Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Politics and human rights policy have changed significantly throughout the second half of the twentieth century, notably in relation to attitudes about race, gender, and sexuality, and although they have nurtured a particular vision of social justice. Unfortunately, not all the problems of equal opportunities at the workplace have been solved. For female employees, glass ceiling proposes great opportunities to be equally treated and protected (to some extent).During half a century, â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies have proved their effectiveness, but cannot â€Å"abolish† gender and racial inequalities. For this reason, training and promotion activities as a part of â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies are vital for successful organizational performance. The significance of â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies is that it gives women opportunities to be promoted and highly paid, occupy high administrative posts according to their skills and profes sionalism.Findings were provided by Federal Glass Ceiling Commission and revealed that â€Å"95 percent of senior level managers are men and of that 95 percent, 97 percent are white. And of the five percent of these managers who are women, only 5 percent are minority women† (Redwood, 1996). In spite of the fact that equal opportunities policies have implemented for decades and women occupy â€Å"44 percent of the total persons employed in executive†¦ this category is extremely broad, and women are grossly underrepresented at the top executive positions of Fortune 500 corporations† (Jackson, 2001, p.30). To over come these possible threats organizations should conduct programming of specific human resources activities, based on personal development and human capital policies. The problem is that many women are deprived their right to occupy high administrative position. The necessity of breaking glass ceiling is caused by dominance by white males in American workfo rce. At the beginning of the XXI century they occupy the majority of managerial positions and many of the more important blue-collar jobs. The role of women is to occupy lower-paying positions.On the other hand, women racial minorities found considerable barriers to entering the labor market at the higher paying levels. Following Chaffins et al (1995) glass ceiling is â€Å"the form of discrimination has been depicted as a â€Å"barrier so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women and minorities from moving up in the management hierarchy (Morrison & Glinow, 1990 cited Chaffins et al 1995, p. 380). The glass ceiling has been evident in both position and pay within organizations (Frieze et al. , 1990 cited Chaffins et al 1995, p. 380).In general, glass ceiling means the invisible barrier for women and minority groups that prevent them to be appointed to high administrative and managerial positions. Glass ceiling is a symptom of a big problem of equal opport unities and discrimination at work, and a part of diversity management. Equal opportunities policies play a major and continuing role in the lives of people, especially with the growth of large-scale business organisations and the divorce of own ¬ership from management. Organisations of one form or another are a necessary part of a society and serve many impor ¬tant needs.The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. It is important, therefore, to understand the role of equal opportunity policies and the perva ¬sive influences which it exercises over the behaviour of people. Heated discussions concern the role of glass ceiling in organizational development and its impact on HR management. Discrimination on the grounds of sex or national status is unlawful, and has to be overcome in the work place (Morrison, 1994, 72).The necessity of breaking glass ceiling policies is an issue of the da y, because women and minoroties are discriminated in many aspects of our life and work. The selec ¬tion process in particular directly discriminates between people in order to offer the reward of a job to one but not the others. Certain forms of discrimination are acceptable but others are not, and have been made unlawful. Topical Area Legislation, voluntary codes of practice and equality initiatives have resulted in some progress towards equality of treatment for women, but there remains inescapable evi ¬dence of continuing discrimination.More recent approaches of the business case for breaking the glass ceiling, the economics of equal opportunities, the valuing and managing of diversity in organisations, and the mainstreaming of equal opportu ¬nities are a response to the insufficient progress made so. The main problem is that women do not have a chance to rich high management and administrative positions in some organizations that deprived them from challenges to achieving recognition, promotion and resulted in discriminating policies. The article by Thomas R. Miller and Mary A.Lemons â€Å"Breaking the glass ceiling: lessons from a management pioneer† describes a personal example of Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972), and difficulties based by this woman based on gender discrimination. This article shows that there is a necessity of breaking the glass ceiling strategies because there are always certain groups in any society that are discriminated against unfavourably due to the prejudices and preconceptions of the people with whom they have to deal. Lillian Gilbreth was one of the woman faced by â€Å"glass ceiling†: at the beginning of her career.The authors explain that preconceptions were sometimes verbalised, and the male managers and executives holding these preconceptions were unaware of the way that they saw and judged things and people, especially women employees. Lillian Gilbreth had to prove that she was worthy high managerial posit ion working hard for years and had to complete more work than male employees had to do. The authors portray that this glass ceiling policies within organizations went deep, and in relation to women concerned challenging a system of institutional discrimination and anti-female conditioning in the prevailing culture.The another article â€Å"Designing Women: A Qualitative Study of the Glass Ceiling for Women in Technology† written by Mary A. Lemons , Monica J. Parzinge represent an interesting problem concerning the role of women in engineering and technology management, and dominant role of men in this sphere. The statistical results from IT industry suggest that: â€Å"In 1971, the female portion of computer systems analysts and other specialists was only 9%. By 1990, this proportion had jumped to 35%. In 1996, the Department of Commerce noted a decline in the proportion of females to 30% (Foster, 2000, cited Lemons, Parzinge, 2001, p.4). The authors explain that males cultu re is important in two ways in glass ceiling – first, in respect of the whole range of approaches to cultural diversity, organisational culture is a determinant of the way that organ ¬isations treat women. Breaking glass ceiling tended to concentrate on behaviour and, to a small extent, attitudes, whereas management recognise a need to go beneath this. Glass ceilings for women in IT results in lack of understanding between male and female employees and prejudices towards the role of women in information technology field.However, these preconceived ideas influence the actions of the people who hold them, and the way they deal with others. The effects of this can be seen in the employment arena, as this is inextricably linked with discrim ¬ination in the rest of society. These offer some useful perspectives and practices, although the underlying concepts also raise some issues and concerns. In the article, â€Å"The glass ceiling: are women where they should be† Step hanie Chaffins et al raise a question concerning biased perception towards women and stereotypes that influence decision making of executives.In essence, women are working in occupations which reflect their perceived role in society, and are generally found servicing and caring for oth ¬ers. It is recognized that many organisations are adopting breaking glass ceiling policies and are seriously examining whether they are fulfilling the potential of all their staff. The interrupted pattern of women's employment therefore decreases the incentives for both women and employers to engage in their training. Although this may explain the position for some it does not explain the posi ¬tion of women who do invest their time in education and training.Neither does it explain the disparities in earnings which exist between men and women where neither have committed themselves to education and training The article â€Å"Breaking the glass ceiling: African-American women in management positi ons† by A. Mitra the author unveils another important issues of double glass ceiling policies: gender and racial discrimination. This article reveals disturbing results and shows that â€Å"among supervisors with a high school and college education, black women earn lower wages than black men even after controlling for detailed background, personal, and human capital characteristics.The lower earnings of black female supervisors can partly be attributed to the fact that they are segregated in predominantly female jobs† (Mitra, 2003, p. 67). These facts help to understand the causes and reasons why women cannot achieve high managerial position at the same as men employees and factors that prevent them. From the managerial point of view, disadvantaged groups, who have already been iden ¬tified, are women, people from other racial backgrounds, disabled people and older people, and in the USA there is legislation protecting the employment rights of the first three of thes e four groups.Causes Taking into account the information mentioned above, it is evident that glass ceiling has deep roots and requires special programs and policies in order to provide equal opportunities for women and racial minorities at work. The main caused of glass ceiling is prejudices against â€Å"female wit†, lack of recognition and discrimination. The fact that prejudices has been taken seriously by organizations despite initial ridicule, especially in the popular press, suggests that feminist concerns have become more publicly acceptable.There are other signs of responsiveness to feminist criticism – for example â€Å"female wit†. Though there is disturbing evidence that only a small minority of women feel able to report discrimination at work based on low recognition and appraisal. It should, however, be framed so that it is easy to derive from it policies on these and other aspects of conduct at work. It should also provide a basis on which to build training on such problem themes in a way which is convincing even to people who might otherwise consider them to be matters only for campaigning special interest groups.Cultural values and traditions supported by years of discrimination policy towards women is other cause of glass ceiling. There has been a significant shift in attitudes towards greater acceptance of equality, despite abundant evidence of continu ¬ing prejudice, inertia and discrimination; and there are indications of a greater willingness to respond sympathetically to women suffering sexual harassment or physical violence from men. But the role of groups and individuals committed to achieving equal rights and fair treatment is clearly still essential.â€Å"It translates into a syndrome that people who do the hiring feel most comfortable â€Å"hiring people who look like them. † (Redwood, 1996). The other important facts represent by Rene Redwood who suggests that: â€Å"the underlying cause for the exist ence of the glass ceiling is the perception of many white males that they as a group are losing – losing competitive advantage, losing control, and losing opportunity as a direct consequence of inclusion of women and minorities† (Redwood, 1996). The image of women as a weak member of society and housewife creates a negative image of an employee able to manage effectively.In addition, economic position of many women has deteriorated, some being forced to accept lower wages and many losing protection of their rights at work. High unemployment, changing job patterns policies have meant that the position of working-class women has tended to worsen. This cause Rene Redwood calls â€Å"societal barriers, which include a supply barrier related to educational opportunities and the level of job attainment† (Redwood, 1996). Lack of training and promotion is also a cause of glass ceiling. Performance deficiencies can result from lack of women training which is closely conne cted with lack of skills.Many companies do not propose equal training facilities for female and male supposing that women are more likely to leave job for looking after the children than men, so they see investments in female employees unnecessary and ineffective. Solutions If organizations do not take actions and do not implement appropriate policies aiming to break glass ceiling they can face with strong feminists movement and equal right movement. Also, female employees can organize antidiscrimination campaigns in order to protect their rights and equal opportunities.Also, glass ceiling deprives organizations from highly skilled work force and high qualified professionals. Women can leave an organization if they do not promote for a long time and face with discrimination policies. Today, the debate concerns the action that should be taken to alleviate the disadvantages of women. One company supports legislative action, while the other argues that this will not be effective and th at the only way to change fundamentally is to alter the attitudes and preconceptions that are held about women. However, there have been some efforts to change attitudes directly in addition to this.The major reason for breaking glass ceiling can be explained by the fact that discrimination against various groups in an organization has been made unlawful and legislation designed to avoid discrimination have been introduced, but they cannot solve all the problems arisen at the work place, and glass ceiling exploited by managers is the only possible way to manage diversity. Also, it was found that â€Å"Female ways of managing life are much better suited to tomorrow's business than is traditional male behavior. † (Lemons, Parzinger, 2001, p. 4). The concept of the learning curve is important in breaking glass ceiling policies.It ascends quickly, showing increasing proficiency. There are various levels in the curve, where a woman is consoli ¬dating and developing her knowledge . Where a group of persons is trained, the group may set ‘norms' which may stop individuals from moving ahead, and therefore it is important to ensure that the group norms are the same as the objectives of the trainer, so that individuals can progress. For managers, it is important to propose equal opportunities for males and female at the workforce avoiding violation of human rights and dignity.A policy for promotion is needed and its contents may be: all promotions to be made, as far as possible, within the firm; the main basis of promotion to be merit and ability. Seniority (often the number of years' service) to be considered but not to form the sole reason for promotion; opportunities given to all employees to reach the highest grades; vacancies be advertised and be kept open to all employees; accurate personnel records must be kept and these must include grading and merit ratings and other relevant details.These occur from one department or job to another or both and may solve a number of problems. Clear records are essential to obtain knowledge of the new job's requirements and the qualities needed for it. The employee, or department head, may have requested the transfer. Care and tact are needed in these situations. After identifying the development needs of the individual the choice of course must be made. Some firms have noted the waste of money on affirmative action. Nevertheless, this policy deprives individuals to be given an opportunity to use the knowl ¬edge gained.â€Å"The evolution of today's organizations â€Å"requires a different emphasis on attributes in developing future managers. These attributes include team working, high interpersonal skills, negotiating, consensus management, and the ability to handle several issues or projects at one time† (Lemons, Parzinger, 2001, p. 4). Breaking glass ceiling policy cannot be considered in isolation from the remuneration policy. Wages may account for up to 80 per cent of total cost s in some industries.The objects of a policy of remuneration are: to attract and retain sufficient staff of the required calibre to meet the orga ¬nization's objectives; to provide staff with incentives for better work; to have a policy which is logical and consistent, easily understandable and flexible. After objectives, policies and priorities have been determined, the methods of remuneration to be used to achieve them should be considered, i. e. job evalu ¬ation, merit rating, incentive schemes and fringe benefits. ReflectionWomen with a high achievement motivation may perceive that successful performance is caused by their own internal forces, and their ability and effort, rather than by the nature of the task or by luck. An employee (and woman as well) may expect promotion as an outcome of a high level of contribution in helping to achieve an important organisational objective. They determine the perceived equity of their own position. Feelings about the equity of the excha nge is affected by the treatment they receive when compared with what happens to other people.Today, breaking glass ceiling covers a range of approaches and emphases, some closer to equal opportunities, some very different. In reality, there remains the question of the extent to which approaches have really changed in organisations. Equal opportunities in may just be a way of making it more palatable in today's climate, may be used to revitalize the equal opportunities agenda. In professional activity and personal leadership these strategy will help to overcome possible difficulties and help to sustain strong position within the company.For academic purpose breaking glass ceiling can be seen as reflective as it deals with people already in the organisation, rather than getting people into the organisation -managing rather than expanding diversity. Many organizations prefer not to invest in women, because they are not sure that it will be repaid with interests. Nevertheless, knowledg e of these facts will help to find appropriate solutions and consensus in training and promotion activities. For leadership policies, breaking glass ceiling should play a major and continuing role on the organization-employee relations.The decisions and actions have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. For HR manager breaking glass ceiling policies will help to have a clear understanding of the following concepts of indi ¬vidualism and membership in a group, impor ¬tant of a personality in the group, important to held meetings privately and in public. For a manager and a leader, breaking glass ceiling should involves set ¬ting policies, formulating plans, and trying to make the best deci ¬sions possible.All this is done in a context of how the organisation as a whole, and the HR manager in particular, see the role of glass ceiling, the environment of the business, and the situation in which it operates. The importance of breaking glass ceiling can be explained by the fact that these policies create an environment which encourages the creativity of all, and enables everyone to work without feelings of insecurity, and with ¬out insult. Equal treatment of all employees and absence of glass ceiling is vital in every organization.For future manager nn important priority is to create an environment of trust and shared commitment, and to involve staff in decisions and actions which affect them. References 1. Chaffins, S. , Cangemi, J. P. , Forbes, M. , Fuqua Jr. , H. E. (1995). The Glass Ceiling: Are Women Where They Should Be, Education, Vol. 115, p. 380. 2. Jackson, J. C. (2001). Women middle managers’ perception of the glass ceiling. Women in Management Review. Vol. 16, Iss. 1, pp. 30 – 41. 3. Lemons, M. A. , Miller, T. R. (1998). Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Lessons from a Management Pioneer. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 63, pp. 4-5.4. Lemons, M. A, Parzinger, M. (2001). Designing Women: A Qua litative Study of the Glass Ceiling for Women in Technology, SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 66, p. 4 5. Mitra, A. Breaking the glass ceiling: African-American women in management positions, Equal Opportunities International. Vol. 22, Num. 2, Feb. 2003, pp. 67-79. 6. Morrison, A. M. , White, R. P. , Velson, E. V. Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can Women Reach the Top of Americas Largest Corporations? Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. 7. Redwood, Rene. The Findings and Recommendations of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Retrieved from http://www

Dissecting Rick Kline’s “Bouncing Roundâ€Obama Talks up Economy…”

Rick Klein’s writing deceptively looks like he merely pastes   together the   many sources of opinions he cites.  Ã‚   In this article, he starts a sequential process from   one initial   opinion, followed by   contrary viewpoints   that unravel the author’s intended meaning.The reader will however detect the meaning from relating all the juxtaposed opinions. At times   the opinions seem to clash against each other, but   actually they   progress towards a unified point.   Generally, the conclusions are not directly said, or not those that had been written, but the implications of all of them.   At times,   Klein presents a panorama of many ideas which cancel out one another, and the most likely logical ones stand out sometimes with the stroke of one most convincing opinion.The impressive point here is, the author never seems to   impose any opinion on his readers.   Hs readers conclude from the wide array of choices he presents.Formally no w, let us classify the major divisions of his article on Obama cited in this study.He starts with a rhetorical question   enumerating significant topics –defense cuts, war funding, economic stimulus, immigration push— which he dissects one by one more extensively throughout the essay.   From there the author tackles the issue in the same order as the way he laid them down as rhetorical questions.Klein implies his sympathy for Obama all throughout   the essay,   but again he does this   through   quoted writers.   For example he starts a topic with this quote:   Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The ailing financial system†¦. showed tentative signs of strength †¦.† –quoting a Washington Post article by Shin and Merle.   Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThen follow   four more endorsements of the economy as showing positive signs. He clearly agrees, but not without giving you some relief of skepticism.   And this he does with†¦..A dampener in the next topic:   â⠂¬Å"Will it work?   Paul Krugman, skeptical again†¦.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Followed by several paragraphs   that clearly intend to cast some doubts on the economic recovery†¦..And yet the doubts are meant to subtly enforce the impression that Obama is taking the right track.The subsequent paragraphs are indirect allusions to the difficulties of Obama in negotiating the difficulties ahead.   Some   problems suggested were:   the difficulty of asking Congress to increase the war budget, the risk he is taking in escalating the Afghanistan war,   Ã‚  Obama’s difficult task of appeasing the world, and his difficulties in dismantling the remnants of American abuse in Guantamano.   Again these opinions are not from the mouth of the author.   They were culled from several other writers.Then comes his subtle endorsement of Obama’s centrist positioning on domestic and international issues, now presented in terms of a Ronald Brownstein’s prescription tha t his solutions are likely to sustain public opinion, â€Å"if they accommodate diverse perspectives.†   The next paragraphs from various writers show Obama’s   difficulties, ending up with a depiction of the   hard choice he faced in having to defer immigration issues for at least a year.   And again, Klein presents the pros and cons from other writers’ mouths.Finally, Klein tackles   the significant issue of stimulus package, a key Obama initiative—among the major items of his initial rhetorical questions.   He starts by a defensive posturing of an Obama opponent.   The he cites opinions that weaken anti-Obama critics.Regardless of the apparent attempt to not sound like an Obama apologist, the net effect of the opinions presented   show that even the criticisms are in effect, â€Å"playing politics† against Obama,   in the word of another writer which Klein quotes ( ABC’s Teddy Davis).This sympathetic tone for Obama is cl early enforced when he cites Bill Sammon from Fox News†¦.   this time, radically giving   away   the author’s   sympathies:   He introduced this paragraph now as :   â€Å"Such a shame to see partisanship return†¦.† Coming not from another writer’s pen but from Klein’s himself, a give away. .The last rhetorical question was a petty subject:   When the first puppy would be brought to the White House?–presented as one of those â€Å"issues† the President was to face.  Ã‚   It also ended the article in   the spirit of the last rhetorical question:   Where will Obama   have his first Protestant Sunday service?

Romeo And Juliet Analysis Film And Play Versions

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses many ways in which he builds tension in certain scenes. In Act 3 Scene 1, Shakespeare uses a whole variety of ways to show and build tension in the play and between the characters. The film director Baz Luhrmann also made an adaptation of the play as a film. In his film there are many different visual ways in which Luhrmann builds and creates tension. My first point is, right at the start of the scene, Mercutio keeps pushing for a fight. Benvolio on the other hand, keeps telling Mercutio to retire, but Mercutio will not.In lines one and two, Benvolio says, ‘I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire: the day is hot, the Capels are abroad, and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This suggests that Benvolio is aware of the Capulet presence, and is not comfortable with where they are, this builds tension. However Mercutio’s reply is quite sarcastic and confident and it taunts Benvolio, ‘Thou art like one of t hose fellows that, claps me his sword on the table, and says ‘God send no need of thee! † This basically says to Benvolio that, if he carries a weapon, but does not use it, why does he carry it in the first place?This suggests that Mercutio carries a weapon for its purpose. In Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet, there are many more Montagues than we get in the play. Then Tybalt and Petruchio enter, just two against around six, you just know something’s going to happen. Mercutio starts off just agitating Tybalt, but then when Romeo arrives and Tybalt says, ‘Well peace be with you sir, here comes my man. ’ Mercutio gets really angry that Tybalt wishes to see Romeo. This hectic mood is portrayed by the camera getting jerky, as if it has turned into a handheld camera, like a documentary following a war scene.Mercutio starts shouting at Tybalt which definitely builds tension because he chases him at the same time. This leads to the fight. In Baz Luhrmann’s version Romeo is getting badly beaten up by Tybalt, and Romeo does not fight back. Mercutio sees this as an act of giving in, as shown in line 66 when he says, ‘O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! ’ Mercutio then gives chase of Tybalt, he drops his gun into the sand, suggesting he does wish to kill anybody, let alone Tybalt, all he wants to do is aid Romeo. This builds tension with the viewers because they do not know what the outcome is going to be.In the film and the play, Mercutio helps Romeo by fighting for him, however Romeo does not wish for them to fight at all and the audience knows this as Romeo keeps trying to intervene. In the film, Mercutio fights Tybalt and eventually slams Tybalt to the ground onto a mirror which shatters underneath him; this builds tension as the audience believes that Mercutio has done some serious damage to Tybalt. However after this Mercutio goes to strike Tybalt again with a plank of wood, but Romeo stops hi m by getting in the way and holding him back.Whilst doing so, Mercutio gets struck by Tybalt with a shard of glass. This builds tension as Mercutio was one of the main characters of the scene, he did a lot and now he has been killed by Tybalt, the audience know something is going to happen. In the film, a lot of tension is built by pathetic fallacy, which is where the weather reflects the mood at the time. At the start of the scene, the sun is burning and is very hot and hazy, suggesting that it is unclear what is going to happen or that a person is unclear about something such as Benvolio being unclear on why Mercutio will not leave.Also, in the fight it could suggest that the outcome is unclear. When Mercutio dies, the weather changes dramatically to a very turbulent, stormy weather. This shows the chaos that is involved in the scene. The weather also turns from day to night, light to dark, which suggests that there is lots of deceit in this scene because Romeo is confused about M ercutio dying in his arms. The darkness also reflects Romeo’s mood as he gets angry and evil. He then set out to kill Tybalt. In the darkness Romeo also kills Tybalt by shooting him multiple times in the back.I have found that Shakespeare has used many ways in which he makes the play chromatic and exciting for the audience. I have discovered that the main fight itself is spurred on by Mercutio building tension between the characters and in the scene. I have also found that in Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of the play that he used many techniques such as pathetic fallacy to create drama and tension in this scene. Overall Shakespeare has used many ways to build drama and tension, he has conveyed excellently in this scene love and hatred.

Diabetes and Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diabetes and Globalization - Research Paper Example The Harvard School of Public Health (n.d) defines globalization as "Inexorable spread of knowledge, technology, culture, and capital from country to country" (para. 1). In layman's terms, diabetes is caused by a disproportion of energy in the body whereby very little calories are burned by the body. In other words, physical activity is imperative when it comes to preventing diabetes. Globalization has increased trade between countries and has thus made food more available at cheaper prices. The cost and availability of food shape people's preferences and can contribute to diabetes (Harvard School of Public Health, para. 5). This, in other words, increases people's access to high caloric foods which are the major contributors to diabetes. Other than shaping people's food preferences, globalization has made it easier for international fast-food companies to spread from the developed countries to developing countries (Harvard School of Public Health, para. 5). This further increases peo ple's access to fattening foods creating an increase in obesity and diabetes.   Candib (2007) asserts that globalization goes hand in hand with urbanization. People are increasingly moving to urban areas in search of better business and job opportunities. When people move to urban areas, they end up adopting a sedentary lifestyle. Subsequently, they have no time for cooking a healthy meal by the time they get home due to exhaustion. In fact, most people prefer buying food from restaurants and fast food outlets than to cooking.  Ã‚  

Challenges in The Music Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Challenges in The Music Industry - Essay Example The music industry is going through a hard time due to a decline in CD sales over the years. This is mainly due to the free digital downloads from file sharing sites. The artists are no longer earning much from royalties since the record companies are not selling as much as they once did. This has created the need for the artists and the record companies to seek other alternatives. The music industry is a massive one and consists of producers, artists, retailers, songwriters, marketing agencies, publishers, record studios, record labels engineers, manufacturers and distributors. Essentially, artists, who could also be songwriters, are signed under contracts by record companies to produce a given number of albums or singles. More often than not, record companies pay for the production, manufacture and marketing of albums worldwide. Any revenue generated from album sale goes towards covering the cost of its production. A number of record companies also have ownership rights to the back catalogue of artists. This in essence means that they can decide how this catalogue will be used. For instance, another artist may wish to re-record the song, or an advertising agency may want to use it in its campaign. The record company has the discretion of deciding whether or not to reissue the material. This could probably be in a reformatted version consisting of bonus tracks or could be completely re-mastered. In numerous cases, certain types of music do not have sufficient demand to warrant spending of a lot of money on them. As a result, the record company may make big losses on that artist. The record companies usually regard the artists they work with as among their product portfolio. This leads to very successful artists effectively subsidizing lesser known ones. Record companies therefore base their business on the ability to provide music capable of satisfying the consumers' wide range of tastes. They therefore have to manage their product portfolio carefully to make sure that the cash that flows into the business is adequate in maintaining all its liabilities. Many record companies are usually owners of other companies that they may either have set up or bought. For instance, Universal Music Group also owns other companies such as Deutsche Grammophon and Verve. The company also owns a number of labels distributing both rock and mainstream pop material. It is therefore common for the industry to be dominated by five or so major companies accounting for about 75 per cent of all recorded music sales worldwide. However, within these five companies may be many other companies and labels, which may be well- known in their field of operation. These smaller companies may actually have been set up or acquired by their parent companies. The challenges A number of record labels have seen their sales fall tremendously over the years. This fall has been attributed to increased piracy that has greatly affected the music industry. Artists get their royalties from their music's sales by the record companies. Piracy means that any sales made are not official, and therefore no payment for the artists. The advancement of technology has not made the situation any better. It has led to an increase

Aspects of Contract and Negligence for Business in United Kingdom Essay

Aspects of Contract and Negligence for Business in United Kingdom - Essay Example An offer is an expression of willingness to have a contract under specified sets of terms and conditions. This is made by an offeror and the focus here is that in case the offer is accepted, then the offeror is bound by the contract. In other words, an offer matches an individual’s manifestation about his or her intent to get into a binding contract with somebody else. Acceptance on the other hand refers to an expression of agreement which is unconditional and absolute. This is in regards to all terms formulated in a given offer. In this case, it refers to an assent by an offeree who is responsible for offering a legal contract (Berle 435). It can either be in writing or oral though it has to reflect on the original offer agreed upon. Capacity entails the capability of an individual to get into a legal agreement considering the fact that other people such as the insane, the drunkards and infants may not be able to enter an agreement. Intention is another element of a valid con tract and it simply entails intimating to get into an agreement. These elements play important roles as far as contracts are concerned. One of the importance of the elements is that they help in protecting an individual from potential problems for instance from overcharging or from losing deposit (Mitchell). They also ensure that one has a guarantee for complete and quality work. They also help in clarifying expectations of different parties involved into a contract as well as in knowing how possible conflicts can be resolved. Apart from these, they are important in that they enable parties to safeguard their resources. Typesof Contract Contracts are in different categories and they all have their impacts and relevance in applications. Written contracts are usually written and sealed off in official documents. One of the impacts of a written contract is that they get into operation once they have been adopted and delivered between the concerned parties. Friedman (105) notes that the y also bind all the parties involved within their terms without considering whether the terms have been read or not. There are contracts which require written evidence. These contracts have their evidences taking effect upon agreement and they help in preventing perjury and frauds. There are also sealed contracts which are usually made by a party and delivered to another party after sealing them (Wedderburn 99). These types of contracts are important in that they check on misconceptions. Finally, there are simple contracts which can be oral, partly written, fully written, oral or even implied. Their impacts are usually dependent on what is being agreed upon. Terms in a Contract Conditions in contracts mean the operating regulations between the contracting parties. One party’s performance is conditioned based on terms being operated upon. This further implies that termination remedy is present with damages or if there are no serious effects from a breach (Drew and Skitmore 228 ).Warranties are terms which are less essential and are mostly implied as collateral with regards to the key purpose. With warranties, there are no rights to termination. However, damages reflecting on actual losses are pertinent. Innominate terms are those for which there are no advance prescriptions for remedies. There is termination if effects felt upon a breach are serious and capable of depriving innocent parties of contractual benefits. TASK 2 It is possible that you hold Direct Training to the price they stated on the website. However,

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Philosophy - Essay Example This might not be unconnected to the fact that he feels that what poets and other members of the arts community produce are rather too powerful to go uncensored. He insists that art is never original; it is always a copy of the copy (Pearson 414). As a result of his belief that art is powerful enough to stir anyone emotionally and otherwise, he advocated for measures to be put in place to check its effects, the negative ones for the most part. Worse still, the poet like every other person in the art, is capable of creating copy – that appear at times to be more original than that the original – that cannot be found in the ordinary world. Speaking well about Homer; it's a divine power that moves you, as a "Magnetic" stone moves iron rings. (That's what Euripides called it; most people call it "Heraclian.") This stone not only pulls those rings, if they're iron, it also puts power in those rings-so that there's sometimes a very long chain of iron pieces and rings hanging from one another. And the power in all of them depends on this stone. In the same way, the Muse makes some people inspired by herself, and then through those who are inspired a chain of other enthusiasts is derived. You know, none of the epic poets, if they're good, are masters of their subject; they are inspired, possessed, and that is how they utter all those beautiful poems. (Leitch et al 41) During the period when Plato wrote, it was not unusual for philosophers to think that poets got their inspiration from sources other than them. Many often attributed it to a divine source. More so, whenever poets and writers generally are asked how they achieved their feats, they at time do not know how they were able to pull it through without the aid of a force outside them. Although Plato did not seem to be so much agree with notion of divine inspiration, he may not be categorically said to have opposed this position. Kennedy (1989 p. 108) states: The poet has a skill all his own: not und erstanding, but capturing the appearance, the look and feel of human life. But just as an image is, or rather should be (in Plato's view), for the sake of its original, the art of image-making is destined to be the helpmate of the art that seeks truth. Poetry cannot, so to speak, be trusted on its own, but as the ward of a philosophic guardian can put its talent to good use According to Plato, the words of poets inspire because the poets has the capacity, not to only draw on images that have their originality in the world of forms, but to also create theirs. In creating theirs, it is either they clarify have people ought to know or they further becloud what people already know. Chiefly because the inspiration for the works of poets is quite unconventional, they have so much power on their readers that the readers are at times moved to do things they would not normally do. For example, one reads â€Å"Wasteland† by T.S. Eliot (Kermode 34), one would not only be engulfed in wha t he talks about, one may also want to bring some of what he talks about to fruition in reality. The kind of knowledge possessed by poets is such that could pose a lot of threat to the entire community. It has to be categorically stated that poets have the knowledge that cannot be sourced from the present world. This is another reason readers are often engrossed in what they have written in spite of the belief held by that poets are imitators of imitations. Poetry, unlike