Analyse relations of power among actors in a supply chain of your Essay

Analyse relations of power among actors in a supply chain of your choice - Essay Example A supply chain involves all processes that receive and fulfill the customer request. The functions of a supply chain include marketing, operation, product development, distribution, customer service and finance. This paper seeks to analyze the relations of power among actors in the Wal-Mart supply chain. The success of a business lies in the management of the actors involved in the supply chain. This results in the achievement of improved value to consumers. The most profound challenge in a supply chain is the challenge of wastage. The Wal-Mart supply chain is committed to deliver exceptional value to customers. The management of the supply chain is committed to constructing an efficient and responsive supply chain by harmonizing the relations of power among the actors within it. The market place develops a competition of supply chains (Sehgal 2011). The strategic approach to the supply chain is to ensure the activities within the players are harmonized. The strategic approach to Wal -Mart supply chain The company has invested in core-competences among the players in the supply chain. Wal-Mart is estimated to have 90, 000 suppliers. About 200 of them are global suppliers e.g. Nestle, Kraft, Unilever and P&G. The actors of the supply chain face competition when passing value to the consumers (Dicker 2005). The companies are expected to deliberate on their role in the Wal-Mart supply chain. ... Wal-Mart supply chain actors have constructed strategies that allow them to remain competitive. Wal-Mart is committed to finding its competitive advantage and outsourcing the non-core competencies. There are several functions done by multiple firms which are linked to the success of the supply chain. The supply chain is developed upon these strategic links (Seifert 2003). However, the fragmentation of the production process for Wal-Mart has increased the pressure for centralized coordination. The firm has an international present and is expanding to new markets. The supply chain must add value to the firm (Fishman 2006). The management of the Wal-Mart supply chain has recognized that the real competition is not between companies within the supply chain. Rather, it is the competition between supply chains (Dicker 2005). Therefore, Wal-Mart pays attention to the quality and competence of the players within the supply chain. The Wal-Mart retailers, suppliers and transporters work to ens ure that the process of chain execution is flawless, smooth to give the firm a competitive advantage. Research indicates that the company that manages its supply chain with excellence wins the largest market share. Importance of power and theory in supply chains Wal-Mart actors Power can be defined as the ability for a company to own and control resources and assets within supply chains and markets to ensure sustainability in accumulation of value and leveraging the other actors. The practitioners in the Wal-Mart supply chain must identify the most appropriate context before executing a plan. The modern business is changing from appropriating value for oneself to a commitment to passing value to the consumers. In Wal-Mart the supply chain commences

Strategic human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic human resource management - Essay Example The business organisation tends to exits in a competitive environment and often faces issues like scare resources which needs to be managed effectively and thus gives the organization a competitive advantage. Thus applying the definition of strategic human resources, it can be said that it is a long term focus, provides a linkage in between the human resources and strategy process, enhances effective performance and finally foster excellence corporate skills (Deb, 2006, p. 45-48). The main purpose of HR strategies is to articulate the intention of organisation related policies and practises and as per the dictum of Fomburn (1984) the business and the manager needs to perform well in the current environment in order to succeed in the future business environment. Strategic human resource management has various sectors such as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management and others. However this paper will talk widely about performance management and perfo rmance related pay (PRP). ... Reward is a key practise in the framework of performance management strategy. Reward systems are of two types, one is monetary component of reward management which tends to fulfil the needs of employees such as hygiene factors, security and physiological needs and second factor is recognition and job satisfaction (Kandula, 2006, p. 59). The logic behind implementing the performance pay by organisation is as follows, PRP focuses on the effort where the organisation actually requires it PRP supports the culture of performance oriented The PRP scheme emphasis the performance of individual PRP aims to strengthen the process of performance planning PRP rewards the right employee and hence motivates to work more (Salaman, Storey & Billsberry, 2005, p.178). Therefore PRP is an essential and important tool use by organisation to enhance the performance of both the employees and the organisation as a whole. The next section deals entirely with performance related pay and aim to answer to the proposition whether the disadvantage of performance related pay outshines the advantage of PRP schemes. Performance-related pay systems The various forms of paid employment which also includes remuneration on base pay tend to have performance expectation or standard attached to it. According to Behrend, every form of employment which is paid involves effort bargain and also pay bargain. Performance standards are highly implicit and thus are open to contestation and misunderstanding of psychological contract. Strategic decisions which take place at the board level encompass performance related pay mainly for senior managers and directors. The PRP is often regarded as motivational tool for the top level management to achieve the target which

The Democratic Peace Theory Politics Essay

The Democratic Peace Theory Politics Essay War, conflict, warmongering, and power balance are just a few concepts involved within a nations history. Along with many other concepts, War understood as an intentional armed conflict between communities in order to achieve political goals, has supported the public policy of many nations. In 1832 the Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz (1832, p.5) defined War as an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will, demonstrating how fundamental War was for nations that time. Although there are many arguments to support the nations warmongering policies during the past decades there has been a discussion on how those policies might be necessary if some theorists have proven that Democracies dont fight Democracies (Rummel, 1999). This essay will examine the existing arguments on why democracies do not fight each other using The Democratic Peace Theory and will give conclusions on how effective could be this theory during the present days, where the concept of War has changed. The Democratic Peace Theory [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Ultimately, the best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable peace is to support the advance of democracy elsewhere. Democracies dont attack each other, they make better trading partners and partners in diplomacy. William J. Clinton (January 1994) The Democratic Peace Theory also called Mutual Democratic Pacifism gives a possible explanation on why democracies do not to war with each other. Among others writers, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant outlined a first relevant idea in his essay Perpetual Peace (1795). Kants theory is based on a world with countries sharing a common a constitutional republic as political regime, where people would appeal for a continuous or perpetual peace as an ideal for living. The premise of Kants idea is that people will not decide to go on war unless to defend themselves and because of this there would be no aggressor nations and the war occurrences would end. For Kant, the reluctance of the people to support war and its related costs restrains democratic leaders from engaging conflicts with other nations. After Kant, this strain of thought, where democracies are reluctant to use violent means against other democracies or other forms of governments, was continued across the centuries. The Kantian Idea of a pacific union fostered by shared or common values, cosmopolitan rights and the right of nations based on a federation of free states, had a support after the First World War, when idea of the right of nations to self-determination inspired the creation of the League of Nations. Important academics like Small and Singer (1976), Rummel (1979), Doyle (1986), Bueno de Mezquita and Lalman (1986), Geva, DeRouren and Mintz (1993), Rummel (1997), Starr (1997) and Danilovic and Clare (2007) have contributed with their work to support this theory. Due to the multiple understandings of the basic elements of the Democratic Peace Theory is important to define the concepts of democracy and war. Rummel (1999, p.10) provides an interesting definition of democracy as democracies in its 20th century form means: regular elections for the most powerful government positions, competitive political parties, near universal franchise, secret balloting and civil liberties and political rights, in addition pre-20th democracies should be identified by periodic, competitive elections, that the powerful can be so kicked out of power, and that a body of citizens hold equal rights regardless of class or status. However, Rummel does not take in account the transparency as an important element for a democracy. Transparency, understood as the open possibility of observation and discussion of a Government decisions and policies is a requisite for a modern democracy and reduces the possibilities of the governments to abuse. Regarding to The concept of War, Most and Starr (1989) as cited in Starr (1997, p.154) defines war as a sustained violent conflict fought by organized armed forces which are directed by a governmental authority. Although this definition is comprehensive it is necessary to be actualized due to the changing components of modern war. Forsyth (2004, p.17) define war as an act of force by a nation-state, crime organization, terror group, drug cartel, revolutionary group, or coalition of states to compel an enemy to do ones will, accept a specific ideology, or prevent or allow unfettered criminal activity. The causes of war might include failures of diplomacy, communications, economic policies, or inadequate internal security. Wars should result in improved security for an affected nations citizens, but often result in degraded or deteriorated social conditions. Although the Democratic Peace Theory is quite controversial and has both weakness and strengths, its relative simplicity has challenged the predominant realist and neorealist theories of International Relations (IR) that have predominated in the international arena for several centuries. During the past decades, research undertaken in California (Bueno de Mesquita and Lalman, 1986), Texas (Geva, DeRouren and Mintz, 1993), (Geva and Mintz, 1993), Hawaii (Rummel, 1997) and Illinois (Danilovic and Clare, 2007) confirmed in some extent the veracity of the Democratic Peace Theory. These studies showed that statistically the probability of a war between two democratic states is very low and that the democratic leaders are less interested in using military force or violent actions against other democracies. The theory by itself and the results of these studies are deeply debated, but it is possible to derive some basic conclusions. First, the republican liberalism, as a theory of International Relations (IR) that supports the Democratic Peace Theory, might question the applicability of the realist theory of IR, which argues that the balance of power and common strategic goals are the main point of explanation for the stable and peaceful relations between democratic nations. The presented researches and arguments suggest that democratic sates are continuously motivated by the necessity of a peaceful coexistence with its neighbors using the same regulations that characterize their domestic policy. These nations expect that other democracies will solve misunderstandings using consideration and a nonviolent scheme, and that their leaders will continuously foster collaborative and peaceful relations with each other. A good example of this reasoning is the speech of United States President, G orge W. Bush, who in 1994 said And the reason why Im so strong on democracy is democracies dont go to war with each other. And the reason why the people of most societies is dont like war, and they understand what war means. Second, the Democratic Peace Theory might challenge the usefulness of other political ideas, different from democracy, in todays world. This thesis is supported by Rummel (1989, p.10) when states that Democracy is a general cure for political or collective violence of any kind it is a method of nonviolence. Since a significant number of academic works identify democracies as political system less susceptible to create and promote violent means of foreign policy, with a relatively unrestricted amount of civil rights and participation, it is possible to identify democracy as a more desirable political system when compared with totalitarian, fascist or communist regimes. Finally, political process such as transparency, cooperation, democratization, and integration could improve the relations among nations. Starr (1997, p.155) highlights the importance of these elements when suggest that the theories of integration stress the role of learning in the development of norms of cooperation and a sense of community, they stress the need for mutual benefits and the positive impact of the interdependence on the management of interdependent relations. However, it is important to point out the fact that unstable democracies or nations within a democratization process are not completely peaceful, and that might occur when the political institutions are not strong enough to support the system or when the country leading sectors are intimidated by the transition process. Two classic and different streams of thought, one structural and one normative, explain the Democratic Peace Theory. On the one hand, the structural variant maintain that the organizations or institutions are restricted to go on war due to the diverse economical, social and political costs for the government and the population, making war an undesirable option for the resolution of misunderstandings between nations. In addition, the importance of individual freedoms and free elections, maximize the leaders political responsibilities inasmuch as they might replaced if fail to maintain an adequate foreign policy. This view has been supported in the work of Geva, DeRouren and Mintz (1993, p.224) when concluding: the major reason why the use of force against other democracies is counterproductive from a political standpoint is because it is perceived by the public as a failure of foreign policy. Democratic institutions such as transparency, political pluralism, and legal rights, among ot hers, make it difficult for governments and its leaders to create false reasons to convince their population to declare war to other state. Transparency is an important factor when thinking about democratic dyads because it means that both states can look trough each other and know, or infer, their intentions. Starr (1997, p.157) states, such transparency means that each party has too much information about the other to create convincing enemy images, for either elite or masses. On the other hand, a normative variant, sometimes called cultural explanation, maintains that common liberal and democratic values explain the stability and peaceful relations between democratic states. According to this variant, the existent culture regarding to democratic political values and conflict resolution means, support truthful ties between states and its leaders. In addition, these leaders expect that their counterparts will also understand the necessity of solving the differences without violent methods. In this extent is very important to emphasize how the democratic perception of a certain state made by other, could modify the motivation for warmongering policies. Supporting this, Elman (1997) argues that political ideology, therefore, determines how democracies distinguish allies from adversaries: democracies that represent and act in their citizens interests are treated with respect and consideration, whereas non-democracies that use violence and oppression against th eir own people are regarded with mistrust and suspicion. Another explanation in addition to the structural and normative explanation of the Democratic Peace Theory is the Power Transition Theory formulated in 1958 by A.F.K. Organski. This theory presents the international politics arena as a hierarchy with 4 levels of power between the states (a dominant state, great powers, middle powers and small powers), analyzing the cyclic occurrence of wars and the effect of transition power in the occurrence of conflicts. Organski (1980, p.19) states that An even distribution of political, economic, and military capabilities between contending groups of nations is likely to increase the probability of war; peace is preserved best when there is an imbalance of national capabilities between disadvantaged and advantaged nations; the aggressor will come from a small group of dissatisfied strong countries; and it is the weaker, rather than the stronger; power that is most likely to be the aggressor. This work suggests, therefore, that democracies are sat isfied states that share strong economic goals and are less likely to fight about territory, in other words, peaceful means of discussion will prevail but not violent ones. Even though the Democratic Peace Theory provides a plausible explanation for the non-violent behavior between democratic states, a great amount of criticism exist among the academy. This criticism could be divided in two variants, first, one related to the methodology used to undertake the researches and analyze the empirical data. Several academics argue that there is always some degree of subjectivity regarding to the studies performed and the results are, in some extent, affected by this prejudices.

The Story of an Hour and The Hand Essay -- Comparative, Kate Chopin

The â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and ‘†The Hand† by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette are similar in theme and setting. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Kate Chopin create the theme of obligatory love and the unhappiness it entails. Both stories illustrate the concealed emotions many women feel in their marriage yet fail to express them. The two stories take place in a sacred room of the house and both transpire in a brief amount of time. The differences between the two stories are seen through the author’s choice of characters in each story. In â€Å"The story of an Hour† Kate Chopin involves other characters in Mrs. Mallard’s life, whereas, â€Å"The Hand† deals with marriage and togetherness and only involves the husband and wife. Symbolism is seen all throughout â€Å"The Hand† not so in ‘The Story of an Hour.† The similarities in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† is portraye d in theme and setting. The differences are illustrated in the choice of characters involved in each story and the amount of symbolism depicted in the different stories. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† is similar in setting. Both stories take place in a house and occur mostly in the bedroom, which is considered to be a sacred room in the house. It is not a coincidence that both stories take place in a house, since a woman’s place is believed to be in the home. Women’s major role in marriage is to serve her husband, give birth to his children, and make his home a pleasant place to return to at the end of the day. A woman is denied many freedoms and rights and is expected to submit to the dreams of men and society. Both stories transpire in a brief period of time. The events in the ‘Story of an Hour† develop in just one hour from beginning to end. Mrs. Mal... ... by it. This is symbolic of her marriage which started out as happy and desirable and in such a short time she doubts her love for him and starts to see him as undesirable and animal-like. Women are afraid not to submit to the male species in fear of losing what they have and not being able to make it on their own. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† both has remarkable similarities and differences. They share a common theme of women and marriage and the sacrifices they make for their family. The setting in both stories is significant to understand the role of women hundreds of years ago. The symbolism portrayed in â€Å"The Hand† is about relationships and marriage. When a relationship is new and everything is wonderful there are not any fears or regrets. As time goes by even the most desirable qualities in someone will begin to be an annoyance rather than a joy.

Reaction 12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men: Reaction Paper The film 12 Angry Men gives an inside look at the inner workings of a jury deliberation as twelve random strangers are called to do their civil duty. In a group of diverse people from different backgrounds, Henry Fonda’s character attempts to convince the rest of his fellow jurors not to easily convict a troubled young man just because it would be the simple solution to all of their problems. The jurors are placed in extreme circumstances in which heat and angst drive them to push for a guilty verdict, despite the clear evidence of reasonable doubt presented through the trials facts.In the end, Henry Fonda’s character gets the other jurors to realize that all of the evidence is circumstantial and they present a not guilty verdict to the judge. This film presents a situation in which it becomes clear that previous prejudices can influence the verdict that certain jurors hand down. It is difficult for people to become unbiased, even in cases t hat require them to be. The backgrounds of the various jurors came to light throughout their deliberations. The one juror that took the most convincing was one that was carrying emotional baggage involving his own tumultuous relationship with his estranged son.Another juror clearly looked down on the defendant’s impoverished background. One man could care less about the situation and just wanted to make a baseball game that night. The jurors had their reasons for voting the ways that they did, but this proves that everyone has bias based on their backgrounds and past life experiences. The only way that someone can form an opinion is because they have a moral compass that guides them as to what they accept to be right and wrong. This is what drives a person’s beliefs, and this is what influences them the most if they are placed on a jury.The deliberation room also caused an uncomfortable situation for the jurors. Most people dread the day that they will be called upon t o serve on a jury. It seems like a tedious job that takes away from the important things in their personal lives. The extreme heat in the room, plus the eventual rain just heightened the tension, and may have caused the jurors to argue with one another. Most of the jurors just wanted to get out of there, but they were reminded that there was a person’s life at stake and they could not take that responsibility lightly. This is an important point o remember because most people do not care one way or another whether a person they do not know goes to jail or not. This is why everyone should take their civil duties seriously. The jurors treated the defendant as if he was the one who had to prove his innocence, as opposed to the commonly held notion of the prosecution being given the burden of proof. Everything in the case was his fault. Because the knife was unusual, he had to have been the one to stab his father. Because the lady said she saw him killing someone, then she must ha ve been telling the truth.To the jurors who presented a vote for guilt, all of the evidence was clear and they had no doubt that the man was guilty. Henry Fonda’s character presents to his peers that the defendant did not even have to open his mouth. He should not have to prove his innocence, it is implied in the Constitution. This helps show why evidence gathering is so important to cases. If evidence is gathered properly, then bias can show through in police work. The jurors assumed that the cops were diligent with their investigation, so the defendant must be guilty because the cops would not have arrested him if he were not.The bias of the jurors in favor of law enforcement officers persuaded them to vote for a conviction while deliberating. The jurors also were presented with evidence that was circumstantial at best. Henry Fonda’s character attempts to prove that the facts of the case do not add up. Everything that the prosecution had laid out before them was base d on multiple assumptions. They assumed that the lady across the street could see through a passing train. They assumed that the old man could walk to his front door in 15 seconds.They assumed that the boy would stab his father downward in the chest. All of these assumptions would lead anyone to believe that the young man was guilty, but when taken as parts of a whole, the case starts to break down. The lady could not have seen the boy through the train from 60 feet away at night if she wore glasses. The old man could not get up from his bed and make it to his door if he was walking with a limp. The defendant could not have stabbed his father downward because his instincts with a switchblade would have told him to stab forward, not down.It is surprising how poorly the case was thrown together, yet random strangers were so convinced that they were right to want to convict a seemingly troubled young man based on simple assumptions. Henry Fonda’s character was not trying to prov e that the young man was innocent. He was trying to prove that there was reasonable doubt in the case. In the beginning of the votes, he insisted that he voted not guilty because he believed that the boy deserved better than a five-minute deliberation when a life is at stake. It is hard for common people to place themselves in others’ shoes because most people do not see themselves as criminals.Anyone who has a previous history of delinquency is automatically assumed to be a repeat offender when it comes to crime. The beauty of the U. S. criminal justice system is the fact that innocence does not have to be proven. Everyone is assumed to be innocent, but this is hard for jurors to contemplate when they have been presented with what they believe to be facts by the prosecution. The bias of the various jurors was apparent throughout the deliberation. Only when the rest of the men refused to entertain foolishness did one juror give up his prejudice rant against people from the sl ums of town.No matter how much a jury is supposed to be fair, everyone will have bias in their decisions because decisions are based on past experiences of others. The criminal justice system is not perfect, but it attempts to be fair to those who cannot defend themselves. This film shows a positive point of the trial system. One person stands up for the defendant and tries to prove that his life is worth at least a second look. This is why most people would rather have a jury of their peers determining their fate, as opposed to a single judge and executioner.

Is Enough Being Done to Preserve Languages? Essay

Throughout history the world has consisted of many cultures and languages, some of them have been dominant, some of them have been minor. Until the 20th century global and minority languages have continued a peaceful coexistence that has provided cultural diversity for the Earth. In the present this balance has been broken and most of indigenous languages tend to disappear. Although worldwide scientists do not spare efforts to stop this extinction, there is a debate whether it is sufficient to do for saving extinct languages or not. Some experts suggest that some positive trends have emerged in linguistic field which can alleviate the grave situation such as master-apprentices program and large-scale documental projects. However, many scientists assert that the measures are not enough to protect languages from losing, since the rate of this process is extremely high and negative attitudes towards local languages are intensive. Therefore, this essay will contend efforts that have been made to preserve languages are inadequate because of considerable amount of adverse aspects. There are some effective efforts have been made to save languages in the world. One of these efforts is master-apprentices program which has increased the survival of languages. In this program young people learn their own language by older generation who teach them traditional customs and craftsmanship. For example, in California Native Americans are trained basket weaving in their own native tongue, because of this method it is enough about 300 hours to begin to speak fluently (Knight, 2000). Similarly, another successful master-apprentices program has been developed by academic Leanne Hinton of Berkeley and has passed on the knowledge and skills of indigenous Native American languages to the youth. As a result, this incentive can provide to maintenance of 25 aboriginal languages in the US (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). The next one of efficacious ways to preserve languages is documentation which has supported fieldwork and other activities relevant to recording, documenting and archiving endangered languages. In the recent years several potent foundations have been created in order to invest considerable amount of money for these purposes. According to Wayt-Gibbs(2002), the Volkswagen foundation has helped to establish a multimedia archive in the Netherland and collect data on dozen rare languages. Moreover, owing to the Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund, in the UK linguists will probably manage to record and save about 100 minor languages (Wayt Gibbs, 2002). In fact, these immense documentation projections can be more beneficial for science rather than common people, since the preservation does not contribute using minority languages in the real life. To sum up, due to some constructive projects that have raised interest and investment to saving endangered languages, scientists hope to stop language extinction. However, there are an impressive number of pessimistic forecasts to further existence of linguistic variety in our planet. The greatest concern is caused by rate of dying minor languages especially in developed countries. Krauss, a linguistic professor at the University of Alaska, states that about 3 000 languages will have vanished by the end of the century. For example, only two of 20 languages known in Alaska have been learn by children (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). Moreover, the Navajo tongue is also on the danger list because only elder people speak in this language (Knight, 2000). The similar process has occurred in Australia, where 20 of 70 Aboriginal languages were not spoken by all current generations (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). Respectively, most scientists are concerned about the alarming situation and its development in the future. Nevertheless, common people, especially native speakers, often have inferior attitude towards their own language. This attitude is another cause of disappearing minor languages. Owing to learning a dominate language and forgetting own language, people hope to improve their standard of living and be equal to their surroundings. This case happened to some dialects in Scottish which have given way to common English language (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). It is obvious that an individual does not understand why he or she has to save own language when it is not useful for everyday life. Thus, the world has lost its language diversity with the exponential rate, as indigenous communities have rejected using its own language in favor of global languages in order to have better opportunities for themselves and their children. Therefore, although some encouraging perspectives have recently appeared in linguistic fields to prevent minority languages from dying out, the process of language extinction is irreversible. Most of the evidence was presented above particularly from developed countries such as the US and Australia. Nonetheless, developing countries have also lost its indigenous languages. According to Wayt-Gibbs (2002), there are aboriginal languages in Brazil, Ivory Coast, East Timor which it is likely to be extinct in the next 100 years. How it can be seen from the examples, almost in all parts of the world there are disappearing languages and its number increase constantly. As for people who renounce their own languages in favor of a global language, they do it not always willingly, but under pressure of political and economical circumstances. In the past the US government constrained the Navajo to reject from their language (Knight, 2000). Moreover, for business it is not also profitable to contribute language diversity that prevents from economic globalization (Knight, 2000). For these reasons the fate of most local languages are sealed. While some optimists insist that it is possible to save losing languages because of master-apprentices program, Wayt-Gibbs (2002) states that this project is not widespread, mainly in the US. In addition to that, he claims that elder speakers tend to die before they pass on their knowledge to the youth. In regard to positive results of documentation undertaking, creation of language archives has encountered serious complication due to inconsistency of collected data and uncertainty with the period of archive‘s maintenance (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). Even if to allow that linguists manage to collect and record all endangered languages, humanity would receive only an outline that could not revive real languages (Wayt-Gibbs, 2002). Thus, although attempts to save language variety are weak and separate, the world prefers to use several dominant languages. Perhaps, it is worth reflecting to native speakers which language they will choose in the future and they will not loss probably only their own language, but their own lifestyle and throughway. In conclusion, minor languages disappear extremely quickly throughout the world and most non-global language speakers consider their language as useless. Despite of some earnest attempts to transmit indigenous languages from elder people to new generation and save minor languages by means of its documentation, these projects are not sufficient to surviving these languages as the educational program has not spread widely and documentation has not manage to revitalize languages, only collect and record some of them. As a result, by the end of the century most minority languages will have vanished. Nowadays, the cost which people pay for vague prosperity and social safety seems no high, nevertheless, in the future they may realize that they lost not only their language and their identity. References: Knight, J 2000, ‘Lost for words’, New Scientist, 12 August, viewed 14 November 2007, < http:// www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg16722512.400&print=true >. Wayt-Gibbs, W 2002, ‘Saving Dying Languages’, Scientific American, August, p.p. 78-85.

Critical Review of Elysium Essay Example

Critical Review of Elysium Essay Example Critical Review of Elysium Paper Critical Review of Elysium Paper Elysium is about Max Dad Costa, played by Matt Damon, a man who takes on a mission to save his own life that could end up being the act that brings equality to the polarize inhabitants of Earth. The film is set in the year 21 54, in a version of Earths future where the wealthy live on a space station called Elysium and the rest of the population remain on a derelict Earth. As most modern audiences do, my first stop when considering watching Elysium was to AMID to see what it was generally about. I learnt that the film was written and directed by Neil Blowlamp, who I know from his successful debut feature film District 9, in which he proved that he is able to fuse social commentary with exhilarating action and so established himself as one of the more interesting directors doing hard-core sic-if (Cue-Un]Eng, 2013) I knew I was going to see a big budgeted, distributor tent pole, A-List acted, social commentary with some great special effects and that it would most likely look and feel a bit like District 9. After reading and watching multiple reviews and interviews since seeing the film I have realized I was not alone in this estimation and the reviews of this film an be summed up by covering my initial summations in more detail. Firstly, social commentary colors the reviews of this film, the overarching focuses of the reviews on Elysium are the subject matter of the plot and the clear messages to modern viewers found therein. While a pessimistic sic-if tradition is certainly not a creation of Blowlamp Science Fiction has always been perhaps the most powerful genre in terms of raising a mirror to the world and providing social commentary (Clayton, 2013) the fact that his skills as a director when It comes to the production value are only a side comments or finishing remarks seem to be hard proof of his ability to hone in on modern fears and allow the theme to be the resonating factor of his film making. After discussing the many subversion and hidden messages of the film at length most reviews that I read would only Include comments such as Elysium succeeds because the cinematography Is downright Impressive. The SF and weaponry are also top notch (Cue-unguent, 2013) In the closing paragraphs. Elysium In the simplest description of It Is a sic-if film, It Is set In the future (In this case a historian one), It features advanced technology and It Is a metaphor for our present conditions that Is presented as a thrilling action film. Whether or not you agree with the social Implications It raises, whether you have left or right political leanings or you come from the USA, Australia, Salsa or Europe the film has become a successful allegory that at the same time has been able to exaggerate and simplify a vast array modern status quo In order to create circumstances that force each particular viewer to confront the context of the points raised In relation to how they live their ivies. This view that the film Is able to Inspire a mixed rhetoric about such wide current world situations and the Implications of that Is held by Patch when he says Blowlamps film really lets fly with Its anguished take on where our world Is heading (Patch, 2013) and again by the comments made by Clayton Its worth pondering on when you watch Elysium, should this be making me feel pessimistic about humanity prospects and should I abandon my mere upbeat hopes for a possible progressive utopia ahead? Id say no, Elysium should make you feel bleak he term misapplication in its description of the way Blowlamp has wielded social commentary to his advantage in order to create a box office success. The suggestion that this is, in essence, an angle that has been seized Due to the recognition Blowlamp gained from the success of his previous apartheid themed sic-if, District 9, a film that gave him a status as a sort of sic-if socialist mastermind, it is now generally perceived that he has an inherent talent to skew versions of the present into a setting in the not too distant future that appeals to the widest possible audience and hat this ability can be purposely tapped into. They go as far as saying Elysium has one of the most openly socialist political agendas of any Hollywood movie in memory, beating the drum loudly not Just for universal health care, but for open borders, unconditional amnesty and the abolition of class distinctions as well. (Debugger, 2013) Entertainment Weekly says in its review of Elysium, If you are a member of the 1%, Elysium is a horror movie. For everyone else, its one step shy of a call to arms. Whatever you feel about the context of the film and whatever the means it used, it as achieved what was expected of it, the basic understanding that blockbusters are designed to appeal as broadly as possible (Debugger, 2013) this leaves no question that for whatever reason the social commentary exists it is a meticulously realized and successfully achieved production for its purpose of being wide reaching in its capacity to connect with a large audience. Reviewers from different backgrounds and countries have read into the film in different ways, I believe this is an accurate example of how the film has been able to achieve a connection with a broad range of people. Elysium has a message that many people can relate to, and conveys it in a manner that never becomes overtly preachy. Nonstop, 2013) For Johnston, a reviewer from The Czech Republic the crucial message is equal access to health care. He states those on Earth crowd into hospital emergency rooms where a few bandages and ineffective pills are dispensed for everything, while on Elysium every home has a flat-bed scanning unit called a med-pod that can remove any ailment and eliminate any genetic defect. Nonstop, 2013) And Jones a British reviewer souses on the haves and have onto theme when she says the film will resonate particularly with audiences in countries with extreme wealth discrepancy Cones, 2013) In comparison, Australian film critic Stratton sites some specifically A ustralian and incredibly current issues when he says l like some of the themes that Blowlamp introduces in this film, like the idea of refugees. You dont Just stop the boats, you shoot them out of the water and thats the ultimate, I guess, end of that sort of policy. So thats a very interesting theme for the film. (Stratton, 2013) There is no water and here are no boats in Elysium literally, but Stratton has naturally associated similar circumstances occurring in the film to the boat people issue that is currently front page news in Australia, the refugee motif we see in Elysium could Just as easily comment on the Mexican illegal crossing the Californian border but this issue is not a relevant one to Stratton. Here we have three different reviews from three different cultures that all resonate with different aspects of the films social agenda for reasons that directly affect their community. This is clear example that what Blowlamp has en able to achieve for the second time is a biting social commentary on todays headlines Nonstop, 2013) In an interview with Jones, Blowlamp states that its not problems that people will face in the future, but when it offers insight into the world we live in today. Nonstop, 2013) Blowlamps version of Earth is reminiscent of slums in our modern third world countries and the filming of the scenes on Earth were actually done in the worlds second largest garbage dump on the Bored Opponent landfill site in Mexico City Cones, 2013) The irony that comparably Elysium scenes were filmed in a first world city such as Vancouver is not lost on him It was embarrassing for all of us during filming, because half the movie executives actually do live in Beverly Hills. Wer e already living in Elysium. Were aware of it. Cones, 2013) Blowlamp says he intentionally filmed in one of the most unpleasant areas he could find because the imagery adds to the theme of the film. We could have green- screened the entire thing, but I wanted there to be a real discrepancy in the film between rich and poor. So were not manipulating the audience in any way the poverty is completely real. I believe this is one reason that from the whole cinema going experience of Elysium what is of interest afterwards and what is mostly taken away and dissected are the messages and themes that are explored.