National Identity In Chinese Cinema Film Studies Essay

National Identity In Chinese Cinema Film Studies Essay Upon studying cinematic allegory Chinese cinema helps create a national identity through reconstruction of the past. Using Deleuze`s theory of time and space in cinema the deconstruction of space and time with in Chinese cinema and the role of the imagined past create an allegorical film about national identity. Through the film `Hero` directed by Zhang Yimou I will be discussing the role of time and space through and the allegorical meaning of the films through the dissections of particular scenes mentioning cinematic techniques and what eaach scene represents. Firstly we must understand how a Chinese cinema reconstructs a sense of identity. A part from the obvious such as martial arts and traditional costumes the political, historical significance of China is very important in reconstructing the national identity. During the time of ancient China various Dynasties have taken control of China. Each ruling having different ideologies and concepts towards the nation. There were many historical moments that was perceived as inhumane or tyrant like such as the eradication of clans with different ideologies who oppose the dynasties, however in order to successfully tell a historical event and is common in Chinese cinema is to use nostalgia as the primary source to reconstruct history. Most traditional Chinese cinema retell historical events in a artistic and aesthetically pleasing manner and therefore films such as Hero can be analysed allegorically and historically in an essence of the reconstructed identity. The film Hero a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou produced in 2002 was an international success. The film stars Jet Li and in terms of authenticity unlike Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon which was produced by Hollywood, the directors were more careful of the language and sequences used in the film. The films main ideology or belief is peace between all factions of mainland China due to the ruling of King Qi. This clichà © use of the theme peace and resonance attributes to the whole notion of allegorical film. In doing research on King Qi and the Zhou dynasty it appears that King Qi outlawed Confucianism to maintain stability in China and killed and buried alive the scholars. This dark moment in history was not really depicted in the film and was definitely not shown in the film as a positive impact. E.g the killing of the clan that specialise in calligraphy; therefore we can get a sense that nostalgia is a strong form of the reconstructed nation. One of the reasons why Mainland Chi na has distributed historical martial arts movie is because of its political discourses that has alienated Chinese culture. Political discourse experienced by China with the Westernization of China and also influence from the Japanese may have lead to the idea of an imagined nation. These Radical political phenomena witnessed around the world may have caused the catalyst for spreading the territories to those engaged in the post colonial struggles of the era (Crofts 1988 pp 385). With the rapidly changing cultural significance and China becoming more open to the world through globalization there was not a wide variety of tradition and culture to work with due to Western and Japanese influences so ultimately China needed to observe the past embracing what Mainland China was once like. For the audience that viewed this movie the political struggles and a lack of exaggerated and artistic historical reflection does not really affect in the way of national identity due to the fact that a lthough idealized audience are able to experience the basic cultural tradition. This idea of playing with politics with in the film works as an allegory for communism and the rebellion against it. King Qi represents the ideology of communism and is very well resembled in the film. For example in the scene where he states that he will unify the character of the sword into one rather than have nineteen different characters. The film does deliver in terms of traditional practices and culture and the cinematography of the film is also a key element in representing the idea of the reconstructed nation. The traditional and rhetorical practices that have been seen throughout history books gave theories a chance to connect memories with a sense of identity (Dickinson 1997: 2). The film definitely captures the notion of memory (the historical events and retelling of the events occured) and connects it with identity (Mainland Chinese culture such as martial arts and calligraphy). With the ext ension of images and sequences of the hyper-real a sense of not being able to forget the past is heavily emphasized. Ever since the film was used as a medium to promote globalization and culture nostalgic values were needed in an attempt to break the stereotyped view of certain ethnicity and also introduce some of the traditions and lives of ancient imperial China. The director Zhang Yimou was obsessed with symmetry with in his films. The scene when Nameless goes into battle with Sky at the temple for playing chess is symmetrical in terms of the architecture. The colours were unified between the background, foreground and costumes. The calligraphy room is also symmetrical and so was the library. This obsession with symmetry and unified colours reflect the reconstructed identity of national Chinese cinema. The sense of the imagined gives the film a very artistic and beautiful personality. Deleuzes theory of the exploration of a network of time and space is evident throughout the film. When Nameless retells the epic battles with the 3 legendary warriors the first battle that Nameless retells contains the complex weaving of time and space. Throughout this scene there are many quick sword battles between Sky and the officers and also Nameless as well. The scene runs for quite some time and throughout the scene sound effects of water droplets consta ntly dropping can be heard. This water droplet sound effect is the key feature in this scene. Firstly when Sky is fighting King Qi`s officials the fast paced sword clinging sounds gives the scene a sense of speed. However by inserting the water droplet sounds constantly the films rhythm is intentionally forced back to the peaceful flowing motion. This juxtaposition of the use of sounds creates the effect of the reconstructed nation as the sense illusion and reality are connected through the droplets of water. The retelling of the story V.S the truth behind the story told. Also the water droplet sound effect acts as the deterrent to keep the real sense of time with in the film. In this scene Nameless and sky imagines their battle with their minds however the water droplet sounds connects the real time with the imagined time acting as the alarm to snap into reality again. The notion of time is explored in this film with the use of slow motion between the fights and the representation of the stories in the past. This complex layering of time with in time creates a sense of duel and parallel sequences of multiple pasts and present to move the story forward. Thus replacing the action image into optical and sound images (Deleuze, 1985 pp 7). The water droplet is there for you to notice but as subtle as the action image is being analysed by the optical. In a Deleuzian sense the theory of neo realism where the use of wires create a natural feeling movement yet defies gravity throughout the battles creates and conquers the optical space within the film and the blending of real time, slow motion and real time for the actual audience is bent into a `u` shape where the illusion seems as reality and the reality seems as the illusion. Both ending in the same conclusion where Nameless becomes the Victor. Also the singing voice in the film represents Skys defeat as the climax of the battle comes near the singing voice acts parallel with Sky as he is struck by Namelesss sword. The voice that is not built within the sound of the shot but an external sound added aafter the filming creates the unifies the film and time. This outer and inner film work is also a manipulative tool to fortell, start and end sequences. The director`s use of colours can be also noticed. During the calligraphy scene the whole scene had a theme of red. Allegorically the scene can be depicted as the last resistance from the movement of communism. The red representing the blood lost from the clan of Zhao and their calligraphy. The Chinese character representing sword is the symbol for the connection between the spirit of the eradicated clan and the swordsmanship or the fighting spirit from the warriors who attempted to protect the clan. At the end of the scene where flying snow and Moon have their battle for revenge against the murder of Broken sword the scene is shot in an area where autumn leaves were falling. This scene is a representation of the final fall and death of the clan and allegorically the resistance against communism and unification which had failed. The red emotionally representing lust and rage also tie in with the scene as betrayal and revenge is a key emotional theme explored in the scene. Flying snow murdering Broken sword for the lust that had been created between him and moon and the rage created from the death of a master. Multiple stories depicting the fall of Broken Sword and Flying snow are each represented by a different colour. The scene that is shot in white where Nameless attempts to convince the warriors to assassinate the King the colour white symbolizes the ideaology of Broken Sword. Near the end of the film Broken Sword reveals that he does not intend to kill the King but to unify the kingdoms for the greatest prosperity. Peace. Broken Sword mentions his answer to the world. `By uniting all under heaven`. The colour white is the representation of Broken Swords philosophy and ironically Broken Sword arch enemy of King Qi was the only one who understood the true intentions of King Qi. The rebellion against the communist regime has now completely disintegrated. However there is a contradiction beteween the use of symmetry and obsession with unification of the colours as it contradicts to the idea of freedom and resistance against communism. The communist ideal is to unify. Like King Qi he states that by eradicating the different characters for one word it will be much easier to comprehend. However the unification and symmetry does not connect to the idea of rebelling against communism. Perhaps this is done purposely to state that the unification process of communism has already spread and the characters involved were fighting an unwinnable battle. While in the topic of national cinema and reconstructing identity it is also interesting to note that hybrid forms of national cinema are beginning to appear in film. Although most of the films are Hollywood directed films and not classified as world cinema such as The last Samurai, Lost in Translation and Babel bring hybrid forms of national identity to the audience. These films introduce traditional and contemporary forms of culture to the audience. For example in Lost in Translation a contemporary, modern day structure where pop culture is heavily introduced such as Karaoke bars, bright neon lights at night etc. This reference to pop culture and how life in Japan is illustrated would be a more accurate form of national identity. This is because it illustrates contemporary culture and practices and the audience will gain a deeper engagement through the viewing and the practices and the display of a different culture is much more accurate unlike nostalgic films of the past. The reco nstruction of national identity is therefore a more artistic representation which means a realistic form of national identity are rather woven in through the use of cinematic allegory and cinematic techniques. These new hybrid forms of cultural diversity in film is the new era in sustaining the essence of national identity. Thus it should be stressed that since national cinema attempts to promote the culture of one nation by reconstructing it making it appealing to the audience and in doing so it deliberately hides or bends parts of historical evidence. The national discourses and history has shaped the national state into what it is and perhaps that is the main reason why national cinema has become the subject of narcissism as history hides the true self of a nation only portraying the viewers with knowledge and fragments of history as evidence. As nations tend to be ideological constructions, it leads to nations bending and erasing the history that may have a negative impact. (Hay ward 2000: 89). In conclusion the film Hero works as an allegorical film because of the political statements and issues are brought forward with the use of cinematic techniques such as colour, unification and symmetry. In a Deleusian sense the sequences of flashbacks (with different perspectives of the story) the complex layering of time to drive the sequence in a forward motion can be directly tied to the cinematic allegory as the representation of the rise of communism using different time spectrum to reveal the symbolism for communism. The two theories creates a network of complex yet unique insight into the film and therefore the film becomes a reconstructed identity.

Study case of High Rate of dropouts in highschool

I. Introduction A. Background of the study Drop out is defined as learning without a diploma and not completing its year course in the school. It’s been known for years that children who do not achieve a school diploma face many more problems later in life than people who graduated. They are more likely to be unemployed lived in extreme poverty and achieved poor health. B. Statement of the problemLas Pià ±as National High School failed to the lowest possible rate of dropout students. Based on the rate profile of the school, there are several factors and reasons that affect the students in the community. C. Significance of the storyThis study aims to know the reasons of the students why they leave school and scoping out ways to resolve the problems stated in our full puissance. There are existing ordinance that may help to solve the issue. There are existing ordinance that may help to solve the issue such as: Education For All (EFA) – is a vision and a holistic program of reforms that aims at improving the quality of basic education for every Filipino by the yearD. Scope and delimitation of the study This research focuses only on the reasons why students were dropped out and is limited beyond any other fields.II. Body Based on the rate profile of Las Pià ±as National High School, there are several factors and reason that affect the students in the community. Lack of Parent Engagement- it is one of the reasons why students choose to dropout because they want their parent’s attention but because their parents are busy to their work they can’t give their full attention to them. And their child will not see the purpose of staying in or doing well in school.Poor Academic Performance- because students are being lazy, lazy in studying their lessons and being lazy to take down notes that leads to their poor academic performance. Financial- it is the most common problem why students choose to dropout because their parents can’t suppor t them for their needs in school. And because of that they would rather to work to supply for their needs. Personal Problems- here are the common issues involve:Teenage Pregnancy- because they can’t go to school with their pregnancy being obvious and the school can’t tolerate their deeds. Bullying- one of the most serious problem of the students because of the fear that they might get hurt physically and mentally that caused trauma to them. The high rate of the dropouts affects the image the school in such a way that even if they rank first in the National Achievement Test the teachers get less appraisal than what they supposed to have.Unlike to the school like Las Pià ±as Science High School they got the full amount of appraisal because they don’t have any records of dropout. And to take action the Guidance services of Las Pià ±as National High School make away to lessen the number of dropouts; encouragement, community linkages, ALS, Open High, PEP Test and c lose monitoring of students.

Top Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Tips!

Top Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Tips! Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Ability to cope with conflict Conflict is a truth of life. To be effective, have a risk and be eager to find out what the consequences of your decisions are. The essay outline changes in line with the respective circumstances and conditions. Reveal evidence following your thesis statement presentation. The business thinks that the collaboration enables the enterprise to carry out well. Business excellence is something which every business whether it's little and privately owned or a worldwide corporation struggles to reach. When it has to do with the procedures in businesses, not all them are as effective or fluid as some businesses want to believe. To grow your organization, you've got to grow yourself. Complete excellent management that's also referred to as management of quality can be defined as the practice of overseeing tasks in addition to the activities in order to sustain the necessary level of quality, standards or excellence. Money is less inclined to materialize below this mental and emotional dynamic. A History of Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Refuted It is possible to present these things separately through the use of various paragraphs. Their choice meant I had attained the 1 goal which I yearned. The total format of your essay, for example, font size and margins, will solely are based on the instructions offered to you. Be precise with the goal of your writing. Though your opportunities attending your top choice are higher in case you apply early, acceptance is not ever a sure thing. When you could be self-respecting, you make the commitment to be at the peak of your game. There are many approaches a Catholic school leader may take to invest in the very best. The superb leader heavily draws from the advice that, if it might be worth doing, it's well worth doing right. An academic letter isn't just a document that can showcase your mastery when it has to do with a specific academic subject. Everything they do is a success, since they don't observe the results they're getting as failure. If you've discovered yourself starting something and never finishing it, start looking into getting aA coach, orA mentorA to assist you stay on course. Even those students with wonderful ambitions aren't an exception here. The One Thing to Do for Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Leadership can show itself in various forms and span a number of industries. Excellence starts with leaders of nice and robust character who engage in the whole process of leadership. Business leaders should have a crystal clear view of what growth means to their personal businesses. Service excellence leaders stick out in the industry with the addition o f value to each project they take on. You might be asked to compose an NHS essay before joining to demonstrate that you're eligible to join a prestigious organization. Effective leaders envision the things that they want and the way to receive it. Resourcing within this context can be utilized to mean the manipulation that's accomplished by the management to the workers or workers and other resources in the organization that are key in inventing a strategy to of accomplishing the desired organizational objectives and objectives. New Step by Step Roadmap for Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Since academic essays are popular in the business of education and research, you should be certain your writing is both logical, interesting and informative. An academic essay always must be relevant. Your academic essay should evoke an emotion that is needed to spark different ideas, opinions and other types of responses. Always keep in mind that it should be playful it must not bore your audience. How to Find Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples To put it simply, an academic essay may be an evidence of the depth of your research procedures and the rest of the activities you've executed so you can support the content of your written output. Also know about how your own life was shaped by the many academic and societal positions you occupy. Proper people strategies concentrate on the appropriate combination and kind of people and the degree of performance necessary to be successful. There are difference contexts that could be used within the exact same subject so that you must make certain that you will be clear in regards to identifying the section of the topic that you're going to chat about. Commitment enables us to keep up a high level of perseverance. It is a factor that decides the future of a person. True commitment indicates the means of success. The Ugly Secret of Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples The exact same situation takes place when college students start taking the i nitial measures in academic writing. Anyway, it provides the student the chance to elaborate on the program of his pick. Therefore, students should concentrate on the principal points rather than generalizing on all of the info. Moreover, the students aren't supposed to compose their resume in paragraph form. The Good, the Bad and Commitment to Excellence Essay Samples Nonetheless, done correctly, the individual's whole life will depend on such a choice made. Developing a culture of Equality isn't only the perfect action to do, it's also the wise thing. Such people aren't bothered should they make a huge number of mistakes in their work. It's something people face every single day.

Machiavelli And Socrates - 1840 Words

Although both are considered some of the greatest political and philosophical thinkers of their respective times, Socrates and Niccolà ³ Machiavelli had very different methods and beliefs of how a political system should be run. The mindset of Socrates can be seen in the works Apology and Crito by Plato. Socrates, who values wisdom and justice over power and prestige, would view Machiavelli’s concept of a Prince very contradicting to how he believes a good life should be lived. In his work, The Prince, Machiavelli details how a prince should rule and maintain power. Socrates would not be supportive of Machiavelli and his Prince’s political system because it is rooted in unethical behaviors. Machiavelli views these actions as virtues†¦show more content†¦To Machiavelli, the true virtues of a prince should be stinginess, cruelty, and manipulation. He takes traditional Christian virtues, which most see as good, and criticizes them, saying they are vices and hurtf ul to a prince. Socrates’ ideal Prince is much different than that of Machiavelli. Socrates found great power in his analysis of Athens, rather than direct involvement. Through questioning, reason, and critical analysis he attempts to instill wisdom, truth and virtue in Athens, specifically in the youth. He was charged with corrupting the youth because his idea of how life should be lived was much different than that of the states. Socrates corrupted the youth of Athens because he degenerated or undeveloped them from becoming strong political, economic, and military leaders. The people of Athens, in particular the wealthy and powerful, wanted their children to be educated in ideals that Machiavelli would support. It was the job for these privileged youth to learn how to be strong leaders so the city could run smoothly in the future and Socrates was undermining this structure. If the youth Socrates was teaching were treated as a counterpart to Machiavelli’s Prince, a difference in ideal s and teachings can be found. Machiavelli teaches his Prince how to maintain power at all costs, while Socrates teaches his students to put aside the concept of materialistic power such as wealth andShow MoreRelatedSocrates And Machiavelli1681 Words   |  7 PagesSocrates, in his early works, maintained a steadfast distance from involvement in politics, making a comparison or evaluation of a political system in his persona technically impossible. To claim that Socrates would or would not be supportive of any political system might then seem irresponsible, a presumptuous analysis not fitting for an academic recognizing the false equivalence between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and validRead MoreMachiavelli And Socrates1579 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli and Socrates Niccolo Machiavelli and Socrates both lived during turbulent, political times. Machiavelli in Florence, Italy and Socrates in Athens. Machiavelli’s The Prince outlines the necessary features and traits of a sovereign, primarily, a Prince. It served as a handbook to effective rulership in the 16th century. By analyzing Machiavelli’s belief that a prince should be strategically feared, the role of free will , and the role of the people , I will argue that Machiavelli hasRead MoreMachiavelli And Socrates896 Words   |  4 PagesMachiavelli and Socrates are two of the most prominent philosophers of history. Each men are characterized by developing distinct schools of thought regarding individual rights and statehood. Machiavelli’s The Prince is a manual for rulers: lessons based on empirical observations of history. In The Apology written by Plato, Socrates delivers a justification to an Athenian court. It is notRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1860 Words   |  8 PagesPolitical Theorists: Moralities and Wisdom Political theorists, Socrates and Machiavelli, each provide their own ideas and philosophies for political structure that are still being discussed today. In Plato’s writings of â€Å"Apology† and â€Å"Crito†, he defines Socrates as man of wisdom and humbleness as he goes through trial and death of a crime he did not commit. Machiavelli’s writing of â€Å"The Prince† was written as a way to advise a Prince on how to achieve the greatest success as a ruler. These twoRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1660 Words   |  7 Pagesworks of Socrates and Machiavelli are as polarized as the phrases â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living† and â€Å"the ends justify the means.† The Prince by Machiavelli and The Last Days of Socrates by Plato are both crucial texts to the discussion of what makes a good political leader. Well, what makes a good political leader? Socrates would disagree with Machiavelli’s ideation of the Prince becau se of the immorality that he allows this model to have in the public sphere. However, Socrates would findRead MoreMachiavelli And Socrates1713 Words   |  7 PagesSocrates and Niccolà ² Machiavelli were both political philosophers who lived through corruption, violence, and political restlessness. These circumstances prompted them to develop their own solutions for their respective societies. This included the creation of a stable political system with a strong and effective leader through the examination of the faults of said societies. To Machiavelli, this leader is known as the â€Å"Prince.† He believes that the Prince should be pragmatic in his actions, andRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1961 Words   |  8 PagesWhat would Socrates think of Machiavelli’s political world? Socrates and Machiavelli were some of the most influential political philosophers in their respective times. Some argue that their view of empowering individuals, whether it be through free speech or ruthless fighting, are quite similar. However, their views of leadership and government do not align. Socrates’ support for free expression and due process makes his view of effective governance far different from Machiavelli’s focus on nationalRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli2009 Words   |  9 PagesSocrates and Machiavelli are both very influential philosophers and two of the great minds of their time. However, both of these men had their own separate ideas that did not completely agree with one another. Machiavelli was born into a Renaissance time period of fragmented politics, lots of bloodshed, and angry citizens while Socrates grew up in a time of political adjustment and instability in Athens. Machiavelli constructed The Prince as a political pamphlet to his frie nd Lorenzo de MediciRead MoreMachiavelli And Socrates1976 Words   |  8 Pagesand turmoil, both Socrates and Machiavelli use philosophy to evaluate people and politics. After seeing corruption, fragmentation and death, both philosophers developed different views. Machiavelli’s concept of a Prince includes strong stances on morality and religion. Socrates would be likely to agree on the general ideas that Machiavelli believes a Prince should have but he would differ mainly in how they should be executed. I believe that Socrates would agree with Machiavelli that there needs toRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli Analysis936 Words   |  4 Pages Socrates instilled value in living life as it ought to be and ingrained the pursuit of truth into all of his actions. He relished living as a gadfly to the state; arousing thoughts in others as a means to bring them to higher points of understanding and critical examination, which they then were to apply to their own society. He wanted people to live lives as they ought to live them and for the state to be a reflection of that aim. The leader advocated by Machiavelli, The Prince, is far more authoritarian

Diversity Issues and Population Risk Example

Essays on Diversity Issues and Population Risk Article ï » ¿Diversity Issues and Population Risk Diversity refers to the commitment to recognizing and appreciating characteristics that makes one unique. It also entails the differences among people in the society. Diversities exist in different way e.g. culture, age, disability, gender, language, race, physical appearance, heath, political affiliations, and religious beliefs among others. Population on the other hand is the total number of people living within an area or a group of people with similar characteristics. The recent statistics have shown that the different diversities and population are at risk according to Ewijk (2011). These diversities according to Ewijk should be recognized and appreciated. Kenya for example has diverse ethnic, cultural political and religious groups. According to Kim (2011) it was found that ethnic diversities can contribute to the stability of a nation and in turn promote exchange if various ethnic groups recognize and appreciate each other. Ethnic diversity however has caused problems in different parts of the world notably the Ruanda’s genocide which was based on ethnic violence between the Hutus and the Tutsis. (Thompson 302). This ethnic disparity saw Kenya experiencing post election violence which was fought on the basis of ethnic and political affiliations. The ethnic violence experience in this two nations lead to many deaths and loss of property. This came due to failure by citizens of these two countries to appreciate the diversity of ethnic groups in their countries. Cultural and religious diversity has also been witnessed in various parts of the globe where one is either discriminated on the basis of his culture and religion. According to Taylor and Francis (2001) the Muslims minority have been discriminated against in Christian dominated countries. However, the study also shows that discrimination on religious disparity is high in Muslim dominated courtiers as opposed to the Christian dominated courtiers. The war between the Israel and Palestine is majorly based on religious disparity between Christians and the Muslims. These two nations have not appreciated the existence of different religious beliefs in the world. Diversity also exists in relation to health issues where in many countries, there has been tendencies where the disabled persons are stigmatized and sometimes shunned from the community (Global Report 8). Those suffering from HIV AID have also been subjected discrimination and stigmatization. However, this has lead to intense advocacy and education to enlighten people to appreciate the social status of every individual irrespective of his or her health status. Population has therefore been put at risk as a result of failure to recognize and appreciate the existence of diversity in the world. This has lead to frequent wars in many parts of the world as some nations consider others enemies based on their diverse cultures and religion. This has seen many Muslim nations in the world fighting which America on the basic of perception by America and its allies that Muslims are terrorists. Work Cited Ewijk, Van. â€Å"Diversity and diversity policy: diving into fundamental differences†. Journal of Organizational Change. 2011. Kim EH Johnson LR. â€Å"Ethnic Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Intercultural Attitudes in East African and the US†. Youth Journal. 2007. Thompson, Allan. The media and the Rwanda genocide. Oxford Publishers. 2007. Taylor Francis. Religious Discrimination against Muslim Minorities in Christian Majority Counties. Politics, Religion Ideology. 2011. Global Report. Equality at work: tackling the challenges. International Labour Office. 2007.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way Free Essays

Alex Stough Prof. Minner English 1301 9 November 2012 Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way Many people who are physically challenged have accomplished a lot during their lifetime, proving that they are not â€Å"handicapped†. Bob Sampson and Steven hawking have created successful careers while being confined to a wheelchair. We will write a custom essay sample on Where There’s a Will There’s a Way or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sampson, despite having muscular dystrophy, has worked for United Airlines for more than thirty years, and has also earned a degree in law. Steven Hawking, most famous for his book A Brief History of Time, used a voice synthesizer to dictate his books and conduct public lectures because he was unable to speak. He was also a teacher of mathematics at Cambridge University. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ann Adams, and Itzhak Perlman all refused to let polio destroy their lives. Roosevelt and Adams were diagnosed with polio when they were adults; Itzhak, however, was diagnosed when he was just a mere child. President Roosevelt led the United States during two of the worst periods of its history; the great Depression and World War II. Reassured by his bombastic voice, Roosevelt inspired hope and determination in the American public. Ann Adams, who was talented in art before polio paralyzed her, retrained herself to draw with a pencil grasped in her teeth; she now produces sketches of children and pets that are turned into greeting cards. Itzhak Perlman was unable to play sports when he was a child; instead he studied the violin which inevitably made him into one of the greatest violinist of today. Like Perlman, many physically challenged individuals turn to the arts; perhaps the reason is because the joy of artistic achievements compensates for other pleasures that they cannot experience. Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano, and Ronnie Milsap all express their music through their souls. For instances, a lot of Ray Charles’ songs are emotionally driven and have a lot of meaning behind them. Although they are unable to see physically, their music reveals truly how well they see. Although hearing impairment struck Ludwig van Beethoven and Marlee Matlin, it did not stop them from developing their talents as Artists. Already a successful composer, Beethoven’s most powerful pieces were written after he had become deaf. Similarly, Matlin has had excellent acting roles in movies, plays, and television programs; indeed she won an Oscar for the film Children of a Lesser God. She encourages others to develop their ability, and because of this many hearing-impaired actors have been inspired by her. Handicapped is a word used far too often to describe those who are physically challenged. As history has proven, many famous individuals have made great achievements in spite of their disabilities. People who are physically challenged should not automatically be labeled as â€Å"handicapped†. We as humans have the mental capability to overcome and adapt the challenges that we may face, even if that means making lifestyle changes. How to cite Where There’s a Will There’s a Way, Papers

Logistics And Operations Management British Petroleum

Question: Describe about the Outsourcing contract, Logic map of Outsourcing and analysis of decision making using the 5 performance objectives by British Petroleum? Answer: Executive Summary The reports the choice and results of the study conducted on three successive outsourcing by British Petroleum. The IT outsourcing helps the BP to explore its technological capabilities and to act as a broader initiative to reshape the department of IT. This study conducted defines the key notions of IT outsourcing and efficacy of its risk management and defines the various techniques adopted to assess the study. The report demonstrate the three significant IT outsourcing contracts by BP along with the assessment of distinctive levels of risks and decision logic map that assist in making effective decisions on outsourcing. Outsourcing contract by British Petroleum British Petroleum (BP) reputed as the worlds largest integrated oil and gas companies meet the growing demand of energy in a safe and responsible way (Alsouri et al. 2011). As the operations manager of British Petroleum, I have prioritized value over volume and it has always been the prime factor by actively managing the upstream and downstream portfolio and investment only where distinctive strengths, capabilities and technologies can be applied. Outsource contract of BPX The first major venture of BP that is decided to outsource is BPX contract. This project would cover the telecommunications, data center, management, systems development and maintenance. This has been decided for outsourcing, as the project encompass all the BP exploration offices across the globe, 42 businesses and 8 major sites. The major objective of this outsourcing arrangement decided is to ensure that suppliers would act as the single Virtual supplier with the focus to provide seamless services to customers (Bentounsi et al. 2012). In spite the area of expertise for each contractor, major business sites of BP would act as the key contractor and would coordinate services provided by the other two. BPCC outsourcing The next outsourcing would consider the BPs corporate center. This project is undertaken to outsource its data center management and telecommunications. The implementation of this outsourcing strategy involve negotiations with three suppliers i.e. One for its WAN services and two for its site services (Chen et al. 2013). The outsourcing decision and management of BPCC focus to build partnerships with the suppliers, facility management relationship and detailed analysis of the contract design that is common in outsourcing of IT. BP Global contract BP global contract is another outsourcing decisions made to besides the BPX and BPCC contract. This outsourcing arrangement was decided to replace the fragmented assortment of existing suppliers as well as regrouping of different contracts and all infrastructures. In this outsourcing plan, the supplier is anticipated to provide similar IT environments at all operating regions of BP (Cooper et al. 2012). This outsourcing contract is decided to envisage for five years. BPX, BPCC and BP global contract is the three successive IT outsourcing decide at the BP. The aforementioned outsourcing was further evaluated by using decision logic and risk analysis of the outsourcing contracts. Logic map of Outsourcing The decision of outsourcing is add significant value to the organizations bottom line in terms of increased efficiency, cost savings and enhanced services to customers. Outsourcing at BP is done to enhance the organizational performance, increase its competitive advantage and add value to customers (Dhar, 2012). Moreover, the decision logic of outsourcing presented here will acknowledge the BP business processes that are kept in-house and the ones that are safely outsourced. (Diagram is modified) Strategic alliance- This quadrant is high in strategic importance and has little contribution in operational performance. BP forms strategic alliance on its data center management. The company induces effort to retain control of the technology and ensure that tasks are done accurately, getting the expected quality, however, the outsource tasks are relatively insignificant in terms of effective operation and cost, hence it is not worth of in-house focus. Retention- BP retain its oil production processes and data that contains the mechanism of refining and processing crude oil into an usable product, that include chemicals and high quality items gasoline utilized in daily items. Tasks in this particular quadrant are of high strategic importance and considered to have significant impact on operational performance of BP (Ge, 2011). This particular task is kept in-house so that the company can gain maximum control. The production and refining process of oil should be retained in-house as it is strategically critical and constitute the core competency of organization. Moreover, in-house product planning process makes huge contribution to the effective performance of the company. Outsource- BPX, BPCC and BP global contract are the essential elements for successful operational performance; however, they are not strategically important. All of these three outsourced contracts include significant areas of IT management such as telecommunication, system development and maintenance, etc. On the other hand, the outsourcing of BPCC management emphasize on developing partnership with the suppliers and facility management relationships. Moreover, BP global outsourcing management was done to regroup the existing contracts, infrastructures and in focus to replace the fragment assortment of various in-house suppliers at BP (Isaksson et al. 2014). The IT management processes such as telecommunication, data center, system development and maintenance plays a significant part in improving the customer experience with the company. Outsourcing or working with an offshore supplier for IT or technical support allows the efficient use of resources, thus improving the overall services and th rough this BP achieve the ability to work with efficient experts in the field of non-core business operations. Eliminate- BP removed the several project co-ordination tasks from the BP project engineers. The removal of task freed up the BPs personnel, which in turn allows them the opportunity to become program managers so that they can engage in higher value work (Jain and Natarajan, 2011). At the higher level of BP business processes, elimination of coordination tasks helped the renowned oil company to improve its procurement of petrol stations. Analysis of decision making using the 5 performance objectives Cost- Services outsourcing to various countries that are comparatively cheaper in respect to UK leads to cost effective solutions for companies like BP. Countries like India, Philippines offers similar level of services with high quality, however the cost is comparatively less that UK. Thus BP focus to gain an overall cost advantage by outsourcing its IT management services and telecommunications to countries like India (Kumar et al. 2013).Outsourcing of data center management and call center services allows BP to save upto 60% of total cost on IT. Offshore outsourcing of IT services that cost $100 an hour in UK can be accomplished at the rate $20 an hour when done in cheaper countries like India or Beijing. Moreover, Outsourcing relief BP from the cost of maintaining IT infrastructure, this is essential for catering customer services (telecommunication) and data Center management. In addition, outsourcing the requirements of business to a trusted vendor help the company to reduce its capi tal expenditure thereby, minimize time and also reduce the extra effort and money spend on personnel (Lacity et al. 2014). Nonetheless, BP is no longer liable to invest on training its IT executives, investment in latest technologies or purchase the expensive software that is essential for telecommunication, system development and maintenance and data center management, is It is of no surprise that, outsourcing offers expert services at a cost effective rate. Dependability- The decision of outsourcing can be effective if the process is reliable and offers dependable delivery. Considering this particular determinant of performance objectives, it becomes difficult to rely and outsource the management of data center that contains valuable data and information of production and refining processes implemented by BP (Leeney et al. 2013). It holds the main privacy factor of BP and hence reliability on outsourcing is less. The third-party outsourcing on IT management offers seamless services at a reasonable cost. The outsourcing of telecommunication, call center activities, development of systems and its maintenance does not incur considerable risks with maintenance of privacy, uncertainty or hidden service costs. Quality- Quality of outsourced activities varies widely depending on the type of task outsourced. Data solutions involve cloud computing and highly relies on sharing of resources to achieve economies of scale and coherence. Moreover, cloud computing is a broader concept of sharing services and converged infrastructure. The quality of cloud computing to store, manage and process the production and refining mechanism is highly uncertain due to the security, privacy compliance and legal compliance (Mohr et al. 2011). It is undesirable to outsource the data management activity of BPs prime production due to the unpredicted costs, Lock Ins and incompatibility. As a result, the company seems to lose control and reliability on the suppliers that can negatively affect its organizational performance. Outsourcing of telecommunication activities and system development allows the opportunity to receive expert and skilled services. Functions that are outsourced may not be the core competency for BP but offers proficient services in areas of customer services and system development. After sales services by offering customer care services is an important aspect that brings that offers profit and productivity for long term. Speed- Outsourcing is incorporated with the typical objective to save cost and gain timely delivery of quality services executed by skilled professionals and experts. Speed is important in order to address customers in time. This attribute is viewed positively as the customers are likely to return with more business. Thus, the impact of speed has much to do with cost reduction of the operations (Pellegrini et al. 2012). Speed reduces the cost in two significant areas such as reduction in inventory and risks as well. In case of BP, faster throughput of information to customers will be effective in reducing the cost. However, the facility of inventory cost reduction due to fast throughput and short delivery lead-time is not considered in case of data center management, hence it is kept in-house. Flexibility- Flexibility allows the outsourcing operation to fit variety of products and services for its customers. The flexibility in volume and delivery allows the operations to adjust its level of output and procedure of delivery in order to cope with the unexpected changes in telecommunication and system development services to BP (Percy, 2013). Thus, it is decided to outsource its telecommunication and system development services as flexibility is associated with three significant benefits such as flexibility allows saving of time, flexibility maintain the dependability and flexibility speed up the response. Evaluation of risks involved in decision-making The risks involved in decision making of IT outsourcing in IT management of BP considers the following: Hidden cost Hidden cost of service was the major threat in this particular scenario. The hidden cost of services is expected to be high due to large extent of contract and the huge number of activities outsourced in the process (Ravi et al. 2011). The Outsourcing of IT management tasks include worldwide locations; hence, the cost rate fluctuates according to the changing economy of countries. Uncertainty Outsourcing of IT management is complex as the needs are likely to change anytime in future, being unsure of the needs, hence uncertainty was significantly high. However, the risk of uncertainty can be decreased significantly, if the outsourcing is decided on limited term contract. Thus, it allows the flexibility to alter technology solutions matching the needs of business within the reasonable period (Saunders, 2013). Moreover, the risk of uncertain needs in future can be mitigated by selecting suppliers with entrepreneurial and innovative abilities and by the adoption of best practices. Loss of competency Loss of organizational competencies is another significant risk associated with outsourcing. As BP decided to become the knowledge organization by proficient management of information, hence IT related activities are close to core competencies of organization. Outsourcing will result into loss of IT skills from the company (Shi, 2013). Moreover, the outsourced activity is an indication of high level of interdependence. To minimize the loss of expertise, BP evaluated its entire staff prior to transition and retained the skills it needed. The company hired single supplier to remain associated with the quality and skills of suppliers, their technology, and management services. Service debasement The risk of service debasement can materialize in three significant ways i.e. poor resolution of problems, slowdown of services and declination in staff skill of supplier. The risk factor associates with factors such as task complexity, lack of supplier expertise, interdependency and financial stability of supplier. The risk-mitigating tool considers deployment of more than one supplier and spreading of service between two or three outsourced company to mitigate the risk of service slowdown (Tanriverdi and Uysal, 2011). The interdependent characteristics of activities can be reduced by assignment of clear field of responsibilities. BP can mitigate the risk factors by asking one outsourcing supplier to take the key responsibility for problem solving activities at each of its site. Reference List Alsouri, S., Katzenbeisser, S., and Biedermann, S. (2011). Trustable outsourcing of business processes to cloud computing environments. InNetwork and System Security (NSS), 2011 5th International Conference on(pp. 280-284). IEEE. Bentounsi, M., Benbernou, S., and Atallah, M. J. (2012). Privacy-preserving business process outsourcing. In2012 IEEE 19th International Conference on Web Services(pp. 662-663). IEEE. Chen, J. K., Chang, C. S., and Le Huyen, N. T. (2013, December). Multiple criteria model for evaluation and selection of outsourcing service countries: A case study in the East and Southeast Asia. InIndustrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2013 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 887-891). IEEE. Cooper, B. P. (2012). The ABAs Modest Changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct: Correspondents Report from the United States.Legal Ethics,15(2), 386-391. Dhar, S. (2012). From outsourcing to Cloud computing: evolution of IT services.Management Research Review,35(8), 664-675. Ge, L. (2011). Hands-off the mess: Contract choice for business process outsourcing. InTechnology Management Conference (ITMC), 2011 IEEE International(pp. 643-650). IEEE. Isaksson, L., Kiessling, T., and Harvey, M. (2014). Corporate social responsibility: Why bother?.Organizational Dynamics,43(1), 64-72. Jain, R. K., and Natarajan, R. (2011). Factors influencing the outsourcing decisions: a study of the banking sector in India.Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal,4(3), 294-322. Kumar, S., Sharma, R. K., and Chauhan, P. (2013). Systems Engineering for Effective Supply Chain Coordination for Knowledge Process Outsourcing. Lacity, M. C., Willcocks, L. P., and Craig, A. (2014). South Africa's business process outsourcing services sector: lessons for Western-based client firms.South African Journal of Business Management,45(4), 45-58. Leeney, M., Varajo, J., Ribeiro, A. T., and Colomo-Palacios, R. (2013). Information systems outsourcing in large companies: evidences from 20 Ireland companies.Perspectives and Techniques for Improving Information Technology Project Management, 81. Mohr, J. J., Sengupta, S., and Slater, S. F. (2011). Mapping the outsourcing landscape.Journal of Business Strategy,32(1), 42-50. Pellegrini, L., Lazzarotti, V., and Pizzurno, E. (2012). From outsourcing to open innovation: a case study in the oil industry.International journal of technology intelligence and planning,8(2), 182-196. Percy, S. (2013). BP's sustainability strategy: capturing returns from first-mover advantage.American Journal of Business,28(2). Ravi, S. P., Jain, R. K., and Sharma, H. P. (2011). An analysis of business process outsourcing strategies of public and private sector banks in India.International Business and Economics Research Journal (IBER),10(2). Willcocks, L. (2011). Machiavelli, management and outsourcing: still on the learning curve.Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal,4(1), 5-12.