Theatre History Essay Example

Theatre History Paper Throughout history, religion has played perhaps the most important role in the influence of cultural and societal trends.The ethics and values that a society holds dear are a direct result of the faith that binds that society together.Faith is something that governs, something that punishes, and when in jeopardy, it is something that people dont mind fighting over.Faith is a reflection of many things. Like literature, theatre has proven to be a reflection of faith.Both theatre and faith share common ground-they are both art forms of emotion, self-expression, and self-discovery.Faith influences society and society looks for an outlet of expression.Society often finds that outlet in theatre and despite restrictions, theatre has always had a way of outlining the best and worst of a societys faith. Before the widespread growth of Christianity over the last 2000 years, a majority of the world was polytheistic.In the Abydos Passion Play, possibly the earliest surviving evidence of theatre existence, Osiris, son of the supreme god, Geb, is murdered in a jealous rage and then later resurrected.After his resurrection, Osiris is unable to live on earth and goes on to live in the afterworld, judging the souls of others (8).This story strongly resembles the Christian passion play and although there is no definite proof that it was ever actually acted out in theatrical form, just the story itself and what it could possibly imply is enough to make one uneasy (9).The fact that the Abydos story is so much like the passion of Jesus Christ is interesting considering that they are separated by 2500 years and take place under totally opposite cultural roofs.This coincidence supports the notion generally agreed upon by most theatre scholars that as a social barometer, theatre has always been one step ahead of societal trends.As a twenty- first century Christian, it would appear that the theatre of ancient Egypt has h

Losing our Forest essays

Losing our Forest essays The tropical forests are the biomass more productive of the planet and of greater diversity. The amount of precipitations and the temperature cause that their only limited factor is the light. They extend by Central America and of the South, central Africa, Malaysian and Indonesia mainly. The Amazonian occupies 7% of the planet and locks up 50% of the world-wide biodiversity. In The Amazonian inhabit 70% of the terrestrial and vegetal animal species of the planet. The tropical forests are a lung for the planet, Amazonian, for example, in its gas interchange with the atmosphere it releases more of 50% of I oxygenate necessary for the life of the species animals, accumulate carbon through the photosynthesis, necessary thing for the carbon dioxide balance with the atmosphere. Along with the oceans regulate the climate of the planet. They regulate the hydrologic cycle. They generate ground and they protect it of phenomena like the erosion. The biodiversity that lives in them is incredible, calculates that by each 10Km2 of surface are 760 species of trees, 125 classes of mammals, 400 types of birds, 100 of reptiles and 60 of amphibians, among others. We can find prey birds that nest in the tops of the trees, below them monkeys, parrots, toucans and butterflies; at level of the ground we can find antelopes, wild boars, lizards, serpents, toads, frogs, felines. In addition we can find great amount of insects like grasshopper, ants, termites and others of great size. Altogether we can find more than 30,000 species of plants and they are discovered new every day, some of these still have unknown medicinal benefits, in the Brazilian Amazonian are a third of the trees of the planet, also exist great amount of frogs, 30 species of prawns, other 30 of crabs, 1500 freshwater fish species, but one thinks that it can arrive at 3000, two species of dolphins of river as well as crocodiles, giant turtles, otters. One calculates that it contai...

Electronic communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Electronic communication - Essay Example This paper outlines categorically some examples that will help highlight the latter issue for ease of understanding. Basically, there are three types of electronic communications. These include: This is basically the simplest type of electronic communication and whereby transfer of messages is towards one direction at a time. In other words, the communication is one-way. Examples of such communication are: personal receiver (beeper), TV broadcasting and radio. A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy can be considered as a "Statement of Intent" or a "Commitment." For that reason at least, the decision-makers can be held accountable for their "Policy", (Paquette 200). Policies are therefore normally meant to ensure conformance with set objectives and in the case of electronic communication, one of the major issue of concern is privacy and security of communication. Electronic communication, unlike other forms of communication, poses great challenges to both the communicators and the communication service providers on how to ensure security of the messages. Another issue concerning use of electronic communication is its ability to bear legal value in that there have been issues on whether or not agreement reached using electronic communication can have evidential value (Madeline 198). There are, therefore, several policies governing use of electronic communication. One of the international policies on electronic communication is the New World Information Communication Order (NWICO). This is a UNESCO agency formed in the mid 1970s with the aim of bringing balance in world information flow (communication). NWICO was out to facilitate economic growth in the developing or third world countries by improving the communication system. According to it, free information flow encouraged economic development but was lacking in

Program and culture class in architecture Assignment

Program and culture class in architecture - Assignment Example I have particularly chosen this site because it presents a different culture from my own. I come from Indonesia and would like to experience a different culture. A sizeable number of customers attends the cafà © and as such, the number will be enough to draw meaningful conclusion. Riverside Public Library is one of the smallest libraries in the United States and I can easily access it since it is public. It is not congested like other public libraries and as such, I can easily conduct my study there. People attend the library from different cultural background and my visit there will provide me with an opportunity to mix and interact with different cultures. I will be able to identify one fellow who will introduce me to the place. The grocery is located with the Guatemalteca Bakery Restaurant and offers Guatemalan and Latin American foods. It is visited by a sizeable number of people and is accessible to members of the public. Since It is mostly attended my Latin American people, I will get an opportunity to interact with the new

Family and social policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Family and social policy - Essay Example Throughout the eighties, they retained the plateau reached in divorce rates, and more than one-third of the marriages were likely to end in divorce. Focusing on these factors, Gittings (1993) argues that: 'There is no such thing as the family, and that no single form of the family has ever existed'. The impact of these changes has been perceptible for women at both ends of the childbearing years. In both age groups women have become less prone to be living as part of a married couple with children, and more prone to be either a lone parent, living alone or living as part of a childless couple. There has been a distinct shift for women from the role of spouse to the standing of the household head. Social and economic trends that have seen increased economic activity of women have conveyed these demographic developments. Though, socialists also distinguished eighties for the impact of economic recession and the rise of mass unemployment. These developments had a particular collision on families (mainly lone-parent families) and led to a threefold increase in the numbers of children living in poverty (Martin J, and Roberts C. 1984). In the death of a clear and wide-ranging model of family policy in Britain, response to demographic and social change has been incremental and sometimes contradictory. The family has increasingly become the center of political and public debate and disagreement. Attempts to persuade at times contrary objectives make any involvement in family policy exceedingly intricate.

Theories and models of change management

Theories and models of change management Nothing in this world is at the state of constant static. Everything is changing. Likewise, organisations are also changing all the time. If we look few decades back things have changed a lot. Change neither disappears nor dissipates. It is a process which is inevitable. What is important is how we manage the change to get the best out of it. Change is the major driving force for a company to be innovative and experiment with new management styles and tools. Changes can bring fortune in the company with improved profit margins and satisfied employees provided that the changes are handled properly with appropriate management strategies, however, if the organisations fails to come across the appropriate and effective management strategies then it can affect the company badly and at worst even collapsing or bankruptcy. So, the changes that an organisation face has to be planned, organised, directed, controlled and channelled effectively. This requires a good leadership quality in the le ader whoever that might be. Leaders can be CEO, Mangers, Chairperson or Board of Directors depending on the organisation. There are many management thinkers at different times who have proposed many different theories and model regarding the nature of change management and how to manage the changes effectively for better of the organisations. The next section of this essay will look at the different management thinkers and their management theories and models and their relevance with the changing business environment and how it is crucial for an organisation to undergo changes for its prosperity and progress. One of the first and most popular theories of change management was given by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947). Lewins model is rather simple however other change management theories are based on this model. Lewins model of change is divided into three stages of unfreeze, change and freeze referring 3 stages of changes The first step in the change in the behaviour is to unfreeze the existing situation which is also called quo state which is the equilibrium state. Unfreezing of the quo state is very important to break the resistance from the change. It can be done with either increasing driving forces away from the quo state or decrease the restraining forces that negatively affects the movement away from the equilibrium or use the both method .(Stephen, 2003) The second step which is the change stage is the movement where all the changes happen. This movement can be facilitated with by persuading the employees to agree on the changes, telling them the benefits of the changes and making them sure that everybody has to work together to get the best out of the changes and show them new perspectives.(Stephen, 2003) The third step is the freezing stage which is the step after the change has been implemented. This stage of the change is required for the changes to stick over time. Sustainability is very important when new changes have been made. The new changes have to be properly institutionalised and formally accepted by all. The actual integration of the new changes takes place in this unfreeze stage. (Stephen, 2003) According to Lewin (1951) driving forces facilitate change because they push employees in the desired direction. Restraining forces hinder change because they push employees in the opposite direction. Therefore, these forces must be analyzed and Lewins three-step model can help shift the balance in the direction of the planned change. Changes are very crucial since changes makes new and improved ideas to implement into action possible. (Kanter, R. et al. 1992) After Lewins model many other writers upgraded his theory making it more effective however the fundamental aspects were still there. One of the most popular model of change management is Kotters eight step model (Kotter, 1995). According to Kotter, successful implementation of change depends on the eight steps as proposed by him. Skipping any one of the eight steps might create illusion of speeding of the process but it does not improve the effectiveness of change.(Singh,1963) His eight steps include the following steps: Create a sense of urgency: This step includes analysing the market and examining the possible risks and opportunities along with the competition in the market. (Kotter,1996) Establishing the powerful group to guide the change: This step is to create a group which is capable to handle the changes and has enough power to lead the effort. The group should be encouraged to work as a team. (Kotter,1996) Develop a vision: This stage includes creating a proper vision of change in the organisation. Apart from this the change should be highly focused and should be in rather simple form so that everyone understands and accepts. (Kotter,1996) Communicate the vision : The vision that has been proposed has to be delivered or explained to everyone. A good communication of the vision is very important. (Kotter,1996) Empower staff: The next step is empowering the staffs. This step includes removing hurdles in the change and encouraging new and unconventional ideas and ways of doing things. (Kotter,1996) Ensure there are short terms win: It is very important to keep the staffs motivated. Short term wins help the staffs to remain motivated. This also helps the support needed for the change. (Kotter,1996) Consolidate gains: Organisation should check the policies that inhibit or restrain the changes and if there are any, they should be changed. The policies that catalyse the changes should be brought in to action to speed up the change and efficiency. (Kotter,1996) Institutionalise the change in the culture of the organisation: the changes that have been made should be institutionalised or embedded in the organisation as a culture and should be linked with the performance and leadership. (Kotter,1996) The first four steps of Kotters eight model act as a defroster a hardened equilibrium. Stages five to seven is the introduction of many new changes. It resembles with the change phase in the Lewins model. The last phase grounds the changes that have been made into the business or organisation culture. The success and improvement of the organisation depends on the proper follow of the sequence. ( Kotter,1996) The next change management model is the ADKAR model proposed by Jeffery M Hait (2006). ADKAR is basically a framework to understand change in the individual level which was later used in the field of business and management. It comprises of five elements which are Awareness (of the need of change), Desire ( to support and participate in the change), Knowledge( of how to change), Ability( to implement required skills and behaviours) and Reinforcement( to sustain the change). (Hait,2006) Awareness represents the understanding of the need of the change along with the nature and the affects of not going through the change. (Haitt,2006) Desire represents the desire to participate in the change. Even though desire is much more about the personal choice, it can be created with the intrinsic environment. There are many factors that create desire in the individual about the changes. (Haitt,2006) Knowledge is the basically the trainings and information access about how to change. Knowledge is very important as it is very necessary to have trainings and information access to implement the change. (Haitt,2006) Ability shows the actual implementation of the change at the required pace. It also represents the conversion for knowledge into action. How well the changes have been executed depends on the ability of the group or an individual. (Haitt,2006) Reinforcement represents the sustainability of the change. Sustainability depends on both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors. External factors include recognition, rewards and celebrations that are tied to the realisation of the change. The internal factor is the sense of achievement among the individuals regarding the change.(Haitt,2006) The ADKAR model is in very much sequential manner. It clearly represents how an individual experiences change. Desire cannot come before awareness because desires are only triggered when we are aware, similarly knowledge cannot come before desire as we do not seek for the knowledge before we have desire for it and similarly ability and reinforcement. (Haitt,2006) Having discussed the models of change management it is very important to know that these models were not created just for the sake of creating. Their implications have been highly beneficial in the real context. It is very important to realise that the importance of the change in the corporate society. Technological innovations and globalisation has made this world a much smaller place. Changing according to the changing world is necessary otherwise you just lag behind and can become very hard to get along all over again. To survive and prosper organisations must adopt strategies that realistically reflect their ability to manage multiple future scenarios. ( Paton, McCalman,2000) Business and managers are now faced with ever more complex and high dynamic operating environments than before. If we take a real life example then we can see that the car companies nowadays not only manufacture cars these days but they do much more than just do the manufacturing. They are involved in how to distribute them more widely and how to get more market share and manufacturing more diverse range of cars. Another real life example is the example of BRITISH AIRWAYS. Back in 1981 BRITISH AIRWAYS appointed a new chairperson. When he was appointed the company was very inefficient and wasnt properly utilising the resources. He then made a lot of changes in the company and restructured the whole company. For this he first analysed and realised that the company needed a lot of changes to gain more profit margins and he did so through change management methodology. Then he analysed the areas for the change. The company then systematically reduced the staffs. However, before doing this, through his change management leadership, he let the company know about the need for change to prepare them for the upcoming changes and the benefits behind it. He was able to let the company know about the changes about to happen which shows a good communication and was able to direct the company to prosperity and success. Change as we already said is inevitable and no one can escape the change. The fear of adjusting into new changes and risks that brings along with it is the reason that restrains the change. Having said that change is one of the most important parts of the growth. There can never be development and growth without change. Thats why different writers and management thinkers have published different theories and model to analyse the mechanism of change so as to better understand the change. These theories work as a testimony to the fact that the change is a real phenomenon and can be analyzed through different steps and methods. As I have discussed three models of change management in this essay, each model follows the same basic fundamental framework of the mechanism of change. However, each model has a different way of looking at the things. Lewins model is rather simple which sees change into 3 stages resembling it to the stages before the change, during the change and after the change. Lewins model is more of a generalised model. So, Lewins model of change exhibits the forces that either increase or restrain the changes. To sum up, when the combined strength of one force is greater than the combined strength of the restraining forces, then the change is more likely to happen. (Stephen, 2003) It also says what the factors are that we have to consider during the process of change. Kotters eight model theory sees the change phenomenon into eight different stages. Kotter has defined the change process into many different stages which gives us a more clear idea of how change happens and how a company succeed through change. Kotters model describes how market analysis creates the need of changes and how the changes have to be well communicated to the member of staffs to motivate them for the change. The next theory ADKAR sees change more from individualistic point rather than the change itself. ADKAR says that the staffs have to be aware about the need of change which creates desire for the change. Knowledge increases the ability to cope with the changes and reinforcement stabilises the changes. ADKAR basically cover all the major aspects of change. These three models of changes have a very good implication in the real world. Lewins model being rather simple might not be appropriate for the current change in the business world however the fundamental aspect of change is there. Kotters eight model and ADKAR are quite similar. Kotters model focus more on the change itself however ADKAR focuses on the individual level. I feel that Kotters model covers almost all the aspects of the change. It not only tells about the need of change but also how the changes have to be implemented. It talks about the communication and encouraging each other to work as a team. Apart from this it also says about empowering staffs which is very important and also the motivating factors like short term win makes this model much more applicable for all kinds of institutions and more reliable. With the end of my literature review I would like to research further on the topic: Importance of change for a prosperous future.

Graduation Speech: Our Next Big Climb :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Class of 2012, we've finally made it, but not without the help of our parents, teachers and mentors along the way. Maybe what they did for us was that they were a good rudder and we're the ship, and they got us to the sea where we remember who we are. Because we all get in that fog, where we forget who we are or what we're about, we get overwhelmed. I mean I've been there plenty of times in my life. But we're not going to remember most of our lives until the end. But we will remember certain moments. Maybe it's our first 4.0 report card, maybe it's our first 100 percent biology test, maybe it's our first homerun, our first touchdown. Whatever it may be, it will stay with us forever. Many of us have been together through elementary, middle and high school, and we have all had to work hard and remain focused to be where we are today. All change happens in a minute. Your life changes in a moment. Something triggers you and you finally make a decision and it all shifts. As years go by, y our body is going to change, your relationships are going to change, your attitude is going to change. Change is automatic, but progress is not. Our progress has brought us here tonight, and tonight will become one of those moments that we will cherish forever. I have been in the martial arts for about 12 years now, and I remembered my martial arts instructor, Mr. Charles Pearson, sitting everybody down during a black belt testing and telling us, "Earning a black belt is very much like climbing a mountain. You work hard, and eventually you'll work your way up to the top. But once you're there, your journey is not over; it simply has just begun. And you realize that there are other mountains for you to climb." As I now reflect back, I realize that school is very much the same. Our first mountain was a long, yet a fun, 12-year climb. Like all of the other unforgettable moments, this climb, in about 90 minutes or so will come to an end. We have finally reached our high school mountain top, and for a lot of us our next big climb may be to go to college. And for some of us, our next big climb may be to get a job, to travel around the world, start a new business, or even a career.