Political Economy Essay

Political Economy Essay Political economy simply means the study of the interrelation between politics and economy. It entails the study of how institutions develop and manage to cope in areas of communism, socialism and capitalism which are the major political systems. Political economy also turns out to be a battle for resources between the major groups in the government. In this case we will pay keen interest on the outcome of the political unrest in the Arab nations in North Africa. This wave of Arab Spring of unrest affected Egypt and Tunisia sometimes last year and early this year. Morocco and Algeria were also affected but in these nations it was just some riots and protests nothing so serious. This paper will view the effects of these political unrest in the economies of the affected nations. Summary The article was published by the Real Instituto Elcano and is named A Political Economy on North African’s Transition. The author of the articles is Gonzalo Escribano and it was published on the thirty first of January this year. The paper focuses on the political unrest in the North African Nations for the past two years. The possible causes of the civil unrest and the possible effects of the revolts against the government especially when it comes to the economy. When we talk about political economy it is an evaluation of the relationship between the politics and the economy of a nation. It is generally an assessment of the wave of the political revolts that saw the overthrow of incumbent regimes and the after effect which is the nations plunging into economical crisis. For there to be a democratic rule, there must be the agreement between the political and economic forces in a nation. The emergence and rise of the middle class and also the decentralization of an economic power are key for there to be a good relationship between politics and economy. In Tunisia, there society considered more modern in terms of of the socio-economic ecosystem were the first to revolt against the law. These political case can be viewed as a business scenario to make it much easier to understand. The urge to revolt tends to increase when the opportunity cost of of a revolt is lowering and this tends to make nations with a high inequality in the resources and low economic opportunities more prone to revolutions than nations which have high economic opportunities. What democratization factors made the Northern Africa nations more prone to civil unrest and later on led to the overthrow of the Libyan, Tunisian and Egyptian dictatorships? The effects that were later passed on to the economies of the parent nations after the revolts. Economically, the North African nations have achieved good results ranking in the high and medium in the High Development Index: Libya being position sixty four, Tunisia number ninety four, Algeria holding the ninety sixth position, Egypt in position a hundred and thirteen and Morocco being the last in position a hundred and thirty. Over the last decade, life expectancy has greatly increased and schooling has also progressed. Algeria, Libya and Tunisia has on average had many years of expected schooling of Medium Human Development Countries and Arab States Morocco and Egypt on the other hand have are at an average of both country groups. The slow economic growth during the revolt especially after the leaders were taken out of power can be associated with the international financial crisis and the Euro crisis also. The impact of the crisis even affected the macroeconomic balance. The attempts to stop both social unrest and deepening of economic downturn led to the fall of fiscal income and expenses on the other hand were fostered. A rise in subsidies, public wages and public jobs saw the rise and growth of fiscal deficits in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco for years 2011 and 2012. After the revolts which started off in early 2011, cases of increased poverty, food scarcity and inequality were also recorded to be on the rise. In the last two decades, there has been a rise in the number of human population and there was a slow down in the pace of improvement in the second half of the second decade. However, only Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt were able to reach the HDI rank. Food subsidy reductions have been common in the past and is attributed to the recent demonstrations. It is not however known whether the access to food has been a problem I the nations. Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are however experiencing problems with their nutritional levels. Libya had a problem with malnutrition levels and the nutrition figures in Algeria are also staggering. It is however debated that the poverty levels in the Northern Africa nations were underestimated. The progress in the reduction of poverty is however slow and very insignificant and are considered the slowest in the region and do not seem to slow down the poverty levels in the Northern part of the continent. There is however a more sophisticated argument regarding the economic causes of the Arab revolts is all about modernization and social transformation. The involvement of the North African regimes and their ability to deliver on socio-economic urges and also the legitimacy of autocracy was getting a major challenge from the broader and very demanding middle class. It also lay emphasis on the involvement of these North African governments and the fact that the cost of autocracy cannot be compensated for the meager economic benefits. The emergence of the North African balances in the political economy is well written down in the regions political economy literature. After the colonialist left, they had put in position structures that shaped the economic and regional balances between their parent nations. This led to state-led growth, the importation of the strategies of substitution which in turn generated a class of managers and rent seeking employees. Due to the increase in the debts, this model first failed in the 1980s. However, with the help of the economic elites, it led to the stabilization and liberalization of policies. The political economy of the North African nations traditionally has been based on the political networks which majorly base on popularity. The exploiting of economic reforms and renewing of rent active strategies is also one of the bases of political economy. In Egypt and Tunisia, the two leaders who were taken off duty after riots had put in place architects who would extract rents from their nations. A revelation made by the popular WikiLeaks in the year 2006 showed that the US ambassador to Tunisia reported that most of the Tunisia’s elites were actually related to Ben Ali, the the president. Their relationship was based on the group called a â€Å"Family†. In Egypt, the connections was being based by one of Mubaraks son and this led to conflicts of interests between the son and the military. In Morocco, the Mazkhen constitute of a a very hidden network of influence around the palace. The economic preferences and interests around the palace include a number of famous businessmen who conduct activities between the public and private sector. In Libya, the Gaddafi family had taken over oil mines and all the revenue was under the scrutiny of the family. There has also been a conflict between foreign investors and the ruling elite. Most of the foreign nations and investors have to adopt exit strategies to optimize their returns when it comes to investments. In a way, the foreign investors have a positive effect when it comes to modernize the economic system but have one negative effect. They do not change the political economy balance and when we look at the Middle East, they have no commitment to the promotion of democracy. After the Arab Spring, all North African affected nations increased public wages and public works. This was done as a method to take away the tyranny of bad leadership and at the same time put the interest of the masses forward. These measures have however created an advance for social justice and changing the system of leadership to bring about a more inclusive method that incorporates growth and the sharing of wealth. The correlation between the political systems and the economic growth are however different in these nations. This is because of the different social systems and the resourcefulness of every nation. The enlargement of the working middle class, slowly renewing business and and economic elites is viewed as another measure of reassuring the restoration of the economic systems. The main obstacle may however be the implementation of short term economic policies which at times prove to be politically expensive. Such methods include the food rationalization and energy subsidies which are implemented in through social targeting, external liberalization continuation, fiscal unsustainability, resistance and maintenance of a prudent micro-economic stance. It is proven that is very hard for an economy to manage in a government or nation is in political transition. A good political mood sets it off for good business and investment opportunities and structures actually. What we have in the article is not the picture of a modest society but the real world in which we live in now. Africa is a growing continent and nations in these continent are weighing their options between exploring its economic options and the realization that policy space is quite reduced. It is necessary for every nation to know that politics and the economy go hand in hand. An economy of a nation cannot be good where as the nation is sunk in civil strife and political instability. The leadership in the nations should also make it their duty to ensure there is economic growth in their countries. In this case, they should ensure the implemented programs are successful and are aimed at serving the country not causing harm lastly, corrupt and unethical leaders should be scrapped away to avoid the case of a government failing under the nose of its elite leaders who had a chance to do something yet they choose not to.

Cause - Effect Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cause - Effect Assignment - Essay Example However, when they become obsolete and are discarded inappropriately, the products release toxic substances into the environment- including air, water, and soil. Various computers parts have varying levels of toxic substances. For instance, an average computer screen contains five to eight pounds of lead accounting for around 40% of all lead in the US. Generally, these items form part of a larger category of wastes known as electronic waste, or e-waste. Electronic waste generally refers to carelessly discarded, excess, or broken electronic devices. This definition is vague and there is still debate as to whether items such as broken fridges and other household appliances should be included under e-wastes. However, the widely accepted definition includes wastes arising from computer hardware, old electronic devices such as phones (both fixed and mobile) and entertainment gadgets, television sets, computer monitors, refrigerators, and other electronic communication devices. Poor dispos al of e-wastes poses several risks to human health and degrades environmental quality as they contain noxious metallic elements known to cause serious health complications. When the wastes are buried in landfills, toxic constituents can infiltrate into water systems and the soil, and finally reach our bodies. Should we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of technology? There has been a growing call for industry players to effect proper disposal of e-wastes, or to find alternative uses of the wastes, such as recycling and separating the components of the electronic devices for use in various industrial processes. Causes of Increased Volumes of Computer Hardware Although toxins released by poorly discarded computer hardware affect every one of us, the majority is generated by electronic companies and repair shops that do not want to incur additional expenses in adopting sound waste management expenses. Critics also argue that recycling could unintentionally cause damage to the environmen t as it leads to accumulation of electronic materials that will eventually have to be discarded. They further argue that e-wastes do not constitute a significant portion of total wastes. Hence, diversion of more funds to implement waste management practices will only serve to benefit the companies and not the public (Hicks et al, 2005). Besides, recycling of computer hardware exposes workers to the heavy metals present in most of the equipment. This problem can worsen if workers do not wear protective gear. It is costly too since the percentage of the initial cost recovered after recycling can be as low as 1-5%. Using these arguments, companies and individuals have continued to dump computer hardware and other electronic wastes without regard to their long-term effects on the environment. This could subsequently result in the suffering of innocent individuals who have had no input in the disposal process. A second common source of waste computer hardware has been through dismantling shops. Although the recycling process is a noble idea, not computer parts are recycled. The non-recycled parts are poorly disposed leading to increased amounts of waste computer hardware in our town. The steady increase of these computer parts together with other obsolete electronic items could ultimately result into a steady increase in electronic wastes resulting to unmanageable levels. Long Term Effects of Computer Hardware in my Town Electronic wastes contain precious elements

Architecture of the Greek Culture from the Middle Bronze Age through Research Paper

Architecture of the Greek Culture from the Middle Bronze Age through the Geometric Period - Research Paper Example The paper explores how architecture mirrors the political, trade, and military conditions within Greek culture during the Minoan civilizations, Mycenaean Civilization, and Dark Ages of Greece. The Minoan civilizations (2600-1200 BC) The Minoan civilization represented a Bronze Age civilization that emanated from the island of Crete. The Minoan cities had stone-paved roads shaped from blocks cut with bronze saws (Pedley 36). The Minoan period witnessed numerous trade activities and the construction of striking palaces. An analysis of architecture of this period manifests absence of defensive walls. Minoan architecture features several structures that played the role of commercial, religious, and administrative life. Archeologists have successfully unearthed in Crete a Minoan landscape detailing tombs, palaces, towns, villas, and the roads that linked them. The evidence indicates a thriving prehistoric culture capable of surviving and expanding. The Minoans were prominent sea traders o n the Mediterranean and fostered cultural exchanges with other places such as Egypt. At the height of the Minoan civilization, the Minoan trade increased, in which Minoans came to rule over Mediterranean trading routes. Palaces represent some of the prominent architecture during the Minoan civilization. ... 20). The palaces experienced technological advancement with extensive drainage systems, aqueducts, irrigation, as well as wells that were deep and which were the sources of fresh water that could be used by the inhabitants. The palace buildings had multiple stories, which featured staircases (both interior and exterior), massive columns; light wells, outdoor places where people gathered, storage magazines, which represented the theaters of the ancient times. The method used in the construction included ceramic bricks coupled with stones that used to be rough linked by mortar within the interior walls (Biers 62). The Mycenaean Civilization (1600-100 BC) Greeks initially settled on the Greek mainland close to 2000 BC in which geography played a central role in the formation of a society. Mycenaean were equally wealthy as Minoans on Crete but can be described as relatively warlike. The Mycenaean civilization supplanted the Minoan civilization as the dominant sphere of influence on the G reek Islands. The military activity during the Mycenaean period  yielded to the fortification of major towns  such as Athens. The isolated forts served the purpose of militarily control territory (Pomeroy et al. 30). There were also various forms of exits typified by access ramps, monumental gates, vaulted galleries, and hidden doors fashioned to facilitate escaping in the event of a siege (Pomeroy et al. 31). Fortresses, which were built to suit the prevailing military conditions, represent some of the prominent examples of architecture during the Mycenaean civilization. The fortresses detailed massive walled structure built for defensive purposes. The walls of the structures

Justification for qualitative research in organisations

Justification for qualitative research in organisations Qualitative research is a field of inquiry in its own right. It crosscuts disciplines, fields and subject matters. A complex, interconnected family of terms, concepts, and assumptions surround the term qualitative research. These include the traditions associated with foundationalism, positivism, postfoundationalism, postpositivism, poststructuralism, and the many qualitative research perspectives, and/or methods connected to cultural and interpretive studies. qualitative researchers can access fascinating data by observing mundane settings or by finding everyday features in extraordinary settings. This essay provides a justification for the use of qualitative research methods in organisations. In the past, qualitative research methods have always been sidelined and quantitative research methods have been preferred for undertaking organisational research. One of the reasons for this is that qualitative research is always influenced by the researchers personal disposition. According to Creswell, Qualitative Research is a form of interpretive inquiry in which researchers make an interpretation of what they see, hear, and understand. Their interpretations cannot be separated from their own backgrounds, history, contexts, and prior understandings. (Creswell, 2009:176) Another reason for this is given by Silverman when he says that Policy makers and managers have been pushed away from ethnographic research because it takes a relatively long time to complete and appears to use unrepresentative samples. Even though some ethnographers are able to produce powerful arguments about what c an be read from a single, well researched, case, others muddy the waters by political posturing and by suggesting that they want no truck with conventional scientific standards. (Silverman, 2007:86) The pull of quantitative research for organisations is that it tends to define its research problems in a way that makes immediate sense to practitioners and administrators. (Silverman, 2007:86) More recently many organisations have started recognising the merits of using qualitative research methods to undertake research in the organisation. Qualitative research methods enable a thorough scrutiny of the researched topic which is not possible in quantitative research. Even within qualitative research, the researcher is provided with a vast range of options and opportunities for exploring diverse issues within the area of organisational research. What are the different methods used to adopt qualitative research? The most commonly known and most used method of qualitative research is ethnography which had its origins in social anthropology, with particular reference to the study of the culture of social groups and societies. The culture of a social group is made up of these complex networks of meaning and the key task of ethnography is to develop an interpretation and understanding of culture. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008) Ethnography can be described as a longitudinal research method that is often associated with participant observation, but can also draw on other research approaches such as contextual and historic analysis of secondary data published by or on the group being studied. The ethnographic approach to developing an in-depth understanding of peoples behaviour makes it well suited to studying organisations. (Marshan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004) But It bends reality considerably to imply that ethnography is today the main method of qualitative research and that observational material is the main data source. This is hardly surprising given the plethora of materials that invite our attention. These extend beyond what we can observe with our own eyes to what we can hear and see on recordings, what we can read in paper documents and electronically download on the internet, to what we can derive by asking questions in interviews or by providing various stimuli to focus groups. (Silverman, 2007:37) Grounded theory research, discourse analysis, deconstruction, content analysis, narrative method, action research (Humphreys, 2006), participatory enquiry, participant observation (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000), autoethnography, interviewing are just a few of the current approaches to qualitative data collection and analysis. All these methods are appropriately used in different forms of organisational research. I will be looking at autoethnography, grounded theory research, critical discourse analysis and the narrative approach towards qualitative research and will study the use of these methods in conducting organisational research. Autoethnography Ethnographers have started undertaking the observation of participation where they reflect on and critically engage with their own participation within the ethnographic frame thus giving birth to autoethnography. (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005:467) Karra and Philips have defined autoethnography as, the generation of theoretically relevant descriptions of a group to which one belongs based on a structured analysis of ones experiences and the experiences of others from ones groupIt is an attempt to produce sense from ones experience of a group that can be set down in a text and shared with interested others. It does not mean that the researcher studies only himself or herself, but that the researcher is an insider who can draw upon personal experience, cultural competence, and linguistic resources to frame and shape research in a way that an outsider cannot. (Karra and Phillips, 2008:547) Autoethnography has been very efficiently used by Karra and Phillips, in their article about internatio nal management researchers conducting studies in their own cultural context. They say that, autoethnography provides a methodological frame for understanding and managing their research. Even more importantly, it acts to sensitize the researcher to the importance of carefully managing the complex dynamics of this form of cross-cultural research including questions of authorial voice, role conflict, and power. (Karra and Phillips, 2008:543) Autoethnographic approaches have four important strengths- ease of access, reduced resource requirements, ease of establishing trust and rapport, and reduced problems with translation- but at the same time pose three important challenges- lack of critical distance, role conflict, and the limits of serendipity. (Karra and Phillips, 2008:541) The strengths of this mode of research are considerable and despite all the criticisms this method of qualitative research has acquired it can be used very successfully in organisational research where the need is to draw upon personal experiences. One of the uses of autoethnography is to allow another persons world of experience to inspire critical reflection on your own. (Ellis and Bochner, 1996:22) Experience is given a lot of importance in organisations and autoethnography enables the researcher and the organisation to use this experience in a positive manner and in a way which can be very beneficial to the organisation and its employees. Grounded Theory Grounded theory, developed by Glaser and Strauss, is a kind of theory generated from the data collected. The methodology refers to a style of conducting qualitative data analysis whose aim is to discover what kinds of concepts and hypotheses are relevant to the area one wishes to understand. Grounded theory, therefore, provides new insights into the understanding of social processes emerging from the context in which they occur, without forcing and adjusting the data to previous theoretical frameworks. (Cassell and Symon, 2004:242) Grounded theory is a method that is more appropriate for some questions than others. It is most suited to efforts to understand the process by which actors construct meaning out of intersubjective experience. Grounded theory should be used in a way that is logically consistent with key assumptions about social reality and how the reality is known. It is less appropriate to use grounded theory when you seek to make knowledge claims about an objective realit y, and more appropriate to do so when you want to make knowledge claims about how individuals interpret reality. (Suddaby, 2006:634) While the grounded theory approach appeared at a time when methods discourse was decidedly modernist, forty years of development reflect he paradigmatic plurality of current qualitative research. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008) The application of grounded theory in organisational research has been gaining popularity in recent times. This is because organisational psychology has been marked by a trend of moving from an individualistic point of view towards a more collective view. Grounded theory has been applied in studies focusing on organisational culture, organisational growth, change and innovation, team work and company survival to name a few. Grounded theory produces descriptions of organisational reality which elicit positive discussions around important themes in the organisation among the employees and, thus, form a basis for positive organisational development trends. (Cassell and Symon, 2004) Critical Discourse Analysis According to Cunliffe, Discourse analysis is a term covering a number of approaches to research that analyze language use. These approaches range from a focus on language itself, to a broader examination of the relationship between language use, social action and social theory. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008:81) Discourse analysis provides a theoretical and methodological framework for exploring the social production of organizational and interorganizational phenomena. (Phillips, Sewell and Jaynes, 2008:1) As a methodology, critical discourse analysis allows for the use of different kinds of methods in specific research projects. However, this kind of research in particular demands the ability to make sense of the linkages between specific textual characteristics and particular discourses on the one hand, and between the discourses and the relevant socio-cultural practices and historical developments on the other. This means that research of this type generally tends to favour in-depth scrut iny of and reflection on specific texts. (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004) Discourse analysis has become an increasingly popular method for examining the linguistic elements in the construction of social phenomena. It has been increasingly adopted by organization and management scholars interested in the social construction of specific organizational ideas or practices. (Varra, Kleymann and Seristo, 2004:3) There are three important problems facing researchers wishing to adopt a critical discourse perspective in their work. First, like ethnography, discourse analysis results in quite lengthy analyses that are often a poor fit with the requirements of journal editors. Second, discourse analysis often involves major data-management issues because of the volume of data that is often available. Finally, as this is a fairly new are of activity, there are few standard models available to follow. Developing innovative data analysis techniques for each study thus remains a final challenge facing researchers. (Phillips, Sewell and Jaynes, 2008) Narrative Approach According to Oswick, Narratives are an inevitable and unavoidable aspect of social life and, as such, are integral to the processes of managing and organizing. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008:141) Although the narrative approach is one with many merits which are being acknowledged by researchers, it is still a field in the making and is not very commonly used. Researchers new to this field will find a rich but diffuse tradition, multiple methodologies in various stages of development, and plenty of opportunities for exploring new ideas, methods and questions. (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005:651) A recognition that discourse is the principle means by which organization members create a coherent social reality that frames their sense of who they are has led to an increased interest in narrative approaches in organization studies. A narrative approach explicitly recognizes that, in organizations, language is the primary medium of social control and power, and that the analysis of linguistic practices is key to an understanding of how existing social and power relations are reproduced or transformed. (Humphreys and Brown, 2007) In the article, An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility at Credit Line: A Narrative Approach by Humphreys and Brown (2008), the authors adopted a narrative approach to the analysis of organizational processes in a bank, Credit Line, in order to explore how individuals in a financial institution dealt with relatively novel issues of corporate social responsibility. The authors used narratives to successfully draw attention to the plurivocity of orga nisational life. Use of qualitative research methods to undertake organisational research in a public sector organisation Public sector organisations are those organisations which are managed by the government. The main aim of these organisations is not to make a profit but to provide a service to the people under the government. Some example of public sector organisations are airports, public hospitals, railway stations, government run schools and colleges. Governments nowadays are looking to privatize most of the public sector organisations in order to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. Thus most of the above given examples have now been partially or completely privatised in most countries. Public sector organisations are common grounds for research amongst qualitative researchers. This could be due to the fact that public sector organisations are more easily accessible than the private sector organisations. Many public sector organisations have also started coming up with their own research and development department which undertakes the organisational research. In my opinion participant observation and interviewing together make an ideal combination to undertake organisational research within a public sector organisation or for that matter any organisation. The shortcomings of participant observations are covered by interviewing and vice versa. Thus, the two methods complement each other perfectly. Participant Observation The methodology of participant observation is appropriate for studies of almost every aspect of human existence. Through participant observation, it is possible to describe what goes on, who or what is involved, when and where things happen, how they occur, and why at least from the standpoint of participants things happen as they do in particular situations. (Jorgensen, 1989) Participant observation is one of the most popular ways of conducting fieldwork in an organisation. This is because through observation of the participants going through their daily routine researchers pick up information which they might not have access to in a more formal setting, an example of which is interviews. Participant observation can be of two types. In the first, the identity of the researcher is known to all and the researcher has a choice of forming relationships with the participants or to stand back and eavesdrop. This form of participant observation is ethically correct but the researchers pe rsonal disposition and identity may influence the participants behaviour and this may have an effect on the research material gathered. The second type of participant observation is covert participant observation where the identity of the researcher is hidden. This form of participant observation raises many ethical questions and is just another form of deception. Thus, covert participant observation should be avoided. The researchers ability to build relationships and develop rapport with subjects is crucial in participant observation. The danger here is that the researcher may feel so embedded and sympathetic to the group being studied that interpreting events objectively becomes difficult. Another demerit of participant observation is the time-consuming and open-ended nature of this kind of research which means it often doesnt get done. In a cost-conscious research climate in which specific and often short-term, definitive objectives are required to secure funding, sustained part icipation is a risky strategy. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008) Interviews The qualitative interview can be seen as a conversation with a purpose, where the interviewers aim is to obtain knowledge about the respondents world. (Thorpe and Holt, 2008:118) The goal of any qualitative research interview is to see the research topic from the perspective of the interviewee and to understand how and why they came to have this particular perspective. (Cassell and Symon, 2004) Interviewing is the most popular method of conducting organisational research. The method has three important advantages. Firstly, interviewers allow the researcher to discover new relationships or situations not previously conceived. Secondly, interview based research may be optimal when there is a small population of possible respondents as interviewers offer an opportunity to acquire a richness of information from each respondent. Finally, interviews may allow researchers to develop a deeper rapport with informants which is necessary to gain honest and accurate responses and to add insights that lay the groundwork for larger or follow-up studies. (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004) But the interviewing method also suffers from three disadvantages. Firstly, developing an interview guide, carrying out interviews and analysing their transcripts, are all highly time-consuming activities for the researchers. Secondly, qualitative interviews are also tiring to carry out as they involve considerable concentration from the interviewer. Thus, no more than three interviews, each of the duration of one hour, should be carried out in a day. Finally, interviews are also time-consuming for the interviewees and this may cause problems in recruiting participants in some organizations and occupations. The latest trends in interviewing have come some distance from structured questions; we have reached the point of the interview as negotiated text. Researchers are not invisible neutral entities; they are a part of the interaction we seek to study. Interviewers are increasingly seen as active participants in an interaction with respondents, and interviewers are seen as negotiated accomplishments of both interviewers and respondents that are shaped by the contexts and situations in which they take place. (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005) Depending on the type of organisational research which the public sector organisation needs to carry out and its goals and aims, either participant observation or interviewing or a combination of both the methods can be used appropriately in acquiring the required research material. Conclusion Thus, I conclude by saying that qualitative research methods have formed a niche for themselves in organisational research. The importance of organisational research is growing day by day and qualitative research methods are now an important part of organisational research. Although many forms of qualitative research make the use of figures and numbers to support a point of discussion, thus incorporating a characteristic of quantitative research methods, they also provide an in depth analysis on the topic of research and use one or more of the methodologies of qualitative research which include participant observation, interviewing, autoethnography, use of secondary data, grounded theory, ethnography, discourse analysis, narratives and rhetorical analysis. In this essay I introduced qualitative research and outlined its increasing importance in organisational research. I followed this up by describing approaches to qualitative research specifically concentrating on autoethnography, grounded theory, critical discourse analysis and the narrative approach, and critically analysing their use in organisational research. Finally, I concentrated on public sector organisations and why I think that participant observation and interviews are the best methods of qualitative research to undertake organisational research in public sector organisations. In doing this I feel that I have justified the use of qualitative research in organisations. Word Count: 2969 words

Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay -- Literary Analysis

Following the fall of the great Roman Empire a new age was born, the age of knights in shining amour and the great kings in stone castles. Yet, it was also a chaotic time, War and plague was a disease upon Europe. Countries fought for land, resources, and above all, the attention of God. The world was young and so was the English Language. Few writers wrote in English, the language of the commoners, as French and Latin was the Language of the powerful à ©lite. Yet one writer dared to speak against the feudal society of which he was born into. Geoffrey Chaucer served most of his life in the employment of the crown, as both a soldier and a clerk. Yet through all of these titles, Chaucer would be forever immortalized as Geoffrey Chaucer the writer, and the Satirist. The true goal of any Satire is to point out the flaws in certain aspect of society, while also inspiring reform to that very same aspect in one way or another. In Chaucer’s Canterbury tales, Chaucer satirizes the co rruption Catholic Church and those associated. Chaucer saw that hypocrisy polluted the pureness of the church and expressed his disillusionment through the use of satire. Fearless of discommunication Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of satire, dared to speak openly of the absolute corruption of the medieval church. Medieval society was centered on the flawed Catholic Church, where hypocrisy and corruption poisoned the purity of religion. When one individual spoke against the way the church‘s way, the church would simply retaliate. One such example is that of Joan of Arc, a French farm girl turned soldier. The Church was outraged at her choices, performing deeds that were reserved for men. Joan wore men’s clothing and wore her hair short as to avoid being the s... ...t man in a time of great despair. Through the greatness of his actions, satirically pointing out the corruption in the Catholic church, Chaucer earned a reputation as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Fearless of the Church’s retaliation, Chaucer continued to educate his audience, the English speaking commoners of Medieval Europe, who had long been taken advantage of by the Church, becoming one the greatest and first English satirist and the Father of English satire. Works Cited Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales in Modern Verse . â€Å"The Prologue†. Hackett Publishing Company, INC. United States of America, 2005. Chaucer, Geoffrey. â€Å"The Canterbury tales: The Prologue†. Our Literary Heritage. Ed. Desmond Pacey. 4th ed. Montreal, Que.: Mcgraw-Hill Ryerson ltd., 1982. Shaw, Bernard. Saint Joan. Penguin books, London 1952.

1984 and Metropolis Essay Essay

The quote â€Å"The object of power is power† is heavily supported by George Orwell’s 1949 novel ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s 1927 film ‘Metropolis’ through their intertextual connections and shared perspectives. Both texts were composed around the context of pre and post World War 2 which is clearly evident through their settings, characterisation, themes and ideas. Through Orwell’s and Fritz’s use of dystopic societies, empowerment of women and detrimental dictatorship rule it is blatant that George Orwell’s quote â€Å"The object of power is power† is quite strongly supported by the intertextual connections and shared perspectives of Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Lang’s ‘Metropolis’. Through the use of Orwell’s and Lang’s intertextual connections of political reform and shared perspectives of dystopic societies it becomes apparent that the quote â€Å"The object of power is power† is strongly supported throughout the two texts. The meaning of this quote is also made abundantly clear within the texts as the dictatorship rulers within both texts acquire power simply to have power and authority, instead of for the good of the people. This features predominantly in both texts through their shared perspectives on dystopic settings made apparent by their use of symbolism. In Orwell’s ‘1984’ only 2% of the populace resides in the ‘Inner Party’ whilst the other 98% is suppressed within the lower classes in either the ‘Outer Party’ or the ‘Proles’. This totalitarian, power based society is made dystopic by the overwhelming power and control exhibited by the tyrant dictator ‘Big Brotherâ €™. This is emphasised through Orwell’s use of symbolism in O’Brien’s words as he says â€Å"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever.† (pg 307) The symbolism between the boot and big brother, and the human face and society emphasises the suppressive nature of this totalitarianism rule, casting the society into dystopia. This also forms a contextual connection to Nazi Germany’s strive for a totalitarianism society. This same idea of a dystopic society is epitomised within Lang’s film, ‘Metropolis’ through the suppression of the working class in ‘the depths’ by the powerful master, Joh Frederson. The working class in this film are forced to endure agonising labour in extremely dangerous environments whilst the upper class, the ‘sons’ are free to live at their will. The dystopic setting of the ‘depths’ becomes evident  through Lang’s use of symbolism when the dictator’s son, Freder, journeys to the depths and starts to see the workers being eaten up by the machines in the scene ‘Slaves of the Means of Production† (14.58-17.52). This symbolises the dystopic society in which workers do not have the right to be safe. This idea forms a contextual connection to the 1920’s Weimar Republic where there were two distinct classes, the conservative elite, who were free to live at their will, and the workers who were forced to endure labour with no guarantee for safety. Through the contextual connections of political reform and the shared perspectives of dystopian societies the quote â€Å"the object of power is power† is strongly supported by George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’. Similarly, the quote â€Å"the object of power is power† is also supported by Orwell’s and Lang’s shared perspectives of the rebelling of women and the intertextual connections of the empowerment of women during the times these texts were created. This is made evident through the use of juxtaposition throughout the two texts. In Orwell’s ‘1984’ the dystopic totalitarianism society is suppressed into worshipping Big Brother and dares not to step away from the control of the organisation. The female protagonist in the novel, Julia, however is not as suppressed as she leads the organisation into thinking and begins to rebel against them. This is seen within dialogue between her and Winston when she says â€Å"I’m corrupt to the bone.† This juxtaposition between her and the suppressed masses outlines her rebellion against the tyrant power of the organisation. This links in with the contextual connection to the empowerment of women during the post World War 2 period as a result of women refusing to give up the power they had acquired during the war. Correspondently, Lang also uses this shared perspective of the rebelling of women in his film, depicted through the character of Maria. Maria is displayed as neither a citizen of Metropolis nor a worker in the depths but as a source of optimism and rebellion for the suppressed workers of the depths. Lang uses lighting to juxtapose her from the workers in the depths, illuminating her whilst keeping them in shadowed tones. This juxtaposition emphasises the rebellious mentality of Maria against the dictator of metropolis, Joh Frederson. Even though Maria’s rebellious nature is far more peaceful than Julia’s, she still epitomises  the contextual connections of the empowerment of women as a result of refusing to give up the power they had acquired during World War 1. Through Orwell’s and Lang’s use of juxtaposition, it is evident that the shared perspectives of the rebelling of women and the intertextual connections of the empowerment of women as a result of refusing to give up the power they had acquired during the World Wars, strongly supports the quote â€Å"the object of power is power†. Equivalently, through the use of Orwell’s juxtaposition and Lang’s symbolism, the shared perspectives of the detrimental impact of dictatorship rule and the contextual connections of political reform are shown to strongly support the quote â€Å"the object of power is power†. In Orwell’s ‘1984’ the dictatorship rule of Big Brother in the totalitarianism society is shown to brainwash the populace, making them believe whatever the organisation wishes them to and bending them at their will. This is most prominent in Big Brothers slogan â€Å"WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS KNOWLEDGE.† This quote is seen multiple times throughout the novel and signifies the total power and control the organisation has among the people, forcing them to believe the illogical and thus taking away their humanity. Through this we can see both Orwell’s shared perspective on the detrimental impact of dictatorship rule and the intertextual connection to political reform as he makes a statement against the dictatorship of Nazi Germany during World War 2. Comparably, Lang also shows his shared perspective on the detrimental impact of dictatorship, however he has done so by the use of symbolism. Lang has showed how the total power of dictatorship can be detrimental to humanity by the way in which the workers move in the depths. He shows them to have rigid, machine like movements symbolising their loss of their humanity to the powerful dictatorship rule. This is seen in the scene â€Å"Slaves of the Means of Production† (14.58-17.52). This also links in with the intertextual connections of political reform as it shows Lang’s approval for the government of the time, ‘the Weimar Republic’ and his disapproval of the old dictator monarchy of the Kaiser. Through Orwell’s use of juxtaposition and Lang’s symbolism, it is evident that the shared perspectives of the detrimental impact of dictatorship and the contextual connections of political reform strongly support the quote â€Å"the object of  power is power†. The quote, â€Å"the object of power is power† is strongly supported by the shared perspectives and intertextual connections of George Orwell’s novel, ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s film, ‘Metropolis’. Through the use of techniques such as symbolism and juxtaposition the two texts incorporate shared perspectives of dystopic societies, the rebelling of women and the detrimental impact of dictatorship rule as well as intertextual connections of political reform and the empowerment of women. Through these shared perspectives and intertextual connects it is evident that George Orwell’s quote, â€Å"the object of power is power† is strongly supported in both George Orwell’s 1949 novel, ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s 1927 film, ‘Metropolis’.

Film Analysis Of All The Presidents Men - 1270 Words

Analysis of All the President s Men All the President s Men, the 1976 film directed by Alan J. Pakula, is a detective thriller that portrays the story behind the Washington Post reporter s Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein s Pulitzer Prize winning relentless pursuit of the Watergate conspiracy. It initially started as a local burglary story and eventually led to the resignation of President Nixon. Over 40 years after Nixon s resignation, the Academy Award winning film was shown on July 14, 2017, at the Paramount Theater s Screening Series in Oakland, California. This film has current significance as the current US president is in the middle of a special investigation for possible obstruction of justice. All the President s Men stands†¦show more content†¦After a short news clip, the film begins with a flashback. There are a few seconds where the screen is completely black. Then, a small flashlight slowly scans a dark alley, looking for anything unusual. This light led to uncovering the break in at the Democratic National Committee office at Watergate. This slow paced event is elevated in importance by the lack of any dialogue or music, creating a tense mysterious mood. There is nothing to distract the viewer from following the light. The film frequently cuts between dark night shots and the brightly lit Washington Post s newsroom. The lack of shadows represents that the goal of the newsroom was to find the truth. Many newsroom shots are close ups of mismatched reporters: new reporter Woodward and veteran reporter Bernstein revising stories. These scenes could have slowed the pace of the film down, but instead, we get to see into the thinking and motives of the characters. In a key scene in the film, the camera focuses on a TV set showing Richard Nixon’s second inauguration. Off to the side in the newsroom, we see Woodward and Bernstein working on the story that would bring Nixon down. The wide angle shots of the nearly empty newsroom show that Woodward and Bernstein were working around the clock to uncover the truth. News stories come together out of scraps of information under the bright lights in the newsroom. In the newsroom, Woodward and Bernstein had theShow MoreRelatedFilm Critique of All the Presidents Men1541 Words   |  7 PagesI. Summary Opening in theaters around the United States in April of 1976, All the Presidents Men paints quite an accurate account of American journalism yet at the same time is a suspenseful adventure that manages to entertain and inform its viewers. Vincent Canby, a reviewer for the New York Times called the movie, an unequivocal smash-hitÂâ€"the thinking mans Jaws. 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