Thursday, November 28, 2019
Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances
Organizationââ¬â¢s structure NYS department of taxation and finances is logically organized. In most cases, tasks are done by a team, as opposed to breaking it down to accomplished by an individual employee. In IT, working in a team is preferable to working individually.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is because software and hardware problems are sometimes complex and therefore, requires to be input from different people working in a team to come up with a proper solution. There are some bureaus where tasks are subdivided into separate jobs. In data warehousing for instance, there are those taking care of database and those whose work is programming. Jobs are grouped according to departments and sub-categories falling under departments. Departmentalization as a basis of grouping jobs together considers ba sic activities that require to be carried out for the organization to deliver required output (Baligh, 2006). Departmentalization can be done based on functions, product, geographical areas, process or customer. At NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, departmentalization is done based on functions. Activities are grouped according to work done to leverage on shared skills. Under technology management, jobs are further grouped together around a certain specialty in technology, such as database. Hence, we have database administrators under database, and network management under IT infrastructure. Chain of command is important in an organization. It help clarify reporting relationships, enhances responsibility, employees can easily acquire resources requires over the chain, and introduces simplicity (Tsukamoto, 2003). The chain of command may, however, impede free flow of information, and frustrate decision making in todayââ¬â¢s world where decisions requires to be made faster (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2010). At NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, the chain of command is clear. The teams under each department have a higher reporting authority. For instance, in the Enterprise Storage Management where I (A. Richard ITS2 p/18) am based, we report to S. Mayo. In management, Span of control is taken to mean the number of workers reporting to a one manager (Baligh, 2006). When the span of control is narrow, the organizational structure must necessarily be hierarchical. A broad span of control produces a flat structure.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In designing the organizational structure of an organization, the biggest question remains how to come up with an optimal manager to employeeââ¬â¢s ratio without jeopardizing productivity. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances has a narrow span of control. This is possibly because the work done is reliant on technology, which is complicated to some extent. Also, most of the work in the department is through teams. An organizational structure represents a chain of command. At the top is the senior manager who is involved in matters of strategy. The technical aspects of strategy are worked out by lower lever managers and employees (Joyce Woods, 2001). Major decision making lies with the senior manager who in the case of NYS Dept of Taxation and finances is the assistant director ITS. Further down in the structure, heads of divisions of the bureaus are involved in decision making. Public organization normally operates in a very formal way as opposed to small businesses and upstarts. Upstarts works best in a less formal way, because their products or services are usually innovative (Daft, 2010). As the organization becomes big, it increases in complexity, because it also produces complex products and services. For an organization such as NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, rules and regulat ions are important to direct managers and employees. The IT department requires general directions as opposed to specific rules to follow. This is because IT requires a healthy dose of creative thinking for the simple reason that technology keeps on changing very fast (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2011). Regulations should be imposed to the extent the departmentââ¬â¢s goals, such as security, are achieved. Technology Much of the stride made in increasing productivity in the workplace is as a result of adopting new technologies. Technology is now one of the hottest topics in the world of business. All organizations, large or small, are racing to adopt the latest technology in what they do as a business. In an organization process, a new technology is likely to increase efficiency and hence boost profitability. For example, adopting information process in tax collection process will help tax department achieve the cannons of taxation, such as economy and convenience. In a sales proces s, customers can easily acquire goods and services. Therefore, technology generally makes things easier for the businesses. Although adopting new, emerging, and relevant technologies is smart, it may nevertheless cause problems in organization processes. A new technology portends change, and people are afraid of change. The problems that technology may cause to a specific organization process are essentially problems related to employeeââ¬â¢s inability to fit in a new environment driven a new technology.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If for instance a new technology was introduced to drive sales, products sold may initially go down before picking up or exceeding previous levels. In tax collection, adopting internet technologies in filing returns may lead to delays in filing returns initially, but later the p roblem does not recur as people learn. Adopting a new technology may render workers redundant. Offloading excessive employees is good, but unemployment increases. A simple technology such as personal computer has the potential to change an organization that does not use computers massively. The same case applies to a goods producing company that adopts computer-aided manufacturing. By adopting the right communication technologies, itââ¬â¢s possible for a large organization to have a larger span of control in its structure without compromising productivity. Technology can also make the relationship between employees and managers more engaging. In general, implanting a technology and information systems have the ability to introduce change in an organization completely (Mangham Mangham, 1987). An erstwhile inefficient organization can, through technology, become very efficient. There are those entrenched cultures that are difficult t change except by adapting new technology. Adopt ing internet and communication technologies may, for instance, enhance communication and dialogue between employees and the management in an organization where this kind of communication was absent. Technology can enhance interpersonal relationship or increase distance between employer and employees (Finlay, 2000). For example, itââ¬â¢s possible for the manager to keep communicating often with a team leader at the head f the project through video. In the same breath, lack of direct face-to-face communication lacks the characteristic human quality that makes people truly bond. Also, internet and communication technologies make it possible to stay connected throughout. This makes it easier to do business and monitor employees. Implementing a new technology is an involving process. Training is required to familiarize employees on the new technology, and itââ¬â¢s a process that requires a lot of resources (Haberberg Rieple, 2007). Training is also required to change the attitudes of employees, not just increasing their technical competence to handle the technology (Clegg, 1990). The success envisaged on implementation of the technology depends partly on the cooperation of employees. Implementing a new technology may require additional extra equipments which the company must acquire. As noted earlier, technology brings change, which may be reason for adopting the technology in the first place (Alkhafaji, 2003). In that case, change management is important. Leadership is also required.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Environment NYS Dept of Taxation and finances is a public institution which interacts with a lot of players, both inside and outside the organization. All these players have competing interests. The biggest problem the organization encounter is how to keep everybody happy. Tax payers expect fast and efficient service. Anything less than that will lead to complains. Government authorities also expect people to get minimum quality of service and anything less than that is unacceptable to it. Other players also have their own demands as well as expectations that must be considered. There is also the scrutiny from the media and other consumer rights groups. This put the department under tremendous pressure. Strategy is developed in response to the results of analysis of the internal environment as well as external environment (Burack, 1975). As such, therefore, itââ¬â¢s the senior manager who pays attention to the forces in the environment. Once the forces are identified, appropriate actions can be instituted. The lower cadre employees are the ones responsible for execution of strategy as developed by the management. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances plays the important role of dealing with taxes. Such a role is necessarily sensitive and the department must be efficient. Deploying the right technology, and doing so flawlessly is a strategic action that must be hatched by the top management, but executed by the lower cadre technical staff (Thompson Martin, 2010). Most of the difficulties that the department face or may face stem from their operational efficiency or lack of it. To provide superior service, the first they need is to continually deploy the latest technology in information and internet technology. The management should also set up a strong consumer service/public relation department to engage outside parties. Perceptions can be changed or modified. The best way to do this is by engaging those likely to change or sway public opinion. The department also has a number of unfilled vacancies. There is no reason why they should continue to be vacant. Integration The department is in the business of collecting taxes and managing finances, as well as providing support infrastructure for doing the same. The work is divided according to functions. Specific functions are carried out by employees hired for that purposes. They could be programmers or database administrators. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances has a logical organization structure with a narrow span of control. It is easy to manager employees. Also, the employees can communicate easily among the management through the internet. A challenging job done well gives immense satisfaction. Some of the tasks there are accomplished in a team. Working in a team is very rewarding. Another reward is of course the salary the employees get. The various bureaus have persons mandated to manage them. These managers themselves are answerable to senior managers at the top. Through these leader s, the whole department is intact and can execute its mandate. Internet and communication technologies are deployed to help coordinate the functions of the department. References Alkhafaji, A. F. (2003). Strategic management: formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. New York: Haworth Press. Baligh, H. H. (2006). Organization structures theory and design, analysis and prescription. New York: Springer. Burack, E. H. (1975). Organization analysis: theory and applications. Hinsdale, Ill.: Dryden Press. Clegg, S. (1990). Organization theory and class analysis: new approaches and new issues. Berlin: W. de Gruyter. Daft, R. L. (2010). Organization theory and design (10th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Dess, G. G., Lumpkin, G. T., Eisner, A. B. (2010). Strategic management: creating competitive advantages (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Finlay, P. N. (2000). Strategic management: an introduction to business and corporate strategy. New Y ork: Pearson Education. Haberberg, A., Rieple, A. (2007). Strategic management: theory and application. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2011). Strategic management: competitiveness globalization : concepts (9th ed.). Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Joyce, P., Woods, A. (2001). Strategic management: a fresh approach to developing skills, knowledge and creativity. London: Kogan Page. Mangham, I. L., Mangham, I. L. (1987). Organization analysis and development: a social construction of organizational behaviour. Chichester [West Sussex: Wiley. Thompson, J. L., Martin, F. (2010). Strategic management (6th ed.). Andover: Cengage Learning. Tsukamoto, S. (2003). Human nature and organization theory: on the economic approach to institutional organization. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. This research paper on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances was written and submitted by user Damarion U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Monday, November 25, 2019
2 Tricks for Remembering Greater Than and Less Than Signs
2 Tricks for Remembering Greater Than and Less Than Signs SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What do those little sideways carat symbols mean? They're inequalities! Inequalities can be difficult to get a handle on, especially because the greater than and less than signs look so similar. But these symbols are very useful, because they help us show the relationship between numbers or equations in a way that doesn't just say that they're equal. In this article, weââ¬â¢ll be talking about what inequalities are, how theyââ¬â¢re represented, and how to remember which sign means what. Not knowing what the signs mean may make your math homework feel something like this. What Are Greater Than and Less Than Signs For? Inequalities are math problems that donââ¬â¢t resolve with a clear ââ¬Å"equalsâ⬠answer- instead, they compare two things, demonstrating the relationship between them rather than showing that one is equal to another. Hence the name; ââ¬Å"inequalityâ⬠means that two things are not equal. Weââ¬â¢re all familiar with the equal sign, ââ¬Å"=â⬠at this point in math. But ââ¬Å"â⬠and ââ¬Å"â⬠are not as common, let alone ââ¬Å"âⰠ¥Ã¢â¬ and ââ¬Å"âⰠ¤Ã¢â¬ . Hereââ¬â¢s a chart to cover all the inequality symbols: Symbol Meaning Less than- the number on the left is less than the number on the right; 2 3 Greater than- the number on the left is greater than the number on the right; 3 2 âⰠ¤ Less than or equal to- the number on the left is less than or equal to the number on the right; 2 or 3 âⰠ¤ 3 âⰠ¥ Greater than or equal to- the number on the left is greater than or equal to the number on the right; 2 or 3 âⰠ¥ 2 âⰠDoes not equal- the number on the left does not equal the number on the right; 2 âⰠ3 Now we'll finally get to talk about why all these photos are of crocodiles. How to Remember Greater Than and Less Than Signs Though the greater than and less than signs have clear meanings, they can be kind of hard to remember. All of them look similar, with the exception of the ââ¬Å"does not equalâ⬠sign. So how can you remember them? Alligator Method One of the best ways to memorize the greater than and less than signs is to imagine them as little alligators (or crocodiles), with the numbers on either side representing a number of fish. The alligator always wants to eat the larger number of fish, so whatever number the mouth is open toward is the larger number. The alligatorââ¬â¢s mouth is open toward the 4, so even if we werenââ¬â¢t sure that 4 is a bigger number than 3, the sign would tell us. All inequality signs give us the relationship between the first number and the second, beginning with the first number, so 4 3 translates to ââ¬Å"4 is greater than 3.â⬠This also works the other way around. If you see 5 8, imagine the sign as a little alligator mouth about to chomp down on some fish. The mouth is pointed at the 8, which means that 8 is more than 5. The sign always tells us the relationship between the first number and the second, so 5 8 can be translated to ââ¬Å"5 is less than 8.â⬠When youââ¬â¢re working with inequalities, you can even draw little eyes on the symbols to help you remember which means which. These can be tricky to remember, so donââ¬â¢t be afraid to get a little creative until you really have them memorized! Rotateyour less than sign a little bit and you get an L for "less than!" L Method This method is pretty simple- â⬠less thanâ⬠starts with a letter L, so the symbol that looks most like an L is the one that means ââ¬Å"less than.â⬠looks more like an L than , so means ââ¬Å"less than.â⬠Because doesnââ¬â¢t look like an L, it canââ¬â¢t be ââ¬Å"less than.â⬠Equal Sign Method Once youââ¬â¢ve mastered the Alligator or L method, the other symbols are easy! ââ¬Å"Greater than or equal toâ⬠and ââ¬Å"less than or equal toâ⬠are just the applicable symbol with half an equal sign under it. For example, 4 or 3 âⰠ¥ 1 shows us a greater sign over half an equal sign, meaning that 4 or 3 are greater than or equal to 1. It works the other way, too. 1 âⰠ¤ 2 or 3 shows us a less than sign over half of an equal sign, so we know it means that 1 is less than or equal to 2 or 3. The ââ¬Å"does not equalâ⬠sign is even easier! Itââ¬â¢s just an equal sign crossed out. If you see an equal sign crossed out, it means that the equal sign doesnââ¬â¢t apply- thus, 2 âⰠ3 means that 2 does not equal 3. Keep these things in mind and you'll look this happy about working with inequalities. Key Tips For Working With Inequalities Inequalities are tricky- weââ¬â¢re used to having a clear and concrete answer for math problems, butinequalities don't always give us that. When you're working with inequalities, keep these things in mind to help ease you through the process. Inequalities are All About Relationships Keep in mind as youââ¬â¢re working on inequalities that theyââ¬â¢re typically asking you to solve for a relationship or to identify which symbol is appropriate rather than asking you to solve for a single number. You donââ¬â¢t need to end up with two numbers on either side of an equal sign to be right- the answer just needs to be true. Isolate Your Variables When youââ¬â¢re working with inequalities with variables, itââ¬â¢s important to remember that, in general, youââ¬â¢ll be trying to isolate the variable to one side or the other. Focus on condensing numbers and canceling things out when you can, always with the goal of getting the variable alone on either side of the equation. Negative Numbers Change the Greater Than or Less Than Sign Donââ¬â¢t forget that performing certain actions will flip the sign. When you multiply or divide by a negative number, you need to flip the ââ¬Å"greater thanâ⬠or ââ¬Å"less thanâ⬠sign along with it. Don't Multiply or Divide by a Variable- Most of the Time Unless you know for certain that a variable will always be positive or always be negative, donââ¬â¢t multiply or divide an inequality by a variable. Whatââ¬â¢s Next? Inequalities aren't the only tricky part of math- rational numbers can also be confusing! This guide will help walk you through what a rational number is and what they look like. Ever wondered how many zeroes are in big numbers? How many zeroes are there in a billion? How about a trillion? Need to get some practice in? These 5th-grade math games can help you hone your skills! Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Melissa Brinks About the Author Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Thursday, November 21, 2019
What are some of the gender implications of the current global Essay
What are some of the gender implications of the current global financial crisis How would a gendered perspective influence responses to the current recession at a global level - Essay Example Mortgage collapse was accelerated by credit default swaps. This led to credit freeze thus limiting investments and consumption leading to insufficient aggregate demand and economic crisis (Seguino, 2009). Governments resorted to bail outs thus cutting expenditure on social services such as; education, health and child care. There were massive job cuts leading to human rights crisis due to mass unrests as a result of economic hardships. This paper is a critique of the gender implications of the crisis and influence of gender perspective on responses to current recession. The current global financial crisis which has transformed into global economic crisis due to credit crunch has affected all people all over the world but the women are the most affected. This is because women are the caregivers at home and to the community and engage in unpaid, informal and volunteer work and mostly work in the services sector. The millennium development goals focus on womenââ¬â¢s access to work opportunities, income and resources and hence improve the welfare of children, families, community and promote economic growth (Antonopoulos, 2009). Jobs were thus created in textile sector through export processing zones, tourism and agriculture and also work in public service as social workers. Men on the other hand are involved in masculine jobs such as construction work in public works and are highly paid while females engage in lowly paid jobs. Globalization enhances masculine dominance (Acker, 2004). Due to traditions, women are considered dependent on men thus bene fits such as; social insurance, pensions and welfare benefits are paid through the husband (Elson & Cagatay, 2000). Privatization makes women more dependent on men as women lose public service jobs. The cut in government expenditure on social services has great effect on women. It translates to loss of jobs for women who are concentrated
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Tupelo's Dilemma1 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Tupelo's Dilemma1 - Case Study Example à 2.à à à What can you say about the management style of the VP of Marketing in the case? Is it appropriate? Why, or why not? The management style of the VP can be said to be quite remarkable, because he applied the techniques of Lateral thinking of trying to increase the sales and consequently increase the profit margin on the HDTVââ¬â¢s. Due to the intense competition of the margins on HDTVââ¬â¢s it can be quite demoralizing for any company. The VPââ¬â¢s decision can be called timely, by not laying much thrust on the strategy per se, but the decision to act in a timely manner and reduce the gap which he found through the Warranty Extension Contract. à 3.à à à Define any Ethical Issue that you perceive in this scenario. The one hitch that one finds in this strategy for marketing is that the salespersons are compelled to make a sale under any circumstances. Which means that the customers are treated as baits in the web of Marketing and Market share. The c anned presentation approach hardly leaves any scope for the customer to exercise his discretion be it for a good product or a subversive quality product.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Information Overload Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Information Overload - Essay Example On a day to day basis, the info-rich obtain information from the internet, newspapers, emails, television, faxes and telephone calls. In the midst of all the clatter, the info-rich are conscious that essential and valuable information is being conveyed (Miller, 2009). The challenge now lies in separating the unnecessary, uninteresting, and outdated information from the up-to-date, relevant, and vital (Miller, 2009). This is achievable by any organization if it changes its technical system or its social system or even both (Klingberg, 2008). Initially, when network technologies were introduced, their aim was to bring considerable improvements to the productivity of workers; however, these productivity benefits are yet to materialize (Klingberg, 2008). As a result, empirical scrutiny of the data has failed so far in establishing a considerably positive relation between information technologies and productivity growth (Klingberg, 2008). Moreover, some people have even begun to wonder if the introduction of computers and other kinds of information technology has had a negative impact on productivity levels, since companies waste resources to generate, distribute, process and store paperwork, which, though adds up no value to the business, deflects people's attention afar from productive work (Klingberg, 2008). ... Indeed, a wealth of precious information has been made accessible; the remaining problem is to learn to manage that flood of information. Considering current technological and human constrictions, decision-makers are incapable of processing all the information which they receive (Klingberg, 2008). A number of managers complain that important issues are neglected due to the growing heaps of information which they have to review (Klingberg, 2008). Additionally, many companies are downsizing the assumption that computers are capable of effectively replacing people (Klingberg, 2008). However, information technologies happen to be best used as supplements; they cannot alternate human skills as far as processing complicated information flows is concerned (Klingberg, 2008). When it comes to business models, content providers focus on selling information straight to consumers (Grochow, 1997). However, there some instances when attention, and not information, is scarce (Grochow, 1997). Busine sses should contend for people's time; therefore, various successful business models of the future will have their basis in the economics of attention, which implies focusing on bringing out quality information to the people in a context that is meaningful (Grochow, 1997). Information production will still get motivation from profit incentives, with competition among substitutable information sources reducing the prices of the content of information itself (Grochow, 1997). Rather than expecting direct payment for the creation of information, it is crucial for content providers to run their business as though it were gratis, and then figure out how to enhance relationships or come up with ancillary products and
Friday, November 15, 2019
Forms of Political Violence
Forms of Political Violence Nihad Safarli Political violence: revolutions and terrorism Political violence has become a part of a daily life of each person living on the Earth. Almost everyone- politicians, mass media, scientists, taxi drivers.and etc. is talking about this. In this paper I will analyze the reasons of its popularity by investigating its origins and the factors which trigger off political violence. Based on the theoretical framework created by the knowledge Iââ¬â¢ve amassed before, mainly my paper is focused on two prevailing forms of political violence with what this term often is being associated ââ¬ârevolutions and terrorism. I will try to find out more precious definition of revolutions and clarify which historical events can be conceptualized as a revolution, also try to ascertain the main cause of terrorism. Theda Skocpolââ¬â¢s article ââ¬Å"France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutionâ⬠provided quite good definition of revolution , although in my opinion her study is so tightly squeezed that doesnââ¬â¢t fit to all cases in the history. I want to criticize Skocpolââ¬â¢s conceptualization of social revolutions .After reviewing the definitions given by S.Huntington and Lenin she combined the content of them and applied it for analysis of revolutions in particular states. According to the author, revolution is a very rapid and fundamental transformation of social conditions and class structures and can be achieved through uprising of the lower class. The main difference of social revolutions from other forms of conflicts and transforming processes is that they attended by class insurrection, political and social transformations in social structure. But even rebellions with the same characteristics cannot be considered as revolutions as they donââ¬â¢t aim to make structural changes. Skocpol used a comparative historical method, in order to analyze cautiously the history of some modern revolutions, use the data gathered from the cases to make generalizations. Limitation of this method is that it is good to compare only similar cases. For example, comparison of Russian and German revolutions could be appropriate as a lot of common factors had an impact on revolutions, such as forfeit of war. But for France war ended up with a victory and overall situation was different from Russia which makes difficult to compare French and Russian revolutions applying comparative method. Scokpol thought that trouble Russia felt during World War I caused the revolution as its economy couldnââ¬â¢t respond to such huge pressure yielded by military expenditure. But the main thing is not how ââ¬Å"a boxer was punched, the main thing is how he will he be able to stand thisâ⬠Not only rapid industrialization but also lack of capacity to respond to this rapid process, played an essential role. The challenging part of this definition is about the phrase- ââ¬Å"very rapidâ⬠. The ââ¬Å"blurredâ⬠part about social revolution word is due to vague starting point and the end. For instance, the Russian revolution: did it begin exactly in 1917? Or may be seeds of revolutions were spread before? For defining the paradigm of rapid change, we should know whether that revolution ended exactly in October 1917 or not? Main missing point here is that we donââ¬â¢t know during which period should structural transformation happen to be called revolution. Probably I can conclude that periods called revolutions, transformation happened much more rapid now carried the qualitative character. If we accept social revolutionas a fundamental transformation of society, we should define what is fundamental about it. The author mentioned it dimly: changes in the social structure, accompanied by class uprisings; second, political and social transformation.Butwhich changes in the social structure does she mean? It is known that social structure changes continually. A person is a unit of society. In that sense birth and death of a person is also a change in social structure. Consequently, were talking about peculiar types of transformations in society. Skocpol wrote that the changes in society are attend by class uprisings. The fact that two events in society took place at the same time doesnââ¬â¢t mean that one is a result of another one. In contrast with her idea I can state that the social changes happened during social revolutions are definitely the outcomes of insurrection. The nature of a social revolution can be best evaluated by the outcomes which are accomplished immediately after an insurgency by downtrodden class below. For instance, the nature of the French revolution can be best estimated by process befall after the overthrow of the king. However, it is possible to discuss the upheavals of the downtrodden classes, but also about counter-revolutionary upheavals. Symbolically, we can call them rebellions. Best example is the rebellion of Franco, as result of which a civil war has begun in Spain. Consequently, I can claim that the upheavals of the downtrodden are the inherentsegment of a social revolution. Another point regarding social revolutions which wasnââ¬â¢t clarified in the article is about achievement of ultimate goal. Should the notion revolution be used for the instances when the downtrodden are finally nullified, or are not able to hold on to the power? Was 1905 events a revolution if to take into account that resistance of revolution was broken and it didnââ¬â¢t manage to accomplish its goals? Skocpol considers political revolutions different from social revolutions.As an outcome of the latter, the form of the government ( and the government itself) is changed but the social structure and the property relations remains intact. Actually, political revolutions even doesnââ¬â¢t fit the term ââ¬Å"revolutionâ⬠from Skocpolââ¬â¢s perspective. As a conclusion of article we can define social revolutions as: a) an outcome , but also an origin of a scientific revolution, b) entails qualitative and quantitative transformations which become inalterable, c ) the downtrodden class can try to make changes any times before succeeding, d) representatives of this class come to government, e) social revolution continues in the consequent transformations in society. Terrorism as another widespread form of political violence can be analysed and also defined in different contexts such as religion, war, crime an etc. Some aspects of terrorism are going to stay outside of the outlook you used to study this term. I focused on the M.Chrenshawââ¬â¢s article and can say that I appreciate the outlook she used in her article to describe the causes of terrorism. The main perceptible and important moment is that she didnââ¬â¢t used ââ¬Å"populist reasoningâ⬠, like education level of terrorists or their physiological status, for justifying her arguments which I think makes her article a high-quality paper. But I still want to challenge some points she made regarding the causes of terrorism. Chrenshaw took modernization and grievance as one of the origins of this form of political violence. Modernization as a precondition can be taken as a factor only in states with less developed and conservative societies with stereotypes and taboos where new technological innovations are being impose by globalization wave. Conservative people has some distrust to new lifestyle, policies and donââ¬â¢t want to give up their traditional life. But I donââ¬â¢t agree with the statement, in a sense that, Chernhaw missed intervening variable .It is not modernization itself causes terrorism, rather it is just content of human character to resist to transformations and adjust to new way of life. Thatââ¬â¢s why revolutions which are rapid changes in social structure preceded with terror either by state in order to impose changes on people or by group of people for stopping that change. Even reactionary changes can lead to revolution. In other sense, revolution is a good condition for terrorism to rise. The article publish in Foreign Affairs journal states that After Tunisian uprising , which usually depicted as revolution( but just a political revolution according to Skocpols definition) , al Qaeda got greater operational freedom of action, its followers probably will try to stir up and benefit from new uprisings in order to fight for their political goals. (Byman, 2011). The similar trends are noticed in all places where revolution happened. As a direct condition for terrorisms grievance is very important an I think that it is the factor which is a condition for other direct causes to emerge .Grievance can be conceptualized as a real or assumed wrong or other cause for discontent or protest. I appreciate Crenshawââ¬â¢s argument about grievance and want to develop it more, that terrorists are driven by grievances about international political issues within particular regions and the world. They nourish a radical will to sacrifice innocent civilians because they ardently dream to expose their feelings and the only way of realizing them is terrorism.Off course, there can be various reasons why people nurse grievance. Some people are religious, some are nationalistic ad etc. Most probably ââ¬Å" popular reasonsâ⬠described as causes of terrorism such as education and poverty level therefore is not sufficient to explain the motives of terrorism.There isnââ¬â¢t any concrete formula of grievance as in different soci eties there are people who are ready to devote his life to some goals. If to exclude one origin of grievance, many other factors will serve as an origin to nurse grievance in a violent way.Thatââ¬â¢s why it is hardly possible to prevent the emergence of grievance but is possible to prevent terrorism by fighting against institutionalized terrorist groups. Because terror institution is a safe environment where grievance can be directed to violence path while that radical feeling can be used in favour of humankind as well. But what about variables like poverty and lack of education ââ¬â which are the explanations often articulated by mass media and politicians? In reality more highly educated people are those who are aware of their rights and freedoms and persistent enough to fight for their political intentions to be carried out. For instance, results from public opinion polls on support for attacks against Israeli targets conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip indicate that support for violent attacks does not decrease among those with higher education and higher living standards. (Krueger, Alan B. Jitka Maleckova., 2003)High education level in the country promises many favourable things for its people, but analysis of the facts suggests that it doesnââ¬â¢t bring about complete consensus and welfare in a society.If we want to look at the terrorism from the ââ¬Å"window of educationâ⬠we should concentrate on its content, rather than merely educational level of the country. Terrorism and Revolution also other forms of political violence donââ¬â¢t have clear border by which we can easily identify them. Because all this terms are socially contracted. For example, Babek for Azerbaijanis is a hero, but for Arabs he was just a rebel, for Italians Juli Sezar is a hero but for French people he is an enemy conquer, Attila for Turks is a great hero but for Europeans he is a wild , cruel barbarian king who occupied their territory, English troops in Baku in early 20th century were considered as enemies during Soviet times , but friends after independence . The same is true for terrorism. For someone somebody can be a terrorist, for another one he can be a fighter for freedom. This socially constructed character of political violence makes it difficult to define and its analysis depends on the context. Bibliography Byman, D. (2011). Terrorism After the Revolutions.. Foreign Affairs. Krueger, Alan B. Jitka Maleckova. (2003). Education, Poverty And Terrorism: Is There A Causal Connection?. Journal of Economic Perspectives.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
The Courage and Strength in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Mar
The Courage and Strength in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque As I enter my last week as a twenty-year-old, I find myself nostalgically looking back on the past two decades while wondering what life has in store for me over the next two. Where will I be in twenty years? What will I have accomplished? Where will I be living? Will I be married? Have chilâ⬠¦ wait a minute, no, that one will have to wait a few more years. These questions have all passed through my mind at one point or another over the last few weeks, but I realize that they are really quite a luxury. Paul, the narrator of Erich Maria Remarqueââ¬â¢s All Quiet on the Western Front, never had the opportunity to lean back from his desk and daydream about what the next twenty years of his life had in store for him. He was busy dodging bullets and artillery shells, trying to stay alive on Germanyââ¬â¢s Western Front during World War I. Paul and I are united on the grounds of age and nothing more, yet somehow, while following him through his service in the War, I feel connected to him. After finishing the novel, I ruminated on this idea for some time and eventually came to the conclusion that the connection I feel with Paul is a mixture of empathy and envy. I empathize with him because he put down the pen and took up the rifle in service of his country, just as I would do if called upon. I envy him because he exudes the qualities of a brilliant soldier, meticulous narrator, and man of faith even in times of mortal danger, especially in times of mortal danger. In the midst of the worst bombardment he has yet to face, Paul shines his brightest by illuminating in vivid detail not only the hellish onslaught unfolding around him, but also the intr... ...helling becomes a wonderfully connected verse of one soldierââ¬â¢s struggle to preserve himself against all odds. What more can be said about Paul? Soldier, narrator, believer, he is the embodiment of each, and would not be complete as one or two without being the third. I do not envy his situation, but rather his ability. I hope I never have to experience the modern-day equivalent of his service, but I admire the courage and strength he pours into duty. Seeing what he went through makes me wonder if my generation would be capable of standing up to fight if we were called upon as he was. Would we persevere as he did? Would I? I believe the answer is yes and that is why I empathize with him nearly a century later: as one young man to another. Works Cited Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A.W. Wheen. New York: Ballantine, 1982.
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