Russian and Chinese Revolutions

The Russian revolution occurred in 1917 when the country was an agrarian nation and it resulted to the formation of the Soviet Union. It was a fight of the working class against the ruling tsar and his army for the control of state power. The army lost the war mainly because the First World War had left it mutated and ill prepared for the revolution. Later in the year there was a civil war between the socialists who were aligned to lower class citizens and the provisional government that had taken power after the defeat of the army. The Russian revolution was a result of public dissatisfaction in all social classes like the peasants, the workers and soldiers. It led to the defeat of the monarchs and ruling conservatives that were opposed to the restructuring of the government into a socialist state as fronted by the Bolsheviks socialist party. Political parties were the main fighting forces in the revolution and the Bolsheviks party championed for socialist rule that was eventually adopted after their victory (Ross p.6). The Chinese revolution happened in the 1940s. After the revolution the Chinese Communist Party replaced the Chinese National party that was out of favour with the civilian population because of corruptions allegations despite having great financial support from the United States. The revolution allowed the People’s Republic of China to be created. The Chinese Communist party was responsible for the resulting socialist state after its victory in the revolution (Schrecker p.6-14).

In both revolutions, the environment that allowed the establishment to opposing political parties was responsible for the eventual emergence and victory of the socialist parties. However the two revolutions were different in the reasons behind the revolutions. The Chinese were motivated by the need to fight corruption in the national party while the Russians were seeking to stop the increasing power of the bourgeoisie.

The Creation and Evolution of the 21st Century in a Geopolitical Context

            The 21^st century’s current composition is as a result of assimilation and diffusion of ideologies as well as cultures, machines and instruments. Diffusion is considered as a process by which cultures evolve by adoption of new things by an individual or society from another society or individual. Advancement in communication has facilitated diffusion of ideologies. This has been driven by the need and desire of new traits as they oppose or compete with old traits. Diffusion has also arisen due to the fact that inventors or those who bring new traits to a society are respected. The 21^st century is a diffusion of various (Sharma p.136).       

            In the late 19^th century, much of the world was under colonialism, and the economies of the countries focused on producing what was required by their colonizing country. The Industrial Technology was not very developed and communication and transportation was slow compared to the 20^th century. The western world had largely adopted democratic institutions while the other parts of the world were mainly monarchies or lacked a formally defined form of government. As transportation technologies like the steam engine appeared and were deployed on a mass scale in the early 20^th century, communication among countries improved. The use of telephones and telegrams and the building of railway lines created also favourable environment for an increase in international trade. Discoveries made in one part of the world were immediately adopted in another part. International trade then prospered, and as a result of inter-state competition, new protective approaches were developed to safeguard state interests.  Colonialism became too difficult to sustain as natives in the colonised countries became educated started fighting for the right to rule their countries. In Africa the collapse of colonialism occurred in the middle of the 20^th century. A new ideology of imperialism replaced colonialism. As international trade flourished, disputes emerged with accusations of exploitation. Out of the necessity to maintain order and provide a dispute resolution mechanism, new world bodies were formed such as the World Trade Organization. Apart from the global body, trade alliances also emerged among countries enjoying similar levels of development. Political alignments also were formed depending on the ideologies followed by individual countries.  Such formations also extended to subject countries that were still loyal to their former colonial masters. For example, all countries previously under British rule and were still loyal to its monarchy formed the commonwealth union. On the other world first world countries in terms of development formed the G8 union so as to assist in governance of world affairs. Other unions did arise as a result of special needs. Oil producing nations formed Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to safeguard their interests as well as regulate oil production in the world (Amuzegar p.6).

The assimilation of ideologies considered as the incorporation of aspects of one ideology into another is shown in the US society in the 20^th century. After suffering the effects of the 1920s depression, aspects of the socialist ideology were assimilated to the otherwise complete capitalist society such as the introduction of pension systems and the guarantees on education and healthcare made possible by government funding that was obtained from tax revenues (Abramyan p.76).  After the cold war of the 1970s, communist countries assimilated part of capitalism into their economies through liberalization of key economic sectors and opened up their borders and ports for international trade.

In conclusion, geopolitics has emerged as the main factor that has influenced the assimilation and diffusion of ideologies that has also resulted in formation of new ideologies and country alignments to those ideologies. Industrial technology has played a key part in transforming cultures, trade as well as conflict. However the spread of technology has been had an opposition like that faced by ideologies. Instead technology has become an instrument of advancement embraced by all, for personal gains.

Works Cited

Abramyan, Evgeny. Civilisation in the 21^st Century. How to Save the Future, 2005.

Amuzegar, Jahangir. Managing the Oil Wealth: OPEC’s Windfall and Pitfalls. New York, NY: I.B. Tauris Publishers, 2001.

Ross, Stewart. The Russian Revolution. London, UK: Evan Brothers, 2002.

Schrecker, John. The Chinese Revolution in Historical Perspective. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

Sharma, Rajendra Kumar. Social Change and Social Control. New Delhi, India: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2007.

Dispositional and Learning Theories

Introduction

 Disposition is a personal trait that is unique to the individual and influences any other trait presented by the environment. Personal disposition according to Allport are individual characteristics that are important in describing a person as a single entity different from another or similar to another (Feist & Feist, 2009). Learning theory has emphasized that what individuals present as their traits have been acquired through a continuation of structuring and restructuring experiences during their social interactions. Learning is continuous and includes the individual’s emotions, cognition and environment aspects of the individual. The learning theory holds that all knowledge is obtained from experience (Mangal 2009). This essay breaks down the two theories and analyses their strengths and weaknesses.

Basic or underlying assumptions

The disposition theory places personal dispositions into a continuum that starts from those that are central to the person up to those that offer a non-significant influence. Those most central to the person have been referred to as cardinal dispositions. These are inborn traits that are clearly visible in their influence on every action that the person takes. A cardinal disposition is usually single when present in a person. Second on the continuum are central dispositions which include a larger number of traits than cardinal dispositions, usually five to ten traits that the individual would be described with from another person’s point of view. The third and last on the continuum are secondary dispositions occurring regularly even though they do not influence the actions of the individual as much as the previous two dispositions. An individual may possess more than one secondary disposition (Feist & Feist, 2009).

The personalities attributed to learning theory cannot be permanent, as the environment shaping them is dynamic. Similar to dispositions, learning is initiated by a drive which creates a discomfort in the individual such as hunger. There are primary drives necessary for survival. These are satisfied immediately before they become overwhelming. In addition, there are secondary drives learned from primary drives. In this case a person is driven to eat because of the primary drive of hunger, however the time at which the person eats is a learned behaviour from society as the appropriate meal time. Also similar to disposition theory, learning further divides drives based on what solves discomforts. Primary reinforces directly reduce the discomfort caused by the drive while secondary reinforces must be associated with primary reinforces and therefore act indirectly. For example the discomfort of hunger is reduced by food and money is used to buy the food. Money in this case is the secondary reinforcer (Engler, 2009).

Determinism versus free will

 Dispositions are also classified into motivational dispositions when they are influenced by basic needs and drive to initiate action and into stylistic dispositions when they guide the action taken by the individual. In an example, a person eats in order to suppress hunger, however what a person eats and how he eats will be determined by their stylistic dispositions, such that a carefree person may not care about what they eat as much as the responsible person will care. Disposition theory therefore claims that an individual personality traits will remain constant irrespective of a change in their environment or when presented with an unexpected trigger. It puts a greater premium to inborn traits over those acquired such that a person with a high IQ is likely to have a better start in unfavourable environments than those who acquire a high IQ because of being in the appropriate environment. In addition, a personality attributed to disposition is characterized by individual choice like what they will eat as opposed to a learned personality that withdraws the responsibility of decision from the person so that they choose based on what their environment presents (Feist & Feist, 2009).

Learning occurs in four stages of having the drive to act followed by a trigger or a cue to act and then acting or responding to the cue. Finally after several attempts of satisfying the drive, the best alternative is chosen and will be replicated every time the drive occurs. An individual’s will or choice of actions therefore becomes predictable based the learned reinforcement of the appropriate response to the drive. A learnt personality is heavily dependent on the environment and an individual has little room to choose based on their values since even their values are subject to evaluation using social traits in the environment (Engler, 2009).

Awareness of self

In disposition theory, a person’s personality is a combination of his proprium behaviours which the person feels a sense of ownership and those that are at the periphery performed unconsciously. Furthermore, it emphasizes that behaviour is concerned with the functionality of actions. Since a person personality is best described by their proprium behaviours, individuals then are more aware and actively choose how to act and their actions depict their inclination to certain life dimensions (Feist & Feist, 2009). Learned behaviour has no provision for in grown traits and explicitly suggests that an individual automatically adopts traits that work in the given environment. This assumption is akin to declaring that individuals are programmed socially and are not aware of their self (Engler, 2009).

Weaknesses

 Learning theory is appropriate in describing a person’s public traits because it is mostly concerned with historical facts of the person’s behaviour. It further suggests that behaviours and traits can be unlearnt by replacing them with newer ones. However when it comes to predicting behaviour, learning theory’s drive-reduction hypothesis becomes inadequate when there are no known similar encounters of the individual with the drive. It also fails to account for why some supposedly learnt traits like intelligence cannot be unlearnt. Finally, learned theory fails to explain why in the same environment, individuals react differently although they have all undergone the same conditioning. The dispositional theory also fails on the grounds that individuals are able to successful mimic new personalities that they learn from their environment as a result of being motivated externally, such as the case of learnt intelligence that afterwards makes these born intelligent, and those who learnt to be intelligent the same (Feist & Feist, 2009).

Strengths and Conclusion

Learning theory explains why it is possible to change a person’s personality by social conditioning and is the main reason of structured education systems that seeks to develop citizens of desirable personality. The theory is best applicable to social professions that are concerned with past actions of individuals such as investigators. Disposition theory draws its strength in its ability to accurately predict future actions of individuals when presented with known or unknown situations. To sum up, as personality theories, both dispositional and learning are extensive in their description, and at some point in individuals life, they are involved in formation of new traits. However they become inadequate tools of gauging a personality in times of danger and unusual events.

References

Engler, B. (2009) 8^th ed. Personality Theories: An Introduction. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Feist, J and Feist G.J. (2009) 7^th ed. Theories of personality. Hightstown, NJ: McGraw Hill Higher Education.

Mangal, S. K. (1998). General Psychology. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Company

What Do You Want in a Library Director?

Introduction

 The Fawville Public Library director, Sam Grillo, is leaving after completing his six month probation period. The director replaced by Sam Grillo had served the library for sixteen years. According to the library staff, none of the two directors’ leadership style was professional. Sam Grillo was viewed as an abdicator while the other director was autocratic. When the six month probation period for Sam Grillo ended, the board of trustees for the library saw it fit not to confirm him as the new director. As a result of their decision, the post of library director is now vacant. The board has noted the need for having a professional director and has decided to involve the library staff in the interviewing process. Aside from the excitement, the staffs are grateful for this decision and want to make proper use of their chance to ask questions to the interview candidates. They hope their involvement in the interview process will lead to the hiring of a new director who is not as bad as the previous two. The library staffs want a new director who has the skills in the art of management. Since this is the first time, the staffs are involved in the interview process; they need assistance in vetting candidates, especially on the ways of detecting hidden character aspects of an individual that may not be clear when only interview questions are relied upon. On its part the board has noted that the previous recruitment exercise for library director only attracted one applicant. Therefore to attract more applicants, the board is looking at the option of raising the salary perks to match those of directors of similar sized libraries.

The Best Alternative to Resolving the Case

In order to be best prepared for the interview, the staff must understand the reasons that made the previous recruitment a failure. First, the board of trustees was inexperienced and did not know how well to conduct the interview for a new director. They must have omitted necessary steps that would have pointed out in advance the unsuitability of the candidate. Secondly the experience with an autocratic director might have blinded the board to immediately hire Sam Grillo on a probation term since he elucidated an opposite character. In coming up with interview questions and strategies, the staffs should observe the following guidelines to avoid pitfalls. The staffs should avoid using the performances of the previous directors as yard sticks to measure the expected performance of the potential candidates. Secondly, they should not rush the process and should suggest a postponement of the interview if they feel that there has not been adequate time to prepare and attract favourable candidates. One may argue that the staffs have demonstrated a high degree of self-motivation, responsibility, are adaptive to the various library needs and tasks and have an eagerness to learn and innovative (Hull et.al. 2005). However this argument shouldn’t make the staff take the easy way out of choosing one of their own. They should understand that they have demonstrated those qualities collectively and at a staff’s capacity and not a director’s one (Alliance Library System, n.d.).

 The staffs have been frank in mentioning that they have no previous experience. To remedy this, they should engage a reputable recruitment consultant. Attracting the services of such a consultant will require that the staff and the board be willing to offer an attractive payment package. This should be viewed as a price to pay for the best service (Article Alley, 2011). Lastly, the staffs must avoid over emphasizing on the technical abilities of the candidates and recognize that a good director will be visionary and regularly communicate properly with the board, staffs and other stakeholders like interest groups and community leaders. Before the actual interview, the staffs should have an informal exit interview with Sam Grillo the leaving director (Hull et.al. 2005). This will serve as a learning experience on what to emphasize on while formulating interview questions. Using this opportunity, the staffs will be able to know any unique attributes that has served them well that should be in possession of the new director. Most importantly, the staffs will get a description of the job from a real director and this will assist in cementing or trashing their biases and expectations (Serrat, 2008).

 Lowville library is a public institution and therefore the staffs should be aware of the legalities of their interview questions. Secondly they should note the government’s requirements for public library directors (Eggett, 2008). The staffs have demonstrated that they already know the qualities to look for in a candidate. Their main challenge is how to spot those qualities in the candidates. First they should check the references provided and look for others like the employees of the institutions that a candidate has indicated in his working experience. In checking the references, information about the quality and amount of work done as well as the exact areas of competence should be asked (Wynn, 2010). The task of checking references will spare the staffs agony of knowing the candidate’s managing style, their relationships with their former boards and staff as well as their abilities to work in stressful conditions.

Implementation plan and Conclusion

During the interview, the staffs should capture the feelings of the candidates as they answer questions, and should listen carefully to what the candidates say and avoid saying. Any negative response should be checked again and the currency of the candidate’s experiences should be considered (Hull et.al. 2005). It is expected that all candidates called for the interview would have passed the screening process; the staffs should therefore avoid the obvious questions that seek basic career information from the candidate. It is important the questions are structured to provide answers that show evidence or lack of it for the following competencies. First, the candidate should be a strategic thinker, be able to deal with stress and have a proper customer service attitude. Secondly the candidate’s answers should demonstrate proper handling of workplace politics, cultural sensitivity, and a high degree of problem solving ability. Finally, the candidate should be able to multitask with ease (Interview Skills Consulting, n.d.).

One of the ways to be able to achieve all this is to formulate a case study problem using the previous experiences of the library staffs, board and the users. Each candidate should then be presented with the crafted problem and asked to solve (Tellis, 1997). Presentation of the problem may be in a dialogue form, in writing or by use of a hybrid setup that captures the candidates written and oral communication qualities as well as their feelings while tackling the problem. In this way the staffs will be able to have the closest resemblance of an actual work performance by the interview candidates. The Lowville Public Library staff have only been invited to attend the interview process, and formulation of a case study is the most appropriate way the can use to find out if the interview candidates possess skills and qualities they are looking for.

References

Hull, H. A., Custer M. L., Gavey J. F., Tabor J. M. & Hage L. C. (2005). A library board’s practical guide to finding the right library director. Detroit Suburban Librarians’ Roundtable Succession Planning Committee. Retrieved 10 March 2011 from http://www.owlsweb.info/L4L/trustees/GuideToFindingTheRightLibraryDirector.pdf

Alliance Library System. (n.d.) Hiring a new library director. Retrieved 10 March 2011 from http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/CEpdf/Hiring_a_%20new_director.pdf

Serrat, O. (2008).Conducting exit interviews. Knowledge Solutions. Retrieved 10 March 2011 from http://www.adb.org/Documents/Information/Knowledge-Solutions/Conducting-Exit-Interviews.pdf

Interview Skill Consulting (n.d.). Competency based interviews. Retrieved 23, February 2011 from http://www.interview-skills.co.uk/competency-based-interviews.aspx

Tellis, W. (1997). Application of a Case Study Methodology. The Qualitative Report, 3(3). Retrieved 23, February 2011 from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-3/tellis2.html

Eggett C.B. (2008). Orientation manual for new library directors. 2^nd ed. Salt Lake City, UT.: Utah State Library Division

Article Alley. (2011). Recruitment consultants – a benefit for employers and companies. Retrieved 10 March 2011 from http://www.articlealley.com/article_1987446_36.html

Wynn, B. (2010). Making the right hire first time, every time. Recruitment Views. Retrieved 10 March 2011 from http://www.recruitment-views.com/making-the-right-hire-first-time-every-time/1295

Globalization in Canadian focus

Globalization is a common phenomenon in the 21^st century enterprise world. It brings with it both advantages and challenges to local industries. Globalization has created more opportunities while posing pressures to a number of firms that have not fully adopted innovative modes of conducting business (James 211). Companies have reacted differently to globalization, and being driven by a sole aim of making profits have aligned themselves to sound innovation to improve their competitive standing. The research paper is looking to explain the cultural, economic and technological advantages of globalization to Canada.

With the removal of trade tariffs and other protectionism measures, globalization has brought growth avenues and challenges for the local companies with the urgent need to embrace innovation to survive and thrive in the industry. Globalization is a term used to imply the increased nature of economic openness to increase relationships and businesses between countries (Roger and Berdahl 129). Most economic experts have often criticized protectionist measures applied by a number of countries to regulate the level of economic activities in their country. Due to sound reviews and international pressures, most economies have softened their previous stand to embrace globalization. Despite facing many challenges, globalization benefits have often been exaggerated with the minimalism of its disadvantages. In the contemporary society, little has been paid to the effects of globalizations in the domestic industries. However, its impacts to productive firms have captured a considerable attention from both policy makers and governments. Policy makers presume innovation to be a core factor of globalization that affects productivity of firms. To thrive in both local and international markets, companies need to adopt sound innovations that improve both the quality and quantity of their product. To achieve this, a firm needs to harness and use news ideas and methods in its operations. Innovation influence is widespread in economies and business industry alike. These innovations range from steel cars to creating a locomotive. In both the traditional and electronic businesses, innovation is considered a growth catalyst. This implies that companies that have adopted new technologies have an upper hand when it comes to competition in the industry (Roger and Berdahl 178).

According to economists, competition between firms, production efficiency and technology are important aspects that enhance economic growth of a nation (Peter 54). In accordance to this view, globalization advocates for industry competition and individual firm innovation to thrive an industry. Adoption of new technologies has often been associated with large firms. There is a common believe that large firms are important forces of progress that dictate the technology to be adopted in an industry. Competition between firms discourages monopolistic tendencies and foster innovation. Furthermore, scholars argue that firms’ innovation is guided by the level of its guiding technology. To be precise, industry competition agitates for new ideas for companies enjoying market efficiency while promoting a status quo for the inefficient ones. With the leniency of protectionist policies, traditional industries are forced to accept and apply new ideas when there is a new entrant i.e. foreign to help it retain its market position. However, inefficient firms are often locked out of competition as adoption of new technologies may end up eating up their profits. From the discussion, it is apparent that globalization has played an integral role in Canada in fostering the adoption of new technologies that benefit firms and the entire economy in both the short and long run.

Canada like other western economies is still recovering from the financial crisis shocks. Whereas the Asian tigers are enjoying a robust growth with increased levels of employment, Canada is still complaining of high unemployment and inflation rate. The unemployment and inflation issues have taken Canada to the drawing board as far as their international competitiveness and influence in the local economy is concerned. According to Canada policy analysts, globalization is largely to blame for the certain diminishing levels of its influence in the international economics (James 107). By embracing globalization and its opportunities, companies relocated out of their traditional countries. This move was necessitated by the reduced cost of doing business in these countries. This beats logic as the sole aim of business in to increase its revenues through the reduction of costs and improved quality.

Information technology and internet growth are the backbone of globalization. Most companies are able to operate at remote regions while maintaining lower communication and institutional costs. In addition, acceptance of English speaking countries in Asia to open up their economies to international companies has accelerated globalization (James 179). In relation to India, companies relocating there are able to harness cheap labor. While there is huge debate on the implications of globalization on the innovative activities of firms, there is an agreement that sound technology is the primary remedy of increasing jobs and improving the welfare of individuals. Innovation is guided by the production of quantity and quality goods. Therefore, its adoption could improve the citizens’ living standards from increasing products of choice to improved products and new ones. In addition, innovation is responsible for the creation of well-paying jobs that improve both firm and employees welfare in the long run. Moreover, consumers are also in the benefit trail. They realize this from improved product value and the availability of increased products of choice (Wallace and Vosko 184).

Considering the imminent need for innovation in today contemporary business world, many countries are concerned about the increased level of technology and production efficiency of competing countries. Initial industries concern is the loss of business to emerging economies who are fully exploiting innovation in their endeavors. The rate of adoption and the potential area of influence are some of the aspects considered during the design of an innovative system (Stephen and Wood 12). Innovation based on the aforementioned and rapid integrators to new technologies aid boost traditional efforts. In addition, globalization has changed the innovative activities of firms, both small and large in a huge way. Globalization has done a lot in enhancing specialization. In addition, it has enabled companies to enhance its productivity through the division of labor. By fostering division of labor, globalization has enabled individuals to be creative in their own field. This has relatively influenced the manner of operation of firms as any activity is guided by intensive research.

In the recent past, countries have found out that the only way to survive in the ever-changing business world is to be innovative. Each one of them is positioning itself to outdo fellow competitors. Most policy makers and company think tanks are in full support of this initiative of setting pace in technology. International markets are often considered open to innovative individuals. This implies only companies that are guided by consumer needs will thrive. To foster innovation, governments have lobbied private sector stakeholders as well as universities. The 20^th century acted as a transitional stage of some economies and companies (Stephen and Wood 36). The companies that adopted new technologies were rated well in terms of performance and time savings. However, despite failure to be reflected in statistical books, innovative firms have been able to increase its revenues base as well as its market. This will be looked in the preceding paragraphs where we will be looking at how Canada manufacturing industry embraced innovation in its quest for increased market presence.

Canada has been reluctant to embrace globalization fully. Many conspiracy theories have been advanced to scare away the public and business community. There worries been aggravated by it been considered a shadow to the United States of America in terms of resources and global influence. Opponents of globalizations argue that liberalized borders could dilute Canadian culture. However, proponents see globalization as an opportunity to repair and cement Canada relations with the south. Although a number of policy makers critique the size of the Canadian market, the business world sees protectionist measures as barriers and total nuisance to business. The FTA (Free trade agreement) and NAFTA together with other agreements that seek to open up the borders between Canada, the United States and the rest of the world are paramount in facilitating trade while enhancing domestic growth (Stephen and Wood 65). Canada industries are lacking behind in terms of innovation compared to its neighbor, the United States of America. In accordance to Canada competition muscle, experts see its country being a dumping zone for other country products and culture.

To limit the effects of Americanization, experts are calling for citizen protection through the revamping of social programs. There is an assertion that its association with America’s agenda is diluting Canadian culture. However, according to cultural experts, integration and exchange of culture is imminent in the 21^st century. In comparison to united states working culture, Canada workers enjoying the services of trade unions are half that of their immediate trade partner. However, Canadian trade unions are more powerful compared to the United States based firms. This is because they defend service sector and high tech firms in the industry.

Increasing local and international demand for Canadian products call for both short term and long term measures. Manufacturers need to inject much of their capital in infrastructure. They also need to engage in the development of production equipments that matches the increasing demand. In addition, new investments need to be in line with the expanding local economy. Moreover, due to economic predictions, the manufacturing industry needs to be preparing for international liberalization. To attract and retain consumers, manufactures need to go a notch higher in their strategies. With the sound production systems being operational, manufacturers’ introduction of commodity warranties will help the country compete on an equal footing with other states. This move will be a cracker to both the local and international market demonstrating the maturity of Canadian industry. With the level of confidence in the industry, banks will willing to offer financing services to new investors. The innovations and subsequent measures employed by the manufacturers and banks will attracted the world to invest in Canadian economy. Canadian companies need to harness globalized opportunity and established plants in some other countries that provided ready market for its goods and had reduced production costs (Rodney and Klassen 121).

Adoption of new technologies in the Canadian industries is to be credited for it rapid expansion and subsequently influencing the world. Traditionally, the united states of America were the largest customers of Canadian products. However, with continued innovation and improvements, the market demand for their products in other parts of the world has increased tremendously. The ever-improving technology aided Canada in its quest for new markets (Rodney and Klassen 143).

In their quest to conquer, the world, Canadian industry has experienced a number of pressures. However, the level of their response has kept them competitive while allowing them thrives in a populated market. Although globalization has opened up economies, it does not postulate a universal rule of engagement. Different states are guided by different rules and regulations. The satisfaction of all the regulations is a hurdle for most companies, those of Canada included. Most of these regulations often change with time and no company is able to conform to them fully at a go. These new social requirements range from lead pollution traffic safety measures. To address some of these social requirement issues, manufactures have designed industrial products that are environmental friendly to limit pollution and enhance user safety (Peter 117).

Despite the challenges facing Canadian manufacturing industry, its international presence i.e. to the United States of America and Europe has increased over the years. The interest of industrial manufactured products by the aforementioned nations is due to their performance and efficiency. Canada is also experiencing an increased demand of its human resource personnel from all over the world. This growing demand has led to the adoption of innovative strategies to establish plants in those countries. In addition, Canadian companies have enjoined in mergers and joint ventures to increase its presence in the global arena (Wallace and Vosko 357).

In conclusion, globalization of traditional industries is imminent, and the level of innovation in their primary activities is growing rapidly. With the need to increase international presence, firms need to reduce their production costs and employ sound and innovative activities that will keep them and edge in the ever-competitive environment. To survive rapid competition, firms need to merge or engage in joint ventures with other foreign companies. That way, a company is able to avoid several bottlenecks. Joint venture checks the operation costs while improving company efficiency levels. In addition, the interaction of personnel helps in the exchange of ideas and technical knowhow. The level of response of industries to social requirements of a state is also vital to its survival. The increased receipts of many economies are resulting from globalization. In addition, globalization has also provided an avenue of exchanging knowledge between states. This has led to political changes in a number of connected countries. From the discussion, it is paramount that for businesses and economies to increase their incomes, it has to embrace globalization fully. From Canada industries, it is imminent that countries that have embraced globalization by adopting sound business laws and legislations have thrived both locally and internationally. Protectionist measures are retrogressive and only aid to benefit monopolies at the expense of the public.

Works Cited

James, Bickerton. Canadian politics. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2009.

Wallace, Clement, and Leah Vosko. Changing Canada: political economy as transformation. New York, NY: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 2003

Peter, Urmetzer. Globalization unplugged:sovereignty and the Canadian state in the twenty-first century. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2005.

Rodney, Haddow, and Thomas Klassen. Partisanship, globalization, and Canadian labour market policy: four provinces in comparative perspective. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2006.

Stephen, Clarkson, and Stepan Wood. A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance. Vancouver, Colombia: UBC Press, 2009.

Roger, Gibbins, and Loleen, Berdahl. Western visions, western futures: perspectives on the West in Canada. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2003.

International Relations

1. Individual Level Analysis on the Iraq war that started in 2003

For any action undertaken, there has to be a cause. In addition, to ascertain the real cause, it is paramount to analyze the reasons behind the action. In accordance to individual level analysis, it is essential to find in-depth facts about George bush for his decision to invade Iraq. Bush character, normally associated to his strong religious beliefs is believed to have influenced his decisions to invade Iraq. In addition, his ability view matters as they appear triggered the invasion.

2. United States as the only Super Power in the world today and its affects

The position has enabled the USA agitate for internationally accepted policies both in the economic, political and social arena. This has advantaged both the developing and developing countries and has therefore enhanced their trust in the US. However, being a super power has nurtured enmity east. This is solely because of the government continued fight of terrorism. Some Islamic nations feel the USA is over using its superpower abilities to intimidate them (Wilkinson 188).

3. Positive and negative effects of Nationalism in the United States

Positive effects of nationalism in the USA include the sense of national pride, where citizens cherish the state of their country. Cohesive state is another positive aspect, where each individual feel accommodated. Some negative effects are racism; this implies lack of tolerance by citizens. In addition, the exploitation of citizens is another negative aspect (Wilkinson 117).

4. Possibility of a two state solution in the current Israel Palestinian conflict

A two state solution is possible to solve the Middle East crisis. This is because the solution will leave the Jewish with their identity as a Jewish state while guaranteeing Palestine of their long fought independence.

5. The greatest benefit and the biggest drawback to cultural globalization

Knowledge transfers and information exchange are two major benefits of cultural globalization. On the other hand, dilution of unique cultures and subsequent elimination is a drawback to this globalization.

6. NGO’s and Global issues

To a large extend NGO’s have been effective in defending the plight of women globally. These organizations have advocated for the respect of women rights in not only social but also Political and economic affairs (Wilkinson 93). Apart from defending human rights, NGOs are better placed to address the issues of global warming. NGOs initiatives in both the developed and developing countries have seen the reduction in HIV/AIDs infections.

Works cited

Wilkinson, Paul. International Relations. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, 2010.

Everyone should be Free to Wear Leather and Fur

Clothing made out of fur and leather can last longer than the life of the animal that produced them. Therefore, the use of fur and leather is one way of extending the productivity of animal products beyond the consumption of meat, milk and labor. It is important to view fur and leather clothing as animal products just like meat. Everyone should be free to wear fur and leather. Instead of arguing against the use of fur, concerned voices should be advocating for proper ways of animal management.

Why Everyone Should be Free to Wear Leather and Fur

According to Wenz (1989), carnivorous animals predate on other animals for their food. That is the natural way of their food chain. Humans are omnivorous and can eat both animal products and plant products. In addition, humans are civilized and have other needs such as clothing and shelter. The most natural way of obtaining resources to fulfill their needs is by mimicking the food chain. Thus, it is natural for humans to kill animals for fur, just as it is natural for them to kill for meat.

Humans rely on nature’s imagery to develop a symbolic life in line with their civilization. An examination of the human nature and civilization reveals several contrasts. The contrasts structure how humans regard the world such as purity and danger, the raw and the cooked sacred and profane. As long as humans are using their imagination based on the symbolic life of nature, they are bound to encounter many conflicts. The conflicts we revolve around the two principles of living an imaginative and meaningful life and on the other hand, doing no harm to animals (Wolfe, 1993).

Now basing on the above realization, it is okay for animal rights activist and theorists to state that there are patterns present in human living that are cruel to animals. Their argument, that people’s way of exploiting animal species to make their lives rich and meaningful is wrong, would suffice in this case. However, their argument fails short of the fact that in order for people to make the world rich and prosperous, they have to include fantasy, excitement and creativity. Without what the said cruelty to animals, then life would be numb. There are numerous examples of the ways in which human practices rely on some degree of animal cruelty to have a significant meaning and impact. They include religious practices, art, sport and cultural expressions (Wolfe, 1993). In the same manner, where society allows for rearing of cows and other animals for their meat products, it should allow the use of fur and leather to make clothing.

The debate on animal cruelty wrongfully advocates for the total avoidance of animal products. If that were truly a justified case, then it would be inappropriate and immoral to use any animal for any benefit. If activist campaigns against use of fur and leather were sincere then, they would also discourage wildlife tourism and bird watching as human activities that exploit animals and birds. Unfortunately, they do not and that serves as a container for suspicion in their arguments.

Animal cruelty is subjective depending on culture. It is wrong to assume that every fur and leather product comes from an animal that faced torturous conditions. There is need to recognize that animals have lifespans and one way or another they must die. Secondly, domestication of animals is product of civilization whose aim is to benefit from the animal products without having to endure the stress of hunting down animals like other predators.

Before industries were developed, humans lived in forage societies and had no capacity to manufacture alternatives to animal products through processing of plants and other materials. The advent of industrialization is good because it provides alternatives to fur and leather among other things. However, it does not present an absolute solution to the balance of species in the world. A scenario where there is no use of animal product or their derivatives for the sake of saving animals from cruelty appears noble but hides problems of population control that would arise.

In natural selection, predators help to keep species populations within numbers that their environment can support. When you remove a predator from an ecosystem, you allow the prey species population to grow without a check. The downside would be a rapid reduction of the species serving as food to the former prey species. The resulting food chain would be unstable and eventually collapse with the death of all species out of lack of food unless a new species appears to complete the food chain. Likewise, human predation of animals serves the natural order of maintaining their populations. On the other hand, as human population increases, it is only appropriate that other animal populations decrease so that a balance suffices on the food chain. Food chain in this case includes use of animal products other than food. Moreover, as the demand for certain animal products increases against their limited supply, their value increases. When the importance of such animals increases, then naturally it becomes apparent that their preservation is more profitable to the society than their destruction. However, this does not imply that such animals should not be killed. Instead, the harvest of their products, either meat of otherwise, needs a more sustainable approach.

The debate about the use and killing of animals should not be about cruelty, except in the extreme cases, but on the sustainability of their use to the ecosystem. According to PETA, an organization advocating against use of animal products such as fur, animals have their throats cut while they are still conscious (PETA, n.d.). That is true; however, it does not amount to cruelty in an extreme sense. Besides, any other way of killing the animals let blood remain in the animal’s body when the requirement is for a blood free meat. Moreover, PETA claims that it is cruel to skin animals alive (PETA, n.d.). What opinion would the same organization hold for a lion in the wild hunting and feasting on an antelope as it fought for its life?

Conclusion

It is natural for one species to kill another for food and other resources including pleasure (Wenz, 1989). People concerned with the cruelty of killing animals for fur and leather need to remind themselves that the industries producing the alternatives that they advocate for also guilty of animal cruelty as they define it. Just like fur production leads to the production of wastes that pollute the environment, the alternative products also pass through the industrial process leading to by-products that have negative environmental effects. Therefore, it is hypocritical to call for a stop on animal cruelty by discouraging use of fur and leather. Once again, everyone should be free to wear fur and leather. Concerns should be on sustainability of the environment rather than morality.

References

PETA. (n.d.). Animals used for clothing. Retrieved 5 July 2011, from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/default2.aspx

Wenz, P. S. (1989). Treating animals naturally. Between the Species, 1-10. Retrieved 5 July 2011, from http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1098&context=bts

Wolfe, A. (1993). The human difference: animals, computers and the necessity of social science. Los Angeles: University of California.

Comprehensive art education

The knowledge of the efficacy of art education is important for school tutors and their faculty who desire to have the best teaching methods. Additionally, parents are interested in having their kids go through the education system and graduate being well armed with skills to help them cope with the ever changing world and discourage jeopardy of their futures as adults (Steers, 2007). Communities also wish that the learned population were able to put into good use their acquired knowledge for the wellbeing of the society. The paper is looking to analyze in detail the art education and its importance to education stakeholders and society.

The sole aim of a teacher is to equip students with the necessary skills postulated by the curriculum. The transfer of knowledge from teacher to student often entails the use of different methods. However, several researches in the education sector agree that, students learning needs to be engaging if he/she is to grasp the details (Manzo, 2008). The use of art has been identified as one of the effective forms of engaging students and helps them think in a wider perspective. The application of art into the process of learning enables foster student creativity outside the learning material used in the course. In addition, a teacher who uses art in his/her course encourages student participation to an extent where the students are able to learn in an independent form. Moreover, the student emulating the teacher and the advanced examples in the learning tutorials is able to learn with a little personal effort. The ability of engaging individual knowledge to process given information individually is the nerve of the philosophy of art teaching. The intention of a teacher is to facilitate learning and he/she is required to lay a foundation for the student to construct it from there.

Learning is a mental process. Students need to be natured and shown the importance of art if the subject is to be accommodated with much ease. In addition, the students have a responsibility of changing their perspective and align it with the topic. The realization of the aforementioned is through cultivation of a cordial relationship between the tutor and the student in relation to art. In addition, there is need for the tutor to engage the mental and social state of the student to foster interest on the subject. Motivation is the result of mental engagement and it entails keeping the student spirits high at all time to enhance learning. There is a thin line between individual lives and art subject as the two are entangled to help student develop new dimensions of learning. This means that an art teacher is responsible of nurturing a mind that has ability to develop new horizons outside the learned areas. It is therefore paramount that the teacher is well versed with the knowledge limitations of the students to be able to maneuver easy learning techniques for them. Students look up to the teachers for motivation; this necessitates constant encouragements and rewards to keep art learning on track (Eger, 2008).

Conducive learning environment is essential for harnessing full potential of students. Tutors often have an urge to drive their students to reach set goals with ease; they use several methods to reach this ultimate goal. First, they encourage teamwork between different students. A team is made up of students with diverse modes of understanding. Working in a team means one is exposed to different challenges. In addition, groups enable the improvement of individual social conduct (LaPorte et al., 2008). Working in a team requires adherence to some etiquette, this therefore enhances the maturity of these persons. Secondly, tutors have the responsibility to give out exercises that are much engaging and require much individual analysis. The use of art enhances the thinking nature of students. The acquired knowledge enables them to analyze different issues critically demonstrating a skill of independent learning. With this developed mental state, the student is able to borrow from external learning resources for additional course learning.

Tutors are custodians of student inspiration and they often ensure that students vividly understand the initial stages of learning to prevent confusion on complex areas (Manzo, 2007). There is a considerable amount of challenges in the art learning process. They range from the amount of teacher interest on the subject to student inability to relate daily life with the subject matter. It is therefore paramount to ensure that the chosen tutor who is responsible for the dissemination of knowledge is passionate about the subject. There is a direct relationship between the level of teachers’ passion and the student understanding of the subject. It is considerably hard for a student to develop passion for an art when the teacher interest on the same is low. Developing students to appreciate the challenges experienced in the course of learning is important. This will eliminate the appetite of doing a task in a single manner and therefore enhance creativity. In addition, good teachers need to instill in their students that art is inbuilt and perspective on art is diverse. This will create an environment where students are motivated by individual development and innovations (Manzo, 2007).

Art education is an interesting area of learning. Students and teachers are always in a learning process. In addition, the amount of information and innovation developed in a daily basis are high. This has broadened the interaction arena between the tutors and students. The amount of critiques and appreciation of originality is amazing and it acts as innovation to the stakeholders. The capability of developing a design to tangible ideas and materials enhances maturity. Comprehensive art education is essential as it encourages responsibility. Students’ participation in several learning arenas will be improved and will encourage prudent use of time (LaPorte et al., 2008).

In conclusion, it is apparent that art education is essential learning tool as it levels the leaning ground of all students. Students have ability and opportunity of equal success in the field. In addition, art enables students to discover themselves and nature their talent with the guidance of an inspiring teacher. Several researches have advanced that, art is the only subject that unravels the uniqueness and potential of different students. However, the choice of teachers to advance the subject is important. This enhances the inspiration and urge of learning the subject. Student inspiration is important in the success of art education. Teachers need to undergo a thorough vetting during selection; this will ensure that the write people are handling the students. In addition, the sensitivity of a teacher is of utmost importance as it allows them gauge student abilities and relatively develops them. Given the aforementioned issues are taken into consideration, successful art education will be realized.

 

References

Eger, J. M. (2008). The arts in contemporary education. School Administrator, 65 (3), 32–35.

LaPorte, A. M., Speirs, P. & Young, B. (2008). Art curriculum influences: A national survey. Studies in Art Education, 49 (4), 358–370.

Manzo, K. K. (2007). House plan embraces subjects viewed as neglected. Education Week, 27 (3), 21 S12.

Manzo. K. K. (2008). Districts and partners coordinate on arts education. Education Week, 27 (42), 8–9.

Steers, J. (2007). The ever expanding art curriculum—is it teachable or sustainable? International Journal of Education through Art, 3 (2), 141–153.