Assessment for Learning techniques and the teaching of Science

The intent of this literature reappraisal is to research recent literature and research conducted into Assessment for Learning ( AfL ) techniques and associating straight to the instruction of Science as a topic within Primary Education. This literature reappraisal is preponderantly designed to turn to the undermentioned research inquiries: Which are the most normally used techniques of AfL in scientific discipline? How is constructivism linked to AfL in Science? Make other topics use different AfL techniques than are used in scientific discipline? How common is the usage of AfL in scientific discipline? What is the impact of the usage of AfL on students ‘ apprehension of scientific constructs? How does AfL impact on the application of scientific accomplishments at KS2? To research these inquiries, hunts were made utilizing ‘Athens ‘ , seeking the British Education Index ( BEI ) and The Educational Resources Information Center ( ERIC ) and Australian Education Index ( AEI ) research systems for articles and books associating to Assessment for Learning ( AfL ) , formative appraisal and scientific discipline instruction which had been published since 1990. Hand hunts were besides made through Primary Science Review, Science Education and School Science Review. Appraisal for Learning ( AfL ) has been defined as: â€Å" the procedure of seeking and construing grounds for usage by scholars and their instructors to make up one's mind where scholars are in their acquisition, where they need to travel and how best to acquire at that place. † ( Assessment Reform Group, 2002 ) The application of scientific accomplishments at KS2 has been encapsulated by the Welsh Assembly Government in their new Welsh Curriculum paperss introduced in 2008 as: â€Å" Learners should be taught to associate their scientific accomplishments, cognition and apprehension to applications of scientific discipline in mundane life, including current issues. They should be taught to recognize that scientific thoughts can be evaluated by agencies of information gathered from observations and measurings. † ( Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, 2008 ) Research into AfL ( e.g. Black & A ; William, 1998 and Osborne & A ; Freyberg, 1985 ) has indicated that whilst it is apparent that all kids benefit, it is ‘not something added to learning, but is built-in to it ‘ ( Harlen, 2006b, p. 176 ) . In kernel, AfL can non be an add-on to the pedagogical procedure ; conversely it must be inherently encompassed within all instruction and acquisition patterns. Harrison and Black ( 2004 ) develop the political orientation behind Black and William ‘s work ( 1998 ) associating to AfL techniques and research straight to the topic of Science. Whilst preponderantly focussed towards secondary scientific discipline instruction, this work is still relevant to Primary Education. In this work, they develop the logical thinking behind the advantages of the usage of AfL within Science lessons. â€Å" Science provides the agencies by which scholars can interact with the universe around them and develop thoughts about the phenomena they experience. So, when they attempt activities such as shooting seeds, their surveies in scientific discipline equip them with ways to detect and oppugn what is go oning. Through experiments they can get down to work out and predict what might go on if conditions for the turning works alteration. To be able to larn scientific discipline in this manner, pupil demands help in developing procedure accomplishments to look into, and communicating accomplishments to inquiry and discuss findings. Formative appraisal fits good into this acquisition scenario, since its intent is for instructors to sift the rich informations that arise in schoolroom treatment and activity, so that professional opinions can be made about the following stairss in larning. † ( Black & A ; Harrison, 2004, p. 3 ) In her paper presented to the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Moody ( 2009 ) highlights the by and large accepted techniques of AfL used within the schoolroom, which many articles are by and large in understanding with, which are: Peer and self-assessment Sharing larning ends and success standards Effective inquiring and duologue Effective instructor feedback In add-on, the importance to an effectual schoolroom clime where kids are encouraged to portion their ideas and unconstrained by the rectification of incorrect replies and the feeling that being incorrect is a negative instead than the chance to portion initial thoughts, is indispensable. When researching methods into AfL and its debut into the primary schoolroom, history determines that the Plowden Report ( 1967 ) must be mentioned and discussed sing her research and determination that showed, harmonizing to Bell ( 2008 ) ‘in hindsight, astonishing vision ‘ when it indicated that a successful instruction should include: ‘child-centred ‘ approached to learning a subject based course of study find acquisition The nucleus rules and values that straight relate to modern AfL techniques and doctrines require that: kids ‘s positions are extremely valued and actively sought out that their acquisition engages them in a manner that they can actively associate them to other facets of their lives the acquisition of accomplishments across the course of study enables kids to be equipped to cover with a assortment of state of affairss instead than a individual capable subject. Critics of these ideals as Gillard ( 2004 ) describes are the ‘writers of the ‘Black Papers ‘ and their followings ‘ who ‘criticised much of what the primary schools were making and blamed the Plowden Report at least in portion for what they saw as unwanted tendencies ‘ during the 1970s and 1980s. Driver ( 1983 ) , nevertheless agrees with the underlying doctrine behind the Plowden study findings, saying that ‘It is, after all, the coherency as perceived by the student that affairs in larning. ‘ Driver was besides portion of the Children ‘s Learning in Science Project ( CLISP ) which researched the country that â€Å" it is every bit of import in learning and course of study development to see and understand kids ‘s ain thoughts as it is to give a clear presentation of the conventional scientific theories † ( Driver, 1983 ) In their article, Lindsay and Clark ( 2001 ) describe ways in which AfL schemes ( and specifically self- and peer-assessment ) can be used to develop a ‘constructivist schoolroom ‘ where kids take part in ‘creating and reflecting on their acquisition ‘ ( p. 15 ) . They besides identify advantages to these techniques specifically develop scientific accomplishments saying that ‘children go more scientific in their enquiriesaˆÂ ¦encourages kids to be invariably involved in the scientific procedure and their function within it ( p. 18 ) . Black and Harrison ( 2004 ) besides discuss the importance of treatment within the scientific discipline schoolroom where ‘students feel they can uncover current apprehension and be helped to further understanding ‘ and experience that this is ‘an indispensable ingredient to doing formative appraisal map in the schoolroom ‘ ( p. 9 ) . With respects to speak within the schoolroom, many authors have defined three different sorts: Triadic duologue ( three phases – normally teacher induction, pupil response and teacher rating ) , Authorative discourse ( teacher conveying information to the students ) and Synergistic or non-interactive talk. Chin ( 2006 ) suggests that the triadic duologue method is ‘often perceived to hold restrictive effects on student believing ‘ ( p. 1316 ) , that thoughts conveyed by the instructor utilizing authorative discourse tend to be ignored and that synergistic talk is described as duologue. By and large in understanding are Asoko and Scott ( 2006 ) who propose that ‘effective learning involves all these attacks ‘ ( p. 163 ) . Hodgson ( 2010 ) describes the sharing of success standards with the kids in a Primary schoolroom as a ‘key AfL scheme ‘ and is linked straight with feedback. Black and Harrison agree with this point in their sum-up of what they believe are the indispensable factors of effectual feedback: â€Å" should actuate the kid ‘to discourse his or her ideas with the instructor or a equal ‘ ( p. 12 ) in order to originate the self-development of the kid encourages instantaneous action ‘relates back to the success standards ‘ ( p. 13 ) Allows scholars to compare their ain thoughts of accomplishment against that of the instructor or equal Indicates to the kid ‘where to travel for aid and what they can make to better ‘ ( p. 13 ) † ( Black & A ; Harrison, 2004 ) Leakey ( 2001 ) carried out a survey where she reported on her ain experiences with experimenting with sharing larning aims and success standards with kids of a scope of ages and believes it to be a successful AfL scheme because it ‘gives kids ownership of their ain acquisition ‘ ( p. 68 ) . Leakey besides suggests that it is merely with the penetration of what it is that they are seeking to accomplish can kids are able to do connexions with any feedback that they later receive. Koegh and Naylor ( 1996 ) delivered a talk at Manchester Metropolitan University sharing their thoughts that: â€Å" Constructivist positions of larning in scientific discipline suggest that scholars can merely do sense of new state of affairss in footings of their bing apprehension. Prior cognition is used by scholars to construe observations ; significance is constructed by persons in a procedure of adding to or modifying their bing thoughts. † ( Keogh & A ; Naylor, 1996 ) and cited the plants of others who portion the same position ( Driver ( 1983 ) ; Osbourne & A ; Freyberg ( 1985 ) and Scott ( 1987 ) ) . The illations behind the constructivist theory associating to instruction are that the instructor is required to happen out kids ‘s thoughts ( evocation ) in order to take them into consideration when be aftering their instruction to supply instruction and acquisition experiences which will develop the kids ‘s thoughts and dispute their apprehension of a specific country. Within scientific discipline instruction, there has been a great trade of research into the benefits of utilizing constructivism as a method of AfL with many instructors appreciating the construct of constructivism within the scientific discipline schoolroom. Curriculum resources have been developed along with specific research including the ( Science Processes and Concept Exploration ( SPACE ) undertaking ( 1990-92 ) and as a consequence research by Nuffield Primary Science who have used this research to develop many pedagogical AIDSs and learning resources for instructors within the schoolroom. However, Bentley and Watts ( 1991 ) discussed their concerns that there is a differentiation between what they define as the ‘strong ‘ features of theoretical constructivism and the ability of instructors to use it to their instruction ensuing in a ‘weak ‘ version of constructivism that is delivered in the schoolroom. Leeds ( 1992 ) describes that although instructors find it easier to be after activities following an evocation session where scholars ‘ preconceived thoughts have been identified, the practicalities of orienting an inclusive instruction where all kids ‘s larning issues associating to a specific country is near impossible when faced with a category of 30 differing thoughts. In relation to the difference between the sum of research into the benefits of a constructivist attack to instruction and the teaching resources and pedagogical counsel available, Claxton ( 1986 ) described the ‘mountain of illustrations of kids ‘s alte rnate constructs ‘ ( p. 126 ) which were available at that clip and noted that the counsel for instructors on how to reconstitute the scholars ‘ thoughts was less outstanding in the literature. More recent research besides focuses more closely on the evocation of thoughts, but much less is written about methods and techniques which allow instructors to reconstitute these thoughts as a whole category exercising. The purpose of the SPACE undertaking was to: â€Å" ‘start where the kids are ‘ , constructing on the thoughts kids bring with them to lessons and assisting them to develop their apprehension of scientific constructs. † ( Nuffield Foundation ) Nuffield Primary Science developed a series of books covering the Science Curriculum, which included many misconceptions of kids in each country along with illustrations of construct sketchs and illustrations of activities that could be used in order to reconstitute the highlighted misconceptions and develop kids ‘s thought, in order to assistance instructors within the schoolroom to enable kids to prove out their ain thoughts through ‘practical hands-on activities and probes ‘ . These publications are now unluckily out of print ; nevertheless the studies associating to the SPACE undertaking continue to be available from the Nuffield web site ( Nuffield Primary Science ) . The usage of specific schemes such as construct sketchs ( Keogh & A ; Naylor, 2000 ) and mind function ( Stow, 1997 ) present researched methods of evocation within the scientific discipline schoolroom and offer an effectual manner of reasoning any undertaking where kids can revisit the original thought and discourse how and why they have developed throughout the survey period. However, instructors require the flexibleness and infinite within the course of study in order to efficaciously set these theories into pattern in order that the benefits can be maximised. AfL will merely be successful when both instructors and kids are committed to its procedure and where both use it as a method for developing current acquisition and development and spread outing their accomplishments and cognition base. This thought is supported by the followers: â€Å" Appraisal for larning merely works if students and instructors take action on larning demands. † ( Ward, Roden, Hewlett, & A ; Foreman, 2005 ) Black and William best summarise the usage of AfL within the schoolroom as follows: â€Å" There is a organic structure of steadfast grounds that formative appraisal is an indispensable characteristic of schoolroom work and that development of it can raise criterions. We know of no other manner of raising criterions for which such a strong Prima facie instance can be made on the footing of grounds of such big larning additions. † ( Black & A ; William, 1998 )

Political and Economic System

World Geography and Culture Spain Analysis of the Political and Economic Systems Table of Contents I. Introduction (abstract) II. Political System a. Type of Political System b. Structure of the Government c. Identify a current law/policy law d. Impact on society III. Economic System a. Type of economic system b. Identify a current economic issue c. Government role in address the issue d. Impact on society IV. Compare Contract a. Economic issue country of origin V. Conclusion Abstract In this essay, I had to assume the role of a politician and an economist.The country of Spain has many different political issues that can impact the society based on the structure of the government. The economic issues can impact the society based on how the government decides to deal with it. I also had to compare and contrast the current economic and political issue in my country of origin which is Puerto Rico to Spain’s economic and political issue. Introduction Spain also known as the kingdo m of Spain is a beautiful country with a very appealing geography, history, culture, economy, missionary effort, and state capitol.Spain’s political system is parliamentary monarchy. Spain has many different political and economic issues that can impact the society. Most of these issues can be deal by the government. Sometimes other countries can be compare and contract its political and economic issues to other countries. Political System Spain’s government is parliamentary monarchy. The most important task of the constitution was to devolve power to the regions, which were given their own governments, regional assemblies and supreme legal authorities.The central government retains exclusive responsibility for foreign affairs, external trade, defense, justice, law (criminal, commercial and labour), merchant shipping and civil aviation. Spain has been a member of the United Nations (UN) since 1955, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1982 and the Europe an Union (EU) since 1986, and is also a permanent observer member of the Organization of American States (OAS). Spain has three branches of government which includes the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.The Senate has 259 members, directly elected by a first-past-the-post system. Each province provides four members plus additional members in the Balearic and Canary islands, where extra members represent the various islands, making a total of 208 members. The 17 autonomous regions also elect one senator each and an additional member for every million inhabitants, totaling a further 51 members. The Senate has the power to amend or veto legislation initiated by Congress.Under Spanish law, the official result of a general election is made public five days after the vote, in order to allow sufficient time for recounts and disputed results. After the members have been sworn in, the King of Spain meets with the party leaders and asks one of them to form a go vernment, which must then be ratified by parliament. The leader of the party of government becomes the president of Spain and has his official residence in the Moncloa Palace in Madrid. The role of citizens in Spain is that they have to be born of a Spanish mother or father.A person born in Spain of foreign parents if neither of them has Spanish nationality or if neither of the parents' legislations confer a nationality to their children. Spain has many political issues. One political issue is during the last few years has been corruption among public officials, including illegal financing of political parties, tax avoidance, fraud, bribery, trying to keep a place or someone in the residential institution, nepotism, misappropriation of public funds, illegal patronage, influence-peddling and kickbacks.Spain has been described (in the Spanish press) as the most corrupt society among the original 15 members of the EU and corruption permeates political and public life at every level. Th is problem is affecting the Marbella council on a massive scale, involving tens of millions of euros pocketed by council officials. Economic System Spain’s economy is a well-based way to equally spread money to all of the people. Some of Spain’s natural resources include coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin; hydroelectric power.Spain’s currency is the European Union euro. Spain’s imports include machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semi-finished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments. In 2011, the amount of money that Spain received for imports was $364. 9 billion. Some of Spain’s exports include machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods. In 2011, the amount of money that Spain received for exports was $309. 6 billion. The gross domestic per capita is thirty three thousand six hundred euros a year.In labor force 2. 4 percent goes to agriculture, 24 percent to industry, and 71. 1 percent to services. Spain came out in the number one position because it is a sunny country, because its citizens enjoy shorter working hours and more days holiday, because energy and lifestyle costs are lower, because the government invests into education and healthcare, because the average age at which people die is higher than in most of Europe and because overall, living in Spain ensures you have a better quality of life. Spain has many economic issues.One economic issue is that the Spanish banks' high exposure to the collapsed domestic construction and real estate market also poses a continued risk for the sector. The government oversaw a restructuring of the savings bank sector in 2010, and provided some $15 billion in capital to various institutions. Investors remain concerned that Madrid may need to bail out more troubled banks. The Bank of Spain, however, is seeking to boost confiden ce in the financial sector by pressuring banks to come clean about their losses and consolidate into stronger groups.Puerto Rico doesn’t have political and economic issues similar to Spain. One reason Puerto Rico political issue is not similar to Spain because Puerto Ricans do not have representation in the U. S. Senate and no voting representation in Congress. Instead, the 4 million U. S. Citizens of Puerto Rico only have one â€Å"Resident Commissioner† who cannot even vote on the House floor. Therefore, Puerto Ricans have no say in the making of the laws and statutes that apply to them. Even though the U. S. Supreme Court has absolute jurisdiction over Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans do not have representation in the U.S. Senate to cast an up or down vote on Supreme Court nominees. In the end, Puerto Rico is governed by a Congress in which they are not allowed to participate in, an Executive whom they did not elect, and a Judiciary whose justices they did not confirm. Th e 4 million U. S. Citizens of Puerto Rico are not allowed to fully participate in the democratic process of their nation. One reason Puerto Rico economic issue is not similar to Spain because recently in Puerto Rico the economy has suffered budget cuts from U.S. The Puerto Rican economy has depended heavily on the tax incentives given to U. S. mainland companies and on federal transfers. Conclusion There were many different things that I learned about Spain’s Political and Economic Systems. One thing that I found interesting was that Spain has the ninth largest economy in the world. Another thing that I found interesting was that Spain was originally a constitutional monarchy but over time became a parliamentary monarchy.

My Journey to America

My journey to America is one unforgettable experience. I say this not because I was able to travel to the land of my dreams but mainly because the journey had improved my outlook in life through the many lessons and insights it had taught. My country of origin is Kenya, located in Eastern Africa. Separating these two countries is the Pacific Ocean,  Ã‚   a large body of water that seemed to signify the impossibility of my coming here (Crofton, 1994, p. 434). But fortunately, this huge obstacle was overcome, and now I am enjoying the fun and opportunities offered by a country that had only once been a dream. You just cannot imagine the excitement I had felt when I learned that I will travel to America. For the majority of Africans, America is a land of golden opportunity, a place that one can better himself. It offers a rare experience in advancement in technology, an essential factor to a person’s twentieth century learning. And above all, America had many fun, exciting and historical places to visit. Armed with such lofty thoughts in mind, going through the hassle of filing for travel papers at the US Embassy meant nothing to me. I  Ã‚   bade goodbye to Kenya last __________. My itinerary was from Nairobi, Kenya to ______, USA. It would take approximately ______ hours to reach the US.   On the plane I tried to contain my excitement although flying above the wide Pacific Ocean was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. Looking down below from the window of the plane, I can see a wide expanse of blue water, stretching miles and miles beyond as if it would never end. Although the sight was beautiful to behold, I cannot wait to see land for by then I suddenly felt an awesome fear of being in a place totally unknown, as if I was lost in the middle of nowhere. I realized then that uprooting oneself from familiar places is not that easy, after all. As the plane made its way across the earth,   my mind was filled with thoughts of what I will going to do in America, the friends that I will meet, the places I will visit and the things that I will have. The thoughts all came to me at once, both thrilling and enchanting me at the same time. Amidst   these thoughts, my mind   raced back to the place I just left behind, the loved ones that I will not see   for sometime and   the places that surprisingly I will miss, and then out of nowhere I felt nostalgic and if I was not strong   enough tears would have fallen from my eyes. It was painful to realize that for me to experience something new, I had to let go of something that I hold dear. But I am glad to think that someday I will be back. Finally, after some time I approached the place that for more than a century had drawn all kinds of races and nationalities to its shores like a magnet. I expected the view from above to be so much different from the aerial view of the country and continent I just left behind. True enough it was way, way different. Whereas the place I had just left was dominated by forest and desert that was spotted with human dwellings and buildings, the view of America from the air was just breathtaking to me. A vast array of buildings endlessly crowded themselves below, tall skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty seemed to reach out to me in welcome. I could not believe that the famous  Ã‚   America was right in front of me!   Ã‚  I felt an awesome sense of self-fulfillment then, perhaps because America had this magical way of making a person think that finally he had seen the real world. Naturally I could not wait to set my feet in the America soil.   For the first time in my life I was surrounded with people who look different from me. In the airport were white people, brown skinned people and dark ones like me. I was fascinated with the presence of different nationalities that were busy talking to one another in a language I do not understand and hurrying past me to places God knows where. I realized later that I will often come across these different types of people in just any street in America. I wonder much about them, the places that they came from and the loved ones that they left behind in a country far away. I know that most of them come to America to earn more money, and I wonder if they fulfilled that goal. Settling here for _________ (months or years) now, I can say with authority that foreigners here oftentimes experienced physical, emotional and mental suffering. Many of them are homesick.   There is no place, after all, that man will be untouched by the negative experiences of life. Such realization had developed in   me a deeper respect for people who   left their homeland to find jobs in other shores. For the many successful people who pass my way daily, I can say that indeed America is a land of golden opportunity, but only for the people who work hard. In life no matter where we are we just cannot expect a golden egg to fall on our lap. Here there are also many poor people. I do not know why they lived that way but one thing America taught me is that if you want something good to happen in your life then you must be willing to sacrifice, to let many sweats fall from your forehead.   Ã‚  A person should not wait for opportunity, he must look for it and when he found that opportunity he must grab it with both hands. The list of beautiful places to visit and exciting things to do in America is endless. There are many big parks decorated with beautiful flowers and housed different kinds of animals (many of these animals are native to my homeland like tigers and elephants).   When I look a these caged animals I cannot help but compare them to their relatives back home who roamed   freely in the African wild. America is not a place of freedom for them but on the contrary, America is a trap, a prison. I felt sad but these are the prices that need to be paid if people of America are to see a live African wildlife. Furthermore, America had many large shopping centers filled with all sorts of stuff. They are very inviting to touch, look and if I have the money, to buy. There are just many things to choose from, all of them beautiful. It is true that America has lots of things to offer especially for a Kenyan like me. Being surrounded by all these beautiful things make me look at life more positively. I do have negative experiences in America but I would cite only one that I know is experienced by most foreign people like me and it is the ugly face of racial discrimination. I know that racial discrimination is present when the people of other races I associate with treat me with distrust without reason. I know some of them did not actually wanted the feeling to come but it involuntarily sprung up somewhere. Racial discrimination is a big problem here.   This just shows that great America, like any other country in the world, had its own issues to solve. Obviously, there are many differences between America and my home country but there is one difference that I would like to share here. It seemed to me that the people who live in America are always in a hurry. It seemed that they have so many things to do but do not have the time to do it. That is why most Americans (including those who are not but lived here) are always in a perpetual state of stress. They are busy chasing â€Å"something† so that they do not have the time â€Å"to smell the flowers†. This is so much unlike Kenya. There it seemed we have plenty of time to rest, to reflect. Perhaps because our lives are less complicated, our dreams are simpler. For most Kenyan families providing daily food on the table is a big accomplishment. My journey to America is an adventure of a lifetime. I will never forget the many new   experiences that came along     and the lessons it had taught me. Indeed I can say that my journey to America had opened doors in my life that were once closed. Reference Crofton, Ian (editor). (1994). The Guinness Compact Encyclopedia. London: Guinness Publishing Limited.

Health and Safety Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health and Safety - Assignment Example First, the employees stop feeling proud to be associated with the company. Secondly, the careless accidents can instill fear on the employees on learning how they are working in poor conditions. Additionally, high cost-cutting and reduced infrastructure budget exposes the employees to more workplace hazards. Finally, these practices make the employees to lack role models. First, they can lead to fatal accidents that cause massive ecological damages, like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, which can lead employees to lack confidence in the company (Balaguer, 2010). Secondly, they can lead the employees to take court action against the company. Thirdly, the employees may plan mass protest or strike which can paralyze the operations of the company. In addition, they can lead accidents, which cause death and injury to employees straining the relationship between the two parties. Lastly, they can lead the employees to question the company commitment to their safety and wellbeing. First, the BP operations license may suspend. Secondly, the company license may be revoked due to failure to meet the standards set. Thirdly, the authorities can close part of BP facilities they deem hazardous, like it happened in 2006 on some part of Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Alaska (Coy and Reed, 2010, p.53). Additionally, huge fines can be imposed on the company. Finally, the authorities make sure that the company cleans up the mess from accidents, pays damages, and contributes towards restoration of the ecology. First, they cost the company’s reputation a major blow once revealed. Secondly, the customers loose confidence in the company’s products turning to competitors. Thirdly, the public and customers may sue the company due to environmental damages. Further, the public and customers may shun the company’s social responsibility efforts. Lastly, due to

QANTAS INTERNAL ANALYSIS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

QANTAS INTERNAL ANALYSIS - Assignment Example When weaknesses are minimised, the company is likely to gain competitive advantage. As such, this paper seeks to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Qantas Airways. The paper discusses the strategies that have been implemented by the organization in order to operate viably in the industry that is characterised by stiff competition. The paper will also discuss some of the measures that can be implemented in order to improve the performance of the organization while at the same time minimising its weaknesses. Basically, Qantas specialises in offering passenger air transport and it operates various routes in Australia. This paper focuses on Sydney to Melbourne route. According to Qantas Data Book (2011), the airline is the oldest in Australia and its major strength is that it has a strong brand name. The main advantage of a strong brand name is that it can attract as many customers as possible which gives the company a competitive advantage. It can be seen that the airline industry in Australia is characterised by stiff competition and for that reason, Qantas is in a better position to attract many customers as a result of the fact that it has a strong brand name. It controls about 65 % of the whole domestic market share which puts it ahead of the other competitors (Qantas group Annual Report, 2013). Basically, this is a strength that has contributed to the organization’s viability and success in the market. According to ABC News (2014) Qantas is rated as one of the safest airlines across the globe which puts it ahead of other players in the industry. The other strength of the company is that it focuses its resources on developing high end business services and high quality services. The employees are well trained such that they offer valuable services to the customers. This helps to attract customers as well as to

Introduction and Outline on ;Measles Outbreak in America Research Paper

Introduction and Outline on ;Measles Outbreak in America - Research Paper Example This is an outline of some of the major areas in the research paper, Measles Outbreak in America. Reasons for Vaccination- These are identified as some of the main reasons why American parents should have their children vaccinated against measles, which also aids in taking care of mumps and rubella. It is a highly contagious disease, and for that reason, individuals must be vaccinated against it to prevent a pandemic from happening. Reasons against Vaccination- These surround the highly controversial issues that try to insinuate that the vaccine for measles is slowly giving American children other ailments, for example; autism. This is the biggest challenge when it comes to the vaccination process, where the public is ignorant of what is meant to benefit the entire population, and is slowing the process of eradicating this disease. Factors leading to the differences of opinion- Different research studies that indicate the MMR vaccine is harmful may be among the top reasons why the vaccine is under so much scrutiny. The lack of information also plays a herculean role in reducing the knowledge-base of most Americans when it comes to measles and the vaccine meant to protect the population against it. Recommendations- By identifying what needs to be done in terms of sensitization, the American public can be made aware of what is crucial for their survival, and those of their children. Measles is a killer disease and a high number of most cases can be solved if only the public was educated on the subject of vaccination. The health sector may have its work cut out for them, especially when the population is not aware that what they think is right may actually kill them in the end. Conclusion- Assuming that measles is non-existent does not make it so. People are being infected with this disease, because they chose to assume it was eradicated.

QUANTAS Case Study Customer Service Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

QUANTAS Customer Service - Case Study Example Assuming that each meaningful interaction will last five minutes to make the customer feel â€Å"important† and running over the entire month (Qantas Airlines). QANTAS would require 7,111 customer representatives which will cost approximately $213 million a year. Airline ticketing before the advent of computers and the internet was the most complex process in the entire airline industry. At the onset airline reservations are called in by the customers for available flights of a particular route. The information from the call would then be given to a central ticketing and monitoring center that creates â€Å"cards† for every call. These reservations are then matched with the available seats of the flight and the central booking for the flight will then be updated at the central booking office. The information about the seat availability of each flight will in turn be transmitted to all the booking office to ensure that they do not overbook a flight. Realizing the expandi ng role of air travel and the upward trend of its patrons American Airlines in 1946 installed the first electromechanical reservoir system (Winston). And in 1953 American Airlines started the SABRE project and it was finally installed and used in 1964 (Wilkinson). For many years to come until the present SABRE remains the yardstick in ticketing service provisioning. Several alliances worldwide have significantly contributed to SABRE and its profitability given the complexity and expense of airline reservation. ONE World is such an alliance, this particular alliance does not limit itself to ticketing and reservation however. ONE World also leverages for its members bulk purchasing of parts and services practically positioning its members to capitalize on its strategic strength and presence worldwide. In the context of customer service provisioning ONE World would enable QANTAS airlines’ customer to book flights practically in every parts of the world. To illustrate: A QANTAS p assenger who wants to go to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania would first have to book a flight from wherever parts of Australia he is using the local QANTAS hub to the international hub of QANTAS in Queensland, Australia going to Detroit Metro in the United States. From Detroit Metro the QANTAS passenger will have to board a plane to of a ONE World member airline to Lehigh Valley International Airport and then drive by car to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Instead of calling several airlines to determine what flights are available going to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania the QANTAS passenger would just need to place a single call and all the bookings will be arranged using the ticketing and airline reservation system of ONE World. The whole process, without the assistance of ONE World’s system would have taken the entire day for the passenger. However, given that every reservation office of QANTAS is connected to ONE World the whole process could only take a couple of minutes. Since practically it would seem that QANTAS is the ONE making all the arrangements and the interfacing in the customer’s behalf, it would seem as far as the passenger is concerned it is QANTAS who have made his life easier. Case Study The challenges that QANTAS face in the next couple of years in order to remain competitive is to drive its operating cost further without compromising the quality of its service. As per the case study material presented, QANTAS’ edge has always been its ability to manage change effectively and efficiently.

FRANCE -RELIGION,FAMILY STUCTURE, AND TRADITIONS OF RELIGION AND Essay

FRANCE -RELIGION,FAMILY STUCTURE, AND TRADITIONS OF RELIGION AND FAMILY - Essay Example It is a nation which has influenced the cultures, movements, religious traditions, and social factors of other nations, especially the countries of Europe. In this presentation, a reflective analysis of the religion, family structure, and traditions of religion and family etc of France is undertaken which helps one in comprehending the culture and communication styles of this specific country in detail. In a profound understanding of the religion in France, it becomes lucid that there are few other nations which have as rich and varied a religious and intellectual life and history as France. It is a country with religious freedom and thought in virtue of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in the year 1789. Though Roman Catholicism is the religion of a majority of French people, it has lost its status as a state religion since the glorious French Revolution in 1789. In fact, France has numerous religions and this country allows its people to follow whatever religion they choose. That is to say, France is a secular country which encourages freedom of thought and religion, including agnosticism and atheism. It is also essential to comprehend that France is a nation with great religious tradition and history and it has been at the forefront in several of the religious movements of the world in general and of the Europe in particular. â€Å"Few nations have as rich and varied a religious and intellectual life and history as France. During the medieval period France was the most populous Christian kingdom, and during the Reformation France continued to be at the forefront of religious ferment. From the seventeenth century to the present this once-Christian nation has been at the forefront of modern science and the development of nonreligious society†¦ What has made the French world of ideas more important recently has been the confrontation between

Slavery's Destructive Effect on Women Research Paper

Slavery's Destructive Effect on Women - Research Paper Example In a slave system, all suffer. Perhaps the saddest of all, it is the women who suffered the most. Slavery dehumanized black women by robbing them of the ability to fulfill their basic human needs and instincts. This paper will discuss the horrors and injustices that slave women were forced to deal with on a regular basis. Linda Brent narrates her own story as a woman who experienced slavery. Her personal story of slave life features the  embarrassment, sacrifice, and effort specific to women slaves of the nineteenth century. According to Jacobs, slavery is  awful  for men; however, it is particularly  awful  for women (2001)1. Because of slavery, families  were broken  apart. Linda had shined in  fundamental  reading and writing. This drew the attention of her master, Dr. Flint. Linda was only fifteen when her  master  started chasing her. In  revulsion  she  constantly  declined and avoided him. The representation of Flint shows the  unkind  control   character  of many southern slave proprietors, and as such, tells the  time  of a slave girl to  control  emotional and  bodily  suffering  that was plainly different from the  life  of her  typical  male equivalent. ... Sands in anticipation of him buying her independence demonstrates what disturbing limits she  was pressed  to in their life.  She  freely  surrendered her body to a man for an opportunity to be set free from oppression, and for the  expectation  that one day she  possibly  will  raise  her children without slavery (Jacobs, 2001)1.Her deeds were most  dignified  and  unselfish  in  character, but the  delivery  of her first and subsequent children  consequently  enslaved her to the needs of Dr. Flint, who might have used her children against her if she failed to comply. Her  primary  wish  was to escape with her two brothers, but she also had to think of the outcomes that her children might face because of her disobedience. According to Hine D, Hine H, and Harold, women were tortured by the slave owners, but they became enlightened and organized themselves to find a way of getting their freedom (2011)2. This was during the time in sixteent h-century Africa, when the antislavery progress and making black community organizations could be appealing to any person  concerned  with the in detail  examination  of African-American  record  as it connects to the United States  record. The mixing of the well-known and the  indefinite, male and female, North and South, slave and liberated, gives a textile that unites the fear and the  victory  of the African-American  occurrence  which assisted them to  move  away from the anguish to 2 a  position  of  curative  hope (Hine and Hine, 2011)2.The confidence  beginning  for so much of the African American  victory  might  have been covered  further  at length. Women lived with double  trouble  of  discrimination  and chauvinism, slave women in the  agricultural  estate  South presumed responsibilities in

Metaphors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metaphors - Assignment Example In other words, mediation helps in predicting the behaviors and attitudes of hosts. For instance, when a mediator applies the metaphor that â€Å"conflict is war†, then the conflicting parties are likely to behave aggressively to win the war, which may never be reaching a conclusion (Smith, 2005). Similarly, when the mediator adopts a metaphor that â€Å"being in a conflict in not being in a war†, then the parties will strive to make an assumption and find a solution to their problem. Smith also presents that metaphors work by structuring and evaluating an individual’s experiences by positioning them to the problem (Smith, 2005). Through this process, it is possible to discover an individual’s hidden assumptions, needs, behaviors, emotions, facts and intuitions, and bring them working as a whole. As a psychotherapist, I feel that the use of metaphors can successfully reconcile conflicting parties. This is because metaphors can highly influence and work effectively to promote a negotiation problem. The use of metaphor offers a mediator an opportunity to treat each viewpoint as a ration argument, making him or her take a neutral stance in the dispute being resolved. This also improves the mediator’s influence to avoid hostile confrontation. Lorig Charkoudian, in his article, identifies that police officers are frequently called to solve neighborhood disputes, which range from minor conflicts to violent confrontations. However, police interventions usually stop the conflict just for some time. Additionally, police response is usually inadequate, and successive calls to solve the same problems can be expensive to the police department. Police are currently encouraging the community to resort to dispute resolution centers to prevent repeat calls, reduce time spent on solving disputes and limit police work in processing lawsuits (Charkoudian, 2005). I agree with the author, over these

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Poes Black Cat, Poes TellTale Heart Term Paper

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Poes Black Cat, Poes TellTale Heart - Term Paper Example By and large, the three unreliable narrators fairly tackle the distinction, if not the confusion, between truth and illusion; and it is the task of the readers to uncover the tale and not the teller. What the main protagonist calls the devil, Victor Frankenstein’s monster thoroughly tells his creator the story about the things and events that occurred to him. Unlike the two unreliable narrators in Poe’s stories, Frankenstein’s devil does not intend to persuade his listener that he is not mad. At the deeper level, however, Frankenstein’s monster subtly attempts to convince his creator that he is also a human being capable of reasoning and comprehending the things around him. On the other hand, the unreliable narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart tries to convince his audience, through speech, that he is not mad or crazy. Said narrator argues to his audience -- as if they are there and hearing his argument -- that he is not mad for several reasons. First, he is me ntally healthy because his â€Å"sense of hearing [is] acute† (Poe 110). Second, his way of telling the story is done in a calmly manner. And third, he is not mad because, as the unreliable narrator contents, he performed the work with caution and foresight. In The Black Cat, the unreliable narrator presents the wild yet homely narrative without any expectation from his readers to believe what he will say. Like the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart, the unreliable narrator here makes a defense for himself that he is not mad: â€Å"Yet, mad am I not† (Poe 58). But unlike The Tell-Tale-Heart narrator, the unreliable narrator in The Black Cat provides no reasons as to why he is not mad. His primary purpose, though, of writing down the story is to â€Å"place before the world †¦ a series of mere household events† (Poe 58). Frankenstein’s monster as a narrator is unreliable primarily because of the vividness of his narrative; the apparent paradox here is th at the monster is created by a scientist and, at a brief span of time, able to speak and think in an intelligent and mature way. As a modern-day reader, it appears contradictory to hear or read Frankenstein’s monster speaks clearly and rationally. In The Tell Tale Heart, the narrator is unreliable for the reason that his argument is unsound. When he said that his sense of hearing is acute or sharp, the narrator refers to this acuteness as the ability to hear â€Å"many things in hell† (Poe 110). Moreover, his contention that he narrates the story in a calm manner is strongly contradictory to his last statement: â€Å"... here, here!--It is the beating of his hideous heart!† (Poe 113). The narrator in The Black Cat is unreliable when one reads his line: â€Å"[M]y very senses reject their own evidence† (Poe 58). As the story unfolds, the unreliable senses of the narrator become much apparent. In the last episode, for instance, the narrator tries to find th e black cat -- whom he calls as the beast -- in an endeavor to â€Å"put it to death† (Poe 63). After murdering his wife, the narrator fails to find the where-about of the black cat. Finally, when the wall crumbles down where his wife is laid, â€Å"the monster ... [is] within the tomb† after all (Poe 64). The purpose of the unreliable narrator in the story is to allow the readers to think for a moment about the reality or truthfulness of the narrative. Lawrence said to â€Å"[t]rust the tale, not the teller† (qtd. in Pacheco and Meyers 71). This implies that the

Cell Phones Essay Example for Free

Cell Phones Essay Cell phones are the way of life today. In the US, little kids are carrying around the newest iPhone versions. Closing the digital divide requires studying and learning about the country’s needs and capabilities of upgrading to the digital world. There are countries that are financially unable to afford a cell phone, but it should be the cell phone companies that should be able to work around various prices for cell phones. For example, in the U.S. the iPhone is taking over and consumers require the latest technologies. As the phones get older, companies should send those phones to less developed countries in an effort to grow the digital market and close the digital divide. As the article mentions, India leads the way with 756 million subscribers, while being a developing country. All it takes is an introduction to the country and cell phones begin to spread like wildfire. They market themselves once introduced in a country at a reasonable price. If the price is too much for a single family to afford, the family can set goals to attain a cell phone in the future. Either way, cell phones sell themselves. â€Å"To get a sense of how rapidly cell phones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000† (Corbett, 2008). In 2008, these statistics show that cell phone market was on a rise. Since iPhone’s introduction in 2007, the cell phone market has grown even more substantially, especially in the U.S. I can speak for the ever-increasing mobile service in India as even rickshaw drivers who make about 50 rupees (about $1.25) in two hours are carrying a cell phone. Companies such as Obopay and Moka are transforming the service provider payment plan to pay as to go in various countries. â€Å"Obopay, for instance, is enabling third-world countries including India to receive and send payments via text message, while Moka provides language translations, such as English to Chinese† . This is a way to close the divide. If a family cannot afford to pay a consistent wage every month for a cell phone, companies such as Obopay are able to provide the pay as you go plan. Families and individuals in India pay as they go, they utilize their cell phones, as they need to, according to how much they are able to afford. Through these payment plans, cell phone companies can sell their phones to a mass audience in large countries like India and China. One company that has millions of customers in third world countries is Nokia. â€Å"There are entire chunks of the planet where Nokia has a virtual monopoly because no other manufacturer even wants to compete† . With the iPhone and Android dominating the U.S. market, Nokia has found its niche in third-world countries. The countries where consumers cannot yet afford the newest iPhone are turning to Nokia. They have positioned themselves as #1 ahead of Samsung, Apple, Motorola and anyone else. This is because they saw a market opportunity and are utilizing the need for cell phones around the world. The U.S. may be looking for new technology, but to the third world countries, simple Nokia phones are new technology. References: Corbett, S. (2008, April 13). Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?pagewanted=all Openshaw, J. (2009, May 24). Mobile Phones: Key To Developing Nations. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/23/mobile-phones-key-to-deve_n_190809.html Raby, M. (2012, January 30). Nokia still top mobile phone maker. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from TG Daily: http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/61102-nokia-still-top-mobile-phone-maker

Effect of PM Question Time on Government Decision Making

Effect of PM Question Time on Government Decision Making As Norton has noted, Parliament ceased to be a policy-making legislature in the nineteenth century and is now a ‘policy-influencing’ legislature. Parliament is thus expected to subject policy to a process of scrutiny and influence.[1] This essay will assess the extent to which the present mechanisms available to parliament to call the government to account can be said to have a meaningful ability to effect governmental decision making. In order to evaluate the role of parliament in this matter, some of the procedural mechanisms of the House must be examined. Question Time in the House of Commons is one of the principal means by which information is obtained from ministers by Members of Parliament.[2] Prior notice of the questions is given to ministers, however, supplementary questions may then be asked on matters arising out of the minister’s reply, of which notice will not have been given. Question Time is widely publicised and therefore has the effect of drawing public attention to matters of particular concern. The process can also highlight the capabilities of individual ministers as they will need to ‘think on their feet’ in order to answer the supplementary questions. In April 1995 the then Health Secretary announced that several London hospitals were to be closed to curb public expenditure. The announcement of this unpalatable policy was made through a written answer rather than orally in the House. At Question Time the Health Secretary was accused of ‘lacking moral courage’[3] and the episode gain ed considerable publicity. Question Time is the only regular occasion upon which the government is obliged to account to Parliament for its management of the nations affairs.[4] Other merits of the system are that it provides an opportunity for the opposition to select issues as well as an opportunity for backbench MPs to question ministers. This in turn allows for local and regional issues to be given hearing in full parliamentary session. It also offers ministers the opportunity to become aware of issues which might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Parliamentary questions are very useful in highlighting existing governmental policy and bringing any controversial issues surrounding it to the attention of the media and hence the public. This allows effective scrutiny of government. However, the process does not provide a direct mechanism for effecting governmental decision making, although indirectly, the resulting public pressure may provide a mechanism for influencing policy change. Further limitations are tha t it operates on a rota system, with departments being subject to questions only once per 3 or 4 weeks; time restraints make ‘in depth’ questioning impossible; and, sensitive questions can be avoided.[5] Moreover, government backbenchers are able to reduce the time available for opposition questions by presenting favourable questions to ministers. Each Wednesday the House of Commons hosts Prime Minister’s Questions which lasts approximately 30 minutes. This procedure allows the Leader of the Opposition to put up to three questions to the Prime Minister. This presents an opportunity for immediate argument between the parties and can affect MP’s perceptions of their leaders.[6] Other MPs are then able to ask questions of the Prime Minister. As above, this allows for raising public awareness of issues and for questioning government policy. However, similar problems also exist, with the use of government backbenchers to praise government action rather than question it. This process has lead Loveland to conclude: â€Å"That MPs and ministers feel it appropriate to waste the Commons’ evidently limited and supposedly valuable time on such nonsense is in itself regrettable. That such questions are also manifestly an insult to the intelligence of voters provides further justification for the contention that the House of Commons is a quite inadequate vehicle for the sensible representation of political opinion in a modern democratic society.†[7] Another way in which parliament may effect governmental decision making is via debate. There are several types of debate which happen in the House of Commons. Debate will occur after the second reading of legislation, yet there are other provisions as well. Emergency debates may exceptionally occur where a matter is deemed to be of urgent national importance. There are also daily adjournment debates, where backbenchers can initiate short debate on matters for their choosing. Selection is by ballot through the Speaker’s Office. Members may also express concerns about issues by tabling a written motion requesting debate ‘at an early day’. However, such early day motions rarely result in debate and instead are primarily confined to shoeing the strength of parliamentary feeling on particular issues.[8] Where pressure grows significantly the government may feel inclined to respond but again the influence is often indirect. Carroll provides an evaluation of debate as a whole.[9] He states that the merits of debates are that: they force ministers to explain and justify policy initiatives to the House; they provide an opportunity for the opposition to expose flaws in government policy and decisions and present suggestions; they help to educate public opinion; they provide an opportunity for government ministers to display dissent, enabling policy changes to be considered; and, they give MPs the opportunity to present the views of constituents and interest groups. However, the demerits of debate according to Carroll are high in number: in the main it is the government, rather than parliament, which decides what will be debated and when (there are twenty Opposition Days when the Opposition chooses the subject for debate); most debates are dominated by the frontbenches; there is not time to engage in full detailed debate or to debate crises as and when they arise; they are often poorly attended; they attract little public attention. Furthermore, Carroll alleges that policy is formed and decisions made before parliamentary debate takes place. The government therefore defends its decisions during debate regardless of any merits of alternative proposals or exposed defects in its decisions and therefore debates appear to have ‘very little immediate effect in terms of influencing government thinking or action’.[10] Perhaps the most effective scrutiny of government is through select committees.[11] These committees are chaired by senior backbenchers and consist of between 9 and 13 backbench members. They allow in depth analysis of departmental action and investigate a wide range of topics.[12] Examples of issues investigated by select committees include the ‘Westland Affair’[13], although the government refused to allow witnesses from the Department of Trade and Industry to give evidence; and the Arms to Iraq controversy, where the Select Committee on Trade and Industry examined the sale of equipment to Iraq during the first Gulf conflict. Media interest may also influence the topics investigated by select committees, as evidenced by the examination of the decision to go to war in Iraq by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in 2003.[14] Select committees are empowered to send for persons, papers and records and can expect full government co-operation. Furthermore, persons giving evidence must take a formal oath. However, as illustrated above, the co-operation of government, although expected, is not always assured. Once a select committee has investigated an issue it will publish a report. Around one third of these reports result in debate in the House, which are subject to the analysis above. Carroll has provided further evaluation of the merits and demerits of select committees,[15] stating in support that: they provide a systematic infrastructure for detailed scrutiny of government conduct; they are the only parliamentary forum in which ministers and public servants may be questioned ‘in depth’ on topics not determined by party leaders; there is a less party-political atmosphere; the members gain expertise in a particular area; the reports attract media attention. However, the demerits include: they cannot impose any sanctions or direct pressures on government if dissatisfied with departments’ conduct; as noted, few reports result in debate; the government can dictate when persons will not give evidence; they are poorly supported in terms of resources; facilities and rese arch staff. From the analysis above it may be seen that although Parliament has several option open in terms of scrutinising government action, these procedures offer little in terms of direct effect of government decision and policy making. The Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons has produced a report which suggests reforms to make better use of non-legislative time and strengthen the role of the backbench MPs.[16] So far this has resulted in minimal reforms such as a reservation of time for Topical Questions in departmental question time and a consideration of ways in which opportunities to debate the plans of government departments may be guaranteed.[17] However, without further reform, Parliament is currently unable to influence government decision making in any significant per-event sense. Bibliography Allen, M. and Thompson, B., Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law, 9th Edition (2008), Oxford University Press Barnett, H., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 6th Edition (2006), Routledge Cavendish Bogdanor, V., The British Constitution in the Twentieth Century, (2003), Oxford University Press Bradley, A.W. and Ewing, K.D., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 14th Edition (2007), Pearson Carroll, A., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th Edition (2007), Pearson Education Lord Hutton, â€Å"The media reaction to the Hutton Report†, (2006) PL 807 Loveland, I., Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights: A Critical Introduction, 4th Edition (2006), Oxford University Press Norton, P. (ed), Parliament in the 1980s, (1985), Blackwell Pollard, D., Parpworth, N., and Hughes, D., Constitutional and Administrative Law: Text with Materials, 4th Edition (2007), Oxford University Press 1 Footnotes [1] Norton, P. (ed), Parliament in the 1980s, (1985), Blackwell, pg 8 [2] Barnett, H., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 6th Edition (2006), Routledge Cavendish, pg 405 [3] cited in Loveland, I., Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights: A Critical Introduction, 4th Edition (2006), Oxford University Press, pg 157 [4] Carroll, A., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 4th Edition (2007), Pearson Education, pg 160 [5] Carroll, supra pg 161 [6] Loveland, supra pg 158 [7] Loveland, supra pg 159 [8] Pollard, D., Parpworth, N., and Hughes, D., Constitutional and Administrative Law: Text with Materials, 4th Edition (2007), Oxford University Press, pg 281 [9] Carroll, supra pp 162-164 [10] Carroll, ibid note 9 [11] Bogdanor, V., The British Constitution in the Twentieth Century, (2003), Oxford University Press, pg 172 [12] Bradley, A.W. and Ewing, K.D., Constitutional and Administrative Law, 14th Edition (2007), Pearson, pg 219 [13] Defence Committee, HC 518, 519 (1985-86), London: HMSO; Trade and Industry Committee, HC 176 (1986-87), London: HMSO; Treasury and Civil Service Committee, HC 92 (1985-86), London: HMSO [14] Lord Hutton, â€Å"The media reaction to the Hutton Report†, (2006) PL 807 [15] Carroll, supra pp 168-170 [16] Allen, M. and Thompson, B., Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law, 9th Edition (2008), Oxford University Press, pg 321 [17] Allen and Thompson supra pp 321-322

Feminist Theories on Rape

Feminist Theories on Rape Feminist theory provides more than just a discourse on the interactions of the male and female, within the public and private sphere. In fact feminist theory has considered the core problems in the legal and political systems, resulting in a discourse on the inherent inequalities of these systems that favor men over women. Therefore this discussion will consider two key areas of feminist theory which are; equality of rights; and the equality in the law. In order to understand the contributions that feminism has made to political and legal theory the inequalities and injustices that feminists are aiming to eliminate must be considered. The main area of feminist theory that this discussion will consider is liberalist and Western feminism; however it is important to note that there are non-liberalist and Eastern theories of feminism but to explore these feminisms is beyond the scope of this essay. This essay will discuss the theory provided by theorists such as MacKinnon, Scales and Sta nley. It will consider radical feminism and the concept of rape; and the next section will discuss the use of womens bodies either through rape law or visual norms as a way to control women. It will then consider the case study of feminist theory and the blurred distinction between the public and the private in general and then consider whether the approach taken by radical feminists goes too far and reduces the accountability of feminist theory. The following section will consider an alternative approach within feminist theory to ensure that equality and accountability is brought into the theory and then the approach to legal, social and political problems such as the states approach to rape as a means of control is taken seriously. Finally this discussion will conclude in answering the title question – does radical feminism theory offer an explanation and solution to womens inherent inequality in the political and legal systems, in areas such as rape? Feminist Theory: MacKinnon approaches feminism from a standpoint that the laws that evoke equality between men and women are not enough, because they rely on the sameness principle between men and women and tries to compensate women by saying that men and women should be treated the same. However this is not enough because of the physical and biological differences which causes a problem, because the social construction of these differences that have caused an inherent inequality between men and women in the current social, cultural, political and legal system. Mackinnon also indicates the current theoretical approaches to equality and rights are not sufficient enough because they fail to recognize that the legal and judicial system is entrenched in a male domination. Hence trying to make women the same as men, rather than recognizing that men and women are different but should have basic rights that protect this difference. MacKinnon also supports leveling the playing field by giving women advantage s over men in order to counter the male dominated system. In short MacKinnon argues that the creating of laws to make women equal to men will not compete with the inherent inequalities in Western legal systems, in fact these laws will entrench the inequalities further and support the power men have in society. Scales also endorses the problems with the inherent social inequalities between men and women. She therefore sets forth the inequality approach in order to combat the structural injustices that face women in the legal system. The central area that Scales explores is the notion of stereotypes which illustrate the structural inequalities between men and women. One such set of stereotypes are the images of the breadwinner and the housewife – the breadwinner, traditionally, is the husband who can successfully have a career and a family because he is not the primary carer. On the other hand, the wife stays at home and commits to childrearing and domestic duties, she can be in employment but not have a successful career because of the responsibilities she has at home. Hence this results in a scenario akin to the case of Phillips v Martin Marietta Corp â€Å"where the company hired males with preschool-aged children but would not hire women in that category†. The other key factor of the inequality approach in addition to recognizing that there are inherent structural differences between men women, it also recognizes the extent of injustice that the system affords to women. Scales takes MacKinnons basic theory and expands it into an approach that can be adopted into legal theory and thinking in order to eliminate the structural inequalities between men and women in the legal system. Therefore making equality more achievable for women as well as leveling the playing field for women by balancing out the inherent power men have over women in the legal system. If one also considers the work of Stanley who argues that the academics of feminist theory s hould be made accountable and not fall foul of academic standards or just use the mainstream methods that are inherently biased. This form of accountable methodology will create a serious and challenging feminist theory of politics and law, which will not be scrutinized as zealous ranting or settling for the biased methods of the male hierarchy: The intellectual location from which debates and arguments are assembled and presented constitutes a point of view – and the point of view critic is inevitably different from that of the proponent†¦ Recognizing this is important, because a point of view is both unavoidable and also indicates the existence of perspective: a particular way of seeing which highlights and brings into focus some thing as salient. Therefore as Stanley points out it is not only important to create a distinct feminist theory that is based upon a methodology that is accountable and not a part of the male hierarchy, as this is the only way to ensure that a feminist theory that will ensure substantive equality. Radical Feminisms Approach to the Body and Men: The general approach of radical feminism to rape is that it is a form of control and the approach of the justice system to rape and the victimization of the victim when testifying. The key factor that radical feminists argue is that this is indicative of an unequal society, where rape and other factors of male violence are examples of re-enforcing the patriarchal system. Rich argues that rape and violence against women are central to the control of women and their bodies, especially when the advancement of women in the public sphere is de-stabilizing this power base: Patriarchy is†¦ a familial-social, ideological, political system in which men – by force, direct pressure or through ritual, law and language, customs, etiquette, education, and division of labour, determine what part women shall or shall not play, and in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male. It does not necessarily imply that no woman has power, or all women in a given culture may not have certain powers. When considering other feminist theories there is an indicator that there is inherent discrimination in the legal, social and political system. Helena Kennedy in her expose of the English legal systems approach to women in rape trials seems to re-enforce this notion, where a respectable women, i.e. subservient wife or vulnerable career woman can be raped but the aggressive, assertive, sexually active woman will be exposed and not be seen as a victim: A no may be taken forgranted when a respectable woman is attacked by a total stranger in a dimly lit s treet, but since a vast majority of rapes are committed by men known to the victim, consent in rape trails has always been an issue that makes men nervous†¦ Getting women to submit is an acceptable part of the sexual game plan†¦ That women who dressed sexily were contributory negligent or that women who did not want sex just had to keep their legs shut. Therefore the inherent discrimination pervades even violent crime against women, which has been also the case in respect to domestic violence where the justice system would shrug it off as private disputes. The problem with radical feminism is not its findings but the lack to use acceptable academic research from an objective method; it does in fact portray the reality of inequality and control. The action of rape is not about sex but control and power and the more that women threaten the patriarchal system the approach to rape and domestic violence seems to be dismissed; unless the victim falls inline with the ideal picture of a good girl. Campaigning in recent years have brought these problems to the forefront but there are problems with the attitudes of police to rape victims that may not have the purest sexual background then there is little action taken. This is closely tied to the approach of modern media and its onslaught of enslaving women to body image and the perfect Hollyw ood body, as well as the slow progress in respect to sexual harassment in the workplace, i.e. all are tied to patriarchal control of women. There is a problem with academics and policy makers approach to radical feminist theory is that it is considered to ignore the traditional approaches to academic research and theory; therefore as Stanley suggests there needs to be an accountable approach to feminist theory, which will be discussed later in this discussion. The following sections will investigate how the theory of radical feminism that pressure and control of patriarchy over women can be seen as inextricably tied to womens sexuality. Feminist Theory and Womens Bodies: Carla Rice states that [w]henever we as women look at ourselves through the lens of culture, we†¦ end up engaged in a war with our bodies, one that we cannot win. Society has inhibited our bodies and we have absorbed into our skin and bones (1999, 317) Rice introduces an interesting connection between womens bodies and culture; however the modern restraints on women and the body are not new, i.e. history has restrained the body in differing ways. The modern restraint is the attaining the body of the supermodel and not looking older than thirty years old; whereas in history it was being the chaste and innocent daughter and then the dutiful wife and nurturing mother. After the 1960s and the civil rights movements women became a dominating force of change in the workplace and educational arenas, no longer did women have to get married after high school and start a family; rather the avenues of higher education and careers beckoned women from this form of dominance in culture. In order to remedy these advertisements no longer held the 1950s perfect mother image; rather it was replaced by underfed models, such as Twiggy. This escalated to the modern era of fighting natural processes of aging and the hatred of differing body shapes. This has led to women starving themselves, damaging their body by binging and purging, paying thousands of dollars to have their skin stretched, fat pumped and bones broken and replaced. The modern era has heralded freedom in the sense of the mind; however culture has enslaved women using their body again, i.e. the reproductive functions were the prison of the past, superficial beauty is the prison of today. This imprisoning of the mind by using the body is a very old weapon used by the dominating male hierarchical system in fear that women can no longer be so easily controlled. If one considers cultures, such as the Middle East, being too fat or having a big nose is not a thing of consequence; because women are still imprisoned by their reproductive functions. The male dominated system of the West has been forced to alter cultural images and notions to further dominate women; therefore culture has had to alter by forcing women into a new box, i.e. an underfed, tall, big busted woman. The war waged on womens bodies is first a conflict over shape and size, over the terrain of our bodies, played in a deeply entrenched cultural taboos and a powerful dictate against women taking up space and claiming room of our own. This statement of Rices sums up the conflict between the advancement of women and the restraints constructed by the male dominated culture, which has to adapt to the advancement of women in the late 20th and 21st Century. Rice is correct in her evaluation of the male dominated culture adapting to imprison women from declaring their own rights and space. Case Study – Women in the Public Private Spheres: â€Å"Occupational segregation is being reproduced by cyclical practices which are the outcome of past conventions regarding proper relations between the sexes†¦ Occupational segregation is itself a source of stability and conventional gender identities will be reinforced by work in sex-typed occupations. The orthodox division of labour between men and women in the public and private spheres will also be reaffirmed by jobs that offer the opportunity to combine domestic – with paid work – that is, flexible conditions of working, part-time hours and so on†. The situation of creating the level playing field has not been achieved by legal policies of equal opportunities, because the higher paid jobs usually require a large amount of commitment and inflexible working hours. This makes it very hard for mothers to enter these professions. In the case of mothers the barrier to higher employment in the professions of law, accountancy, the stock market and business is the hours are not always nine to five; because a crisis or a client may need advice at anytime. Therefore women in these professions are usually kept to the lower levels, because the fact that they may have a family will impede the commitment these employers expect from a partner or CEO. This is not necessarily the case with the actual possible employees, because the traditional role of mother and housewife is no longer the key driver for the identity of women. It is this perception that is prevalent within liberalist democracies where the structure is entrenched with male dominat ed thinking. Therefore it is this mode of thinking that needs to be changed, which means that the adoption of policies that relay equal-opportunities is not enough. This has been emphasized through the theory of thinkers, such as MacKinnon and Kymlicka. Both these thinkers advise that rights need to be afforded to disadvantaged groups that ensure that the balance the playing field against the dominant group(s) in society. Therefore this introduces policies such as quotas, whereby a certain percentage of women and other disadvantage groups must be represented at all levels of employment. For example within political parties throughout Europe and in certain sectors of Canada a quota system is used, in order to get a representative amount of women into politics. However this has been rejected by the UK and certain sectors of Canadian polity as reverse discrimination. Rejecting the quota systems and labelling them as reverse discrimination illustrates how the current political and legal structures are only playing lip-service to the principles of equal opportunity and anti-discrimination. Institutions of business and government in the who argue against so-called reverse discrimination have failed to recognize that women are more than their traditional role of housewife and mother, because their entrenchment in traditional liberal theory views the labour market as supply and demand; where traditionally the largest supply of cheap labour is found to be women, whereby this labour is traditionally unskilled or related to the caring and domestic sectors. However in the recent years the number of women university graduates has rapidly increased, therefore provides a wealth of skilled female labour. The number of women in the skilled sectors has increased, but the higher one gets in the hierarchy there are fewer women, because of the concept of the glass ceiling for women. This barrier is not recognized in the institutions by equal opportunity policy or within the law be cause it is so entrenched into the social structure of the present legal and political system that is invisible, hence being called the glass ceiling. Feminism has provided a discourse that has gone farther than just making women equal to men, because in making the law gender-blind it fails to recognize the inherent power of men over women in the legal system, as well as the inherent structural inequalities. Not all feminists take the approach of MacKinnon and Scales, however their theories do recognize that there is a structural inequality of power between men and women. There is definitely a feminist political and legal theory which has recognized the structural inequalities between men and women and has tried to eliminate these inequalities through various different approaches. However feminism has provided a very important analysis of the legal system and theory by recognizing that power is inherent in the ruling group; where the only way to balance this power is to identify and eliminate the inequalities that afford the ruling group power. This is also applicable to class, caste and race inequalities and if an approach can be made in legal theory to ensure that there is a redistribution of historical burdens and benefits to disadvantaged classes then there would be an effective law of equality. Therefore feminism has provided a new dimension to liberalist legal theory is; a re-evalu ation of its structure; and a consideration of its inherent power and inequalities. This argument ties closely into the arguments presented by Stanley. Stanley argues that there is a need for accountable feminist methodology to ensure that this feminist theory is challenging the academic norms; as well as freestanding as an academic school of knowledge. Alternative Approach Necessary for Equality and Reduce Violence against Women: Nozicks Entitlement Theory Inequality is a reality for women at all levels of life, in the home, in the labor market and as a citizen of the state. The laws of liberal democratic states have set up value neutral laws that are based in an androgynous view of the sexes; however this is not the reality of situation, because the state, family and labor market is based on systemic discrimination of women, i.e. men have created the system and have inherently based the position of women, at best as second class citizens and at worst as the property of men. This has made the theory of re-distribution key to creating equality economically, socially and politically for women. Therefore this discussion will consider the theories of re-distribution and then apply them to womens social and political situations, which then should cause changes in womens social image and therefore create a situation of equality in the family. It will do this by considering Nozicks entitlement theory and adapt it in respect to feminism to cre ate an inherently indiscriminate state and a more objective approach by the justice system to rape. The core thinking of Nozick is the entitlement theory whereby there are three principles which are; the transfer principle; the acquisition principle; and the rectification principle. It must be stressed that Nozicks liberalism is entrenched in the theory of natural and core rights as set out originally be Locke. Therefore all men are created equally as derived from the state of nature but in order to create a civil society men contracted for a just system of governance with essential human rights. This is the traditional theory of the relationship between the market and the state; however this value-neutral approach fails to create equality for women. The problem of inherent inequality is because such a theory based on the free market would view re-distributive actions by the government as unjust. The main problem for this thinking is the original premise whereby Nozick assumes all p eople began as equals, because the present Western society has been created primarily by white men, therefore for there to be equality. Inequalities within the home and views on womens sexuality have been the focus for theorists that emphasize the need for a level playing field. However, on the other hand, the focus on labour market inequalities arguably may be deteriorating within the UK, due to the introduction of legislation from the early seventies to the nineties, this legislation; whereby two of the key concepts were equal pay for equal jobs and the freedom from discrimination regardless of race, religion, gender or creed. For women there was also the introduction of maternity rights, making it impossible to dismiss women or not hire women solely on the grounds of pregnancy (actual or future). This has been strengthened in the last few years with carers leave for children under five and the introduction of flexible working for parents. Therefore the current legal atmosphere promotes equality in the workplace, especially between the genders. The law in general follows from the Human Rights Act 1998; however thes e equal rights are based on treating men and women the same and do not combat the inequities that are inherent in the system, which are illustrated by the fact that there are problems with sexual harassment and the prosecution of such acts. In fact in some jurisdictions such as Canada there was no legal action of sexual harassment until 1989 with the case of Janzen v Platy Enterprises. If there are problems in defining and prosecuting sexual harassment because of the traditional views of women this illustrates the problem with the Therefore it is necessary for this systemic discrimination to be tackled by re-distributive justice, which feminists such as Mackinnon purport. Therefore inequality is the key term that needs to be discussed when contemplating the validity of re-distributing resources. Re-distribution can be done by either handing out state benefits of money, housing or material items or by providing more opportunities to those that are in disadvantaged positions. Nozick and Rawls are examples of two extremes in liberalist thought; Nozick represents the true laissez-faire liberals whereby redistribution is against equal opportunities and the only way to present a just government is to follow free-market principles. Rawls, on the other hand, argues that re-distribution can be fair as long as it is just, but would not suggest quota systems or the socialist democratic state of the Scandinavian nations. This section will end by comparing the two theorists. There are other theorists such as Kymlicka who argue that re-distribution is the only manner of ensuring that inherent inequalities are eradicated in the political system. Such lines of argume nts come from feminist thinkers, such as MacKinnon. Therefore this approach would tackle rape and the current approach of the court as an example of this inherent inequality, ensuring that rape is treated seriously and a matter under an objective court rather than a court that is biased against women, using their sexual backgrounds against them when all there should be is a question of consent. Accountability: Stanleys accountable feminist knowledge and how this approach might address methodical problems of gender, these are the problems that radical feminism hold and many ward of unwarranted ranting, rather than a theoretical argument. Gender is not an a priori characteristic of social life or of people or of the content of documents; it is not in these as a by definition component of them, but instead a construction, one capable of being construed differently in different times and places, by different commentators, using different (or in deed the same) evidences. Stanleys approach to feminist knowledge is very important because it sheds the inherent methodologies of society, which are entrenched with biases of the male dominated society. In addition Stanley argues that gender is not an a priori characteristic rather it is the construction of society and dominated by male dominated methodologies, i.e. ones sex refers to the simple a priori characteristic whether one is male or female; whereas gender is the construction of how this sex should function in society, such as the Victorian and 1950s image of the male (husband) is the breadwinner and the female (wife) is the nurturer and housewife. This is a very important distinction because for too long have all academic disciplines mistaken gender and ones sex for one in the same thing. What Stanley is proposing will take a closer look at how gender is constructed and whether a feminist methodology will ensure that equality and substantive justice will be meted out fairly. One such example is the use of quantitative and hard scientific methods; whereby the only manner to ensure equality is from a value neutral approach, i.e. men and women are considered androgynous and without sex; therefore creating a system of equality. On the other hand, a more modern approach denies this value neutral approach as an example of inherently sexist methodology because it does not combat the differences between the sexes; as well as t he value neutral approach being steeped in gender stereotypes that does not truly combat the male dominated academic biases of methodology. Stanley uses the work of Rich to create and exposition of this approach and focuses on the differences in perspective, i.e. no scientific method can truly be value neutral as they are being conducted by humans and humans are inherently biased: The intellectual location from which debates and arguments are assembled and presented constitutes a point of view – and the point of view critic is inevitably different from that of the proponent†¦ Recognizing this is important, because a point of view is both unavoidable and also indicates the existence of perspective: a particular way of seeing which highlights and brings into focus some thing as salient. Stanley, therefore, proposes that in order to combat these biased perspectives, where the male dominated perspective is inherent in the societal structure, there needs to an accountable feminist methodology that will provide a feminist perspective that will provide a realistic and challenging opponent to the inherent male dominated perspective. Accountability is the key because it allows for the methodology to be considered as an equal to the current academic methodologies, without accountability it will be dismissed as mere zealous ranting as opposed to a new academic method. As Stanley argues: A real debate about feminist methodology has not yet happened†¦ in particular because of the use of binaries†¦ What is needed now is an actual, real, debate, involving an exchange of ideas and the thoughtful interrogation of alternative approaches. Conclusion: At the moment because the state and economic situation is only playing lip service to equality this re-enforces the inequality in the family, work and justice system where the good girl gets justice the wife who is not only a career women, but also a cleaner, caretaker, nanny and a personal servant to her husband. Therefore the argument of radical feminism is not too far from the truth; however its methods and accountability raises questions and it gets regarded as biased and un-objective. In order for this attitude in society to change feminist theory needs to be incorporated in the state and the economy further, with re-distributive justice; the reason why feminist theorists have only been partially successful is that either the theory has no accountable basis or it is falling prey to mainstream academic methods. In order to do this feminist theory must incorporate an accountable feminist methodology, in order for feminist theory to be held as a valid theory of the state and econom ics with valid aims to create equality through realistic systemic change. By bringing true systemic change it will cause a change in social views and policy, which will bring true equality to the family home, womens sexuality and in the workplace and most importantly in the justice system for victims of rape .

Innocence Lost in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas :: John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is based on John Boyne's book of the same name, which I'd read a few years ago. The cover of the book gave away little of the plot, allowing the reader to discover just what it was about while they were reading it. For instance, I don't think it's ever directly mentioned that the book is set in World War II and that the father of central character Bruno is a Nazi. That gradual unveiling of the plot can't be done in the film - as soon as we see the swastikas in the first frame of the film, and catch a glimpse of Bruno's dad (Thewlis) we know exactly what he is. And we also know the significance of the striped pyjamas worn by the old man who peels potatoes in the kitchen. The story starts with eight-year-old Bruno (Butterfield) annoyed to discover his father has been given a new posting, to a house in the country. He misses his friends until he spots what he believes is a farm through the woods in the backyard. But it's an odd farm, the people all wear those striped pyjamas. Thinking there might be some children to play with Bruno asks his mother (Farmiga) if he can go and have a look. She immediately tells him he is not to leave the yard. But curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks out through the woods to the edge of the "farm", which is surrounded by an electric fence. Sitting on the other side is another eight-year-old, Shmuel (brilliantly played by Scanlon). The pair get talking and, soon enough, Bruno becomes a regular visitor to the fence. Until that heartbreaking conclusion. The film is largely told from the perspective of Bruno and Shmuel, neither of whom comprehend the true nature of the farm. Indeed, neither understand much of what is happening in Germany at the time. His parents, who most definitely do know what's going on, steer Bruno away from the ugly truth of the "farm" in their backyard. This provides an interesting insight. The father in particular fully supports the persecution of the Jews - to him it is a normal part of life - yet prefers to change the subject rather than offering his son an explanation. It makes you wonder if it's because there's still some small part of him that doubts his actions. Also interesting is the attitude of Bruno's mother when she sees smoke from the camp's chimneys and discovers what they're actually burning.

Pictorial Narratives: Hogarth’s Marriage àla Mode Essay -- Essays Pa

Pictorial Narratives: Hogarth’s Marriage à   la Mode One of Hogarth’s bitterest satires, Marriage à   la Mode, showed the disastrous results of a marriage of convenience concluded between the son of a poverty-stricken nobleman and the daughter of an aspiring merchant (Jarrett 88). Yet this background information is not necessary to appreciate each painting independently. From the first painting, in which the ambitious fathers of the couple exchange money and titles, to the final two prints that show the husband and wife’s melodramatic deaths, each of the six prints tells both a episode in the story of this doomed arranged marriage and a story in and of itself. The first two Marriage à   la Mode prints, The Marriage Settlement and Shortly After the Marriage, both contain numerous works of art, architecture, period dress and other carefully placed props that allow each work to tell a story without being dependent on the context of the series. Because of its immense detail, The Marriage Contract is perhaps one of the easiest prints to appreciate. Even without any prior knowledge of this work, an inexperienced art critic can still ascertain that the scene takes place in an aristocratic home. Copies of paintings after the old masters hang in gilt frames, the ceiling is painted and the walls hung with green damask. Two men sit at a table in some sort of business transaction, as evidenced by the presence of three lawyers, numerous documents and money. The gentleman on the right’s portrait hangs on the wall above the table, indicating that the deal is being brokered in his home. He is correspondingly dressed in fine clothes, whereas the other gentleman is more modestly attired. The skill with which Hogarth has represented the swelling aristocratic pride of the Earl and the lower-bred, commercial demeanor of the Sheriff was regarded by eighteenth-century critics, best acquainted with the social manners of their age, as masterly (Webster 103). A document that reads â€Å"Marriage Settlement of the Rt. Honble Lord Viscount Squanderfield† rests in the hand of the non-artistocratic gentleman, his careful perusal of the document indicating that he is the bride’s father. In turn, he has handed over a sum of money to the Viscount’s father (who the inexperienced viewer can assume holds the title earl). In turn, the Earl points to his contribution to the marriag... ...m each other. The Roman bust with a broken nose on the mantle and the painting above it, featuring Cupid playing a song on the bagpipes ironically titled â€Å"O Happy Groves† amidst falling ruins, suggest the similarly ruined and collapsing state of the couple’s marriage. Hogarth's remarkably exuberant satire of marriage for money, his pungent details of upper-class life, and his mastery of complex scenes find perhaps their highest expression in this series, generally considered his finest work. (Encarta). Although critics have commented that the series progresses somewhat abruptly, with little idea of what occurs in between the six scenes, rarely is any one painting referred to independent of the others. But because of the complexity of each scene, the paintings, The Marriage Contract and The Tà ©te-à  -Tà ©te in particular, can easily stand by themselves as brilliant satires of arranged marriage in the 18th century. Such is the genius of Hogarth. Works Cited Hallett, Mark. Hogarth. London: Phaidon Press, 2000. Jarrett, Derek. England in the Age of Hogarth. London: Hart-Davis, MacGibbon Ltd, 1974. Webster, Mary. Hogarth. Danbury, CT: MasterWorks Press, 1984.