Did Henry VIII strengthen the role of the Monarch in government?

Henry VIII (born 1491 C. E. – died 1547 C. E. ) ascended the throne in 1509 and soon became one of England’s most successful kings, largely credited with the establishment of a strong and stable monarchy that helped England become the strongest power in the world. Henry VIII succeeded his father, Henry VII, who had ascended the throne with the culmination of the long drawn out War of Roses where many princes, backed by powerful nobles and barons had fought for the throne. Henry VIII, driven by the desire to establish peace and security in his realm, worked towards establishing a strong monarchy.Henry VIII’s relation with the nobles and feudal barons Henry VIII subdued the powers of the nobles and barons and strengthened the role of the monarchy in the government. (G. M. Trevelyan, 1926) Henry VIII established his policy of dealing with the nobles, barons, and chieftains immediately upon ascending the throne. He arrested his father's two most unpopular ministers, Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, charged them with high treason, and subsequently executed them. He dealt with almost all his opponents in a similar fashion throughout his tenure, and with such measures strengthened the role of the monarchy in the government.Henry replaced feudal obligations with law and trade, and imposed loans and grants on the nobility instead of taxes. (W Harrison, G Edelen, 1994) The powerful barons had limited the power of Henry VIII’s predecessors: Henry III, Edward II, and Richard II using aristocratic councils. Henry VIII strove to keep the barons in check by reforming the administration. He created the Committee of the Privy Council, an advisory board, and the Court of the Star Chamber for civil and criminal cases. Committee of the Privy Council and Court of Star ChambersHenry VIII actively involved himself in the Committee of the Privy Council and the Court of Star Chambers constituted by him, and through these means involved himself actively in the administration of the state. (John Bowle, 1964. ) The Committee of the Privy Council that in later centuries became the famous Privy Council enabled Henry VIII to enact laws by mere proclamation, on the advice of the council. Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s minister between 17532 and 1540 monopolized the state of the council and took decisions privately in consultation with Henry VIII.Henry used the Committee of Privy Council and bypassed the parliament to enact laws. The Court of Star Chambers was a separate tribunal distinct from the King's general Council, indented to infuse speed and flexibility to the civil and criminal judicial process. This court supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts, acting as a supervisory body. This court also ensured fair enforcement of laws against prominent and powerful people whom the ordinary courts could never convict owing to their influence.The court could also impose punishments for morally reprehensible actions su ch as conspiracy, libel, perjury, and sedition even though such acts were technically legal and ordinary courts could not convict people for such offences. Henry used this court to settle scores with his adversaries and crush powerful barons and nobles. Henry and his ministers encouraged plaintiffs to bring their cases directly to the Star Chamber, bypassing the lower courts entirely. (F. J. Fischer, 2006. ) Henry VIII’s break with the PopeHenry’s break with the Pope at Rome was an indirect result of his effort to create a strong centralized state. (Patrick Fraser Tyler, 1836) The ascension of the Henry VIII’s father Henry VII ended the long drawn out War of Roses, where many warring princes staked claim to the throne since the incumbent king bequeathed no male issues. Henry wanted a male issue to avoid such a situation after his death. Henry’s wife Catherine did not produce the desired male heir, and Henry became enamored to one Anne Boleyn.Henry appeale d to the Pope for the annulment of his marriage with Catherine so that he could marry Anne. Catherine was however the aunt of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who held the Pope Clement VII as prisoner during this time. The Pope did not annual the marriage. Henry VIII. Henry VIII replaced Cardinal Woolsey, the Pope’s representative in England with Sir Thomas Moore, who proclaimed the opinion of the theologians at Oxford and Cambridge that the marriage of Henry to Catherine had been unlawful. Henry banished Catherine from the court and gave her place to Anne.Henry also appointed his nominee Thomas Crammer as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer who supported Anne, brought before Parliament a number of bills including the â€Å"Supplication against the Ordinaries† and the â€Å"Submission of the Clergy. † The former required the clergy to put all complaints in writing to the king. The latter made the Church of England relinquish power to formul ate church laws without the king’s license and assent. The parliament passed these acts in 1532 C. E and thereby established the supremacy of the monarchy over the church in England.The supremacy of the monarchy over the church marks a cornerstone in the powers of the king, for in medieval life the church controlled much of social life and polity, and this now passed on to the king. The process of breaking off with the Pope at Rome continued throughout Henry’s reign. In 1540, Henry sanctioned the destruction of shrines to saints. In 1542 Henry dissolved all of England's monasteries and transferred their property to the Crown. Abbots and priors lost their seats in the House of Lords and only archbishops and bishops came to comprise the ecclesiastical element of the body.The Lords Temporal now outnumbered the Lords Spiritual or the members of the clergy in the House of Lords. Legislations confirming supremacy of the King Henry’s parliament followed up the supremac y over the church with further legislations that strengthened the role of the monarchy in the administration of he state. (J. R. Tanner, 1930) The Act of Succession of 1533 repudiated â€Å"any foreign authority, prince, or potentate† thereby rejecting the decisions of the Pope and validating the marriage of Henry and Anne.All adults in the Kingdom were required to acknowledge these provisions by oath, and those who refused were subject to imprisonment for life. Any publisher or printer of any literature alleging that Henry’s marriage with Anne was invalid was automatically guilty of high treason punishable by death. The House of Commons forbade all appeals to Rome and exacted penalties of praemunire against all who introduced papal bulls into England. The Ecclesiastical Appointments Act 1534 required the clergy to elect bishops nominated by the Sovereign.The Act of Supremacy or the â€Å"Peter’s Pence Act† of 1534 declared the King as the â€Å"the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England,† and declared that Henry's â€Å"imperial crown† had been diminished by â€Å"the unreasonable and uncharitable usurpations and exactions† of the Pope. The Treasons Act 1534 made it high treason, punishable by death, to refuse to acknowledge the King as the supreme head in earth of the Church of England. Suppression of opponents Henry’s religious policies found some opposition in England, and such rebels found ready backing from the feudal barons who grudged Henry for curtailing their powers.Henry charged with treason and executed the dissenters, the prominent ones being John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More, Henry's former Lord Chancellor. A major resistance was the Pilgrimage of Grace, a large uprising in northern England that broke out in October 1536. Henry, instead of relying on his nobles and barons to crush the rebels, as his predecessors did personally took the field, and by a combina tion of force and tact, trapped the rebel leader Robert Aske, arrested the rebels and executed them for treason.The suppression of the opponents of Henry’s religious policy, combined with Henry’s method of silencing his other enemies ensued that he could rule virtually unopposed and led to a strong monarchy in England.. Development of the navy Henry VIIIs efforts at developing the Royal Navy freed the monarchy from dependence on feudal vassals, and besides raised his prestige and power and further strengthened the role of the monarchy in the administration. (D. M. Loades, 1992)Henry established the Royal Navy in order to ward off dangers of a Papal inspired invasion from the seas from France or Spain. He invested in shipbuilding, dockyards, and naval innovations such as the use of canons. He also strengthened the costal defenses and built fortresses at costal areas using the materials of demolished monasteries. This reduced the king’s dependence on private ships to ward off external dangers and thereby further strengthened the monarchy at the expense of hitherto powerful merchants, barons, and clergy.Henry’s ships played a big role in England crushing the Spanish Armada during Henry’s daughter Queen Elizabeth’s reign, an event that led to English supremacy of the world’s seas. External conquests Henry’s desire to strengthen the monarchy and create a strong and centralized state resulted in his developing imperial ambitions within the British Isles. He annexed Wales to England and strengthened his hold over Ireland. Henry claimed feudal superiority over Scotland as a function of his ‘imperial' title to the English Crown, and defeated Scotland in the battle of Solway Moss in November 1541 C.E. Henry forced the Treaty of Greenwich upon Scotland and projected a union of the Scottish and English crowns by marrying the Scottish prince Edward and his daughter Mary Stuart. Scotland however remained a French ally, and Henry struck a deal with Charles V of Spain to attack France in 1544. He accompanied the army to Calais and took personal command of his strategy. The Treaty of Camp of June 1546 that ended the war saw England retain Boulogne until 1554, when the French would buy it back for  £600,000.Though the war per se was costly and ineffective, it did add to Henry's honor and bolstered his reputation as an absolute monarch. Analysis Henry VIII’s efforts to strengthen the monarchy resulted in England developing into a strong and stable state, free from the weakening and distracting influence of feudal barons, powerful nobles and clergy. His strong intervention in the running of the state not only ensured a smooth break from Rome and gave England a national identity, but also avoided religious wars and other distracting civil war.He conditioned the nobility to serve the Crown and subordinated the clergy to the secular State. He laid the foundation for a modern and centralized state, and even the distant parts of his kingdom began to experience the power of the monarchy. The remarkable feature of his reign is that even though he created a strong central state with the active intervention of the monarch, he enhanced the power of the parliament, by making common law superior to all other types of law and bringing people hitherto excluded from the legal process into its fold.The biggest beneficiary of this stability was trade, which prospered and added to the wealth of the nation. Henry established a progressive system of taxation that greatly enhanced state finances. A school of though led by scholars like A. F. Pollard regard Henry VIII as a weak man who took decisions based on the influence of ministers like Thomas Cromwell, and that his dominance remained confined to his wives, ministers and political institutions.This opinion however does not carry much weight, and historical accounts articulate Henry VIII as king with a charismatic presence and as a d ynamic political force whose views his ministers and the government accommodated rather than the other way round. Henry also exerted a powerful influence as supreme head of the Church of England, not merely by issuing decrees at will, but by engaging Cranmer and panels of expert theologians in a systematic and academic exchange of opinions. The only criticism that holds against Henry VIII is that he was s a supreme egotist who sometimes allowed passion and not reason to govern his actions.This criticism however does not make him ineffective or discount the fact that he was one of the most effective and remarkable rulers to sit on the English throne, and greatly strengthened the role of the monarch in the government. Conclusion Henry VIII raised the power of the monarchy and thereby not only transformed a weak medieval government into a more contemporary and strong one, but also gave England the much needed peace, stability and smooth succession of future monarchs, all of which enabl ed her to become a superpower by the time of Queen Elizabeth.

Dove, the Brand to Beat Essay

Dove is a brand under the many products of Unilever. It was in the 1890s when William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros popularized cleanliness and hygiene with his introduction of the Sunlight Soap in Victorian England. The Sunlight Soap led the advocacy â€Å"to make cleanliness commonplace; to lessen work for women; to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life ay be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products†. (www.dove.com) For three centuries, Unilever has proven its success over economic booms, depressions, world wars and the changing lifestyle of its consumers as the world advanced through technology. Dove is the leading skin care product since 1957. It is clinically proven and has been noted to be good for dry sensitive skin which half the women in the world has. And since the 1980s, Dove has launched more supporting products to the soap bar such as moisturizing body wash, deodorants, body lotions, facial cleansers, shampoos and conditioners. All of these products are aimed to solve skin needs comprehensively bringing out the true inner beauty of women. Dove is boasts of its number one in the race of cleansing brands with double-digit growth data. Sales in over 80 countries are over â‚ ¬2.5 billion a year. They estimate that over 1 billion showers are done using Dove products each year in the US alone. The success is due to the brands keeping of its clinically proven promises and understanding of its real market. Studies show that only 12 % of women are very satisfied with their physical attractiveness. 2% of women articulate themselves as beautiful. 68% knows that media almost always sets unrealistic standards of beauty and the 75% hopes that media would better itself in portraying diversity in women’s physical attractiveness that includes size, shape and age. â€Å"Dove is actively trying to address the root of the problem of negative self-image. Dove has founded the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, which funds programs to raise self-esteem in girls and young women. In the US, it’s working through the Unilever Foundation to sponsor a partnership with Girl Scouts, called ‘uniquely ME!’ It also supports the BodyTalk education program for schools in the UK and Canada.† (www.dove.com) The Dove Self-Esteem Fund has come along way since consumers saw that water alone was not enough to clean oneself. American consumers of the new millennium are more demanding than ever and value minded. Dove consumers pay a higher price for Dove due to its after sales value. The target market of Dove are the people who can afford to put a premium for added market values compared to cheaper alternatives such as Ivory. â€Å"According to Soap, Cosmetics, Chemical Specialties, aging baby-boomers were looking for milder, less irritating products. Soaps using vegetable-based fats, with no animal fats or animal testing, were also in demand. Other popular items included loofahs, oatmeal products, and chamomile leaves. In general, customers demanded performance and value in all their soap, shampoo, and detergent products, which were the driving factors behind the soap and detergents industry at the turn of the century.† (Thompsons, 2006) All these added value makes Dove cost more than the average bath product. Value leaders attempt to offer the best product at the cheapest price. These products cannot compare on quality and in the short term, competes for the value of each dollar. Ivory products advertise themselves on the price pitch that does not happen to Dove products. Each Dove product commercial does not mention price. this kind of advertising strategy may increase Ivory income by selling more quantity but soaps such as Dove and Dial remain successful as well by selling more expensive and keeping loyal customers at lesser volumes. â€Å"The bar soap market, which had grown at an average rate of about 4.1 percent annually in the early 1980s, entered the 1990s with a growth rate of about 4.9 percent. Beauty bars comprised the fastest growing segment of the bar soap market, with sales increasing at a rate of about 7 percent per year. Later in the decade, however, bar soap began to lose some ground to shower gels. In 1998, bar soap sales grew only 1.5 percent in value and slipped 4.5 percent in unit terms, while shower gel sales increased dramatically. However, even with their 18.1 sales gain in 1998, the shower gel market, with total sales of $450 million, remained slightly less than a third the size of the bar soap market, which totaled $1.4 billion in value in 1998.† (Thompsons, 2006) Dove has been successful in its campaign to increase and sustain loyal consumers due to its steadfast supporting of its timeless belief in their original product. Compared to the rest of the competition, Dove remained the soap that held on to its ‘added moisture’ selling point. From that, Dove has evolved and widened its strategies in cornering a wider and global market. For one, it’s campaign-promoting self-esteem in women cuts above the rest. The ‘campaign for real beauty’ ad that models larger than average smiling women in white underwear has sent advertisers of other soaps amok. The message of this ad is a statement against the usual advertisers that project the beautiful woman with impossibly physical proportions. This strategy of using controversy for advertising worked so much for Dove. â€Å"The women in these photos appear to love who they are and the way their bodies look. Sue Ontiveros of the Chicago Sun-Times says, â€Å"It’s the joy on their faces that I really like. There’s just so much happiness in their smiles that I feel as if these women are saying ‘this is the real me and I like her.’ Boy, is that rare and just the message I’d like females to get and embrace.† Just because your booty can’t fit into a size four doesn’t mean you’re not sexy. The joy and confidence of the Dove models allows them to look sexy without having to wear seductive facial expressions.† (www.campaignforealbeuty.com) The challenge that lies on the Dove self-esteem campaigns is to make sure that they do not get caught playing two sides. A teener realizes that the big women ad was sporting big tight thighs. Dove was getting the most of this because their thigh-tightening product was being launched. A critic also realized that letting women with underwear pose on camera was still diminishing respect for women even if they were all size large. The most significant challenge that advertisers faced was fueled by the growing global concern of consumers over environmental issues. Consumers demanded that products like Dove have to be manufactured and marketed using ‘earth-friendly’ products and processes without sacrificing quality. Dove’s dishwashing liquid leads their earth-friendly products. Using the dishwashing liquid leaves the hands moisturized, the plates squeaky clean and the rivers unpolluted Another important strategy for Dove products to stay in the lead is using technology to further their market reach. The website of Dove and its dealers are well-made and very user friendly. Buying online is very convenient. Using the internet as part of the marketing efforts, Dove can ensure the existence of its loyal customers who pays more to buy Dove soap. The prices below gathered from the websites show comparisons in prices of different common leading bath soaps. Dove fits in the middle of the price war as it is appreciated by the market as the soap that has more value compared to the usual everyday common soaps such as Dial and Coast but not too expensive like the signature and specialty soaps like Cetaphil or Neutrogena. Price Comparisons Dove   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.08 Dial   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.99 Ivory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.89 Cetaphil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.09 Neutrogena   Ã‚  Ã‚   3.95 Coast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.20 Table 1. User ratings between Dove competitors Product name Pears Soap Imperial Leather Original Soap Palmolive Original Soap Bar Dove Extra Sensitive Cream Bar Lux Milk & Honey Beauty Soap Oilatum Soap Bar Camay Classic- Toilet Soap Overall user rating:    Recommended by 100% (13 Reviews)    Recommended by 95% (19 Reviews)    Recommended by 50% (6 Reviews)    Recommended by 86% (28 Reviews)    Recommended by 100% (1 Review)    Recommended by 100% (2 Reviews)    Recommended by 33% (3 Reviews) http://www.ciao.co.uk/product_comparison.php?Pid=1%2C10%2C10534%2C15372%2C5015455%2C5231365&IDs%5B%5D=70462&IDs%5B%5D=70445&IDs%5B%5D=70457&IDs%5B%5D=70440&IDs%5B%5D=70450&IDs%5B%5D=5628139&IDs%5B%5D=70438&Compare=Compare   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The table above shows user ratings from the ciao website. Recommendations between Dove competitors are tabulated. Though Dove Extra Sensitive Cream Bar had an 86% recommendation ratings, it had the most number of reviews totaling 28 as compared to Imperial leather Original Soap that seconded the list with 18 reviews, a far ten reviews short of Dove. This short sampling will show that there are more Dove users who connect to the internet as compared to the other products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dove moves forward in its goal to build a strategic global ‘master’ brand. Backed by Unilever’s expertise in product branding, Dove with its good quality material for hygiene and beauty preservation will continue to focus on making their brand lead by promoting the value of their brand as against the price of the soap.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Dove was an instant hit, generating $55 million in sales its first six months, per Information Resources Inc. This year, sales climbed to $79 million for the 52 weeks ended April 22. Dove’s current market share stands at 4.7%, equal that of Procter and Gamble’s Old Spice. P&G’s Secret brands still collectively dominate the $1.6 billion category, but have been losing share to Dove. Total Secret sales were $229 million as of April 22, down 8% from $248 million for the year ended Sept. 10, 2000, per IRI.† (Ward, 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have personally using Dove for the past ten years and have been more than twice tempted to try other brands. Though I did try out one or two other brands during such time, I always went back to using Dove because of its simplicity, truthfulness and mission to add social value to a common daily commodity. In a world where brand names are easily communicated with visuals only technology knows how far will go, Dove will remain as a trustworthy partner in my personal health care. References: U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Industry and Trade Out-look ’99.   Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1999. U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Census Bureau. 1997 Economic Census. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1999. Van Arnum, Patricia. â€Å"Consumer Product Majors Soak in a Renewed Outlook.† Chemical Market Reporter, FR3-5. Ward, John. 2003. Does Market Share Really Apply to Apple? http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/2003/opinion/0306.html www.ciao.com www.dove.com www.answers.com Dove’s extension into deodorant is a prime example of Unilever’s long-term strategy to build a set of global â€Å"master† brands with new products and heavy marketing support. The launch was backed by more than $30 million in media spending, a level usually reserved for new brands. Dove marketers also wanted to develop a product specifically for women. While a number of existing brands are gender neutral (Ban, Sure) or targeted to men (Brut, Right Guard, Old Spice), not since P&G introduced decades-old Secret has a manufacturer captured the collective attention of the female audience. Preferred language style: English(U.S.) †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Dove Soap (brand I want researched on)†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Think about a product you love, that you use all the time. In this first part of the assignment, your goal is to uncover as much research about the brand and it competitors as possible. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨You`ll want to know the history of the brand, the characteristics of the people who buy/use the brand, and everything else possible about it. But don`t forget to look into the competition. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? 5 pages 4 sources History Characteristics of its market Competition status What they are doing right? What they are doing wrong?   

Gender Theories

Gender theories Sex is biologically given. Some animal species have one sex; others have two, or three. Gender is how nature interprets the apparent biological differences between particular human bodies of different sexual anatomy. The distinctions between bodies observed and imposed by our culture is where sociologists and theorists of gender identity find their theoretical interests aroused, poised for deconstruction action. This essay will visit the various approaches to gender realization under biological, interpersonal, or cultural. The essay will specify the one that I view being most valid, citing two personal experiences and two examples from scholarly sources. Over the years numerous major theories have been projected to explain gender development. Interpersonal-oriented theories tend to emphasize intrapersonal processes governing gender development. In contrast, cultural theories focus on social structural determinants of gender-role development and functioning. According to Biologically-oriented theories, gender differences arising from the disparity biological roles played by males and females in reproduction bring about gender-role maturity and differentiation (Allen, Felluga p. 1-5). Biological theories have been proposed to explain gender development and differentiation. Evolutionary psychology views gender segregation as ancestrally programmed. The ancestral origin of differences in gender roles is analyzed in terms of mate preferences, reproductive strategies, parental investment in offspring, and the aggressive nature of males. From this viewpoint, modern gender differences originated from successful ancestral adaptation to the diverse reproductive anxiety faced by men and women. Men contributed less to their offspring’s likelihood of survival so they required multiple partners and were less selective with whom to mate. In addition, uncertainty of paternity raised the risk of investing resources in children who were not their own. In contrast, women have to carry the fetus and care for their offspring years after their birth. Women adapted to their superior obligatory role in reproduction and parenting by preferring less sexual partners and favoring those who would be good lasting providers of the basic requirements of life for themselves and their offspring. Men, on the other hand, attempted to maximize the chances of paternity by reproducing with numerous young and physically striking females. Because of their size and strength advantage, ales resolved troubles arising from conflicting reproductive interests by exercising aggressive dominance over females. According to evolutionary psychology, many current gender differences, such as the number of sexual mates preferred, criteria for selecting sexual partners, aggression, envy and the roles they fulfill originated from the ancestral sex differentiated reproductive strategies. Evolutionary psychology is projected as a superior option to more socially oriented explanations of gender differentiation. However, this view, which attributes superseding power to biology, does not provide the mechanisms responsible for social patterns of behavior, nor does it specify the nature of the interactional relationship between genetic and environmental influences for disentangling their impact. Other analyses of gender differences from a biological point of view have centered on hormonal influences and estimates of heritability. Hormones influence the organization of the neural substrates of the brain, including lateralization of brain function. It has been reported that females show less lateral brain specialization than do males, but the differences are small and some studies find no such difference. Difference in degree of brain lateralization is assumed to create gender differences in cognitive processing. Though girls generally do better on oral tasks, and boys do better on some types of mathematical tasks, the differences are minute. Moreover, the gender differences have been losing ground over the past decade, which is much too short a time to be genetically determined. However, there are clear and consistent differences in spatial skills favoring males. But this difference has also been diminishing in recent years, most probable as a function of social changes. Although hormones may play a part in spatial ability, the evidence suggests that ecological factors play a central role in the observed differences. In comparison, boys grow up in more spatially complex environments, receive more encouragement for outdoor play, and engage extensively in activities that foster the development of spatial skills. In accord with a social source, gender differences in spatial ability are not found in cultures where women are granted greater freedom of action. (Kay, Albert. p. 6-11, Julia. p. 40-45). Cultural theories focus on understanding gender from a cultural or cross-cultural perspective. Cultural scholars do not dispute biological and interpersonal factors, but they assume that they are qualified by the influence of nature. One of the approaches is nthropology which argues that when confronted with different vales and ways of doing things in a foreign culture, you see the norm of your own society in a clearer light. This holds true of gender. Our views of gender are clarified by considering what it means else where. An example of how cultural attributes vary is from a group village in the Dominican Republic where it is common for males to be born with undescended testes an undeveloped penis but because this condition is common the society doesn’t regard it as abnormal. Instead, boys born with this condition are raise as â€Å"conditional girls†. They wear dresses and are treated as girls. At puberty, a secondary tide of androgens causes the testes to descend, the penis to grow, and muscle and hair typical of males to appear at which point the child is considered a boy and treated as a male. Anthropology holds that whatever genetic influences exist, the society we are socialized with is the one that shapes our genetic endowments. Other human cultures are not the only sources of insight into our own culture’s views of normal and appropriate behavior for men and women. In my view, gender development is determined by the curture upheld in ones area of growth. When I was young, the society around me made me realize my gender by buying me things they said by culture a boy should have. (Julia p. 51-54, Kruger p. 531) Reference list http://www. cla. purdue. edu/English/theory/genderandsex/modules/introduction. html Boston, Lyn Uhl. Kruger, S. F. (July 2002). Gender theories. Journal of the history of sexuality, 11, 530- Retrieved from

War of the third Coalition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

War of the third Coalition - Research Paper Example The five articles were located using the Google search engine using key words such as â€Å"Third Coalition† and â€Å"Napoleon I.† Peer reviewed scholarly articles were excluded from the search results, along with encyclopaedia entries which were in any case usually rather superficial. The selected internet sources are briefly described in turn with an emphasis on deciding how accurate and useful they are for academic purposes. Text 1 â€Å"Napoleonic Wars† (FAMT, undated). This source is an aticle on the whole series of Napoleonic Wars which has a brief paragraph on each of the coalitions. There is no author mentioned, and no firm date, although the site does suggest that all articles have been written between 2008 and 2010. The most striking feature of the article is its breezy style, and use of imaginative and emotive language, for example â€Å"Napoleon taught the Austrians another lesson at the Battle of Ulm in 1805, but it didn’t last very longâ₠¬  (FAMT, undated, p.1) This kind of comment is not very specific, since the phrase â€Å"taught the Austrians another lesson† gives no quantitative details of troop numbers, or indication of tactics, or indeed any details at all about the apparently decisive Battle of Ulm. There are serious doubts about the objectivity of this article, and this can be seen both in the content and in the nature of the website which hosts it. The anonymous author’s conclusion is flagged as being controversial, and indeed the claim that â€Å"Anglosphere money power financed Napoleon’s remarkable career† (FAMT, undated, p.1) gives a hint that there is a hidden agenda. The author acknowledges that â€Å"this is not a popular view of Napoleon† (FAMT, undated, p.1) and hints that more research might produce evidence to support it! The website hosting the article is set up to resemble an information/news/reference site, modelled on a newspaper, as its title â€Å"The D aily Bell† suggests. Its express purpose appears to be â€Å"to promote and support the widespread advancement of laissez-faire economic principles† and this betrays a strong political and ideological bias. This site is not suitable as a secondary source for information on the Third Coalition and Napoleon but it is perhaps interesting as a primary source on the way contemporary political organisations are attempting to use the internet to re-write, or re-interpret history in order to support particular beliefs. Text 2 â€Å"The French Revolutionary & Napoleonic Wars† (Hickman, undated) This source is a formal narrative giving bare facts about the events in Napoleon’s career, including the War of the Third Coalition. It gives a few key dates, and provides hyperlinks for key persons and places such as â€Å"Lord Horatio Nelson† and â€Å"Trafalgar†, along with some images of classical works of art which illustrate scenes mentioned. As a histori cal source it is accurate, but much too superficial to be of any use to serious researchers. There are no sources given, and although there are further topic headings pointing the reader to other â€Å"Ask,com† pages, it is clear that this text is nothing more than a few bare facts with no analysis or theoretical debate. It is impossible also to check whether the author has selected the most important items to list, and indeed it could be argued that the extreme summary falsifies the complexity of the events described. One positive feature of the text is that the author’

How the feminist movement has influenced female artists working with Essay

How the feminist movement has influenced female artists working with technology - Essay Example This paper presents how feminist movement has influenced female artists working with technology. It also presents a brief overview of what feminism used to look like in art, in addition to, the historical sense of the feminist movement in terms of art. Additionally, it presents what the feminist movement looks like today for female artists, especially, for those working with technology, such as, female video game designers, engineers or computer specialists. Finally, this paper presents a conclusion of the findings and analysis of literature on the subject of feminist movements. The main question that comes to the mind of many when the feminist movement is raised is what feminist art stands for. Arts analysts and historical researchers have, ever since, argued over the subject of feminist art. They try to establish whether it was a period in the history of art, a lobby group or a complete makeover of how things should be carried out on the subject of female contributions. According to Motta, Flesher, Eschle and Laurence (2012), a number of researchers have judged feminist movements against surrealism. In this regard, many people consider feminist art not as an art technique, but to a certain extent, a process of creating gender sensitive art or integrate women in art galleries and exhibitions. Feminist art has spurred debate also on the subject of post-modernism. Feminist art entails the creation of value and meaning in art while integrating women in the modern forms of art techniques (Redfern and Aune 7). According to Motta et al. (2012), feminist art also provoked debate on whether the historical western art was a global representation of art regardless of men dominating in most spheres. It is therefore, possible to establish that feminist art entails artists working with the thoughts of gender, personality and outward appearance. Feminist art entails the use of performance art, such as, videos and

Discrimination Legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discrimination Legislation - Essay Example linguistically, as in a school, most individuals spoke different languages so, for better understanding of the lessons, these students had to be separated, and taught the same language, or example English before they joined again to form a set of class understanding the same language, this is just but an example of a positive gesture of an affirmative action. On the same note, employees got divided and taught the same rules, before being joined up again. At that time, affirmative action proved rather indispensable, considering the fact that, people had to be taught, the same language, in order to understand their roles, and duties in the particular organization, though, recently a research conducted by a PhD student at the university of Purdue showed that, some human resource managers have taken advantage of this, to embezzle themselves funds, so how do they do this? Well, one might be wondering the thing is after shuffling workers in a particular work station, the restriction they put is that, for any promotion to be awarded. Although the perpetual dislike for affirmative action, has been established in most countries, some countries more so the developing once, have emulated the idea, and are working out pertinent ways to have it

Letter to a video game character or author Essay

Letter to a video game character or author - Essay Example This is the reason why you always have a hard time in the battleground. I am stunned at the unconventionality of your inclusion in the troops of galactic armies because you simply do not possess the usual characteristics of warriors going into wars. I have been contemplating about what could be your true role in the battle? Well, I guess everything needs balance in order to make things work properly. It cannot be all vicious and undesirable. I know your brother Peter has been very bad to Ender ever since and being a young kid that he is, he needs some sort of love and care. I guess that is your greatest role on the ground, that is, to show love and compassion to your brother Ender. He needs your support in order to succeed in the battle. I am also not certain about how you feel about your brother, Peter. While he does not mention about slaying you and Ender, it seems to me that he has this thought wandering inside his mind. But still you are showing a certain level of kindness that is way beyond human nature. But here is the thing: I don’t think you should always be nice to your brother Peter. You should also show him that what he is doing is not right and needs to be rectified. I want to share to you what I think about your situation. I don’t think that it is our responsibility to â€Å"always† be kind to our siblings. We do not always get the best kinds: there can be the most ruthless siblings in the family, and oftentimes, if not always, they do have bad intentions for us. In this case, Ender is an exception. We both know how good he is, even to his brother Peter. But I would like to suggest about how you should deal with your brother Peter. First, you cannot allow him to threaten Ender or you all the time. If he is showing such an attitude, this could mean that he really does not treat you as a family. Do not be always nice to him;

Compare and contrast christianity and islam Essay

Compare and contrast christianity and islam - Essay Example This, perhaps, is as a result of the fact that Islam follows Christianity the chronology of world religions. Some – and they would not be completely wrong to suggest it – suggest that Islam is built from the writings and teachings of Christianity. This essay will examine the similarities and the differences between these two dominant world faiths through a discussion focused on two distinctly different yet related stories contained their respective scriptures, the Bible and the Qu’ran; the stories of Ascension and Armageddon. If we look for commonalties between Islam and Christianity, one of the most poignant commonalities is the ascension of Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad. In Christianity, the ascension of Christ is discussed without ambiguity in Acts 1:9-11, and is referenced with less specificity in Luke 24:51 (Filson, Floyd, 1956, p. 49). While it tends to be the practice of many Christians to focus on the Resurrection as the most important event in the life and death of Jesus Christ, the event which should be the most significant is the Ascension, because it is the fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus during his testimony before the masses. â€Å"For the first Christians, the Resurrection was not the end of the story; it was the climax which leads to momentous developments. Jesus was exalted at the right hand of God (Acts: 2:33) (Filson, 1956, p. 49).† The language that is used to discuss the Ascension of Christ is one of mankind, in order that Christians be able to visualize Jesus in heave; because, as Floyd Filson points out in his book, Jesus Christ: The Risen Lord, it serves the Christian understanding to be able to visualize Christ sitting in heaven at the right hand of God (1956, p. 50). This visualization facilitates the more meaningful idea of the Exaltation of Christ in heaven with God (1956, p. 50). â€Å". . . indeed, eleven New Testament books, by at least seven different writers, refer clearly to this

Types of Risk Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Types of Risk - Assignment Example Even though, these value risk models are utilized to quantify risks in the market but there are few limitations that are addressed using stress tests that study the movements of the market on hypothetical grounds (Yufeng, 2011). Supply chains have the aim to increase productivity, ensure cost effective practices and fulfill demands of the markets. However, there are many risks that may disrupt their working thus, in order to manage the risks involved the first step into place them into supply chain risk management (SCRM) (Tummala & Schoenherr, 2011). This would enable them to identify the operations, resources and the sources through which information inflows and outflows, through co-citation analysis. The changing interest are identified in SCRM and then tools such as Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) can be used appropriately in SCRM. Moreover, pricing policies and analysis tools can examine the risks involved in supply chain that help manage supply chain risks in an effective way(Nurmaya, 2012). Credit risk is the kind of risk associated with market and customers. This risk arises when a business feels that borrowers might not pay their debt on time or due date. Thus, in this regard, credit can be managed by setting credits limit. The limits of credits are based on credit ratings. Likewise, funding or liquidity risk occurs when there is the risk that a person is not able to meet his obligations to provide loan commitments. The techniques associated with mitigating funding technique are holding liquid assets, securitizations, creating contingency plans, portfolio management techniques, having extensive databases on defaults and having credit insurance products. Due to increasing number of credit related losses, companies require new analytical solutions to make improvements in their databases

Participatory Notes - Concept Essay Example for Free

Participatory Notes Concept Essay Participatory notes are issued by FIIs to their unregistered clients who want to invest in the Indian equity market but do not want to meet the disclosure requirements to do so. Thus the modus operandi they opt for is to invest their money with the fund companies (FIIs), who will invest in Indian market on their behalf. The fund company is registered with SEBI in India and issues participatory notes to these investors as a proof of their investment. Participatory notes are instruments used by foreign funds not registered in the country to trade in the domestic market. SEBI’s Concern and rulings regarding these notes: Participatory Notes have always been a bone of contention for SEBI as the identity of the investors is not known. In 2003, there was a boom in the stock market mainly due to a lot of foreign funds. This also led to a lot of volatility in the Indian market because a lot of Investment was done through Participatory Notes. So in 2003, SEBI amended regulations relating to foreign institutional investors to incorporate a new 10 point code of conduct and inserted a clause seeking disclosure of information with regard to participatory notes. The code seeks compliance to good corporate governance standards and SEBI regulations. SEBI has clarified that there is no change in the rules relating to FIIs except for the strengthening of KYC Norms. They have also given a ruling which states that from Now on, The PNs can only be issued to Registered Entities. The actual investing parties must be registered with the regulator of their country of Incorporation. In addition, to facilitate the process of transition, derivative instruments already issued and outstanding against un-regulated entities will not be required to be terminated immediately. It has been decided that the said contracts will be permitted to expire or to be wound down on maturity, or within a period of 5 years, whichever is earlier.

Operations management of the Tata Motors Group

Operations management of the Tata Motors Group The concept of operations management is related to the optimum utilization of the resources in the best possible way. In todays complex business environment it is very important to understand the importance of every management process. operations management is a very important factor for the maximum utilization of resources in any firm. Introduction Established under the parent company, Tata Group, in 1945, Tata Motors Limited has become Indias largest automobile company. It was the first Indian automobile company to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Tata Motors began manufacturing commercial vehicles in 1954 with a 15-year collaboration agreement with Daimler Benz of Germany. This partnership has led Tata Motors to not only become Indias largest automobile company but also Indias largest commercial vehicle manufacturer; the worlds top five manufactures of medium and heavy trucks and the worlds second largest medium and heavy bus manufacturer. Having just entered the passenger vehicles market segment in 1991, Tata Motors now ranks second in Indias passenger vehicle market. Tata has enjoyed the prestige of having developed Tata Ace, Indias first indigenous light commercial vehicle; Tata Safari, Indias first sports utility vehicle; Tata Indica, Indias first indigenously manufactured passenger car; and the Nano, the worlds least expensive The company that has been taken for the purpose of demonstrating operation management and its effectiveness is Tata motors India Pvt. Ltd. The fact that tata motors came up with a small car in the Indian market and has been very succesfull it needs to be understood that what it is that instigated the success to such a boundry. Tata Motors is Indias largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of USD 20 billion in 2009-10. It is the leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles. Tata Motors has products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. The company is the worlds fourth largest truck manufacturer, the worlds second largest bus manufacturer, and employs 24,000 workers. Since first rolled out in 1954, Tata Motors has produced and sold over 4 million vehicles in India. Established in 1945, when the company began manufacturing locomotives, the company manufactured its first commercial vehicle in 1954 in a collaboration with Daimler-Benz AG, which ended in 1969. Tata Motors is a dual-listed company traded on both the Bombay Stock Exchange, as well as on the New York Stock Exchange. Tata Motors in 2005, was ranked among the top 10 corporations in India with an annual revenue exceeding INR 320 billion. In 2010, Tata Motors surpassed Reliance to win the coveted title of Indias most valuable brand in a annual survey conducted by Brand Finance and The Economic Times. Tata Motors has auto manufacturing and assembly plants in Jamshedpur, Pantnagar , Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Sanand,Dharwad and Pune in India, as well as in Argentina, South Africa and Thailand. Tata Motors aimed to increase its presence worldwide. In 2004, it acquired the Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company of South Korea. The reasons behind the acquisition were: Companys global plans to reduce domestic exposure. The domestic commercial vehicle market is highly cyclical in nature and prone to fluctuations in the domestic economy. Tata Motors has a high domestic exposure of ~94% in the MHCV segment and ~84% in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment. Since the domestic commercial vehicle sales of the company are at the mercy of the structural economic factors, it is increasingly looking at the international markets. The company plans to diversify into various markets across the world in both MHCV as well as LCV segments. To expand the product portfolio Tata Motors recently introduced the 25MT GVW Tata Novus from Daewoos (South Korea) (TDCV) platform. Tata plans to leverage on the strong presence of TDCV in the heavy-tonnage range and introduce products in India at an appropriate time. This was mainly to cater to the international market and also to cater to the domestic market where a major improvement in the Road infrastructure was done through the National Highway Development Project. Tata remains Indias largest heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer and Tata Daewoo is the 2nd largest heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer in South Korea. Tata Motors has jointly worked with Tata Daewoo to develop trucks such as Novus and World Truck and buses namely, GloBus and StarBus. In January 2008, Tata Motors launched Tata Nano, the least expensive production car in the world at about 120,000 (US $3000).The city car was unveiled during the Auto Expo 2008 exhibition in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Tata has faced controversy over developing the Nano as some environmentalists are concerned that the launch of such a low-priced car could lead to mass motorization in India with adverse effects on pollution and global warming. Tata has set up a factory in Sanand, Gujarat and the first Nanos are to roll out summer 2009. Tata Nano Europa has been developed for sale in developed economies and is to hit markets in 2010 while the normal Nano should hit markets in South Africa, Kenya and countries in Asia and Africa by late 2009. A battery version is also planned. Tata Motors Limited is Indias largest automobile company, with revenues of 35,651.48 crore (US$7.74 billion) in 2007-08. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each segment, and among the top three in passenger vehicles in India with products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. Tata vehicles are sold primarily in India, and over 4 million Tata vehicles have been produced domestically since the first Tata vehicle was assembled in 1954. The companys manufacturing base in India is spread across Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Pune (Maharashtra), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Dharwad (Karnataka). Following a strategic alliance with Fiat in 2005, Tata set up an industrial joint venture with Fiat Group Automobiles at Ranjangaon (Maharashtra) to produce both Fiat and Tata cars and Fiat powertrains. The company is establishing a new plant at Sanand (Gujarat). Tatas dealership, sales, service and spare parts network comprises over 3500 touch points. Ta ta Motors also distributes and markets Fiat branded cars in India. Current Situation The Tata Motors group is a passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturer based in India. The motor group was established in 1945 as part of the larger Tata Group. They have long been known for their commercial vehicles and in the past ten years entered into the passenger car market. Currently, Tata Motors has a line of five passenger vehicles and a large line of commercial vehicles producing pickups, trucks, tractor trailers, tippers, and buses. Both product lines of the Tata Motors group have seen success, but much of this has been built upon the more deeply established commercial vehicle product line. Tata Motors commercial line has been established for several years in many market segments such as Europe, Africa, The Middle East, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Tata Motors has expanded their business and market share around the world through a series of acquisitions. In 2004, they acquired Daewoo commercial vehicle Company in South Korea which was South Koreas second largest truck manufacturer. This acquisition gave Tata Motors a significant presence in the Korean market. They have also entered into joint ventures with companies such as Thonburi Automotive in 2006, which allowed them to manufacture and market pickup trucks in Thailand. Tata Motors have been making global headlines in the auto industry lately; the largest news being their acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. Tata paid 2.3 billion dollars to Ford for the two brands that cost Ford 5.3 billion (Carty, USA Today). This is a major step for the company because it catapults them into the luxury car business which they are not known for at this time. Tata, like many new businesses it acquires, is allowing this new segment of the business to be run by previous management since they have more experience in the luxury automotive business. Tata will give us some space. They want us to run our business, be a premium British car company (Mike ODriscoll, managing director of Jaguar). This is yet another large acquisition for the Tata Motors group and could create great success for the company in the near future. Corporate Governance Since Tata Motors is a part of a large conglomerate company it needs to have a strong corporate governance to ensure that its employees act ethically and the business continues to run smoothly especially during the ever changing and dynamic global economy. Tata Groups corporate governance is founded upon a rich legacy of fair, ethical, and transparent governance practices (tatacarsworldwide.com). One of the more important parts of this is the transparency of the company people have a right to know what the company is doing not only to ensure ethical practices, but for the insurance of their many shareholders whom have a right to know the inner workings of the company Tata has created some models for employees to guide themselves through everyday business practices to ensure that the corporate governance is continuously being upheld. The Tata business excellence model is upheld by Tata quality management services. Quality management is an in-house group dedicated to helping the various Tata companies achieve their business objectives through specific processes. The two main processes that the quality management services employees focus on are business excellence and business ethics. These two objectives have helped build Tata into the strong, dynamic company it is today. These models are entrenched in the companys ethnical standards and Tata feels strongly about enforcing both throughout the company. Tata quality management services plays the role of supporter and facilitator in the journey that Tata enterprises undertake to reach the peaks of business eminence while, at the same time, adhering to the highest ethical standards (Tata.com). To further prove their commitment to quality and ethical practices Tata has introduced annual quality awards for those companies conducting business with the utmost quality. These awards are called the JRD quality value awards named after the late chairmen JRD Tata. These awards are presented annually on July 29th, the birthday of JRD Tata. Tata has committed to ensuring quality and ethical standards not only within Tata Motors, but throughout their many other branches and sectors of the Tata Group. They have done so by benchmarking quality standards through the Tata business excellence model as well as providing incentives for companies to strive to improve the quality of their service, by awarding JRD quality management awards. Financial Position Tata Motors have increased its earnings over the years through their various acquisitions and joint ventures with truck manufacturers in Southeast Asia. Gross profit in the year 2006 was 1,160.9 million and increased to 1,510.1 million in the year 2007. Earnings after taxes also increased significantly between 2006 and 2007 increasing from 336.6 million to 405.5 million in 2007. After a large drop in revenues from 2004 to 2005 when the company first went public on the NYSE it has been increasing revenues greatly annually, from 4,422.0 million in 2005 to 7,354.0 in 2007. Core Competencies Tata Motors is able to maintain, as well as increase, their market share by capitalizing on their core competencies. Tata Motors is active, competitive, and dynamic in all aspects of the automotive industry, which means that there must be many different activities going on in all areas of the company. As a result of the ever evolving automotive industry Tata Motors must always be changing and one way to stay at the forefront of the industry is to make continuous improvements in technology through research and development. One way that Tata Motors has done this is by producing one of the most efficient and low cost vehicles on the market. Acquisitions, mergers, and expansion is another core competency that Tata Motors has is embedded in their company structure and philosophy. Another core competency that Tata Motors holds is being located in the India. This location has allowed them to understand not only the Indian market but also the dynamics of emerging and developing markets. This market understanding and knowledge allows Tata Motors to manufacture their products at lower costs, sell them to emerging markets while making profits as well as take advantage of the strong labor base in India. PEST Analysis Political Since Tata Motors operates in multiple countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, it needs to pay close attention to the political climate but also laws and regulations in all the countries it operates in while also paying attention to regional governing bodies. Laws governing commerce, trade, growth, and investment are dependent on the local government as well as how successful local markets and economies will be due to regional, national and local influence. In accordance, Tatas headquarters in Mumbai, India, strictly controls and regulates operations in all dealerships and subsidiaries, in addition to knowing and abiding by all labor laws in the multiple countries where they have manufacturing plants it has to watch political change. Economic Operating in numerous countries across the world, Tata Motors functions with a global economic perspective while focusing on each individual market. Because Tata is in a rapid growth period, expanding or forming a joint venture in over five countries world-wide since 2004, a global approach enables Tata Motors to adapt and learn from the many different regions within the whole automotive industry. They have experience and resources from five continents across the globe, thus when any variable changes in the market they can gather information and resources from all over the world to address any issues. For instance, if the price of the aluminum required to make engine blocks goes up in Kenya, Tata has the option to get the aluminum from other suppliers in Europe or Asia who they would normally get from for production in Ukraine or Russia. Tata Motors also has to pay close attention to shifts in currency rates throughout the world. Currency fluctuations can equate to higher or lower de mands for Tata vehicles which in turn affect profitability. It can also mean a rise in costs or a drop in returns. But they also have to pay attention to not just the domestic currency, the rupee, but also to the dollar, euro, bhat, won, and pound, to just name a few. Just because the rupee is strong against the dollar does not mean it is strong against all the other currencies. Attention to currency is important because it influences where capital investment will develop and prosper. Social Undoubtedly, the beliefs, opinions, and general attitude of all the stakeholders in a company will affect how well a company performs. This includes every stakeholder from the CEO and President, down to the line workers who screw the door panel into place, from the investor to the customer, the culture and attitude of all these people will ultimately determine the future of a company and whether they will be profitable or not. For this reason, Tata Motors tends to use an integration and rarely separation technique with foreign companies they acquire. In 2004, Tata Motors acquired Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company, which was at the time Koreas second largest truck maker. Rather than using de-culturation or assimilating Daewoo, Tata took an integrated approach, and continued building and marketing Daewoos current models as well as introducing a few new models globally just as it had been done under Korean management. Technology Tata Motors and its parent company, the Tata Group, are ahead of the game in the technology field. The foundation of the companys growth is a deep understanding of economic stimuli and customer needs, and the ability to translate them into customer-desired offerings through leading edge RD (Tata). Employing 1,400 scientists and engineers, Tata Motors Research and Development team is ahead of the pack in Indias market and right with the rest of the field internationally. Among Tatas firsts are the first indigenously developed Light Commercial Vehicle, Indias first Sports Utility Vehicle and, in 1998, the Tata Indica, Indias first fully indigenous passenger car, as well as the increasingly famous Tata Nano, which is projected to be the worlds cheapest production car (Tata). In the automotive industry, it is becoming increasingly crucial for manufacturers to stay on top of the technology curve with new problems always rising such as escalating gas prices and pollution problems. Tata rec ognizes this and dedicates lots of resources and time into research and development to be even with or preferably ahead of other competitors, global trends, and changing economies. In all, an automobile manufacturer must change, adapt, and evolve to stay competitive in the automotive game, and this is exactly what Tata is doing with their rapid growth, and extensive research and development. SWOT Analysis Strengths Tata Motors excels when it comes to innovation through intensive research and development. Their ability to make the least expensive car on the market, the Nano which will retail for $2,500, is far beyond what any other car dealership has created. This innovation gives Tata Motors their main competitive advantage. Tata Motors makes everything from tractor-trailers to the worlds least expensive car. This product diversity grants them a competitive advantage over their competitors because they can satisfy more markets and customer needs. Another strength that Tata Motors possesses is high corporate responsibility. They donate a portion of their profits from stock increases towards a specific charity. This highlights Tata Motors overall desire for community improvement while also emphasizing Tata Motors high morals and values which is something money can not buy. Tata Motors is unique in a way in which when it buys a company. Tata Motors keeps the original management of that company int act. The company that Tata Motors purchases will look exactly the same in terms of management and organizational structure as if it was never purchased by Tata Motors. Weaknesses There are strings attached with every new invention and improvement on products. These strings are Tata Motors weaknesses and what other groups perceive as their weaknesses. One weakness that Tata Motors faces is its inability to meet safety standards. Although they have made the most inexpensive car out on the market, it has yet to pass all the safety standards which is a legal factor. Some consumers and pessimists inquire as to how Tata Motors can make such a cheap car and withstanding a car accident or not just falling apart after hitting something once. Pessimistic people also want to believe that car manufactures are already doing everything they can to keep costs low for the consumer, and if that is the case, then putting the cheapest car out on the market automatically questions if it is safe to drive.Tata Motors only have been making passenger cars for the approximately last ten years. This can be viewed as a weakness from a customer standpoint since a decade does not seem li ke a lot to consumers and therefore they will think that Tata Motors is inexperienced car manufacturing. Opportunities Tata Motors has already opened the doors for many new and innovative ideas, but not only for their company, but their competitors as well which could turn into a threat. One of the major opportunities that Tata Motor faces is that as of right now 90 percent of China and Indias adult population do not own cars, partly because cars are costly and require more expenses after purchased. So the market for a low-priced car is huge which benefits Tata Motors perfectly since they produce the lowest priced car on the market. This is a huge opportunity for Tata Motors because if they can get their feet into that market of people that do not have cars because they cannot afford them, then they will make large profits down the road. Chinas total car sales are estimated at over 8 million dollars annually and they were the worlds second largest car market in 2006. Chinas government forecasts that demand for cars will top 20 million by 2020. With Tata Motors in the market with the cheapest car, Chinas demand for cars will probably increase even more significantly which will in turn increase sales for Tata Motors. As of March 2008 Tata Motors finalized a deal with Ford Motor Company to acquire the British businesses, Jaguar Cars and Land Rover. This is a huge opportunity for Tata Motors since they will acquire the large knowledge base and technologies for producing and marketing luxury vehicles. This acquisition helps them dive into the more mature markets in Japan, Europe and the U.S. The knowledge transfer from these two companies will greatly improve Tata Motors ability to continue to grow and flourish in both developing and developed market segments. Threats The obvious threat to Tata Motors is intellectual property rights. Tata invented the cheapest car on the market and every automobile manufacturer wants to know how Tata did it. Headhunters are soon going to find out this valuable information and make it available to their own company. This is a huge threat to Tata Motors because at first they had low competition, but once other car manufactures find out how they invented such a low cost car, and then these companies too will jump on board and design their own line of low cost automobiles. On one hand this can be a threat, but on the other it may not affect Tata Motors at all because people will still want to purchase their product since they were the pioneers of all the excitement. Another main concern that Tata Motors faces is that cheap cars in India will have an adverse effect on pollution and global warming because most of the population will be able to afford the cars.

Enemy of the People :: essays papers

Enemy of the People â€Å"An Enemy of the People†, a play written by Henrik Ibsen, is about a small town on the southern coast of Norway and how it perceives and accepts truth. The town is governed by Peter Stockmann and doctored by his younger brother, Thomas. The main conflict flares up between these two siblings and then spreads throughout the town as they both try to do best by the â€Å"community.† Dr. Thomas Stockmann is a public-minded doctor in a small town famous for its public baths. He discovers that the water supply for the baths is contaminated and has probably been the cause of some illness among the tourists who are the town's economic lifeblood. In his effort to clean up the water supply, Dr. Stockmann runs into political cowards, sold-out journalists, shortsighted armchair economists, and a benighted Citizenry. His own principled idealism exacerbates the conflict. The well-meaning doctor is publicly labeled an enemy of the people, and he and his family are all but driven out of the town he was trying to save. This is an early dramatization of something we know better a century later: the difficulty of translating medical scientific knowledge into political action. Ibsen's well-intentioned blustery doctor heroically fails. This is partly because the local democratic processes are quite cynical (powerful people prevent him from getting his information to the citizens). Dr. Stockmann also suffers from a professional blindness that keeps him from understanding how anyone could possibly disagree that his scientific "truth" (he uses the world frequently) requires rebuilding the town's waterworks. He is a classic case of virtue-based ethics sacrificing outcome for principle. This play addresses many social issues. It ties in family, truth, righteousness, community, and politics. It really demonstrates how one issue can have many â€Å"truths† to it and how different people, even within ones own family, can see the same thing in total different perspectives; and in doing that act out against one another in an attempt to prove that one’s own perspective is the â€Å"right† or only one. In human nature, we are not one to compromise. We see so many things as one way or another, right or wrong; rarely do we seek to find the common ground between the two. In this play, common ground is never found, and in the end leaves a family broken up and a society left to wonder.

Technological Diversification of College Students Essay -- Technology

Technological Diversification of College Students Writing takes on many faces, from personal stories to make believe places. College writing however, has a completely different designation. Furthermore, computer intensive college writing looks further into the depths of writing, focusing on technology and the writers behind the computer screens. With the unbound horizons of technology, students are exposed to a vast amount of culture, much more than the traditional pen and paper courses. Computer intensive college writing courses teardown roadblocks, allowing students to become aware of surrounding cultures, therefore diversifying their minds while exposing them to the current technology. Exposure to technology is key not only to succeed in a computer intensive college writing class, but also to succeed in the future. Technology has become more prevalent in today's society. From cell phones in purses, to email stations located all around college campuses. Technology is cropping up in business and industry; those without the skills to be able to interface with technology are pushed aside. As Kathy Camper wrote in her article "A Note from the Future," published in Wired magazine, "How do you think, see a system analysis job and I don't even no enough numbers to punch in and get inside the door" (Camper). This excerpt from Camper's article displays a prime example of a person who is shunned outside because lack of technological skills. Computers are the gateway to diversity, opening the doors to worlds thousands of miles away. These gateways allow students to understand and respect opinions not originally of their own. Maxine Hairston, a professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of Texas, holds views of how... ...hink, to generate ideas, and to present themselves effectively to the university and the community" (Hairston). Not only will the ideas learned by the students help them succeed in other courses, but also it will carry on with them into the future. From advancements in technology to the idea of cultural acceptance, college writing class is the starting point of creating diversified thinking and problem solving. Works Cited Camper, Kathy. "A Note from the Future." Wired. January 1995. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.01/camper.if.html. Calice, Corrine, Marshall Kitchens, and Richard Marback. "An Introduction to Reading, Thinking, and Writing in a Digital World." Writing Cultures in a Digital Age. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2001. Hairston, Maxine. "Diversity, Ideology, and Teaching Writing." College Compostion and Communication. May 1992: 179-195.

Methods Of Execution :: essays research papers fc

Methods of Execution One man's taking of another's life is generally seen as an unforgivable act which is punishable with death. When this is done as punishment however, it is seen as an honorary deed by removing this criminal from the world and making it a much safer place to live. With executions in mind, it is incredible what ingenious methods can be thought of by the human brain and the fact that the idea is centered around the murdering of one man does not even change how prodigious these innovations are seen to be. Many different techniques and procedures for execution are used throughout the world revealing much about a country's culture and their concern for their citizens. By far one of the most well known and publicly glamorized of all methods of execution is electrocution. Present in nine American states, it was first used in New York in 1890. When a condemned man is scheduled to be executed, he is led into the death chamber and strapped to the point of immobility into a reinforced chair with belts crossing his chest, groin, legs, and arms. Two copper electrodes, dipped in brine or treated with Eletro-Creme to increase conductivity, are attached to him, one to his leg and the other to his head. The first jolt, between five-hundred and two-thousand volts depending on the size of the prisoner, is given for 30 seconds. Smoke will begin to come out of the prisoner's leg and head and these areas may catch fire if the victim has been sweating profusely. A doctor will examine him and if he still shows life signs, more jolts of two-thousand volts are administered to finish the job (Matthews). A main reason for electrocution's original use was the thought that death was immediate. Unfortunately this is not the case. Doctors today believe that the victim feels "himself begin burned to death and suffocating since the shock cause respiratory paralysis as well as cardiac arrest. Because the energy of the shock paralyzes the muscles, he cannot cry out, and therefore is presumed dead ("This is your death..."). How ironic that one reason electrocution was kept in use was that, although expensive, it was immensely serene as far as the prisoner is concerned. Still used extensively throughout the world today and in its sole representing U.S. state, Utah, the firing squad has a much greater claim to being humane as bullets directly into the heart generally cause instantaneous death. Utah uses an extremely exact and well-practiced method which is immensely centered around concern for the victim by taking almost every precaution

Baumol’s “Sales Maximisation Hypothesis?” Essay

To what extent does empirical evidence on corporate objectives support the predictions of Baumol’s â€Å"Sales Maximisation Hypothesis?† In Neo-Classical Economic theory of a firm, the owners of a firm are involved in the day to day running of the firm, and therefore their main desire is profit maximisation. In reality firms are most likely run by managers and not by the owners. Because of this there is a lack of goal congruence between the two. Baumol (1959) suggests that manager controlled firms are more likely to have sales revenue maximisation as their main goals rather than profit maximisation favoured by shareholders. He shows that there are several explanations for the managerial emphasis on sales maximisation rather than maximising profits: sources of debt closely monitor sales of firms and are more willing to finance firms with growing or large sales figures; lay- off necessitated by fall in sales leads to industrial unrest and unfavourable investment climate; and with decreased sales (and consequently decreased market power) the firm enjoys lesser powers to adopt effective competitive tactics. As well as managers’ power and prestige and even salaries are more closely correlated with sales as to profits. Judged in this perspective, sales maximisation can be said to be the independent objective in managerial decision making, where ownership and management are clearly separated. This review of evidence will examine the advantages and limitations of Baumols theory on sales-maximisation. The majority of empirical evidence shows that there little correlation between the remuneration of top managers and the profit performance of their companys, instead sale revenue is seen as the major contributor to the salaries of managers. McGuire et al. (1962) tried to test Baumols contention that managers salaries are much more closely related to scale of operations of the firm than with profitability. They devised simple correlation coefficients between executive income and sales revenue and profits over the seven-year period 1953-9 for 45 of the largest 100 industrial corporations in the US. Their research showed that the correlation between salaries and sales was much greater than with profits. They recognise that there are serious limitations with using simple correlation analysis and the fact that correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Due to this the resear ch they done cannot be proved to be conclusive. D. R. Roberts found that executive earnings are correlated closely with the size of sales and not the level of profits. He used a cross section of 77 american firms for the period 1948-50. This evidence supports Baumols claim that managers have strong reason to pursue expansion of sales rather than increase profits. Conyon and Gregg (1994) produced a study of 177 firms between 1985 and 1990, it showed that pay of the top executives in large companies in the UK was most strongly related to relative sales growth (i.e. relative to competitors). They also found that it was only weakly related to a long term performance measure (total shareholder returns) and not at all to current accounting profit. Furthermore, growth in sales resulting from takeovers was more highly rewarded than internal growth. This evidence supports baumols presumption that sales maximisation is better related than profit, to executive rewards and corporate performance. Profitability and executive pay appear to be largely unrelated, suggesting that other managerial objectives might be given priority e.g. sales revenue. However total remuneration packages for top executives may be linked to profitabilit y, helping to align the interests of managers’ more closely to the interests of shareholders. Shipley (1981), in a major study concluded that only 15.9% of 728 UK firms questioned are true profit maximisers. The majority of the firms answered that the aim of their firms is for satisfactory profits. Hornby (1994) conducted a study off 77 Scottish companies and found that only 25% of the respondents are profit maximisers according to the ‘Shipley test’. And again the majority of the firms preferred satisfactory profits to profit maximisation. Although the study tells us little about sales maximisation, Shipley found that it was ranked fourth among principle pricing objectives, and nearly half the firms included sales revenue as at least part of their set of objectives. Larger companies were the ones that cited sales revenue as their principal goal. Since larger companies have a greater separation between ownership and management control, this lends support to Baumols theory. Marby and Siders (1966/7) computed correlation coefficients between sales and profits over 12 years, 1952-63, for 120 large American organisations. Zero or negative correlations between profits and sales would support Baumols hypothesis. The findings showed positive significant correlations between sales revenues and profits. This does not necessarily contradict Baumols hypothesis as sales and profits are positively correlated in Baumols model up to the point of maximising profits. Even when they concentrated on ‘reliable’ data from 25 companies which they thought had been operating at scales of output beyond the levels corresponding to maximum profit. Correlations between profits and sales were still mostly positive. This evidence is interpreted as refuting the sales-maximisation hypothesis. These studies argue the case for and against Baumols theory of sales-maximisation. Although there have been many studies conducted to test Baumols hypothesis, the empirical evidence is not conclusive in favour for or against the sales-maximisation hypothesis. Many argue that Baumols theory has many flaws, such persons are M H Peston and J R Wildsmith. Behavioural theory opposes the idea of a firm seeking to maximise any objective. Management are more likely to hold a set of minimum targets to hold the various stakeholder groups in balance. In practice, profit maximisation in the long term is a major goal for firms, but sales revenue is an important short term goal, though even here a profit target may still be part of the goal set. A widely used technique in the management of larger firms, portfolio planning, would seem to support the behaviourist view that no single objective will usefully help predict firm behaviour in a given market. In Neo-Classical Economic theory of a firm it suggests, the owners of a firm are involved in the day to day running of the firm, and therefore their main desire is profit maximisation. Managers are supposed to maximise shareholders wealth by investment means such as CAPM, NPV and ARR. This is the traditional means for the modern day manager to increase shareholder wealth. Agency theory explains that shareholders and managers have a relationship which is crucial to the modern firm. Managers run the company on behalf shareholder and shareholders will reward them with high salary. However this is not always the case as human nature dictates that self-interest, wealth, and power will come into the equation. Managers may start building empire, maximise sales and take on long term and complicated projects which only they understand and this will make it difficult for shareholders to sack them. This is typical of most western economies and former chief executive officer of News international James Murdoch argues in Mctaggart lecture 2007, the only reliable perpetual guarantor of independence is profits signalling that maximising profits is the only compass to measure success. This is reflective of the neoclassical economic theory and this essay will examine the advantages and limitations of sales maximisation. . argument for the theory of sales maximisation but there is serious limitations and that is the behavioural difference between long run profit maximisation and sales maximisation that there are no conclusive econometric tests as the difference is very subtle. Therefore there has to be more future research into testing what the key differences are between sales and profits. Also there has to be one to one interviews into the psychology of Managers in the firms that they running as some argue for profits whilst some argue for sales e.g. James Murdoch speech. The use of postal questionnaires for use in studies can bring evidence that is not In summary that is conducted for Baumols hypothesis empirical evidence is not conclusive in favour for and against the sales maximisation hypothesis.

Significance of Black Madonna

Notwithstanding its sociological, historical, literary and religious significance to the life of many people in different parts of the world, the origin and essence of the Black Madonna which serves as the holy icon of the Virgin Mary and Poland's national symbol remains to be a debate to many people as far as the history, literature and religion are concerned. The presence of Black Madonna are widespread all across the country and they are mostly found insidethe churches and cathedrals and they all point towards the image of Mary and the Christ.This image may have been formed centuries ago but its historical significance and importance travelled and withstood the test of time. The word Madonna originated from Italy which means â€Å"our lady†. Thie term connotes a title of respect for the Virgin Mary and it is often applied to works of art, most especially to the mother andchildimagewhich is popularly known as Madonna and Child . Religion tells that Black Madonna is the repre sentation of the image of Virgin Mary which was tested by times that is why it was transformed into its today's black image.Also, church leaders claim that Black Madonna has noting to do with the Culture of the African-Americans. It is stated, nevertheless, that the Black Madonnas became black they were greatly influenced by the cultures and traditions of the Black Americans. The icon transformed into black because it was affected by the place where most of these images can be found. On the other hand, history and literature dictate that Black Madonna is the changed representation of the early statues of the African Goddess Isis and her son Horus which greatly influenced most of the religions of the world today.Society has associated the color black with something negative but in the past, this was not the case. For instance, black was connected with fertility and growth and it is good to think of it not as a color bt as an absence of color. From this perspective, the Black Madonna became an icon for inclusion. She became a guide and a comfort for people from all walks of life and race. In terms of psychology, darkness represents somethin unknown to consciousness and more often than not, thse gifts involve qualities of the females like intuition and emotion.It must be born in mind that the term feminine does not necessarily refer to the female specie because both sexes have masculine and feminine qualities. With this in mind, it can be said that the Black Madonnas symnolize transformation because this image helps people discover their inner gifts and assists them in bringing those gifts into the surface . Amid these numerous explanations from the different perspectives in the society, until today, there are no clear and definite position on the real origin of the Black Madonna which is believed to be the representation of Virgin Mary.Even though the different claims seem to contradict each other with regards to the origin of the icon or image, the Black Madonn a is considered to be one of the most influential religious icon to most of the people in the present generation. The origin of Black Madonna A Black Madonna may refer to an icon, painting, fresco or sculpture of Virgin Mary which is usually found in churches, sanctuaries and chapels. It is also called as Black Virgin since Mary is portrayed with dark or black skin.Some believe that this portrayal of Virgin Mary was originated from the culture of the Black Americans since many of these Black Madonnas were found in the areas with large black populations such as in the United States. Some claim that the color of these images have no significance or value since they were only repainted by black color after being restored to its original pale-skinned coloring brought by the age of time. Nevertheless, amidst its sociological, historical and religious significance to many parts of the world, the origin of the Black Madonna still remains a question left unanswered to many of its devotees.S ome of the famous Black Virgin shrines, which we usually see in the cathedrals and churches, are Loreto, Zaragoza, Chartes, Rocamadour, Guadalupe and Montserrat . Black Madonnas are found throughout the world including Belgium, Croatia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Sicily, Spain, Switzerland and the United States . The first â€Å"Black Madonna and Child† portraits and statues were believed to be from Isis and Horus . Isis was a black African goddess from Nile Valley civilizations whose worship diffused to most of ancient civilizations.Before the first Egyptian dynasty, Isis was worshiped by the Nubians for more than 300 years. It is believed that Isis religion had a lot of similarities to the to the world's religions which include Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. For instance, Horus, the son of Isis, was from a virgin mother's immaculate conception and said to walk on water like Jesus Ch rist. The husband of Isis named Osiris was also resurrected, like Jesus, after he was murdered. When other religions became popular, the â€Å"Black Madonna and Child† statues of Isis and Horus were not destroyed but their names were only changed.For example, Isis and Horus were changed to Devaki and Krishna in Hinduism or Maya and Buddha in Buddhism. The Japanese called Isis as Kwannon while Chinese changed the name to Kwa-yin. In the 1985 book of Ean Begg entitled The Cult of the Black Virgin, there were 450 identified images of the Black Virgin and Child in Europe with 190 statues in France only. Because of the dominating influence of the Isis religion, it is believed that the African goddess had significant contributions to the civilization of the continent.For instance, Paris is actually believed to be named after Isis since Para-Isis signifies â€Å"Place of Isis†. Likewise, Note Dame which means â€Å"Our Lady† is a manifestation that the cathedral of the Catholics is nothing but more than as enlargement of the temple of Isis in the ancient civilizations . Some also believe that Black Virgin, aside from its resemblance to the portrayal of Isis and Horus of the ancient Egyptians, has the strong connection to the medieval Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene .For instance, the famous Black Virgin – la Madone des Fenestres which means â€Å"The Madonna of the Windows† was believed to have folk traditional significance since the place where this statue was believed to be a place where many Templars were massacred. Some associate Black Madonnas with African-American cultures. Nevertheless, church literature strongly denies this claim since church officials insist that the Madonnas became black because of the smoke from candles and dirt and eventually because of the old age of the statues .Meanwhile, the Black Madonna in Southern Provencal tradition is associated with the patron of the Gypsies called St. Lara . The patron sain t is considered to be the black assistant who accompanied the three Marys to France when they escaped from the Holy Land after Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, during 1934, an icon of the Virgin Mother and Child was brought to the Pauline monastery of Jasna Gora or the â€Å"Bright Mountain† in Western Poland. The icon was said to be donated by the Prince of Opole in Silesia. Some told that the icon was painted by St. Luke on boards from table of the Holy Family in Nazareth.And the face of the said icon is black . There are other countless theories about the origin of the Black Madonnas or Black Virgins but until today, there is no concrete explanation about the history or origin of the now famous image in the religious sectors of the world. There are many who look at Black Madonna in relation to some of the goddesses know to men like Kali of India, Hecate and Medusa of Greece and Isis of Egypt. These grounds generates a spiritual as well as a psychological substance t hat raises the Black Madona to a level of great importance and significance in the modern world .Today, the statues of Isis and Horus are now called Mary and Jesus and there are millions of pilgrims who are visiting the Black Madonna shrines since they are believed to be miraculous to the devotees. Some claim that the statues can help heal towns of plague, make infertile women pregnant, bring back dead babies to life, save countries from war and the like. One of the obvious testimonies of the miracle from the Black Virgin in Poland was the experience of Pope John Paul II when he prayed to the statue for his recovery from his gun shot wound .After the miracle happened to Pope John Paul II, several miraculous events were credited after the Black Virgins including saving Poland from Russia in 1769. In fact, in 1968, the Black Madonna shrine in Poland received over 66, 000 thank you letters for healing and other miraculous events . The meaning of Black Madonna Theories about the definit ion of darkness of the figure and mystery behind the dark image have been established everywhere. What Black Madonna represents is not an easy question to answer.There is a tendency that one answer may lead to several more questions which demand plenty more explanations. One of the possible reasons for this dilemma lies in the difficulty of consciously incorporating the feminine aspect of life in a particular culture and most especially, a darker side of it. Another reason is the characteristic and nature of the dark feminine itself which clearly defies any attempt to generate limits as to what she really represents. However, no matter what many people may say and observe, the Black Madonna mirrors herself in the personal as well as collective lives of the people.This dark side generates intimations to the most essential of meanings through the use of images, literature, works of arts and even dreams . It is noteworthy to mention that the word black can be a misnomer for some of the Madonnas because not all of them are color black in its literal sense, some of them are painted with different shades of black. The original artists of many Black Madonnas are lost in time but most people know that the most powerful representations of the Black Madonna were made during the 11th and 12th centuries.The Shrines of the Black Madonnas are often located in the seat of great power and in the locations where the earth emits energies. From a religious perspective, the Black Madonna represents the honor and devotion of the female form. Christ, the center of Christianity is a male and it was from Mary that the church found a representative of the female specie towards divinity . Theories about the meaning of Black Madonna are often connected to the image of pre-Christian ideas and their religions.Because the Madonna and Child looks like the Egyptian images of Isis and Horus, there is a possibility that the dark skin of the Black Madonnas may be a referene to the Egyptian root s of the image. The Dark-Skinned madoonas may likewise be based on other pre-Christian figures. There are also other theories that the Black Madonnas were made as a representation of a mother or a feminine figure by using earthly tones. This theory suggests that the light-skinned Madonnas depict purity and chastity while another theory holds that the Black Madonnas were intended to bea historically accurate imageof a Semitic woman from the Middle East named Mary.There are some historians who said that the Black Madonnas were conceptualized after Middle Ages because during these times, the light-skinned images were the norm but regardless of what the case maybe, the Black Madonnas captured the attention of believers and non-believers for centuries . During the Victorian society, there was a time when the black female writers seemed to lean towards binding their female characters in an image of chastity because they want to overcomea heritage of concubinage.The women then were portray ed as either a martyr or a saint and in the attempt of the writers such as Harriet Jacobs and Frances Harper to remove the stereotype of a sinful woman, they robbed the personalities of their characters of their sexual identity thereby makingthem pure and holy much like the Virgin Mary. This situation combined with the gender dilemma becomes a double jeopardy. According to Faith Pullin, the black woman faces a painful situation of the double strain of being a woman in a dominant male society and being black amidst the racial discrimination.Novels about the early African American women talks abou the situation of double jeopardy for black women. These women are marginalized by race and gender. According to the notions of the period during that time, the true woman is a character of virtue like Madonna: pure, pious and submissive . Some theologians say that Black Madonna represents diversity. The femininity and the blackness of the Black Madonna calls men towards gender and racial div ersity. This figure calls for uniformity of the masculine and feminine sex, the combination of the white and the dark goddess in order for the wholeness and unity can arise amidst the diversity.The Black Madonna may be interpreted as a symbolism of man in the form of a metaphor as men moves towards the newreality of the modern wornd. The survival of men in this age will depend on their willingness to appreciate and understand the unity amidst the diversity . Conclusion There are plenty of images of Black Madonna that exist worldwide. Reports showthat at one time, there may have been more than 500 images that are mostly in Europe and France. In today's world, there are many people whose interest in the Black Madonna's have increased over the years.Some of her most popular incarnations are found in countries from all over the globe in the form of literature, art and paintings. The Black Madonna may mean many things to many people but everyone must bear in mind that this image serves a s a powerful reminder of the inspiration that it brought to the society. In her image, many people found their comforter, guide and power. She has been and always will be the feminine side of men that will never fail to shed light during trying times. Bibliography Davies, Norman. Europe: a history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.Dickson, Elinor, Woodman, Marion. Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness. Toronto: Canada Publishing, 1996. Faqs. org. â€Å"Madonna, Religious†. Faqs. org. http://www. faqs. org/childhood/Ke- Me/ Madonna-Religious. html (Accessed May 6, 2010). Foster, Nikki. â€Å"What is Black Madonna? †. WiseGeek. com. http://www. wisegeek. com/ what-is-a-black-madonna. htm (Accessed May 6, 2010). Gustafson, Fred. The Black Madonna. USA: Daion Verdag, 2008. Kaiser, Laurie. â€Å"The Black Madonna: Notions of True Womanhood from Jacobs to Hurston†. South Atlantic Review, 2008, 60 (), 97-09.