. A single weapon can be capable of destroying a whole city. Nuclear weapons have only been used twice in history, both during the closing events of the Second World War in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.It is a wise decision to possess nuclear weapons if you are a wealthy nation with power. If a nation feels threatened at any time, it can depend on these weapons to protect themselves from the enemy. Nuclear power has disadvantages as well. If any accidents were to occur, many people can be fatally injured. Nuclear plants are only reliable to a certain extent. In reality, if any accident were to happen, a whole city can be expected to evacuate. One major disadvantage of nuclear power is that is creates significant amounts of radioactive waste.This waste causes problems for the world because of its high radiation. The waste remains for hundreds of years and creates high temperatures. Although nuclear power does have disadvantages, I believe that it necessary as long as it is used in the correct manner. The fossil fuels used for energy today are not an infinite resource. Someday, humans may need to rely on different sources of power and energy for consumption. Without the proper source of energy, our world would stop because people would not know how to react to the shortage of resources.In nuclear power and the production of energy can be handled correctly, a possibility of an accident is relatively rare. Nuclear power can be a good substitute for the burning of fossil fuels for energy. The manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction is also beneficial to the well-being of nations and the people. If any disputes that led to war were to occur, countries have the ability to protect themselves if need be. Knowing the fact that multiple nations may be in possession of such weapons, decreases the likelihood of severe combat.

Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Revolution - Essay Example section for cultivation. With their modern techniques used to get more yield. While the families of low hierarchy and less power used to work under the land lords. The families were broken and people in small families used to flew to towns and industrial areas where they are paid for the work done. Thus the population used to rise in the towns and cities. Poor families were forced to work for long hours and were paid less compensation. For this reason women and children used to accompany their elder family members and used to work for long hours under conditions. The growth in urban population has pressurized the water, housing, sanitation etc facilities which have had worsened the living condition in that region. There is no proper interaction in between families as the members along with their children were put into work. There were no educational facilities for children as they were no time for them to perceive. The young generation lacked the social ethics as their elders were busy in their work for most of the time. Capitalism strongly prevailed in the industrial regions. Workers safety was least concerned .The industrialization were more of production oriented and the owners made huge profits The profits increased the gap between the rich and the poor increased. No government policies were implemented as the rich used to dictate the terms.Industrial revolution has bought some positive results as the poverty has been reduced; the wages were increased in some regions. The cities were divided into their specific activities like the industrial areas, the marketing areas, the administrative areas. The working classes were ill-treated in the initial periods of industrialization. The workers... This essay discusses that education was a major concern in the industrial revolution days as people of all ages were busy in their work which lasts for 15 to 18 hours a day. Elders were educated about the mechanics of the machines and their operations. Gradually in the first quarter of the eighteenth century in England, child education was made compulsory up to 12 years. Children who were educated up to certain age were allowed part-time to work.The social responsibility was highlighted in the period of industrial revolution. This is addressing the concern of the widows, the injured soldiers and the people below poverty line. The private wealthy society was encouraged to generously participate in providing the basic needs of the needy in that period. The industrial revolution has created immense wealth for many sections which propelled them to organize aid to the people who were in distress. The increase in the communications and the accessibility to the issue regions has pushed the assistance further more. The attitudes have kept changing which resulted in a lot of nongovernmental organizations which started addressing the concerns of the poor. The social responsibility has been projected as a ritual for the wealthy and status to dissipate the surplus to the needy. The philanthropic values gradually spread to eradicate the social evils like alcoholic consumption, the abolition of slavery, improved work environment in factories and fight for the social concerns community wise.

Difference Between the New Bases of Power in England and the Essay

Difference Between the New Bases of Power in England and the Traditional Structure of France - Essay Example At about 800A.D the Vikings frequently raided the Anglo-Saxons kingdoms. It is during this period that several rulers started attempting to unite the various Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. Their attempts eventually bore fruit and the Kingdom of England emerged by the 10th century. Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity following which convents and monasteries were built all over England. In 1066 there was the Norman invasion of England this led to the defeat of the Anglosaxons and the Norman and French nobles replaced them as rulers. William the conqueror started ruling and introduced the feudal system at the same time abolishing slavery. France was traditionally a monarchy and It was during the final years of the ruler Charlemagne that Vikings started making advancements along the western and northern perimeters of his kingdom. Following his death the kingdom started to crumble since his heirs could not maintain political stability. The kingdom became divided through the treaty of Verdun of 843.Viking invasions became more common and still in 843 they advanced into the kingdom and murdered a bishop. Through a succession of several kings ,king Louis became a ruler of France in the 13th century .He was a ruler who desired justice for his subjects and he created tribunals. He also passed statutes against private warfare. During the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries, French culture power and authority started to move from the rural monastic areas to towns and royal court. Paris acquired the status of the kingdoms commercial hub as well as the judicial and administrative centre. In England in the 12th and 13th centuries, there was expansion of towns ,trade and cities. The population increased drastically to almost twice the earlier population. It was during the reign of king Phillip IV in France that subdivision arose in the church. Initially it was because king Phillip wanted to tax the clergy in a bid to fund the military. British and French clergy complained to the po pe who objected to the kings intention of taxing them though he withdrew his objection following loud arguments from the king. A second incident in which king Phillip accused the bishop of pampers of treason and heresy made the pope beat loggerheads with the king for a second time. This led t jailing and beating up of the pope who later died and was replaced by pope Clement V who was obedient to king Phillip. In England Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons took place at around 600 under the influence of the Roman catholic church and the Celtic Christianity. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury at around this time. Wars and pestilence caused major havoc in these societies .For instance, the great famine which caused millions of deaths all over Europe .It started with bad weather in spring 1315 lasting through 1316 to summer harvest of 1317.There was universal crop failures and due to lack of fodder for animals they died .Other than causing deaths of humans due to starv ation ,It had other consequences which included people losing faith in the church since no matter how much they prayed the Lord did not seem to answer their prayers’ her was increase criminal activity as individuals used all means possible to acquire food (Lynn et all 400). There was breakdown of the institution of family as children were abandoned to fend for themselves. People turned into cannibalism. Constant wars were another major problem. The hundred years wars affected both the kingdom of England and the kingdom of France. This started as a dynastic disagreement which is said to date back to King

Comic spirit- new comedy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comic spirit- new comedy - Essay Example This influenced later comedy till the present day, â€Å"from Romans to Shakespeare to the West End and Broadway† (Perks 76). Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence employed ‘New Comedy’ in their work, as did Shakespeare in his Comedy of Errors. ‘New Comedy’ deals with a transfer of power from the older to the younger generation. In Terence’s The Self-Tormentor, Machiavelli’s La Mandragola, and Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, male sexuality and virility are central to the comic plot, and there is a focus on the power shift. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the shift in power from the older to the younger generation in ‘New Comedy’ portrayed in the Self-Tormentor, La Mandragola, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. How these plays exploit male sexuality for comic purposes will be identified, and why male sexuality plays such a key role in the ‘New Comedy’ form will be examined. In Terence’s Heauton Timoroumenos (The Self-Tormentor) which was derived from Menander’s play of the same name, a wealthy youth Clinia develops a long-term, monogamous liaison with the young woman Antiphila, as evident from the following line, â€Å"almost now that he has her in the place of a wife† [prope iam ut pro uxorehaeret] (Rosivach 61). When Clinia’s father hears about the affair, he rebukes his son so strongly for his irresponsible actions, that the young man leaves Athens to become a mercenary serving a foreign king. His determination to make something of himself, echoes his father’s pursuit of success in his own youth (Rosivach 61). But, after compelling his son Clinia in love with Antiphila to go to the war area, the stern father Menedemus repents for his harshness, and torments himself mentally. Terence’s humour â€Å"arises from the

Concidering Censorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Concidering Censorship - Essay Example Basically, we all know that information is power and the aim of censorship is to control this information and in the end contain power. Therefore, censorship is the control of information or suppression of speech that is distributed in any population with an aim of protecting that population from any harm. What matters at the end of the day is whether the aims and objectives of the censorship have been achieved despite the methods used in censorship. As mentioned above, censorship is varied and comes in many forms reason being that society has different sectors. Moral censorship has the main aim to remove, control or censor any pornographic material such that it does not reach the society. Pornography is not only shunned by traditional and religious groups, but it has also been placed in the group of permanently illegal material by the elites in the society. One such example of moral censorship is the controversy that surrounded the rock and roll group The Rolling Stones on their song â€Å"let’s spend the night together† (Inglis 562). Apparently, the song was obscene and looked down upon, in fact the author states â€Å"such a blatantly sexual song should not be sung to a family audience†. One of the most explicit and intimidating form of censorship around the world is political censorship. This is one way with which most famous dictators have used to remain in power and control their subjects oppressively. Famous African dictators who have been accused of using such censorship include President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe among others. In some cases, especially during war, countries involved in war control the information that they release to their population to prevent valuable information from reaching their enemies. Information exchange is controlled in both cases because it is perceived as being ‘harmful’. With great appeals to divinity and religiousness, the church has joined the quest to censor some information leading to the development of

Creating a successful corporate culture after a merger PowerPoint Presentation

Creating a successful corporate culture after a merger - PowerPoint Presentation Example It, therefore, has culminated into a cutthroat type of competition where the aim is to reach the pinnacle in riches and power before anything and anybody else. Since the slots at the top are few and limited in number, short-cuts and illegal means among them fraud and insider trading are sought by any people in this country in their daily bid to realize their dream of greatness. Purpose of the Memo It is thus with a great urge that I write to the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission with proposals whose aim is to minimize cases of fraud, insider trading and unlawful actions by people and business with the intentions of making quick money. The main aim of this proposal is to contribute to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s efforts towards reining in fraudsters and insider trading who plunder other people into poverty. The commission’s efforts cannot be assumed to have been useless in any way since they have prevented most of the cases that would hav e caused damage to the whole financial sector (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers & Langvardt, 2012). It replaces some existent rules and regulations in place since they have evidently failed to rein in the criminals and, most importantly, managing financial crimes as displayed by the 2008 global recession. Findings of numerous research studies on the 2008 global recession indicate that the spending behavior of US citizens and the laxity of the Securities and Exchange Commission are responsible for the recession. It should be put into consideration that the main aim of all regulatory bodies in this sector should be the prevention of the crimes since, as they say, prevention is better than cure. The Current Laws The United States government has made enormous efforts towards handling the issue of financial crimes by setting the Securities and Exchange Commission which has established a number of rules governing the US business environment to see to a balanced business environment for all business participants. Among these rules are those against the illegal type of insider trading and fraudulent activities in general. For instance, Rule 10b5-1 prohibits insider trading by stating that it is illegal for individual to engage in a trade arrangement using non-public information. However, the rule permeates individuals to only trade under special instances in which there is lack of knowledge that the information was non-public. Moreover, the actions of the trader must be in good faith. The second rule by the Securities and Exchange Commission meant to curb illegal insider trading is the Rule 10b5-2. It is a rule clarifying how the misappropriation theory applies to certain non-business relationships. The rule states that individuals with the privilege of access to confidential information have the obligation to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of such information. Persons violating the law are liable for breach of information confidentiality as outlined by the misappropr iation theory. The Securities and Exchange Commission has established several measures targeting at minimizing the level of financial fraud in major areas of the US business industry. These include the use of people who have inside information on the fraudulent cases being undertaken by companies who tip the Securities an

H5N1 Avian virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

H5N1 Avian virus - Essay Example Moreover, this virus also has the ability to undergo antigenic drifts and antigenic shifts. The emergence of new strains of Avian influenza virus is of major public health concern because of the impending threat of a pandemic that it poses. Currently, the virus does not possess the ability of being transmitted amongst humans and it has been postulated that one this quality is acquired it would lead to potentially devastating consequences in the form of a pandemic. Till date, no vaccine for the prevention of H5N1 infection amongst humans exists. Moreover, the treatment options for infection are also limited viz. oseltamivir and zanamivir. Therefore, further research needs to be undertaken in order to develop new vaccines against these organisms and better medications to combat the infection if once contracted. Moreover, vigilant surveillance of outbreaks and epidemics of bird flu is also imperative. Avian Influenza or Bird Flu, as it commonly referred to, is an infection which is caused by the H5N1 virus. The natural hosts of this virus are wild birds, in particular water fowls, who carry these viruses in their intestines while themselves remaining asymptomatic (Auewaraku 404). ... Recently, H5N1 virus is not only leading to an increasing number of epizootics, but has also been implicated in several epidemics in humans. The mode of transmission of this virus has been described as being feco-oral amongst birds, whereas humans contract the disease via contact with airborne particles from infected poultry or while contact with the poultry or their fecal matter e.g. during food preparation (Fleming 1066). The first human infection with H5N1 was witnessed in 1997 in Hong Kong, as a result of which six out of the eighteen people affected died. Eversince, several similar outbreaks of human infection have been observed in various regions of the world and this has become an important public health concern (Auewaraku 404). At present, there are two different clades of the H5N1 which have been identified to be circulating amongst poultry. Amongst these, three subgroups from the clade 2 have been shown to infect humans viz. subclades 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 Centers for Disease C ontrol and Prevention). Infections in humans appear on a spectrum, ranging in variety and severity from relatively milder infections such as conjunctivitis to potentially serious ones such as pneumonia and can even lead to death (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The increasing outbreaks of human infection with H5N1 are of prime concern as this organism is highly pathogenic. It has a unique ability to infect humans and this poses a threat to the human race as this virus might have the potential to evolve into a form which is transmissible from person to person (Auewaraku 404). In the past, the world has witnessed several outbreaks of influenza, causing significant morbidity and mortality. If a new strain of this virulent organism

Customer Relationship Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Customer Relationship Management - Essay Example But if this concept of CRM is evaluated, it can be inferred that CRM does not include one important relation that the organization has. It is its employees. Keeping the above argument in view, CRM has being given a new definition by Reichheld. He has given a concept of Virtuous Circle sometimes colloquially referred to as closing the loop. A diagrammatic representation of this circle is given below: Reichheld has brilliantly explained CRM in one cycle. This cycle depicts that the key to customer loyalty is not the product or the service that is being provided, but the key is the organization’s employees. According to this circle, if the employees are satisfied with their jobs and the company, they can be easily retained by the managers. This would in return increase employee productivity meaning they would give better service to the customers. The customer will be satisfied with the company’s service and would become loyal. Loyal customers are regular customers of the company and in turn also refer the company and its product and services to other potential customers. Thus they serve as a means of word to mouth advertising. This increases the company’s profits and leads the company to growth. The company can then focus on investing the earnings in internal marketing such as rewards, benefits and compensations which would impact the employees. Besides this, employee empowerment, training and development all contribute to employee satisfaction. Thus this cycle goes on and on. John Moore has quoted in his blog ‘Reichheld on Employee Loyalty’ that â€Å"Many marketers view employee relations as a job solely for human resources—they see employees as tools. But employees—happy, rewarded employees—can work wonders for the company’s marketing efforts. There is no better spokesperson for a company, product, and brand than someone who is happy with

Biblical Authority Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biblical Authority - Article Example From this paper it is clear that Wright N.T delivering the lecture at The Laing Lecture 1989, and the Griffith Thomas Lecture 1989, had a goal of justifying that the bible is worth being authoritative and is indeed authoritative because the words of the bible are the words of God and God Himself and that God is perfect and all-knowing enough to give out instructions that would last and be valid till the end of days. Having explained all terminologies involved and visited views of opposing schools of thought, it is in place to say that the author developed his thesis logically. Indeed, the author’s major strength was for him to have attributed all his arguments to biblical relations and paying homage to other people on the other side of his position.This study highlights that the author really composed his thoughts and arguments well. For him to describe God as omniscient, knowing what is good for all humankind in years to come even before the actual time comes would really lea ve very little room for opposing critics. There however remain unanswered questions to me on how the writer justified most schools of thought. This leaves room for so much doubt if the author’s own stand was authoritative enough.  The writer writes a rather accommodating remark on the school of thought that the scripture was made for to address issues of specific times of the world’s existence and so may be justified not to be thought as an authoritative material for our day.

The VARK Questionnaire Essay Example for Free

The VARK Questionnaire Essay Choose the answer which best explains your preference by placing a check on the squares next to the choices. You may have two answers per item if a single answer does not match your perception. Leave blank any question that does not apply. A group of tourists want to learn about the parks or wildlife reserves in your area. You would: give them a book or pamphlets about the parks or wildlife reserves. talk about, or arrange a talk for them about parks or wildlife reserves. take them to a park or wildlife reserve and walk with them. show them internet pictures, photographs or picture books. You have to make an important speech at a conference or special occasion. You would: gather many examples and stories to make the talk real and practical. write out your speech and learn from reading it over several times. write a few key words and practice saying your speech over and over. make diagrams or get graphs to help explain things. You want to learn a new program, skill or game on a computer. You would: use the controls or keyboard. follow the diagrams in the book that came with it. read the written instructions that came with the program. talk with people who know about the program. You have finished a competition or test and would like some feedback. You would like to have feedback: using examples from what you have done. using a written description of your results. from somebody who talks it through with you. using graphs showing what you had achieved. Do you prefer a teacher or a presenter who uses: demonstrations, models or practical sessions. question and answer, talk, group discussion, or guest speakers. handouts, books, or readings. diagrams, charts or graphs. You are helping someone who wants to go to your airport, town centre or railway station. You would: write down the directions (without a map). go with her. draw, or give her a map. tell her the directions. I like websites that have: audio channels where I can hear music, radio programs or interviews. things I can click on, shift or try. interesting written descriptions, lists and explanations. interesting design and visual features. You are planning a holiday for a group. You want some feedback from them about the plan. You would: phone, text or email them. use a map or website to show them the places. describe some of the highlights. give them a copy of the printed itinerary. You are going to choose food at a restaurant or cafe. You would: listen to the waiter or ask friends to recommend choices. choose from the descriptions in the menu. choose something that you have had there before. look at what others are eating or look at pictures of each dish. You are about to purchase a digital camera or mobile phone. Other than price, what would most influence your decision? Trying or testing it The salesperson telling me about its features. It is a modern design and looks good. Reading the details about its features. You are going to cook something as a special treat for your family. You would: use a cookbook where you know there is a good recipe. ask friends for suggestions. cook something you know without the need for instructions. look through the cookbook for ideas from the pictures. Other than price, what would most influence your decision to buy a new non-fiction book? It has real-life stories, experiences and examples. Quickly reading parts of it. A friend talks about it and recommends it. The way it looks is appealing. Remember a time when you learned how to do something new. Try to avoid choosing a physical skill, eg. riding a bike. You learned best by: watching a demonstration. diagrams and charts visual clues. written instructions – e.g. a manual or textbook. listening to somebody explaining it and asking questions. You are not sure whether a word should be spelled `dependent or `dependant. You would: find it in a dictionary. write both words on paper and choose one. see the words in your mind and choose by the way they look. think about how each word sounds and choose one. You have a problem with your knee. You would prefer that the doctor: used a plastic model of a knee to show what was wrong. gave you a web address or something to read about it. described what was wrong. showed you a diagram of what was wrong. You are using a book, CD or website to learn how to take photos with your new digital camera. You would like to have: diagrams showing the camera and what each part does. a chance to ask questions and talk about the camera and its features. clear written instructions with lists and bullet points about what to do. many examples of good and poor photos and how to improve them. Please fill in this form so that your results can be included in our research Are you     male or     female? Are you: 18 or younger, 19 to 25, 26 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 or over? Where do you live? USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia, South America, Oceania, Africa, Middle East Is this the first time you have filled in the VARK questionnaire? Yes, this is the first time, No, I have filled it in previously Which of the following best matches your perception of your VARK results? That looks just like me Im not much like that Im not sure Are you involved in education (as a faculty member or as a student)?   yes     Ã‚  no Are you a: student? teacher? Which level of education are you involved at? High school Two-Year College Four-Year College University Other What is your main area of study? Humanities Social Sciences Science Applied Science Business Education Performing Arts Other This questionnaire critique is an evaluation of the VARK questionnaire which measures the learning preferences of individuals. VARK stands for the four types of learning preferences which are visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic. The questionnaire is geared towards determining how individual take in and give out information in the learning context. It is not similar to learning styles but is a necessary component of the learning style of an individual. The questionnaire contains 16 items only with four choices per item. The four choices correspond to the four different learning preferences (visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic). The questionnaire is designed to identify which learning preference category the individual highly favors based on his/her responses on the 16 items. The questionnaire is online; therefore it is accessible to a wider range of individuals.   The sampling of respondents is not limited to a certain group since it is online and anyone who comes across the website can take the questionnaire. Moreover, the distribution of the questionnaire occurs only if the questionnaire used was the printed version, but if the online questionnaire is used, it only waits for people to complete the survey. The collection of the data or the responses is automated, it is already programmed and this is added to the database of responses which have been used to establish the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The demographic data is then asked after the taker has completed answering the questionnaire. The demographic questions include gender, age, location, status and field of expertise. The demographic data are then used in the research conducted by the authors of the VARK. The demographical details required in the questionnaire are standard and usually the most commonly asked in questionnaires. The VARK questionnaire was designed appropriately; the questionnaire is short and yet contains all the information needed to make a good assessment of what learning preference the individual has. The questions are straightforward, it asks about a specific event or situation and the choices are related to the questions and can be an accurate answer to the question whichever the individual chooses it to be. The directions however are not very clear, in the online version, the instruction is to encircle the letters beside the choices, but there was no letters to encircle instead it was an online program that is to be clicked on by the test taker. This may provide confusion to those who may have to use the print version of the questionnaire. The results are immediately processed after the individual hits complete and it can be saved in the website for later use and for the use of the authors to gather as many respondents as they can to validate the questionnaire. The items in the questionnaire can be easily read and understood, there are no jargon or complex words and it makes use of situational events that makes answering the questions more believable and comfortable for the respondents. However, a problem may still arise when the taker is not well versed with English or those who have different cultural backgrounds which limit their knowledge of the different situations presented in the questionnaire. The questions also do not have double meanings or measures two things in one question; instead it places the taker in a certain context and is then asked to respond using the four choices. There are no negatively stated items which are therefore more psychometrically easier to collate and analyze as there are no reverse scores. The structure of the VARK questionnaire is just average, the questions are different from each other, and the choices follow a certain order that reflects the four different learning preferences. Although, these are easier to score and to determine which learning preference the taker uses in the different situations that are being presented in the questionnaire the obvious arrangement of the items and the choices may bias the taker or lead his/her answer to the most favorable one. The demographic data is then surveyed after the taker finishes with the main questionnaire and the results are presented instantly, since the questionnaire is online, the individual is somewhat rewarded with his/her score and has the option to volunteer the information needed for the research part of the questionnaire or not. However, some takers may not take too well with volunteering personal information and may opt not to complete the demographic questions which would be a setback for the authors as it would mean a lesser number of respondents to be used to validate the instrument. This is in keeping with the ethical guidelines of using human respondents in the conduct of surveys and questionnaires for research or other purposes. The online survey is also administered in the same way each time since it is in electronic form and is online and has been programmed to interact with the respondent in the same way each time. However, what the authors has to risk is the varied situations that the respondent comes across the questionnaire, others may be in a crowded cafà © with too much noise and distractions, others may also not read the questionnaire very well and just click on the circles while others may choose not to complete the survey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, the VARK questionnaire has been designed excellently, this could be due to the fact that the questionnaire has undergone a number of revisions and upgrades and that the questionnaire had been first published in 2001. The responses to the VARK had provided the author with the information on how to improve the questionnaire and to improve its reliability and validity. Therefore we could say that with time and scientific tools, the VARK is a good example of a well designed and effective questionnaire despite its weaknesses which may be again improved as time wears on. Reference Fleming, N. (2007). VARK Questionnaire, Retrieved November 10, 2007 from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

The Development of Korean Pop Culture

The Development of Korean Pop Culture Korean pop culture has risen as the most developed pop culture in Asia over the last ten years. American pop culture does not dominate Asian cultural market anymore. Asians are giving their attentions to the cultural media in which they can find their identities. Many have recently preferred Korea pop culture, which is fresh, trendy, and something that contains Asian sentiments. More and More people in Asia are selecting to listen to Korean pop songs, watch Korean movies, and travel to Korea to visit places shown in Korean dramas. The sudden rise of Korean pop culture in its popularity and its dissemination throughout Asia is innovative, unprecedented, and fascinating. This cultural flow in contemporary Asia is called the Korean Wave. Starting point of the Korean Wave in China The term Korean Wave refers to the phenomenon of Korean popular culture, disseminated primarily through the mass media and enjoying a broad popularity outside of Korea. It includes Korean dramas, movies, pop music, fashion, games, and any other cultural contents. Public media began recognizing Korean popular culture in mainland China in 1997, when the Korean television drama Star Is in My Heart was broadcast in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. China broadcasting company broadcasted the drama throughout Asia under its Chinese title, and the drama aroused broad popular appeal especially in mainland China. Among many elements composed the drama, the main actor, Ahn Jae Wook, caught peoples attention by his good looking. Ahn Jae-Wook, therefore, became a symbol of the Korean wave in China. Following to Star Is in My Heart, Autumn Story, Winter Sonata, What Is the Love and many other drama fascinated people in China.  [1]   Korea pop music has also taken a huge role of the Korean Wave from the beginning. Young dance music groups, H.O.T and Clone ignited the Korean Wave in China in 1999. Various radio stations in China began to create programs specializing K-pop. Moreover, it is known that the number of fans of H.O.T. was eight million only in China in 2002. Afterwards, at least 50 different Korean pop albums were produced in China, and more than three million albums in total were sold by 2002.  [2]   Beyond simply consuming the media contents, Chinese teenagers repeated Korean pop songs and imitated Korean actors and singers fashion and hairstyle. In addition, Korean restaurants in China became popular among people who were enjoying Korean pop culture.  [3]  Through the indirect experience of Korean food in television drama, people became familiar to it and such familiarity made people walk to Korean restaurants. As the effect of the Korean Wave, the national image of Korea was recognized as positive. As a result, Korean products raised their own value as well. Samsung mobile phones and LG air conditioners and microwaves took bigger portions at Chinese market as people demanded more of such products.  [4]   Started with the drama, Star Is in My Heart, and Korean pop music sung by H.O.T and Clone in China, the Korean Wave outstretched to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and other Asian counties. The Koran Wave started to link Asian regions in a huge boundary of cultural kinship. The Second round of Korean Wave in Japan Even though people in most Asian countries showed deep interests in Korea pop culture, Japan, which is geographically the nearest neighbor, was not affected by the Korean Wave until Winter Sonata hit Japan. In 2003, the Korean drama, Winter Sonata, was first shown on Japanese television in twenty episodes. It captured 22% of the prime time viewing audience. In 2004 Winter Sonata had its second showing. This time it captured 24% of viewing audience.  [5]   Japanese response to the Korean drama was not passive but aggressive. Japanese positively embraced the Korean drama, especially the television drama Winter Sonata and its Korean associations. Some of the Japanese fans elevated Winter Sonata to cult status. For example, the DVD of the Winter Sonata series sold out within few hours of its release in 2003.  [6]  Korean actors in many dramas become celebrities in Japan. Indeed, the male leading actor in Winter Sonata, Bae Yong Joon, was addressed as Yon Sama, an honorific usually assigned only to royalty in Japan. During visits to Japan actors and actress of popular dramas were mobbed by their fans. Demand by fans for Winter Sonata merchandise has created an industry with an annual turnover in Japan and Korea worth 2.3 billion US dollars.  [7]  The industry produces clothing, accessories, jewelers, stationery, magazines, books, DVDs and supports fan clubs. Significantly this interest extended beyond the characters of Winter Sonata toward a more general interest in Korea. The Korean Wave greatly affected to the tourism industry in Korea. In 2004, Japan was the source of nearly half of Koreas 5.6 million overseas visitors, and was its major source of tourists. In 2006 Korean Air announced special film in flights from Japan so that Japanese fans could have more information of the Winter Sonata location sites. In the same year, NHK television media and publishers announced an increase of its annual sales of its Korean language textbook to 20,000 copies.  [8]  As Japanese have enjoyed the Korean cultural media, their interest toward Korea in general also grew. Three main reasons why the Korean Wave became popular in Asia The good quality of cultural media comes to the foremost reason. According to the Chinese local analysis, Korean dramas have outstanding storylines, well designed characters, and sophisticated directing system.  [9]  Plus, original background music (OST) are excellent as well. Whether Chinese or Taiwanese dramas repeat the obvious storylines making people already bored by watching only the first episode, Korean dramas own various styles and types of story raging widely. Their creativities in developing stories fuel peoples curiosities to see the next episode. Korea actors handsome appearance, stylish fashions and hairstyles, and outstanding acting abilities are said to the best among Asian actors. Improved technology in film producing helps background settings and music to be wonderfully assimilated to each other. Camera walking and well designed composition of pictures improve overall quality of the video. The second reason is that the economic decline of Asia forced television producers to seek out products cheaper than Japanese and Western products. The drama series were the starting-point of the Korean Wave in Taiwan. The Korean Wave arose mainly because of the media liberalization that swept across Asia in 1990s, when the economic crisis made Asian buyers prefer the cheaper Korean products compared with Japanese and Hong Kong products. The primary producer of K-Pop Entertainment at Gala-TV in Taiwan told that the main reason that GTV began programming Korean dramas was because of their cheap prices compared to Japanese products, and Korean dramas were even cheaper than domestic ones.  [10]  According to her, Korean dramas were of much better quality then Taiwanese products, but were much cheaper, so GTV dubbed in Mandarin and aired the programs as if they were locally made dramas.  [11]   In 1999, GTV began buying old dramas from the Korean Broadcasting System under the considerations that it costs less than the domestic dramas and the quality of the Korean dramas could be guaranteed. GTV was informed that KBS had invested a huge amount of money in production. Indeed, Korea has long invested in dramas, and after 1993 it has encouraged the investment of private capital in the media industry. Therefore, to supplement domestic dramas, GTV introduced Korean dramas of low cost and good quality.  [12]   Thirdly, Korean movies, dramas, and sometimes even pop music show virtue and kindness. In Korean movies and dramas, people are amiable, and families are harmonious. Juniors respect elders and elders cherish juniors. Lovers love sweetly each other, and spouses care for each other. Korean dramas illustrate the harmonious and pure-hearted feelings. First of all, such heartwarming stories attract wide age groups. It is appropriate for elementary school kids to elder grandma and grandpa to watch altogether. Most western dramas or movies contain suggestive scenes to express passionate love between lovers which made family members to be apart to watch them. However, all family members gather around and can watch Korean dramas or movies which mostly depict pure-hearted loves between friends, families, and lovers. Second of all, pure love between lovers especially attracted Japanese women. Winter Sonata which delivers the story of pure love between main characters evoked Japanese Womens memories of their first love. Since purity in love was already old-fashioned culture in Japan, women who watched Winter Sonata brought out their nostalgic feelings toward pure love. Husband and wife do not talk a lot because Japanese people do not directly reveal their emotions and feelings to others which were regarded as the most secret part of individuals.  [13]  The actions, that spouses sincerely care for each other, stirred desires of Japanese women to be loved from their love directly and in a gentle way. Lastly, the family value commonly dealt in Korean drama evoked nostalgic feeling toward family among Chinese people. Through the Cultural Revolution and through the national campaign, One family, one child, large families were exterminated in China. Naturally, the older generations miss memories they had in large families. The older generations in China could be vicarious satisfaction as they enjoy Korea drama. Even though Asian countries are bound with the similar cultures and traditions, purity in love and family value were lost in Japanese and Chinese society. Pure-hearted feelings and harmonious aspects of Korean society reflected on drama played the significant role to promote the Korean Wave in two societies. The Range of Economic Effects Since the Korean Wave is a Korean pop-culture syndrome, the exportation of cultural industry is at the core of its economic effects. To calculate the whole economic impacts, however, the exportation of cultural industry is not fully satisfied. The derivative products due to the Korean Wave, ripple effects on national economy, and immeasurable effect such as diplomatic effect should be regarded as economic effects that the Korea Wave brought.  [14]   Category Range Cultural industry (effect of direct exp.) Movie, broadcast, music, game, book, concert Derivative products (effect of indirect exp.) Cosmetics, tour, accessories, clothes, mobile phone, home appliance, automobile, food Ripple effects on National economy Active production of cultural industry and derivative goods, creating jobs Immeasurable effects Hangeul, Korean food, diplomacy, national image Table I. The Range of Korean Wave Products First, cultural industry includes movie, broadcast, music, game, book, and concert at which people directly show their enthusiasm. Second, derivative products are products such as cosmetics, tour, accessories, clothes, mobile phone, home appliance, automobile, and food which are indirectly linked with the cultural contents. Automobile that one Korean star drove in drama or the place where the drama was directed are in this category. Third, ripple effect on national economy is that effect on the other economy as cultural industry and derivative products are exported. For example, if the cultural contents were exported and therefore if the mobile phone meets the great demand, the mobile phone company needs to employ more people to produce the phone. As a result, more jobs are created in domestic market. This is a ripple effect on national economy. Fourth, immeasurable effects is, as it says in its word, it is not measurable by numeric values or by statistics. It is invisible effect suc h as people who are big fan of Korean culture learning Korean language. The Effects of Cultural Industry Table II. Exports of Cultural Industry in 2005 unit: million KRW Korean exports in cultural industry to overseas amount to eleven million dollars in 2007. It shows 11.3% of annual growth from 2005 to 2007. In the case of movie industry, the movie, in which Bae yong-Jun (Yon-sama) acted in 2005, was exported at a high cost to Japan. The success of this movie resulted out exporting 76 million dollars. However, the following year reported the exports of only 25 million dollars which fells 68%. Japan China Asia Other Total Movie 48,479 436 5,393 327 54,634 broadcast 74,235 12,473 23,241 642 110,592 Game 120,854 60,188 41,669 3,021 225,732 Music 2,661 461 186 3,308 Book 14,461 2,726 5,152 1,767 24,106 Concert 1,004 50 1,054 total 261,694 76,285 75,455 5,993 419,427  [15]   Table III. Exports of Cultural Industry in 2006 unit: million KRW Japan China Asia Other Total Movie 7,944 344 5,036 260 13,584 broadcast 61,141 9,475 43,656 1,137 115,409 Game 101,981 75,768 50,462 4,296 232,507 Music 2,079 1,821 6 3,906 Book 9,330 2,510 47 11,887 Concert 937 956 47 1,939 total 183,413 90,874 104,454 7,354 386,094  [16]   Table IV. Exports of Cultural Industry in 2007 unit: million KRW Japan China Asia Other Total Movie 4,723 696 5,281 329 11,028 broadcast 83,154 11,208 29,365 1,188 124,916 Game 110,634 112,121 45,079 4,411 272,246 Music 1,604 1,153 18 2,775 Book 7,246 3,938 11,803 1,800 24,787 Concert 911 929 46 1,886 total 208,273 130,046 91,528 7,792 437.639  [17]   The broadcast industry is especially strong in Japan than any other Asian countries. While the broadcast industries in Japan and China show fairly steady outcome, other Asian countries and non-Asian region suddenly consumed the doubled volume of Korean television dramas in 2006 compared to that of 2005. The game industry, which takes the biggest portion in the cultural industry, gradually increased it exports. The Effects of Derivative Product Derivative products are not the cultural contents; however, they are closely related to the Korean Wave. The car appeared in drama or the cosmetics which Korea celebrities advertising are included in the realm of derivative products. Therefore, they are second biggest part in calculating the economic effects of the Korean Wave. Korean cosmetic brands such as The Face Shop and Misha rapidly grew in size in the international market and exported three hundred million dollars in 2005 and three hundred fifty million dollars in 2007. Cosmetic brands are sensitive to their models; therefore, companies frequently change the models to the most popular one at the time. Interestingly, Korean cosmetic brands use male Korea celebrities who are at the center of the Korean Wave because, in this way, it is easier for companies to appeal to female Korean fans in overseas. This is the strategies Korea cosmetic companies are using to target the international market. In the case of clothes, clothes industry resulted out the exports of twenty-three million dollars in 2005; however, exporting volume has been gradually decreased to seventeen million dollars in 2007. Decrease in home appliance exports can be explained by the increasing supply of Chinese products with the developing qualities in China mainland. When the exports of clothes, accessories, mobile phone, and home appliances were decreasing, automobile industry stretched its competitiveness in the international market with the grow rate of 12.5%. Koreas developed technology in automobile production and positive image toward Korean automobile brand established such consequence. Abroad fans interest and familiarity to Korean food helped its industry internationally. Japan China Asia Growth rate Cosmetics 306 319 346 6.3 Tour 1,139 935 791 -16.1 Clothes 2,313 1,9556 1,705 -14.1 Accessories 405 320 296 -14.5 Mobile phone 19,095 16,799 18,644 -1.2 Home appliance 14,656 14,553 13,433 -4.3 Automobile 27,256 30,597 34,482 12.5 Food 875 1,030 1,154 14.8 Table V. Exports of Derivative Products unit: million KRW, % 18 Table VI. Inflow of Foreigners Tour expenses 2005 2006 2007 Growth Rate(%) Number of tourists 6,022,752 6,155,047 6,448,240 3.5 The rate of tourists due to the Korean Wave (%) 14.2 11.8 10.0 Number of tourists due to the Korea Wave (KOR) 855,231 726,296 644,824 -13.2 Total consumption due to the Korea Wave (million KOR) 1,166,329 893,419 735,099 -21.6 19 The number of tourists is increasing from 2005 to 2007 with the growth rate of 3.5%. However, the number of tourists who visited Korea because of the Korea Wave is decreasing with the rate of -13.2%. Winter Sonata sensationally hit Japan in 2003. Thus, the rate of tourists, who came to Korea by the influence of the Korean Wave, in 2005 is comparatively higher than in 2006 and in 2007 as the aftereffect of Winter Sonata. As Japanese tourists who were deeply impressed by Winter Sonata increases after 2003, interesting thing happened in the streets in Korea. The shops near the locations appeared in Korean drama have Japanese explanations on each products. Moreover, the shop assistants in Myung-doing streets tout people in Japanese. They speak Japanese more than Korean to tout Japanese tourists. The decreasing number of tourists due to the Korean Wave does not mean that the Korean Wave has less impact on other cultures. Rather, people, who already visited Korea, would not make a second trip in near future. Therefore, it is quite natural that the number of people visiting Korea due to the Korean Wave gets smaller and smaller, regarding the huge impact of Winter Sonata in 2003. Instead, increasing number of tourists shows the general perception on the image of Korea is improving and it is ultimately the result of the Korean Wave. Therefore, I conclude that the Korean Wave yet fosters the tourism industry in Korea. Riffle Effects on National Economy Through the Korean Wave, Korean international economy was vitalized. Growing demands of Korean cultural contents from abroad have increased supplies, and therefore, Korean cultural industry has grown in a large scale. Numerous companies which create the cultural contents require more labor force as they extend their business. The Korean Wave not only vitalized the Korean economy but also opened the labor market to support industry. Considering the fact that companies, which directly or indirectly related to the Korean Wave, inevitably employ more labors, unimaginable number of people would come into the economic activities, relieving unemployment and boosting the national economy. The Korea Wave started with few dramas and pop songs now controls the whole national economy. Immeasurable effects Korean fans outside of Korea often learn Korean language and eat Korean food. More and more people have interest in Korean culture and favorable impression toward Korea. These sociological phenomena raise the power of Korea very softly everywhere in the world where the Korea cultural syndrome has hit. This is the Soft Power that Korean has. Conclusion The Korean Wave hit China in 1997 for the fist time and now its influence prevails all over Asia. By watching the same drama, by reading the same comic book, and by listing to the same pop songs, people have a strong sense of solidarity. Reflecting on my own experience, Asian teenagers become intimate to each other easily by sharing their cultural interests. In the fact that cultural contents take the large portion on students lives, there is nothing better which connects the students so tightly. They would forget the time flying away when they talk about their own favorite dramas and celebrities. The Korean Wave was directly connected to the domestic economy. Numerous cultural industries have expanded their influence in Asia and related manufacturing industry also has been thrived. The cultural industry established the average exports of 414,387 million Won from 2005 to 2007 and the derivative industry reached to the average exports of 2,204,567 million Won from 2005 to 2007. The whole economic impacts including the ripple effects during the past few years are tremendous in Korean domestic economy. There are several shortages of the Korean Wave that the Korean cultural contents overwhelmingly attract female but only mimic influence to male and that the current Korean Wave is not as sensational as the past few years. The Korean dramas and movies mostly deal with romantic love stories which women love and do not take action or thriller genres which men like. To embrace a broader range of people, Korean production companies need to develop creative and interesting scenarios in various genres. Plus, the economic effects are diminishing in many sectors of industry such as clothes, home appliance, and mobile phone. It is because there are recently no big contents such as Winter Sonata and Dae Jang Geum which rose fanatical boom about Korean media. The more efforts to create the high quality cultural contents enable to continue the glory of Korean Wave in 2004 and 2005. Asian countries and people have never gathered and shared the same cultural contents before as they do these days. Even though there are worried voices that Asian cultures are losing diversity in arts and culture, I valued more on the Korean Waves positive effects that connecting many countries and people in Asia in a close bound. I hope the unified the cultural market in Asia region would be the chance for cultural industries in each Asian countries to cooperative each other to create more developed cultural contents opening up new visas of the future.

Concept And Definition Of Hrp Business Essay

Concept And Definition Of Hrp Business Essay It is very natural that, the continual positive development of any business owe to its effective planning. Making all the necessary preparations and appropriate arrangements proactively basing upon what is expected to happen in future and performing a series of tasks and activities accordingly in a systematic and organized way is one of the important functions of management, which necessitates an effective and proactive planning process. Proper planning and designing an effective organizational structure by assigning an assortment of responsibilities to the concerned employees may help the business organizations to accomplish their set of objectives. Putting the right person at the right place and at the right time is essentially much important to any business as it comprises of a wide and comprehensive range of activities in relation to the management of man. Manpower power planning, not only focuses on the effective utilization of existing human elements but also concern in fulfill ing future manpower need of the organizations at the time of need. Man power planning is the process of determining manpower needs and the means and ways to meet those needs in order to carry out the integrated organizational plan. It is very much indispensable for any organization to perform the activities efficiently and to produce desired results. It is an apparently well known fact that, the success of any business highly rest upon the competent people that a business organization posses. Man power planning is considered as crucial functions of human resource management. It gives due importance to the human element than that of material elements and strive to manage and maintain the good will of a business. It endeavours to add to the organizational development and success of the business with due recognition of knowledge, skills, competence, experiences, expertise and talent of the employees. Effective recruitment and selection process follows an effective manpower planning process in fulfilling future manpower need as and when needed by the organisation. That necessitates manpower planning process and put lot of significance to it. At the same time, it contributes significantly to the achievement of organizational objectives by avoiding overstaffing and understaffing. However, although the notion of Human Resource Planning is well established in the HRM vocabulary, in practice, it does not seem to be as key HR activity. Need for man power planning is continuously driven by many of the factors in the organizations. It is essential when labour turnover is to be determined. There are situations that compel to replace older employees, disabled personnel and people whose medical conditions cause disturbances to usual functioning of the organisation. While executing effectively, man power planning process entails analyzing the requirements of present and future vacancies. These situations usually take place at the time of retirements, transfer of employees or they are upgraded due to promotion. Similarly, manpower planning is inevitable to deal with the situations that arise at the time, when employees avail their leaves or in case of their absences. In order to carry out the assigned task in a planned or intended way business organizations need personnel having necessary qualifications and experience which can be accomplished optimally through a effective man power planning process. Manpower planning is of great importance in identifying the surplus and shortages of the employees. In case of surplus, the man power may be redeployed from one area or activity to another in case of the former, whereas shortages demand providing required personnel. Man power demand forecasting, manpower supply forecasting and manpower audit are some of the important tasks concerning the process of manpower planning. Manpower demand involves estimating total man power requirements and planning accordingly. Then, the next step in manpower planning process is man power supply forecasting. It comprises of both internal supply forecasting and external supply forecasting. Internal supply forecasting works when the employees are transferred or promoted, while the need of external supply arises from the requirement of new workers when a business expands or there is change in technology or adopts new methods of production. In addition to that the process entails man power audit. Manpower audit is carried out through Skills inventory. It provides detail information about each employee. The overall value of an employee in an organization is also determined through skills inventory. For the sustenance of the key workers, man power audit analyses the factor s that compels and propels the employees to leave the current jobs and move elsewhere. As a result of which necessary measures may be taken to curb the rate of turnover in the context maximum utilization of Human Resources. Manpower planning is significant for the best interest of employees as well as for organization. While implementing appropriate selection procedures for the right candidates, Human resource planning undertakes proper recruitment methods and thereby preserves the individual talents of the employees. It focuses on assessing the requirement and the arrangement of training and development programs for the employees in order to equip them with the prerequisites of job. Manpower planning also focuses on the promotion procedures for competent people who can be entrusted with the challenges of advanced tasks. The inefficiencies of the employees are also identified by means of manpower planning process. So that necessary training may be provided leading towards improving employee morale. In this way the manpower planning process improves productivity and efficiency of the employees and their performance may be more effective and they can contribute optimally to the total organizational develo pment. Above all, the success of any business revolves round the quantity and quality of human resources of that particular organisation. CONCEPT AND DEFINITION OF HRP HRP is supposed to be an integral part of total organizational planning. The Human Resource Planning includes managerial activities that contribute to set the companys future objectives .It also determines appropriate means and ways for achieving those objectives. Where as organizational planning facilitates the realization of the companys future objectives and determines appropriate means for achieving those objectives. HRP is a systematic effort that comprises of three key elements: Workforce forecast Manpower assessment Staffing programme According to Leon C. Megginson, Human Resource Planning is an integrated approach to perform the planning aspects of the personnel function. It ensures sufficient supply of adequately developed and motivated workforce to perform the required duties and tasks to meet organizations objectives by satisfying the individual needs and goals of organizational members. Stainer defines manpower planning as a strategy for the acquisition, utilization, improvement, and preservation of human resources of an enterprise. It is a way of dealing with people in a dynamic situation. It relates to establishing job specifications or the qualitative requirements of job determining the number of personnel required and developing sources of supply of manpower. Human resource planning determines the determinants of changing job requirement. Technological advancement that requires introduction of new equipment, product, and process and invariably resulting in changes in jobs and job structure in an organization can be dealt with proper manpower planning. It is therefore, manpower planning is essential for the organization to meet the demands of future job requirements in order to survive and remain competitive. Otherwise, the organizations experiencing the effect of rapid technological change will face the shortages of skilled employees in the absence of effective human resource planning. HRP can be defined as the task of assessing and anticipating the skill, knowledge and labour time requirements of the organization and initiating necessary action to fulfil those requirements. If the organization is declining, it may need a reduction plan or redeploys its existing labour force. On the other hand, if it is growing or diversifying, it requires finding and tapping suitable sources of skilled labour. According to Coleman HR planning is The process of determining manpower requirements and the means for meeting those requirements to carry out the integrated plan of the organization. Manpower planning is the Strategy for acquisition, utilization, improvement and preservation of an enterprises Human Resources. It is the process by which management determines the path for the organization to move from its current manpower position to its desired manpower position in order to carry out integrated plan of the organization. Vetter (1967) defines Human Resource Planning as the process by which management determines how the organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired position. Through planning, management strives to have the right number and the right kind of people, at the right places, at the right time, doing right things resulting in maximum long-run benefits both for the organization and for the individual. Human resource planning takes place within the broad framework of organizational and strategic business planning. It involves forecasting the organizations future human resource needs and planning accordingly to meet those needs. It also includes establishing objectives and then developing and implementing HR programs like staffing, appraising, compensating, and providing training in order to ensure that people with the appropriate skills are available as and when the organization needs them. It may also include developing and implementing programs to improve employee performance or to increase employee satisfaction and involvement in order to boost organizational productivity, quality, or innovation (Mills, 1985b). Finally, human resource planning includes gathering data that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing planning programs which will be useful for the planners when revisions in their forecasts and programs are needed. Human resource planning is the process of systematically reviewing human resource requirements to ensure that the required numbers of employees with requisite skills are available at the time of need. Human resource planning encompasses four elements: Quantity: No of employees Quality : Required, skills, knowledge and abilities Space: for which department, unit and level Time: at which point of time and how long Nature and Scope of HRP HRP includes identifying both present and future needs of various types of employees in an organisation, comparing these needs with the present workforce, and determining the numbers and types of employees to be recruited. Persons can be recruited and selected from outside the organisation or selected out of the organisations potential group and fit them into the organisational set up to get the best out of them. While extracting the best out of the employees, the organisation has also a responsibility to protect the interests of employees in terms of their career prospects, adequate compensation for their work, providing the best work environment and developing a culture of interpersonal, intrapersonal, employee-employer relationship and introduce a sense of quality consciousness within everyone to produce the best. Leading Features of HRP The leading features of HRPs are listed below. It is systematic in approach. It ensures a continuous and proper staffing. It checks on occupational imbalances i.e shortages or surplus occurring in any of the department of the organization. There is a certain degree of flexibility, which is meant for modifications and alterations in accordance with the needs of the organization or to adopt with the changing circumstances. Manpower plans can be done both at micro and at the macro levels. Thus, HRP is a kind of risk management tool. It involves realistically appraising the present human resources and anticipating the future need as far as possible in order to get the right people into right jobs at the right time. Underlying Factors of HRP Undoubtedly, there are a lot many factors that contribute for the increased attention towards human resource planning. Again, environmental forces like globalization, new technologies, economic conditions, and changing characterstics of work forces create complexity and add uncertainty for organizations. Therefore, organizations typically attempt to reduce the interference of uncertainty. While attempting so, formal planning is considered as one common tactic used by organizations to buffer themselves from environmental uncertainty (Thompson, 1967). Manpower Planning vs Human Resource Planning Manpower planning or HR planning both can be used interchangeably. HR planning is more broad-based. Human Resources planning refer to planning conducted for all aspects of Human Resources. It takes care of training, employee safety, recruitment, manning levels, Performance Management and so on. But manpower planning basically tends to revolve predominantly around numbers. The number of people required to perform efficiently and productively in order to produce the best results with minimum cost is known as manpower planning. However, these concepts are always evolving and are variously called as manpower planning, personnel planning or employment planning and human resource planning. Levels of HRP Human resource planning is done at various levels. The purpose of manpower planning determines its level. However, broadly level of manpower planning falls in the following categories. National Level: At National level, government of India undertake macro human resource plans for the entire country by anticipating the demand for and supply of human requirements at the national level. Sectoral Level: Along with central government various state governments of the country also plan human resource requirements for different sectors of the economy. Sectoral level manpower planning endeavours to cater the needs of manpower requirements of some particular sectors like Agriculture Sector, Industrial Sector and Service Sector. Industry Level: To cater to the manpower needs of a particular industry such as Engineering and Heavy Industries, Paper Industries, and Consumer Goods Industries, Public Utility Industries, Textile, Cement/Chemical Industries and so on and so forth industry level manpower planning is done. Unit/ Departmental Level: To take care the manpower needs of a particular department in a company such as Marketing Department, Production Department, Finance Department, etc unit or department level manpower planning is conducted. Job Level: Man power planning at job level fulfils the human resource requirements of a particular job family within a department. For example, the requirement of number of sales executives in the marketing department or customer care people in customer care department is done by planning at the level of Job. Periods of HRP Short -Term Human Resource Planning: Short term Human resource planning primarily focuses on designing and implementing the activities like recruitment, selection systems, and training programs to serve short-term organizational needs. Generally such activities involve an element of planning that is future-oriented to some extent. Short-term human resource planning is done to achieve long term objectives of the organisation. Long-Term Human Resource Planning: Increasingly, long-term human resource planning is done minimum for the period of three years or sometimes beyond that. Long term human resource planning is critical for the effective functioning of organizations. The rapidly changing world and highly competitive marketplace is causing firms to turn their focus on human resources for survival and competitiveness. Effective long-term human resource planning demands integration of the skills and knowledge of the manpower planner and all other executives who are responsible for strategic planning. Intermediate -Term Human Resource Planning: Human resource planning is a risk averting tool and buffer organizations from future uncertainty. Since, human resource programs such as recruitment, selection, training, and motivation of employees ensures availability of required number of people with appropriate skills at all levels in the organizations and thereby it help to reduce uncertainty. Short term human resource planning is associated with very little uncertainty about which skills and how many people will be needed. For which it is relatively easy to predict supply. However, due to rapid, turbulent and ongoing changes in todays business environment, it is difficult to anticipate future by simply projecting past trends. When the focus of planning shifts from short term to intermediate term, what is the requirement of an organisation becomes dominant problem so also the uncertainty related to the question of availability. As a result of which more technical attention is required to be given to the problem of forecasting. To minimise the uncertainty in intermediate term human resource planning, interaction between the human resource planner and line managers is even more critical for making accurate demand and supply forecasts. PURPOSE, NEED AND OBJECTIVE OF HRP Purposes of HRP   The primary function of Personnel planning is to analyze and evaluate the available human resources within the organization. It also determines how to obtain the kinds of needed personnel to staff various organisational positions starting from assembly line workers to chief executives.   Smaller companies have assigned the function of HR planning to the human resource department or personnel department. Larger corporations have separate departments for this function.  Personnel planning aims at minimisation of waste in employing people, lessen uncertainty of current personnel levels and future needs, and eliminate mistakes in staffing pattern.   The purpose of Human Resource Planning aims at maintaining the required level of skill by avoiding workforce skill shortages, stopping the profit-eroding effects of being overstaffed or understaffed, preparing succession plans and shaping the optimum future work force composition by hiring the right skill in appropriate numbers. Need of HRP Manpower Planning is basically a two-phased process. It analyses the current human resources, makes manpower forecasts and thereby draw employment programmes. Manpower Planning serves organisational purpose in many ways. It ensures optimum use of manpower and capitalizes on the strength of organisations Human Resources. Talent reservoir of an organisation is maintained at any point of time. The assigned tasks can be carried out easily if people skills are readily available. All these things can be possible with the help of effective HR Planning that provide information beforehand. To forecast future requirements and provides control measures: Although planning is considered as the essential process of management, HRP becomes especially critical when organizations go for mergers, relocation of plants, downsizing, right sizing or at time of closing of operating facilities. For example, expansion of scale of operations of any business requires advance planning that can ensure a continuous supply of people with appropriate skill set who can handle the challenges of the jobs easily. To face the challenges: Human resource planning helps the business to encounter the challenges that occur due to turbulent and hostile environmental forces like technology, social, economic and political factors. To adopt with technological changes: The change in technology in production, marketing methods and management techniques have been very extensive and rapid. It has profound effect both on job contents and job contexts. These changes may cause problems relating to redundancies, demand for retraining and redeployment, In order to cope with these changes, organisations need systematic manpower planning. To face Organizational Changes: The nature and pace of changes in organizational environment marked by cyclical fluctuations and discontinuities and the changes in activities and structures affect manpower positions of the organisation and require strategic considerations which necessitate perfect HR Planning. To determine recruitment/induction levels: A readily available HR plan can provide fairly good ideas about the kind of people are recruited and at what position. This will help in determining the kind of induction the organization require and thus can help to plan induction level successfully. To determine training level: Human Resource Planning helps in determining training levels in an organisation and lays foundation for management development programmes. To know the cost of manpower: In cases of expansions or opening up a new factory or if there is a new project organisation would require more number of human resources of different skill set. In those cases, Human Resource Planning helps in estimating the manpower cost. Hence a proper budgetary allocation can be made well in advance for this type of upcoming corporate strategic move. To assist in productivity bargaining: In case of automation, Human Resource Planning Data helps in negotiating for lesser workers as required for the same amount of the job. The organisation can offer higher incentives to smoothen the process of VRS, voluntary layoffs and so on. To assess physical facilities: Physical facilities such as accommodation ,canteen, school, medical help, etc. can also be planned well in advance, because a good HRP can assist in solving many problems of the firm, from day to day ones to very strategic ones. Moreover, Human Resource Planning helps in maintaining the stability of a concern preventing it to incur several intangible costs due to inadequate, improper or lack of HRP. For example, inadequate HRP may cause unfilled vacancies and the resulting loss in efficiency cost a lot to the organisation, particularly when the lead-time is required to train replacements. There are also situations in which employees are laid off in one department on the other hand applicants are hired for similar jobs in another department due to absence of proper HRP. There may be situation of over hiring resulting in the need to lay off effective employees. These are the variety of factors which necessitate Human Resource Planning in an organisation for optimum utilisation of Human Resources. Objectives of HRP The objective of human resource planning is to ensure the best fit between employees and jobs, while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses. Human resource planning is a sub-system of the total organizational planning. It constitutes an integral part of corporate plan and serves the very purpose of organization in many ways. The primary purpose of human resource planning is to prepare for the future by reducing organizational uncertainty in relation to the acquisition, placement, and development of employees .Human resources planning is done to achieve the optimum use of human resources and to have the right types and correct number of employees to meet organizational goals. Objectives of Human Resource Planning are: Achieve Goal: Human Resource Planning helps in achieving individual, Organizational National goals. Since Human resource planning is linked with career planning, it can able to achieve individual goal while achieving organisational and national goal. Estimates future organizational structure and Manpower Requirements: Human Resource Planning is related with number of Personnel required for the future, job-family, age distribution of employees, qualification desired experience, salary range etc and thereby determines future organisation structure. Human Resource Audit: Human resource planning process is comprised of estimating the future needs and determining the present supply of Manpower Resources. Manpower supply analysis is done through skills inventory. This helps in preventing overstaffing as well as understaffing. Job Analysis: The process of studying and collecting information relating to operations and responsibilities of a specific job is called Job analysis. Job analysis is comprised of job description and job specification. Job description describes the duties and responsibilities of a particular job in an organized factual way. Job specification specifies minimum acceptable human qualities necessary to perform a particular job properly. Other objectives of HRP are as follows: To link human resource planning with organizational planning. To ensure optimum, planned use of currently employees. To forecast future skill requirements. To provide control measures in order to ensure that necessary resources are made available as and when required. To anticipate redundancies and avoid unnecessary dismissals. To provide a basis for management development programmes. To deploy the manpower in upcoming new projects. To enable the organization to identify trouble spots. To study the cost of overheads. To decide whether certain activities need to be subcontracted. To achieve more effective and efficient use of human resources. To better recruit employees having the necessary skills and competences. To determine optimum training levels. To obtain fairly satisfied and developed workforce. To facilitate the roll-out of strategic plans and missions. To achieve more effective and equal opportunity planning. To relieve the organization of unnecessary and unneeded labour. Human resources planning are human resource administration, quite similar to that of financial planning. But unlike financial planning, there are very few organizations that engage in any form of explicit human resource planning. However, if properly used, human resources planning can increase the prospects of an organizations management and of its resources by better coping with dynamic situations. Human resource planning aims at maintaining and improving the organizations ability to attain the goals by developing strategies, purporting to magnify the contribution of human resources. Objectives of HR planning are to ensure availability of the HR needs of the organization at specified times in the future. It is a systematic approach to help the organization to reach at its business objectives. TRENDS AND BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS ON HRP Trends That Impact HRP   A Personnel planner seeking to study the trends in Human Resource planning should include the following variables:   The state of the economy of the organisation: The spectrum of economic activity of the organisation which largely depends upon the companys sphere of operations is a crucial factor that is to be considered while doing HRP.     Demographics: The present and future age and sex composition, literacy level of the population of the organisation affect HRP.   Employee losses or turnover: The retirements, deaths, promotions and resignation affect the current number of individuals employed at every level.   New skill requirements:  Obsolescence of current skills and its effects along with what new skills will be needed due to new technology markets or products affect HRP.   The availability of materials: The status of the availability of material and direction of materials prices is also considered while doing HRP.    Technological changes: Rate of change of technology along with technology adoption by the organisation affects manpower planning.   Social changes: Effect of up gradation of educational backgrounds of the people in a given society and the willingness of people to take lower level jobs affect manpower planning.   Labour costs: The direction in which the labour cost move is given due consideration while doing human resource planning. Behavioural Factors on HRP Behaviour can be defined as the observable and measurable activity of human beings. Activity of human beings under this category shows a great variety. It may include anything like decision making, a mental processor, handling a machine, a physical process. Behavioural factors of HRP include: 1. Understanding Human Behaviour 2. Controlling and directing Behaviour 3. Organisation Adaptation 1. Understanding Human Behaviour: Understanding human behaviour in the organisation encompasses the following elements. (i) Individual Behaviour: It is known as first behaviour of people and provides means for analyzing why and how an Individual behaves in a particular way. (ii) Interpersonal Behaviour: It provides means for understanding the interpersonal relationship in the organization. Analysis of reciprocal relationship, role analysis, transactional analysis falls under the umbrella of interpersonal behaviour. (iii) Group Behaviour: Group behaviour comprises of group norms, cohesion, goals, procedures, communication, and leadership. (iv) Intergroup relationship: Intergroup relationships are in the form of intergroup cooperation and intergroup co-ordination. 2. Controlling and directing behaviour: these are the different factors that need to be taken care of in while controlling and directing people behaviour at workplaces. (i) Organisational Climate: it refers to total organizational situations affecting human behaviour i.e how people of an organisation interact with each other at workplace. (ii) Communication:-free flow of both way communications is inevitable in order to control and direct human behaviour because, it is through communication people come in contact with each others. (iii) Leadership: leadership style is also very much crucial and plays vital role in order to control and direct peoples behaviour at workplace. (iv) Employee empowerment: It refers to the degree of autonomy provided to people of an organisation so that they can take certain decision on their own without waiting for the supervisor to direct and may be utilized in many ways. 3. Organisation Adaptation: Organisations have to adapt themselves to the environment changes by making suitable internal arrangements like Management of Change. INFORMATION FOR HRP Information that forms the basis of Human Resource Planning include statistics of past years data on all aspect of Human Resource programmes. It includes turnover data, recruitment costs, staff numbers both actual and forecasted, budgetary information, safety statistics, and performance appraisal statistics and so on and so forth. Basically, information is gathered taking into consideration of any objective for the year. For example, if organisations seek to reduce turnover, which thereby reduces recruitment and selection costs, need to focus man power plan on retention strategies. To strategise the retention strategies the organisation may go for benchmarking from other successful companies, may seek industry information, take the help of Human Resources Institutes and so on and so forth. After getting information and ways and me