Define Individualism And Explain Its Importance Within Liberal Ideology

The liberal ideology is formed on several ideologies. Individualism is considered one of the most crucial. It's involved in most liberal characteristics like freedom, the economy and the role of the state. But there is notable division between modern and classic liberalists as to what it focuses on with modern liberalists focusing on individuality and classics believe in utilitarianism and and social darwinism. However it is widely agreed that individualism is a key concept within liberal ideology.Firstly, to discuss the importance of individualism, it must be defined. Individualism is the social theory favouring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control. Essentially the belief that the individual is more important than the social group. This is then split further into methodological individualism where the individual is placed at the centre of political theory and ethical individualism where moral priority is given to the interests of the individual.One plac e where individualism plays a key role within liberalism is in the role of the state. This appears in the form of a constitutional government that liberal thinkers view as essential with two other aspects to guarantee individualism. The first is the separation of powers where capability would be disbanded between various parts of government in order to prevent a focused centre of power which would be able to destroy individual freedom. The second is a limited government, where the state is only given enough powers necessary to allow individuals to follow their own eccentric pursuits. Therefore it can be see individualism plays an important role in liberals ideology as liberal government is designed to protect this. John Locke sums this up as ‘the state that governs least is the state that governs best'.Another place where individualism is important within liberal ideology is with regard to the financial market. This became prominent through the thinkings of Ricardo and Smith ( writer of the wealth of nations). They believed that the individual should be enabled to act in their own interests  and this will therefore benefit society overall. This will in theory therefore promote freedom, well-being and prosperity. More recently, John Maynard Keynes put forward the requirement of demand management – that the government should inject money into the economy to ensure the individual can still act in their own interests.Individualism also plays a crucial part in the opinion of freedom within liberal ideology. It is not total freedom but freedom under the state and the rule of law. It warrants for people to develop their own abilities and ambitions. John Locke, a 17th century philosopher considered freedom of the individual to be a natural right.Modern liberals have moved away towards individuality, by suggesting life is about more than a selfish pursuit of ones own joys. John Stuart Mills expressed the desire of individuals to achieve self-realisation a nd autonomy, through ‘high' pleasures, which consist of intellectual and moral pursuits in comparison with ‘low' pleasures which are crude pleasures including activities such as promiscuity, drinking and gambling. This may suggest individualism has less of a role in modern liberalism because there's less focus on the simple pleasures that a classical liberalist would conform to.Classical liberals have an atomistic view of the individual, due to ideas such as Social Darwinism, that the hard-working and talented would survive and the lazy would fail. Spencer stressed this, and the importance of the individual responsibility. Utilitarianism is also a key concept within classical thinking on individualism, the idea that the proper course of action is the one that maximises utility. Bentham suggested this was key as individuals ought to be allowed to follow their own happiness. The focus and analysis of political theorists on what individualism should be shows its importance. To summarise, it is clear that individualism is greatly important in liberal ideology, particularly in the opinion of classical liberalists. In classical liberalism individualism takes a more pivotal role within most aspects of their ideals. However in modern liberalism individualism is slightly more subdued due to the state's larger role. Overall individualism can be seen to play an important role within liberalism as a whole.

Poetry Lesson Essay

2. In â€Å"The Winter Evening Settles Down,† T.S. Eliot described the end of a day during winter in a city.   But in his description, the poet did not simply portray how winter evenings dawn.   Instead, he uses the words to express how he saw his environment during the time and what he feels about the era.   The lines of the poem speak of modern decay as characterized, for example, by the words â€Å"grimy scraps.†Ã‚   His view of the world at that point are summarized the few lines of his poem.   The withered leaves dropping to the ground, the loneliness of the streets and the cold gust of winds relate to how the world was fading into decline from the author’s eyes. 3. In Kelly Cherry’s poem â€Å"Advice to a Friend Who Paints,† he alluded to Cezanne, who was a French painter during the post-impressionist era.   Knowing who Cezanne was gives clarity to the poem’s main theme — that of giving pointers to an artist, as the title implies.   The poet is giving advice to her friend for trying so hard to obtain perfection in his art.   Using Cezanne as an example, it would be easy to interpret that the author asks her friend not to seek too much perfection in his craft for man and nature were born and made imperfect.   Kelly Cherry recalls to her friend’s mind how the French artist struggled and failed to perfectly capture on easel the nature and man he loved.   By doing so, the poet hopes to make her friend become more satisfied with his work. 4. In the poem, â€Å"This is Just to Say,† the lack of punctuation provides uncertainly in the tone.   The second and the succeeding lines become part of the first line in the stanza by taking away commas and other punctuations.  Ã‚   Even the second stanza is connected to the first stanza because the first did not end with a period, while the second stanza begins with a small letter. The lines become connected and turn into one message that suggests that even one as simply written as this one could be considered beautiful.

Classic Hollywood on Any Given Sunday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classic Hollywood on Any Given Sunday - Essay Example As Beaman starts growing to fame, aging Coach D'Amato and Rooney begin to question if Beaman is worth risking the rest of the season and their likelihood for the contest as he is tiresome to make the team succeed by himself (Gary Arnold. I, 2000, P 20). According to the cinematographic experts half as long as The Super Bowl, but two times as long as its substance warrants, Any Given Sunday arrives in theaters by all the bone crunching strength of a blind side late hit, apart from that you can see it coming a mile away. Oliver Stone's break team of editors rattles off shots like machine-gun fire. It's tender to watch at first, but it has its own beat. If you pay thought to only each third or fourth shot, the rest can wash over you and labor on a subconscious level. As a sensorial suggestion of football, Any Given Sunday very captures the inhuman effective conditions together on and off the field (George Arnold, 2000, P20). In this film Al Pacino played his role as Coach Tony D'Amato. His entity life is in shambles and so is his team. An old-guard coach, he still attaches a better sense to football beyond wins and losses.

Explaining a Concept Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Explaining a Concept Research Paper - Essay Example †). THESIS STATEMENT With due consideration to this aspect, the essay intends to explain the concept of viral marketing. The objective of the essay is to inform the marketers regarding the significance of viral marketing in the present era. Furthermore, the essay also discusses certain real life experiences of viral marketing. EXPLANATION OF VIRAL MARKETING The word ‘viral’ is used in order to define such a marketing practice where the messages regarding a particular brand are spread through the word-of-mouth method from one computer system to the other. An important component of viral marketing is that people spread the marketing messages, developed by the marketers. An effective viral marketing is characterized by controversy, community involvement and exclusive celebrity engagement. In viral marketing, a message needs to be unique and must feature a vital concept which encourages the audiences to share the message with their friends. Viral marketing at times is also deemed as a marketing program that acts as a virus, capable to replicate itself and spread from one person to the other. In viral marketing, the messages can reach the target audience in quite a less amount of time and at a low cost (National Media Museum, â€Å"What is Viral Marketing?†). ... In this way, viral marketing establishes a word-of-mouth thrill. The messages in viral marketing can arrive in different formats such as in the form of videos, pictures and applications or games among others. These digital formats can easily be shared by people who are connected through social networks (National Media Museum, â€Å"What is Viral Marketing?†). The effectiveness of viral marketing depends on the number of audiences who are viewing and spreading the brand messages developed by the marketers. People play a vital role in the notion of viral marketing, because they actually perform on behalf of the brand. Thus, in order to become successful, marketers need to understand the motivational aspects of people for spreading viral messages. On the basis of a study conducted by Milward Brown, it is observed that there is a strong relationship between inducing the enjoyment of brand messages and ensuring the possibility of forwarding them to the people. However, enjoyment al one is not sufficient to inspire individuals to share the messages. The massages must have certain additional scopes such as being pleasant, humorous or funny among others which are most likely to be spread by the viewing individuals (Hollis, â€Å"Millward Brown’s Pov†). SIGNIFICANCE OF VIRAL MARKETING FOR MODERN MARKETERS Viral marketing has created a strong sense of excitement for modern marketers and often it appears as an important marketing strategy. It is possible for marketers to be benefitted from the perceptions of viral marketing, due to an increased level of usage of social networking. According to a study of Miller and Lammas, in the year 2009, about 142.1 million Americans, 46.6 million Japanese and 31 million Brazilian people accessed the social networks. Popular

MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

MARKETING - Essay Example In the present day, the motive behind production is no more about searching customer but delighting customers through path of customization and research. According to the American Marketing Association, Marketing is â€Å"an organizational function and a set of process for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and managing customer relationship is a way that benefits the organization and its stakeholders† (AMA, 2004). Financial success fully depends upon right marketing. Corporate goals are achieved through meeting customer needs and delighting customer expectancy and right marketing is the way to it. Right marketing is obtained through research oriented planning and execution of those marketing strategy effectively. Ten types of entities can be marketed by marketers to these categories of market. These entities include properties, services, organization, events, place, goods, information, experiences, persons, and ideas. All organizations that work under this umbrella need marketing to sustain in ever rising competitive market of the present day. Due to the affects of globalization, changing technology, deregulations, privatization, customer empowerment, customization, increasing competition, there has been a remarkable change in behavior of market. It is facing new challenges and new opportunities with changing environment. Even market leaders like GE, Microsoft, Walt Mart, Intel, and Nike are kept on their toes. In order to ensure sustainable development, the companies need to remain flexible and adaptable to the external situations. Marketing function survives on its fundamental core concepts as well as changing trends. Its fundamental concepts include needs which are basic requirements of an individual and can comprise of stated needs, unstated needs, real needs, secret needs, and delighted needs, whereas want and demand are specific needs towards a particular object (Kotler & Keller,

Entrepreneurship and Small business. MKT2290 Essay

Entrepreneurship and Small business. MKT2290 - Essay Example The corporate strategy plays a significant role at building a bridge between the company’s inner policies and the undertakings it has with the various stakeholders, who could be from the external marketing settings. (Korzeniowski, 2001) In the world of today, external marketing environment has gained a lot of essence due to the fact that it brings into picture the real role of the channel members, middle line managers and wholesalers as well as other personnel who do their bit towards completing different activities and tasks, coming directly under the auspices of the organization’s hold. (Applbaum, 2004) What is therefore necessary in such a situation is to be open to all forms of criticisms which could be raised by the various stakeholders and parties hailing from the external marketing environment and the related regimes. This will present the said organization with a host of options when it devises a plan to counter the problems which it is facing at the hands of the external marketing environment and the different players present within the very same environmental settings. Problems stumbled upon by the business at one region or at a local franchise would mean that the company should be ready to bear lo sses of an unimaginable cost. More than that, the company will lose its self-won respect and dignity around which shareholders and owners, etc are revolving around. Long range planning can help a particular company gain so much in accordance with its goals and objectives that had been planned and drafted but in the current times more and more attention and emphasis is making the rounds of the discussion as to whether these plans can actually deliver what was expected of them in the first place. Now we shift to the methodology and rationale behind building competitive advantage. This is something that is build over time and requires synchronization between the

The World of Work Skills Certificate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The World of Work Skills Certificate - Essay Example I am attracted to structural designing in light of the fact that I like the thought of molding my general surroundings to meet the requests without bounds. I seek after a testing profession which I will discover expressly compensating and have the capacity to feel that I have given something back to the society. Â  Scholastically, science has dependably been my primary intrigue and is the territory in which I am generally capable. I delighted in science, specifically finding out about human effect on nature. In any case, amid my grades in school, I understood that my advantage lay more profound in maths and material science. I delighted in the critical thinking included inside of my subjects and the way a genuine circumstance could be communicated and controlled scientifically. What I discovered especially fascinating was relating what had learned in the classroom to genuine circumstances, which is the thing that gave me more enthusiasm for structural building - the request of a testing profession where I would have the chance to hypothetically take care of issues and essentially apply answers for beneficially affect my general surroundings. Â  Amid my whole year, I have had a few work experience positions in different gifted exchanges, for example, building and joinery. Through joinery, I picked up energy about the requirement for precise outline and development, and in addition a learning of the employment of wood as a building material. In spite of the fact that a significant part of the building work I have attempted was in development, I observed it to be the priceless experience. For instance, whilst building a carport I learned about the significance of good outline and having so as to arrange to translate the plans keeping in mind the end goal to decide what number of blocks would be required.

Modular questions for vendor systems Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modular questions for vendor systems - Article Example Although both best of breed and integrated system are very different and have their own particular nuances, the two systems each have both advantages and disadvantages. Doctor John Fontanetta (2010) is an emergency room physician who makes a convincing case for best of breed. Although speaking for the ER staff, he points out that the clinic or hospital has normally spent many years developing the system to suit their particular specialty and/or purpose. Why throw that away for an entirely new system that may or may not be up to date and suited to the facility? Another compelling argument concerns the fast-spreading H1N1 influenza virus. Doctor Fontanetta reports one hospital and its best of breed vendor had treatment and hospitalization plans operational in less than a day! However, Jay Simmons, an informatics professional, opts for the integrated system (2011), stating that not only are operating costs are lowered but the system is more efficient, in that PMS and EHR are working together. Yet even he admits that a clinic might regret ridding itself of the existing PMS. Sabooniha (2012) accurately describes the different loose knit information systems in a healthcare facility (pharmacy, financial, care, etc.) as a group of islands. They know who each other is but none of them is connected. The resulting chaos can result in a number of disadvantages for the facility, including increased costs and redundancy among systems. The most important resulting problem is the loss of data reliability. Therefore, he states that integration of all these systems is imperative for the business to be more competitive. The factors one must consider, according to Sabooniha, are â€Å"Flexibility, Real time, Reliability, Reusability, Performance, Complexity, The Centers for Disease Control (2012) agrees with Sabooniha in stating that the integration of systems will enhance security of the systems and greatly curtail the infamous leaks of patient privacy. In

Analisys of demand and supply affecting Shell Oil Coursework

Analisys of demand and supply affecting Shell Oil - Coursework Example The effects of changes in the price and availability of gods and services, which serve as complements to oil have had a great impact on the demand for Shell’s products. A good is as a complement when a rise in its price results to a negative shift in the demand curve for the good of interest. The rise in the maintenance costs has placed tremendous pressure on the demand for oil and affecting the price for the company’s products. The price fall in shares for other industries that heavily rely on oil has had a great impact on demand for oil. The reduced profitability and price wars among companies such as Tesco, J Sainsbury, and Marks Spenser reduces the demand for Shell’s products. Increase in price of engineering tools used in processing and extraction of oil have had a negative impact on the demand for oil (Mason, 2011). Shell can increase the price for its products and services to cover higher overhead costs. A substitute good or service is as a substitute when an increase in its price results into a positive shift in the demand for good or service of interest (Cherunilam, 2007). The increase in the availability of alternative fuel sources such as solar energy has a negative impact on the demand for oil. ... The demand for Shell’s products is price sensitive (elastic) since a reduction in the price for Shell petrol will automatically result into an increase in demand. In the case of Shell’s products and services, the percentage change in demand is greater than the change in price. The effects of 2008 economic crisis have had negative impacts on the available income to most people in the UK and the rest of the world. This results into decreased availability of disposable income thereby lowering the demand for products and services (Kotler, 2006). An increase in the level of income can result in increased demand for Shell’s products as people start spending more on luxuries such as travelling longer distances using private cars. This will result into increased demand for fuel. Changes in the company’s operations can have remarkable impacts on the supply curve. The increase in cost of oil extraction due to the effects of economic recession is likely to lead to a shift in Shell’s supply curve. The cost of the refinery is a vital factor that causes a shift in the supply curve. The high cost of production has resulted into less supply and consequently fewer profits (Tanne & Raymond, 2010). The increase in the number of the company’s own retail outlets is playing a major role in increasing the company’s global presence. This results into positive shift in the supply curve. Market failures and imperfections An externality is an impact resulting because of an economic activity that affects unrelated third parties (Maidment, 2002). An example of an externality is the recent Shell’s oil spill in Niger Delta, which affected the surrounding environment and affected the health and economic life of the nearby residents. An externality can

Secret River Context Essay Essay Example for Free

Secret River Context Essay Essay â€Å"There is some good in the worst of us, and some bad in the best of us. When we discover this, we become less prone to hating our enemies† once deliberated Martin Luther King jr, a key figure in the American Civil rights movement, and a man that constantly strived for equality in racial-fuelled disputes, a key aspect of that being understanding when to and when not to engage in such dissension. His teaching can be instilled into the majority of conflicts faced in day-to-day life, and how crucial the choice can be when deciding whether or not to interfere. Many people adopt the ‘avoid conflict at all costs’ stance, removing themselves from any discord no matter how large the consequences may be. Admirable as it may be to some, to completely avoid confronting conflict without first evaluating the seriousness of it is simply cowardice, and a complete disregard for the ingrained ethical code branded into humans. Some disputes are so significant, perhaps proving to be seminal for the development of history that neglecting involvement in them could be detrimental for, depending on the scale, mankind or as narrow as personal failure. Like many countries penetrated by colonial influences, Australia’s history has been marred by its handling the indigenous, the rightful owners of the land, and the failure to engage in the dispute by major governmental figures left a stain on the development of a nation that preaches equality and liberty. Sometimes, engaging in conflict doesn’t even mean expressing despotic actions on others as it is so often associated with, but instead could be as simple as confronting a home truth that was growing in significance as time went by, as is seen in the story of Vincent Lingiarri, member of the Aborigine tribe the Gurundji. As portrayed in Paul Kelly’s ballad â€Å"From Little things, Big things Grow†, Lingiarri and fellow members of his tribe worked on Wave Hill cattle station for an â€Å"English lord Vestey†. Yet the false claiming of sacred Aboriginal land propelled Vincent to lead a workers strike at â€Å"Wattie Creek† in August 1966, where the song depicts Lingiarri defiantly declaring to the English â€Å"We’re sitting right here/ Til we get our land†. Despite the valid plea to remove the terra ullis or ‘land of no-one’ brand from the country and return portions of it back to the original inhabitants, the Australian government refused to involve themselves, and looked the other way, hoping the issue would sort itself out. â€Å"Eight long years of waiting† transpired of defiant protest from the Gurundji, and despite Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s attempt at reconciliation, in which the iconic image of the white man passing the vibrant red earth into the leathery, black palm of Lingiarri was taken, it wasn’t until the Mabo decision of 1992 that the land was returned to the rightful owners. This gap of 26 years of pure ignorance and callousness has permanently stained the history of the proud country, due to the inability of the supposed leaders of the country to reconcile, and engage in conflict that they preferred to leave alone. Yet dispute between the Aborigines and the settlers have always been present, as seen in Kate Grenville’s didactic novel â€Å"The Secret River†, as she loosely explores the brutal perforation of English Colonists in the later 18th century. In her historical fiction, Grenville explores protagonist William Thornhill escape from a brutal, industrialized London to seek a new life in the apparently greener pastures of Australia’s east coast. Yet upon arrival, Thornhill discovers tension to be nigh in the desolate land, and a fear of the unknown permeates the frightened arrivees, as he admits that despite owning a hundred acre property, it â€Å"no longer felt quite his own†. His inner drive to provide unconditional safety for his wife and children ultimately pushes his into a state of immorality, as he complies with the group mentality and participates in the massacre of the Aborigines, failing to heed Blackwood’s thought that to coexist with the natives, one must â€Å"give a little, take a little†. While William does engage in conflict, it is the greater of two evils. Had he strayed from the norm, resisted the urge to keep all that he wanted and sided with Blackwood to protect the Aborigines, it would be the desired outcome for his inner being. Yet he conforms, aids in the mobs mass murders and the fate of his character is set to be defeated, his avoidance of the larger conflict at hand leaving him with the misunderstanding â€Å"why it did not feel like triumph†, and the loss of his youngest son Dick who â€Å"would not† look him in the eye anymore. As Thornhill discovers, the easy option to take, the one that only benefits a minority will prove to be the one that renders people worthless, yet it is the harder option, the one that will pave the way for others that will prove the strength of the mettle in one’s being. In the face of dissension, how one performs offers insight into their moral code, and should they resist the ill-fated temptations of easiness and self-satisfaction, they will end out on top. In conflict, the old adage â€Å"the pen is mightier than the sword† often proves to be true. Gao Xingjian, a Nobel Prize winner for Literature operated in a tense Chinese climate polluted by Communism, which he described as â€Å"question of survival†¦ The atmosphere was so poisoned. People even in your own family could turn you in†. His statement proved to be truthful, as when writing allegorical accounts of the toxic environment he lived in, he was forced to burn a suitcase of manuscripts during the ironically titled Cultural Revolution out of fear of prosecution, as art was seen to be a threat to the Communist concept. The sane thing to do, the simple thing to do was to stop his controversial pieces, yet he opposed this, and continues to wage his dispute with his own country and fled to France to continue writing stories of brave heroes fighting against a prejudicial and ignorant political system that still subjugates 2 billion people. Thus his courageous dedication to the occupation he loves, feeling obligated to provide the world with information on the oppressive times as he believed â€Å"under the mask of fiction the truth can be told†, a belief that Grenville acutely followed. The admiration of the one that stands up against the burning tension of conflict is magnified, especially in the case of Bant Singh, a man whose courage, trepidation and loyalty should be shared with everyone to display true morality. Singh, an Indian farmer from the Dalit tribe, commonly looked upon as less than dirt to the hierarchal social system of India, fought against forces seemingly unstoppable for familial love, demonstrating how conflict must be addressed in some circumstances. When his 14 year old daughter was raped by two wealthy landlords, Bant did not do as many Dalit’s before him would have done, accepted the monstrosity and moved on. Yet he did stand up, and went for legal action against the two men. They quickly offered him a bribe that would secure the financial future of the family, yet he refused, advocating e would â€Å"not put a price on [his] daughter’s honor†. Days later, Bant was set upon by men with axes and steel rods, who attempted to beat him to death. Yet he made it to hospital, where gangrene took both of his legs and left arm. Sing saw the two men responsible go to jail for life; his war waged proving successful as justice was restored and the social separation in the country is beginning to wane. Singh’s battle is testament to the fact that not every fight can be ignored; some are so imminent that they must be addressed or the results will linger and effect future circumstances. Conflict, the consuming beast will continue to claim the souls of those who cannot persevere its burning glare. Yet those who oppose it, confront it with the correct intentions will be exposed as true heroes of human society, as Bant Singh will forever be. As legendary war general Napoleon Bonaparte once promoted â€Å"The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know†, summising that those who avoid dissension that must be addressed will never be respected.

The Critical Success Factors Of Scope Management Information Technology Essay

The Critical Success Factors Of Scope Management Information Technology Essay Until today, the ICT project success has yet to demonstrate an excellent track record. Findings from a research done by Standish Group from 1994 until 2009 revealed that the percentage for challenge and failure IT projects was still high as compared to that of a successful project [4]. There are many reasons which contribute to these failure. One of the main reasons is the poor PSM ([3],[5]). According to many researchers, PSM is a critical area which needs to be given attention in ensuring the success of a project ([6]-[11]). Based on the literature review, it has been found that none of the research done applies the concept of CSF in ICT PSM in order to upgrade the ICT project success. Therefore, this research was conducted with the intention to identify the CSFs in PSM, which could contribute to the ICT project success, in terms of stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. It was expected that this study would give researchers some new insights on PSM CSFs for ICT project success. This paper consists of four sections, which are background, research methods, results and discussion, and conclusions. II. BACKGROUND This section explains briefly two main concepts in this research, which are ICT Project Scope Management and CSF. Then, a brief explanation will be given on the research factors which are obtained from the combination between failure factors and success factors in PSM. These factors have the potential to contribute to the ICT project success. ICT Project scope management In this research context, ICT Project Scope Management is defined as the processes required to ensure that the ICT project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully [12]. Meanwhile, ICT is defined as any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit, or receive electronically in a digital form, which comprises of technology, communication and application [13]. PSM is one of the nine project management fields of knowledge [12]. It is very crucial in ensuring the project success as compared to the other eight fields of knowledge [6]. PSM includes the process of scope planning, requirements collection, scope definition, WBS creation, scope verification and scope control. All these processes are needed to ensure that only the required work will be carried out. Any unnecessary works is a waste and can increase the risks in project management [15]. Incomplete and vague project scope could cause requirement creep and scope creep [5] which could cause the project to be incomplete on time and at a predetermined cost. It could also cause the delivery produced (product, service or result) could not satisfy the stakeholders. The Critical success factor approach In 1979, Rockart introduced the CSF method and concluded that CSF is an effective and efficient method to assess data requirements [19]. This method has been studied until it becomes more stable ([20]-[21]) and it has been applied widely in various industry sectors and domains [22]. Bullen and Rockart defines CSF as the limited number of areas in which satisfactory results will ensure successful competitive performance for the individual, department, or organization. CSFs are the few key areas where things must go right for the business to flourish and for the managers goal to be attained [20]. According to them, each CSF set is created uniquely and differently based on the environment where this method is applied. In IT/ICT project management field, CSF method is applied as an effort to upgrade the ICT project success such as to plan, develop and implement the software project ([23]-[24]) and data depository execution [25]. Success Factors in ICT Project Scope Management Based on a thorough review done on academic and practitioner literatures, it has been found that there was no formal research that has been carried out to identify CSFs in ICT Project Scope Management. However, there were success and failure researches in ICT projects such as software projects, development and implementation projects of information system, web-based project and network installation project which involve project scope ([6],[23],[26]-[33]). From these researches, the factors which have the same criteria were combined according to three dimensions: Project, Process and People. To determine the project success attributes which reflect the whole perception on an ICT project success, PMBOK guidelines were used which demonstrate the essential relationship between PSM and Project Time Management, and between PSM and Project Cost Management [12]. Based on the stakeholders role and responsibility in managing project scope, the stakeholders satisfaction as an ICT project success attribute was taken into account ([12],[14],[34]-[35]). Table 1 shows the summary of the attributes used in this research. TABLE 1 SUCCESS ATTRIBUTES Dimension Attribute Overall perceived level of success Stakeholders satisfaction (Stakeholders are satisfied, accept and approve with the project scope planned, defined and implemented; All the deliverables produced by the project were accepted and approved by the stakeholders). Time estimation accuracy (All the work that has to be carried out (project scope) for a project helps successfully in estimating the time needed to complete a project; Clear main deliverables (product, service, result) helps successfully in estimating the duration of time needed to complete a project. Cost estimation accuracy (All the work that has to be done for a project (based on the scope) helps successfully in estimating the cost needed to complete the project). III. METHODOLOGY This research was an exploratory survey which used quantitative method. The instrument used was a questionnaire and it was developed based on the combination of failure and success factors gained from the literature review. Reliability test, factor analysis and regression analysis have been conducted to determine the critical success factor using SPSS version 17. Survey questionnaire In this study, a survey questionnaire was employed as the method of data collection. A structured questionnaire was constructed to capture the respondents perception of the questions. The survey instrument consists of six sections. The first section was on respondents profile and demographic information. The second, third and fourth sections were on success factors related to project, process and people. The fifth section was on perception of ICT project success. The last section was for additional comments, where respondents were invited to give any feedback or thought related to the questions stated. To measure the importance of success factors and perception of ICT project success, a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree was adopted to solicit the perceptions on the degree of importance for the identified success factors relative to the ICT project success. An in-depth discussion about the questionnaire was done with five experts in ICT project management, who were two experts from the public sector, two experts from the private sector and one expert from academia. All five experts have experience of at least five years in ICT project scope management and more than ten years of experience in ICT project development. The purpose of this discussion was to obtain opinions, views, suggestions or comments about the survey instrument content validity and face validity. Feedback from the expert was used to refine the clarity of the questionnaire items by rephrasing the items as necessary. The internal consistency reliability of the items in the questionnaire was tested by conducting a pilot study. The respondents for pilot test were ICT officers working in Malaysian public sector. A pilot survey was administered to five public sector agencies with the distribution of ten sets of questionnaires for each agency. 31 respondents returned their feedback after waiting period of 20 days. Cronbachs alpha was used for the internal consistency reliability testing. The results of these tests shows that the values for the entire construct were greater than 0.8. Thus, it shows that the items in the questionnaire have a good degree of reliability [36]. This indicates that there were no problems with the internal consistency reliability. Data collection method The target population for this study was ICT professionals in Malaysian public sectors. One thousand questionnaires, delivered personally by hand, were administered from 1st March 2010 among Malaysian public sector ministries, departments and agencies located in Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. For other locations, three hundred questionnaires were distributed using web-based survey method from 8th March 2010. The questionnaires used for both methods were the same. After six weeks of survey period, a total of 561 valid questionnaires, representing response rate of 43.15%, were received (531 were collected personally and 10 were collected through web-based interface). Data analysis method Factor analysis and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze data from the survey questionnaire. Factor analysis was conducted in three stages [37]. The first stage was the assessment of the suitability of the data. The correlation among the factors was identified by examining the correlation matrix among items, Bartletts Test Sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO MSA). The second stage was factor extraction. Common factor analysis and principal axis factoring technique were used to extract the factors. Kaisers criterion or eigen value rules were used to determine the number of factors to be retained. The third stage was factor rotation and interpretation. The orthogonal rotation approach with Varimax method and cut-off loading point 0.4 [38] were used to clarify the factor structure. Factor extraction and rotation will be repeated until there were no cross-loading factors or no factor loading value less than cut-off loading point. Items with fa ctor cross loading or factor loading less than cut-off loading point were eliminated [38]. Stepwise regression solution procedure was used to determine the CSFs of PSM which contribute to the ICT project success. Through this procedure, only significant success factors were used in the model. The general multiple regression model is: Y = A + B1X1 + B2X2 + à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + BkXk where Y is the dependent variable (DV), A is the Y intercept, the Xs represent the various independent variables (IVs) and Bs are the coefficients assigned to each of the IVs during regressions [39]. In this research, the IVs were the success factors of ICT project scope management and the DVs were the stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Factor analysis The result of factor analysis as shown in Table 2 shows seven factors with 45 attributes which were included in the structure and explained 60.57% of the total variance. All the seven factors were translated according to the items included in the factors. The first factor was called stakeholders commitment which consists of 12 items. The second factor was called Work Breakdown Structure which consist of 11 items. The third factor was called project objective and justification definition which consists of 9 items. The forth factor was called change control which consists of 4 items. The fifth factor was called project constraint definition which consists of 3 items. The sixth factor was called realistic project assumption which consists of 3 items. The seventh factor was called business knowledge which consists of two items. TABLE 2 FACTOR STRUCTURE FOR PRINCIPAL AXIS FACTORING EXTRACTION AND VARIMAX ROTATION ON PSM SUCCESS FACTORS ITEMS Item Factor 1: Stakeholder commitment Percent of variance explained = 43.381, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 43.381 The project received strong top management support during the process of project scope management. The project had a cooperative and supportive process owner during requirements elicitation. The Steering Committee is committed to the meeting scheduled Users are able to explain their needs or requirements to project team or project developer. Project manager have the communication skills to communicate with all stakeholders involved in the project scope management. Project Team meetings held regularly to manage the project scope processes. Project Champion commitment, especially during a crisis in managing the project scope Project team members fully responsible in managing the project scope. Method of brainstorming or face to face is used to obtain user requirements. Project manager fully responsible in managing the project scope. Project team members have knowledge in ICT field that will be required for the development and implementation of the project. Roles and responsibilities of project team is determined and clearly defined Factor 2: Work breakdown structure Percent of variance explained = 4.892, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 48.272 The infrastructure (hardware, networking, telecommunication) specification is compatible with the product (system) to be produced. The software specification is compatible with the product (system) to be produced. The system development methodology is suitable to the product (system) to be produced The application specification is complete and clearly defined The user requirements are realistic. User requirements specific to the project objectives to be achieved. Each user requirements meet business requirements embodied in the project. User requirements can be implemented in accordance with the stipulated time period. Human resources responsible for carrying out each of work activity is clearly mapped in the WBS hierarchy. Distribution of activities in the WBS is well planned and precisely defined. The WBS defined the project overall scope. Factor 3: Project objective justification definition Percent of variance explained = 3.460, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 51.732 Specific and clear project objectives Realistic project objectives Achievable project objectives Acceptable project objectives by main stakeholders Measurable project objectives Justification stated the importance or benefit of the project implementation. Justification focuses on the organization goal to be achieved. Clearly defined works that included in the project. Justification stated the improvement of employees skill with the implementation of the project. Factor 4: Change control Percent of variance explained = 2.601, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 54.333 Coordinating Committee set the action to be taken for the change request. Decisions and actions taken for the change request was agreed by all members of the Coordinating Committee. Decision made by Coordinating Committee is well recorded Coordinating Committee taking into account the interests, benefits and negative affects for each of the change request. Factor 5: Project constraint definition Percent of variance explained = 2.409, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 56.742 Clearly defined uncontrollable project constraints. Clearly defined controllable project constraints. Source(s) for each constraint (controllable or uncontrollable) are clearly described. Factor 6: Realistic project assumption Percent of variance explained = 2.187, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 58.929 Realistic project deliverables (product, service, results) Realistic technical assumptions Realistic assumptions of project management organization Factor 7: Business knowledge Percent of variance explained = 1.644, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 60.573 Project team members have knowledge in business processes related to the project. Project manager have knowledge in business processes related to the project. The seven factors were translated into seven main hypotheses. The hypotheses were numbered from 1 to 7. Since there were three success dimensions for each factor, the corresponding success dimensions were identified by the letters a, b and c. As a result, there were a total of 21 hypotheses, from 1a until 7c as stated above. Hypotheses related to the Project dimension: H1: The existence of well-defined project objective and justification is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a)Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H2: Having realistic project assumptions is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a)Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H3: The existence of well-defined project constraints is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Hypotheses related to the Process dimension: H4: The existence of complete WBS is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H5: The practice of correct change control procedure is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Hypotheses related to the People dimension: H6: Having project team that is knowledgeable about the business process is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H7: The existence of strong stakeholder commitment is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Regression analysis A stepwise multiple regression was conducted between the three ICT project success dimensions (stakeholder satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy) as the dependent variables and seven underlying PSM success factors as independent variables. TABLE 3 SUMMARY OF OUTCOME FROM STEPWISE MULTIPLE REGRESSION ICT project success dimensions R2 ANOVA Selected variables ÃŽÂ ² value Stakeholder satisfaction 0.614 F(3,527)= 144.3, P Strong stakeholder commitments 0.519 Complete Work breakdown structure 0.227 Well-defined project objective and justification 0.111 Time estimation accuracy 0.451 F(3,527)= 144.3, p Strong stakeholder commitments 0.346 Complete Work breakdown structure 0.318 Well-defined project objective and justification 0.100 Cost estimation accuracy 0.380 F(3,538)= 110.066, p Strong stakeholders commitment 0.390 Well-defined project constraints 0.225 Change control 0.104 Table 3 shows significantly three factors which were strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS, and well-defined project objective and justification as the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 61.4% variant changes to ICT project success in terms of stakeholder satisfaction. The finding also reveals significantly that the three similar factors, were the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 45.1% variant changes to ICT project success in terms of time estimation accuracy. For the ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy, the result demonstrates significantly that strong stakeholders commitment, change control and well-defined project constraint were the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 38% variant change to ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy. With the above observations, the results of the hypotheses testing can be finalized as follows: out of 21 research hypotheses, a total of 9 hypotheses were supported, while the remaining 12 hypotheses were rejected. Those hypotheses were rejected due to their low coefficient values and high probability level for their corresponding null hypotheses. It means that the presence of those factors did not make a significance difference to the value of ICT project success dimensions. V. CONCLUSION In carrying out this quantitative research, a questionnaire survey method was used to determine the CSFs of PSM which contribute to the ICT project success. ICT project success was investigated in terms of stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. A total of 557 usable data were successfully collected from the respondents who were the public sector ICT professionals. Seven success factors of PSM have been extracted through the factor analysis. The factors were strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS, well-defined project objective and justification, change control, well-defined project constraints, realistic project assumption and good business knowledge. With the use of stepwise multiple regression analysis, it can be concluded that strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS and well-defined project objective and justification were the PSM CSFs which contributed to the ICT project success in terms of stakeholders satisfaction and time estimation accuracy. Strong stakeholders commitment, change control and well-defined project constraint were the PSM CSFs which contributed to the ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy. Strong stakeholders commitment factors were the main contribution to the three aspects of ICT project success. Realistic project assumption and project team business knowledge were failed to be proven as th e critical success factor for any aspect of ICT project success. All the critical success factors which have been discovered for each aspect of ICT project success are the main contribution from this research. These factors should be given attention by practitioners while managing ICT project scope so that the project scope that is being managed: 1) could produce deliveries (product, service and results) which successfully give satisfaction to the stakeholders, (2) successfully helps in making time estimation accurately, and (3) successfully helps in making cost estimation accurately.

Change Management Plan :: Business Management Analysis

Change Management Plan Change is essential to today's business environment. If a company is to survive and succeed on a macro level, they should analyze and adopt the best overall plan for change on an enterprise level. When examining the best way to make changes in a company that will globally affect the company, it is usually best to look at the total picture before acting, lest the plan fail. This paper will briefly summarize four key areas that leaders and managers must understand in order to successfully make a change, or in the case of our model company CrysTel, manage change dynamically throughout the life of the company. In order to understand completely the change it wants to make, the company must understand the implications of the change and the human variables of change implementation. The company should also strive to understand how to monitor the progress of the change, and how to ensure the continued success of the change. The following paragraphs are an explanation of what CrysTel is, why i t needs to change, and how these four key areas can be manipulated to help it succeed in its dynamic need for change in the ever-changing environment it lives in. Implications of Organizational Change CrysTel is a telecommunications company that exists in a very dynamic environment, and it has the need for all aspects of itself to be dynamic and able to change relatively quickly. The upper management recently realized that CrysTel has the need to bring more products and services into its portfolio. That means that everybody who works for the company needs to be good at analyzing the best way to change, implementing a change, and sustaining the change. It also means that CrysTel employees need to change with the organization. In order for all of the employees to be good at the constant change that will be happening and be as dynamic as they need to be, they have to have good and dynamic leaders and managers to aid in the effort. Without the support from above, the employees will probably lose focus and the desire to see the company succeed (Miller et al, 2004). If the company does not prepare well, it might experience a high turnover rate as well. A study conducted by Lester Coch a nd John R.P. French showed that if a group of workers was not prepared for a change properly, that group exhibited a high turnover rate (Krietner & Kinicki, 2003).

Friendship Essay: Where Would I be Without Friends? -- Friendship Essay

My personal definition of friendship is it is the people you surround yourself with, have an amazing time with and laugh with. There are several qualities that go into a good friendship. There are often times when friends drift as well. My Friendships have played an extremely important role in my life. I do not know where I would be without my friendships. Friends to me are the people you know and enjoy being around and talking to. There are the best friends that are usually closer than the others and you are always with. What I find most important is being able to laugh at anything with them and share common interests in humor. There has been much crazy, fun, maybe embarrassing memories that I have had with my friends. The best is when you can be doing absolutely nothing and just be abl...

Piping Plover :: science

Piping Plover Introduction The piping plover, a bird now going extinct, was once very bountiful. When an animal is going extinct, it could mean a lot of things. The Piping Plover is an endangered species. An endangered species is a name for a plant or animal that is slowly dying out. This bird is experiencing population drops, so it is called endangered. It is known to scientists as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It mainly resides around the Great Lakes and sometimes lives along the Atlantic coast in Canada and the United States (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers are sometimes found in Alberta as well (ES: Piping Plover). People used to hunt this bird for sport, or for it’s feathers, which was a leading cause of its dramatic decline in population (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers always return to the spot in which they were born, and find females to breed with (Piping Plover Page). They woo the female, and mate with her, producing eggs. Many efforts are being made to maintain, and incr ease the population of this struggling bird, and so far, they have maintained the species very well. Habitat The Piping Plover is a small, endangered bird. It is otherwise known as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It lives, and breeds along the Atlantic coast of Canada, but usually around the Great Lakes, in Canada and the U.S.A (Piping Plover Page). Recently, it has been found in the Wasaga Beach area (Springwater News). This bird has not been seen in this area since 1978, so an area of Beach 1, where the Nottawasaga River enters Nottawasaga Bay was fenced off, and could remain closed until July (Springwater News). It also lives in and around Alberta (ES: Piping Plover). These birds generally live on or close to beaches and lakes, usually places with water. This bird generally likes to be around places with sand, like beaches, because it can blend easily. The bird has a back that is sandy brown in colour, so predators can’t see it (Piping Plover Page). They are constantly losing their habitat to buildings, pollution of lakes and ponds, and clearing of forests. Why the Species is At-Risk This bird was added to the list of endangered species in 1986, when a total count of 300 was produced in the Alberta region (Piping Plover Page). There was a significantly large drop in the Plover population in the twentieth century, because people wanted them for their feathers, and also hunted them for sport (Piping Plover Page).

Armed forces Essay

This section provides information on the soldiers, sailors and airman who gained, maintained and then lost an empire. It must be remembered that the vast majority of the empire’s military manpower was recruited from outside the mother country. It is interesting to note that some of the fiercest resistors to the British went on to become the staunchest allies and defenders of her empire; Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas are perhaps the best examples of this phenomena. The military history of the empire is rich in colour and variety but is also inevitably linked to the darker and more sinister side of the empire through conquest, pacification and destruction. The tentacles of the military spread throughout the empire and beyond, the armed forces were not only the conquerors and defenders of the empire but also provided the garrisons that policed the vast expanses of territory and enabled communication over the vast distances involved. The military was very much the most important institution of the empire. Land forces Infantry The years around 1783 were tumultuous ones for the army and things were about to become even more difficult in the near future. The Army was coming to the end of its actions in the 13 colonies. Political and military defeat hung heavily over Britain at the time. The army had borne the brunt of the unsuccessful campaign and so were associated with the failure. Life was to become even more dangerous and precarious for the British army as it become embroiled in the highly difficult task of containing the expansion of Revolutionary and then Napoleonic France. The army would therefore be forced to expand to an unusually large size and would be strained to its limits. The prominent role played by the British army in ultimately defeating Napoleon would restore its pride and prestige both at home and overseas. In the period following victory in 1815, the British army was regarded as the fire brigade of the Empire – being sent to wherever there were disturbances or problems. It would become involved in countless small wars in far flung corners of the globe, most of which would be successful endeavours. However, the army would be sorely tested by the events of the Crimean war and the Indian mutiny. The problems encountered in these actions provided the rationale for the Cardwell army reforms which were implemented progressively from the late 1860’s to the early 1880’s. The numbering system used by the British army in order to determine precedence was first used in 1751. The year 1782 is interesting because it is the first time that many of these regiments were associated with a specific local area. Theoretically, this was to be where their depot was to be based and their recruiting to take place. However, constant strategical and manpower needs meant that these regiments could be posted anywhere and were keen to take recruits from wherever they could find them. In this period of history, the numbers were the more important of the designations and would be used on a day to day basis. However, the territorial titles would later form the basis of the next major overhaul of the regimental system almost exactly 100 years later: the Cardwell Army reforms. Foot guards Number Title 1st The First Regiment of Foot Guards 2nd The Second (Cold stream) Regiment of Foot Guards 3rd His Majesties Third Regiment of Foot Guards Cavalry First troop of life guards Badge Nicknames The Bangers Lumpers The Cheesemongers The Fly-slicers The Piccadilly Butchers The Roast and Boiled The Ticky Tins The Tin Bellies The Patent Safeties Motto Honi soit qui mal y pense Evil be to him who evil thinks Regimental Marches Millanollo (Quick) Val Hamm The Life Guards Slow March (Slow) Regimental Anniversary Waterloo Day 18th June Colonels 1660 – 1788 Soldiers 1660 – 1788 Successor Units 1st Life Guards (1660 – 1788) The Life Guards (1922 – ) Suggested Reading History of the Household Cavalry by Sir George Arthur (Constable: 1909, 1926: 3 vols) The Story of the First Life Guards (Harrap: 1922) Historical Record of the Life Guards (London: Clowes: 1836) Regimental Museum Household Cavalry Museum Combermere Barracks Windsor More go to http://www.btinternet.com/~britishempire/empire/forces/armyunits/britishcavalry/1sttroopofhorseguards.html Artillery Horse artillery Battery Sergeant-Major The other picture of the Battery Sergeant-major is a coloured engraving from a photo. He has gold braiding. The back end of a 12-pounder is accurately shown. Officer 1890 The Officer is in full dress on his charger. Sergeants with 12 Pounder The Sergeants are in various forms of dress. The one in the forground is in full dress or parade dress, the others are in different combinations of working dress. Mounted SergeantThe gold cord braiding on his jacket indicates that he is a Sergeant. F Battery in Second Afghan War Science and technology Transport Railways The nineteenth century saw many technological changes, but none of them were to have as wide repurcussions as the invention of the train. The power of steam had been known for some time but applying this power to moving heavy goods and people over long distances was one application that would have profound consequences and serve the British and their Empire for well over a hundred years. It was George Stephenson who realised the full power and potential of the steam engine when he designed a machine that could take advantage of narrow copper tubes which could be heated to create the all important steam power. The Rocket was the first such steam engine to take advantage of this new technology as it operated between Liverpool and Manchester from 1830. However, technical change was to become rapid and the train was to change its appearance and technical specifications again and again. Inevitably, it was the mother country that first saw her landscape transformed by this new invention. Navvies from Ireland, Scotland and the North of England scarred the landscape with viaducts, bridges and tunnels in the pursuit of the smooth gradients that trains required to travel at their most efficient level. They were paid a pittance for excruciating and dangerous work. In many ways, these navvies represented one of the largest migrations of Imperial settlers as they moved over from Ireland or as they followed the train tracks around the country and ended up settling in the last place they found work. In 1847 there were a quarter of a million navvies digging and blasting their way over the British landscape, their travels are one of the lesser documented migrations of history. However, the job they did is still plain to see in the British landscape some 150 years later and will be for many more years to come. The amount of track laid in Britain increased from only 500 miles in 1838 to over 8,000 by 1855. This expansion of track also brought down the cost of travel so that all but the poorest could afford to travel by train. In the stagecoach days, a ticket from London to Manchester and back would have cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3 10s but by 1851 the train fare for this same journey was only 5s (a seventh of the stagecoach fare) for a far quicker and more comfortable journey. Of course, the expansion of the railways didn’t just rest on the invention of the steam train. Iron was needed for the rails and its mass production helped to reduce the costs to the railway industry. In addition, iron girders and glass were used to construct magnificent looking railway stations. Even older industries, like stonemasonry were given a new lease of life as vast quantities of stone and rock were needed for sleepers, bridges and stations. The railway age was an enormous boost to the economy of Britain, and would provide the country with one of the most efficient infrastructures for the remainder of the century. It wouldn’t take colonial administrators long to see the benefits that such an infrastructure could bring to the colonies they were in charge of. Particularly, as some of these colonies could be immense in size and with little existing infrastructure. Horses and ships had provided the most efficient means of transport to date, but ships obviously couldn’t reach the interior and horses could not match the speed and power of this latest invention. The old established colonies like India, leapt at the railway opportunities and built a railway structure that would even rival the mother country’s in scope and scale. They were often financed by British industrialists keen to move the primary and secondary products of India to the ports ready to be exported to Britain and her factories. Cotton, spices and teas would all provide the economic model for railway building that would later be copied in other colonies by other crops and industries; rubber in Malaysia, coffee i n South America, grains in Canada and livestock in Australia and New Zealand. In some colonies, railways were used more as the initial spur to encourage colonisation of an area. In Africa, railways were built to provide an infrastructure that would lure white colonists into an area in order to farm the area and turn it into a profitable colony. South Africa, Rhodesia and Kenya all wanted to increase their white population and increase the economic activity of their lands and all spent copious amounts of money and effort into building railways in what were very often inhospitable areas to European settlers. They all had varying degrees of success, but were built nonetheless. Indeed, one of the burning issues of late nineteenth century was Cecil Rhodes’ burning ambition to build a Cape to Cairo railway line that passed through British territory all the way. And this dream, although not realised by a train network, certainly influenced a great deal of Central African colonisation during the period. Another spur to the railway building in the nineteenth century was the British army. They too, quickly identified the advantages in being able to move troops and supplies around in a quick and efficient manner. The army would often try to influence local colonial administrators and get them to build railway lines to places which had little business or economic rationale. Alternatively, the army would build its own railway lines in areas they felt were necessary. In the case of Kitchener’s Sudan campaign in the late 1890’s, the army travelled down the Nile slowly but surely, not just out of tactical considerations, but because they were building a railway line as they travelled. In fact, this railway line is still in use as Sudan’s major railway line over a hundred years after it was built by the British army. Likewise in the Boer war, the British army came to depend on the strategic advantages of the railway network, but would also be exposed to the vulnerability of this network as the Boers transformed themselves into a guerilla army and destroyed bridges and lines at will. Despite this costly lesson, the British army maintained its respect and use of trains for many more years to come. Railways transformed the Empire in many ways, it increased business activity and allowed businesses to flourish in areas that previously would have been impossible to make a living in. It allowed officials to move rapidly over the areas that they governed. It allowed troops to be dispatched over great distances in short periods of time, indeed this speed of response removed much of the burden of having to station so many troops in a colony in the first place. Populations could benefit from access to cheaper goods as the factories of Europe could unleash their products to the far flung corners of the empire: tinned goods, newspapers, boot polish and toys could all be moved at a fraction of the cost from previous days. The people themselves could move around the empire whether for business or for pleasure; families could be reunited more regularly, farmers could travel longer distances to get their products to market, businessmen could entertain clients from further afield. Even within relatively short distances and in crowded areas people wanted to enjoy the benefits of the train system. Therefore, in London, one of the more interesting railway innovations was devised in the 1860’s; the underground system, or the tube. Using Victorian ingenuity and technical engineering expertise an elaborate underground system of trains was built that would be envied and copied by Metropolises the world over. And again, it reinvigorated the economic life of the City of London and allowed for yet another relocation of businesses and housing for the masses of that city. The advantages of the railways were apparent to virtually everyone. These were the days when progress was seen as a universal good and the railways were a prime example of this beneficent progress. Ships England was a small island nation off the coast of the very powerful and dynamic continent of Europe proper. There were three options open to the English ruling classes. First of all, she could immerse herself into European politics and economics. However, the competition on this front was particularly fierce; French, Italians, Austrians and a myriad of other powerful nations would ensure that England would only be one player in a field of many. Besides, wars and religion made dabbling in this arena a very expensive one. Second, she could turn in on herself and try to stay aloof from the goings on of the world. This strategy suited the Japanese in their dealings with their continental rivals. However the English were already keen traders and had acquired tastes and business practices that made this option an unpalatble one. Her third choice was to turn to the opportunities offered by the rest of the world. And it is because she chose this path that first England, and then Britain, tu rned herself into the preeminent maritime nation of Europe and indeed the world. England’s rise as a maritime nation started with the reign of King Henry VIII. His ambitions were guided more to Europe, but he did manage to lay down financial and military foundations that would be taken advantage of by his successors. The Mary Rose is testimony to the size and power that the King sought to develop. He wanted a navy to project his power and influence onto the European political scene. Unfortunately, his plans and schemes were not fully realized during his reign. However, his treasury was full, the ports were protected by new castles and coastal defences and he had started a naval tradition that would bequeath valuable skills and experience to later generations of sea goers. By the time Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, the most powerful maritime nations were Spain and Portugal. These nations had encouraged explorers to find new, exciting and highly profitable trade routes. However, there were deep religious and philosophical divisions between these Catholic nations and the Protestant English. Queen Elizabeth had no love for these religious and economic rivals and basically sanctioned piracy on the high seas as a means of prosecuting war against the Catholic monarchies. Chief amongst her officially sanctioned privateers were Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins. These, and other sailors, wreaked havoc with Spanish and Portugese trade routes to the East Indies and particularly to the New World. The Caribbean became particularly notorious for rampant piracy. This rivalry turned into something of a naval arms race as the Spanish and English tried to outdo each other in terms of offensive power or in terms of speed to escape potential privateers. Military and commercial ships of both nations would benefit from new technologies, techniques and skills. The naval rivalry between these two nations would reach a head in 1588 with the Spanish Armada. This Spanish attempt to stamp out her English rivals was a gamble that did not pay off. Bad weather and English seamanship saw that the Armada failed in its bid to land an army on English soil. More importantly, the destruction of much of the Armada left the English mariners in a very powerful position and particularly in the Caribbean and in the New World. In the East Indies with its spice trade, the English still had to deal with the Portugese and the Dutch as serious competitors. But with the removal of the Spanish, the English were free to develop an unprecedentedly successful economic venture. There were two main commercial activities that allowed the English to maximise there maritime advantage: Sugar and Slavery. In fact, these were two complemantary activities that would work very closely together. Slaves were needed to tend and harvest the sugar crops of the New World. The same ships that transported these slaves could then be loaded up with sugar and brought back to Europe. With the advent of industrialisation in Britain, the third leg of this trip could also be made profitable. Cheap manufactured goods were taken from Liverpool and Bristol to West Africa and exchanged their for slaves, the slaves were exchanged for sugar in the Caribbean, and the sugar would finally be sold in Europe at a huge profit. The profits involved meant that few people overly concerned by any humanitarian or ethical issues. Indeed, the economic success of this trade would mean that even more time, money and skills were ploughed into the British commercial and Royal Navies. The more and better the British ships became the more she took the world’s trade and the faster she developed into the world’s preeminent naval power. By the mid to end of the eighteenth century, the British could claim to have the largest and most successful naval forces in the world: Both militarily and commercially. By this time, naval traditions, experience and expertise had been fully augmented by advances in science and the latest industrial products and techniques. British ships were familiar sites to ports and coastal regions the world over. However, two events would test this faith and confidence in the maritime forces of the nation. Soon, the British would realise that although they were a match for any nation on even terms, a combination of forces might lead to her undoing. The first test of this theory was the American War of Independence. French and Spanish involvement in supplying and maintaining the insurrection. Combine this with Royal Naval ships and sailors fighting on the side of the colonists and the British could see that they were not as invincible as they would have liked to have believed. However, the real test of the strength and importance of the Naval forces of Britain was to come with the rise of Napoleon on the European continent. A brilliant tactician and strategist, Napoleon swept most of Europe before him. As he took effective control over these powers he also took control of their navies. The British tried their best to thwart these plans with some success in Holland and especially Denmark. However, the Spanish and French fleets combined again to form a most formidable force. Unlike the days of the American War of Independence, it was clear that the only way the British could dispense with the threat of Napoleon was to confront and defeat this Navy in an open battle. The stakes for the island nation had not been higher since the days of Drake and the Spanish Armada. Fortunately for the British, a new hero rose to the hour. Admiral Nelson successfully defeated the combined fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. He paid for this victory with his life, but he laid down a sense of security for the island nation that would remain intact for another century. Although disappointments and setbacks did occur, most notab ly in the War of 1812-14, essentially the Royal Navy returned to being the preeminent maritime nation. Indeed, the only serious threat to the Royal and Merchant Navies were the sailors, captains and admirals themselves. Complacency and a lack of serious rivals meant that the British maritime forces lay essentially unchanged for most of the nineteenth century. Half a century after the death of Nelson and the Royal Navy had barely changed at all; even the ships were the same. The only serious innovation that made serious inroads into these traditions was the advent of steam. Even then, the Admiralty were reluctant converts to this latest technology and pined for the days of sail. It would be left to commercial forces and entrepreneurs to explore and develop this means of power. The most important name associated with these developments is that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This man built the first steamship to cross the Atlantic: the Great Western. The first ocean screw steamer: the Great Britain. And what for 40 years would be the largest ship ever built: the Great Eastern. And although these ships were not the greatest of commercial triumphs the combination of ingenuity, expertise and industrial technology would mean that Britain would remain at the forefront of maritime power for some time to come. Steam power would open up other avenues for exploration that had previously been difficult if not impossible for mariners to pursue. The ability to power a vessel upstream would mean that many of the world’s rivers could be opened up to European explorers and traders. This would allow for new parts of the world to be explored and new commerical and political relationships to be established. Africa would see this technology employed along its many rivers. Indeed, steamships would even be taken overland to operate on the great lakes of the African interior. One side effect of the introduction of steampower was that coaling stations would become a strategic necessity to the Royal and Merchant Navies. All of a sudden, the Royal Navy became concerned at the placement of Naval bases particularly with regards to how far a ship could steam before it needed refuelling. This new strategic thinking would be augmented and amended by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The world was becoming a smaller place at a rapid rate and maritime necessities would be prime in consideration for much of the Imperial expansion of the day. Cash crops would be the new cash cows that provided the financial impetus for maritime ventures at the Imperial level. Tea, cotton, rubber, even opium would all take their turn in providing the imperatives and returns in investing in Britain’s maritime fleets. Combine these financial considerations with regular British trade patterns with Europe, Latin America and the United states and the fact that populations were willing and able to move about the planet in unprecedented numbers and the importance of ships and maritime policy to the British Empire is easy to comprehend. The next challenge to British supremacy of the waves was to be by the Germans. By the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries European and imperial rivalries combined to form ominous and powerful blocks of nations. On one side lay the French and Russians, on the other the Germans, Italians and Austrians. Britain tried to remain aloof for as long as possible, but when the Germans declared that they wanted a Navy that was the equal of the Royal Navy, the gauntlet had been laid and the British joined with the French and Russians. A naval arms race between the British and Germans was proving costly to both countries, it didn’t help matters when one of Britain’s own innovations nearly bankrupted the nation. The development of the Battleship Dreadnought in 1906 kept the British at the front of Naval technology but at the cost of making their entire existing fleet obsolescent. The Germans would easily be able to catch up to the British with this new technology and, if it hadn’t been for competing claims on the German military budget, might have succeeded in doing so. As it was, during The Great War, the British were just able to keep ahead of the Germans and successfully bottled them up in their Baltic ports for most of the war. However, another military development would provide fresh worries and portents enough for the British. The submarine did not effect the war as much as their German commanders had hoped, but their potential for disrupting existing Naval balances of power were clear to all. These concerns would be played out at a much more lethal level during the next war. Meanwhile, the interwar period saw cutbacks to both the Royal and Merchant Navies. With little appetite left for armed forces, British politicians cut back defence expenditure on all of the services. The Royal Navy was no exception. These cutbacks came just as new maritime rivals could be seen on the horizon. During The Great War, the Americans had turned their massive industrial might to outfitting her armed forces in a very short period of time. At the same time, the Japanese had been left unchallenged to develop in the Pacific Ocean. When the war ended they quickly sought to establish some kind of parity with the Royal Navy; the result was the Washington conference. This conference established the so called 5:5:3 ratios for capital ships. America and Britain were to be equal in size and number of ships whilst the Japan maintained 60% of these numbers. The effect of the conference was that Britain, for the first time since Drake, admitted that she would only be the equal of another power. No longer would she aim to be the preeminent naval power. In reality, she had also given the Japanese a local superiority in the Pacific region. A superiority the Japanese would use to dismember much of the British Asian Empire. The Second World War was to put Britain in as much, if not more, peril than in the first. Her naval commanders rightly identified submarine warfare as being the biggest threat the island nation. The Royal and Merchant Navies took horrendous losses as these commanders developed ways of dealing with this silent menace. Convoys and ASDIC did most to redress this balance. But it was a long, hard fight and one that left Britain militarily and economically exhausted by the end of the war. Britain would never reclaim its former maritime glory. The United States and Soviet Navies would eclipse the Royal Navy in size, technology and power. Aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and the rise of Air Power in general would mean that the strategic balance had been tipped forever. Withdrawal from Empire speeded up this process even more, bases in the Far East, South East Asia, the Middle East and even the Mediterranean seemed like expensive anachronisms that no longer served any purpose. At a commercial level, the rise of air transport killed off much of the passenger business of the shipping lines. Also, new trade patterns were established as Imperial trade was replaced by much shorter European destinations. The fall from grace of the British naval heritage is only so precipitate when you realise how long and how deep that tradition has been the lifeblood of the nation. Generations of citizens grew up with the unquestioning belief that Britannia Ruled the Waves. Now that she is a middle ranking European nation, it is not hard to see why so many people lament the passing of an era and why it inspires so many more to be fascinated and interested in this area of British history. Communications The telegraph system was one of the technological wonders of the nineteenth century. It transformed communications in a profound way and helped to give the British Army a technological superiority over most of her competitors. Its invention was a product of the enthusiasm and skill of industrial revolutionary Britain. William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone, a scientist and an entrepreneur, teamed up to forge a devastatingly effective alliance that combined the savvy of both individuals to produce the ‘needle telegraph’. Wheatstone came up with the technological aspect whilst the Cooke had the foresight to approach the railway companies in order to run their lines along side the railway tracks. On 25 July 1837 the first experimental line with the new telegraph was started. The Great Western Railway Company connected the stations Euston Square and Camden Town over a distance of 2.4 kilometres. It was an outstanding success that not only amazed Victorians but displayed obvious applications for its use. When it was used to broadcast such news as the birth of Queen Victoria’s second son, or to catch a murderer who had attempted an escape by train, its acceptance and usefulness was plain for all to see. In fact, the only problem with this initial invention was that it the code to transmit messages was rather cumbersome – and in fact only twenty letters were used of the alphabet. Credit for the simplification of the both the hardware and code was to cross the Atlantic to a certain Samuel Morse. Samuel Morse had a mission in life. A devout Christian, his world had turned upside down when he missed the funeral of his wife due to a message being delivered late. He never wanted anyone to go through the pain that he had endured and so set about perfecting an easy to use message system. His revolution centred around the idea of sending pulses of electricity of two fixed lengths – dots and dashes. The subsequent morse code was so much easier to for all to master. He too saw the logic in following the railroad lines and telegraph poles continued their close relationships to the railway lines that were gradually spreading out over the continents of the world. Of course, there were larger scale boundaries that also needed crossing. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean with a submarine telegraph line was one of the holy grails of Victorian technological advances. So much so that Sirus Field, a very rich American businessman, personally financed the hiring of two warships, one American and one British (USS Buchanan and HMS Victoria), to simply start in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and pull the wire to the opposing sides of the Atlantic. After a couple of attempts, they did indeed manage to succeed in their endeavour. The President of the United States and Queen Victoria managed to exchange pleasantries across all those thousands of miles. Unfortunately, the line only worked for just over two weeks. The Victorian scientists had not anticipated the high voltages that were required to send messages across those thousands of miles. The cable simply burnt out. It would be seven years before the line was reconnected. The problem being that the new, low voltage, well insulated wires were just too thick for any ship to be able to carry. Until, that was, the SS Great Eastern was launched. This was a behemoth of a ship that dwarfed all other ships by its size and speed. In 1866 she easily connected the two continents together. Submarine telegraph lines were now spreading across the world as the British government realised the full potential for governing and communicating with its far flung empire. By 1890, of the inhabited British territories, only Fiji, British Honduras, Tobago, the Falkland Islands, Turks Islands and New Guinea had no cable at all. The importance that Britain personally invested in this world wide infrastructure is borne out by the statistic that by 1914, 75% of all the world’s submarine lines were held by the British. Indeed, within hours of the outbreak of the First World War, the first action taken by any of the British and Imperial Forces around the world was actually taken in Melbourne in Australia. A German merchant ship was fired on by coastal batteries as she attempted to leave port. The fact that this took place on the exact opposite side of the world illustrates how much smaller the empire had become with the advent of telegraphy. Before the advent of this technology, the British government had had to entrust a great deal of local powers to its representatives across the world. When it took three months for a message to travel from a colony back to the capital, waiting for a reply was a luxury that frequently could not be tolerated. The man on the spot was a very powerful figure indeed. With the advent of the telegraph, London could have virtually instantaneous contact with the capitals of her colonies and dominions and conduct business from afar. Cables Being Laid in Canada The value of Britain’s world wide telegraphic system actually contributed to Britain’s strategic worries. The cables were kept in British colonies or under British controlled seas as much as possible, but this was not always avoidable. Whenever this occurred the British worried about interceptions of messages or of cutting the link altogether. For example, the link to Australia passed over Dutch Java, the South American cable ran through Portugese Madeira, but probably the biggest headache of all to Britain’s strategic thinkers was the cable that ran from London to Calcutta. In fact, there were three such cables. One ran from Lowestoft to Germany, through Russia, Persia and in to India. Apart from the strategic nightmares of this essential line of communication was the fact that the Germans and Russians were in a position to keep the costs of using this cable artificially high. The second cable was not much better. It ran across Europe to Constantinople, across Turkey to the Persian Gulf and then by cable to Karachi. Little reliance could be placed on the Ottoman empire. The third cable ran from London to Gibraltar to Malta, Egypt to Aden and then on to Bombay. This looked secure enough, but still relied on using Spanish relay stations to boost the signals. Besides, it was generally more economic to send the messages up over France from Malta. To add to the strategic difficulties the vagaries of the currents and weather caused yet further headaches. Storms, winds, silt, even fishermen could all accidentally disrupt the sending of messages. Combined with the distances involved, it is little wonder the tariffs could be so high. 4 shillings per word to India, and 6s. 9d. to Australia. And yet, the British were convinced that the value of the system was worth the price. All over the world, Englishmen were employed laying or maintaining cables or operating booster stations along the line. The cable manager often became a key member of society for the further flung outposts of imperial society. In Australia, Alice Springs actually came to life as the central station for the overland 2000 mile Telegraph line stretching from Adelaide to the North. These 36,000 telegraph poles were built years before any road or railway line crossed the continent. And it could be dangerous too. In 1874, two cable men were speared to death by Aborig ines. The laying and maintaining of this enormous network must rank as one of the most important achievements of the British Empire. It’s scope and utility is hard to imagine in a world where instantaneous communications are taken for granted. Before the invention of the Telegraph the speed of communication had changed little since the time of the Romans. Within thirty years of the first twitchings of Cook’s and Wheatstone’s needle telegraph, the world had been made substantially smaller.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Through his work entitled â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,† Hemingway tries to demonstrate how people have different opinions regarding aging and experience, and he does this through the eyes of the two waiters and an old man.Today, a large percentage of people assume things about other individuals they do not know based only on how they look. Hemingway seems to hold the hand of the reader as he expresses why people should have an open mind and make an attempt to look through the eyes of each person because there is so much more to know than just by looking at a person's physical appearance.At the start of our lives when we are not yet fully aware of the things happening in our surroundings, everything seems to be beautiful and innocent. However, by the time we get older, we realize that things are not as easy as they once seemed.Along with the joys and happiness we experience, there is also pain, sadness, and loneliness.This short story is about an old man who sits in a bar a few times a week. He preferred this particular club from the others because it is clean and has a calm ambiance, which relaxes him. He drinks away until two o'clock in the morning and is the last person to leave the bar.On the side are two waiters who serve the old man. One is a young man while the other is a middle-aged waiter. While serving the old man, these two waiters converse and argue about the old man and it is evident that they see the old man in different perspectives due to their age difference.In the beginning of the story, an old, deaf man was described and how he was enjoying the bar and getting drunk almost every night. He feels comfortable in the bar because it is calm, clean, well-lighted, and quiet unlike the other bars in the area.He stays here until the wee hours of the morning and it can be seen that he does not fit well into the society at the time because he is well over his time already.It was mentioned that â€Å"last week, he tried to commit suicideâ₠¬  (Kennedy & Gioia 148). This gives the reader the impression that the man was in despair even though he is well-endowed in terms of financial resources.The young waiter was in a rush to close the bar an hour earlier because there was only one customer, the old man, who was present at that time. The young waiter also wanted to go home early because his wife was waiting for him at home.It is shown that he disrespects the old man by throwing the old man out of the bar insisting that they were already closing. The younger waiter seems to be flat and static.He is somewhat intolerant and self-centered for he has his own social life and does not depend on the bar to seek refuge. He does not understand what the old man was feeling and why he spends his time in the bar drinking the night away.The fact that he is young and has very limited experience in life contributes to this attitude. He has no idea that the old man has spent his life and believes that he has no use to anyone because of his age, which is why he tried to commit suicide.He is lonely and loneliness is very hard to cure, especially when people around you do not understand what you are going through, just like the old man in the story.The young waiter also sees the loneliness and despair of the old man as largely a fault of his own because the old man chooses to see the darkness instead of the light.The young man feels that the old man dwells in his misery too much and that there are better things to do than sit inside a bar and drink. He yelled at the old man saying â€Å"you should have killed yourself last week† (Kennedy & Gioia 148). He treats the old man like an obstacle as if the old man was slowing down the young man's life.The older waiter, on the other hand, shows a different attitude towards the situation, and this might be because of his age. He is more sensitive to the old man because he knows what it is like to be old and lonely. This waiter says â€Å"I am one of those who like to stay late at the cafe with all those who do not want to go to bed† (Kennedy & Gioia 150).He knows what it is like to go home at night without anything or anyone to expect and how it is better to spend the night in a bar instead of experiencing the loneliness that the night can bring. He knows that the bar is a very nice and clean place for people at night, especially the older ones. He says â€Å"each night, I am reluctant to close up because there may be someone who needs the cafe† (Kennedy & Gioia 150).He is not only referring to the old man but to himself as well. Personally, I think that this is why he most likely works at the bar at night himself. Just like the old man, he does not want to be alone at night. He is becoming older as time goes on and he also has an insomnia, which makes it hard for him to sleep at night.

Nation under God Essay

The argument regarding the use of the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance is not a new one. In fact, this argument stems from the long standing principle of separation between the church and the state which is embodied in the First Amendment of the United States constitution. Under this principle, the government and the church are to be kept separate from each other. The government is prohibited from encouraging or advancing any of the interests of a single religion. This means that the government cannot promote a single religion or impose upon its people which religion to follow (Clark 1965). It is a blanket prohibition that prevents the government from intervening in the religious beliefs of people. The second aspect of this principle recognizes that the government will invariably have to deal with religious institutions one way or the other (Clark 1965). The doctrine on the separation of church and state therefore also regulates the dealings between the church and state such that there should only be a minimal and incidental interference from the government. This is also known as the rule on excessive entanglement between the church and the state. The problem with the use of the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance is considered as a violation of the doctrine on the separation of the church and state because many religious groups claim that the use of the term God favors the Christian religion which prominently uses the term God for the Supreme Being. Other groups on the other hand argue that the word God as used in the Pledge of Allegiance is not an advancement of the Christian religion but rather an acknowledgment of some higher being that is common to all religions. This short discourse will seek to shed more light on the issue of the use of the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance. The first part will cover the historical background of the insertion of the word God in an attempt to understand the original meaning of the word God as used in the Pledge of Allegiance. The next segments will cover the points of view from the perspective of the state as contrasted to the perspective of the church on the issue. Historical Background of the Insertion of the Word God: There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the use of the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance particularly with its mandatory recitation in the public school classrooms. Most of controversy revolves around the use of the phrase â€Å"under God. † It was not until June 14, 1954 however that this highly contested phrase was inserted (Whitsitt 1896). The original tenor of the pledge of allegiance which was created by Francis Bellamy on September 7, 1892 read as follows: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Historical Changes of the Pledge of Allegiance 1892: â€Å"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. † 1892 to 1923: â€Å"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. † 1923 to 1954: â€Å"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. † 1954 to Present: â€Å"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. † The original tenor of the Pledge of Allegiance did not contain any reference to any deity whatsoever. In response to this, the Knights of Columbus of New York City urged the assemblies to insert a reference to a deity since they felt that it was incomplete without one. The deity to which the Knights of Columbus referred to was the same one that was referred to in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (Whitsitt 1896). The words â€Å"under God† as used in Lincoln’s address, according to the Knights of Columbus, was the most appropriate one to add to the Pledge of Allegiance. It is important to note however that the phrase â€Å"under God† was never contained in the original text of the Gettysburg Address. By April 22 of the year 1951, the Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus formally adopted a resolution to amend the recitation of Pledge of Allegiance by the members of the Knights of Columbus at the opening of each of the meetings of the 800 Fourth Degree Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus by addition of the words â€Å"under God† after the words â€Å"one nation† (Whitsitt 1896). It was not long before the whole organization had adopted the same resolution as the idea spread throughout the other Knights of Columbus organizations nationwide. On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution at its annual meeting recommending the that the change in the Pledge of Allegiance be made universal and soon petitions and copies of the resolution were sent to the Office of the President, the Vice President, who was the Presiding Officer of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. While the attempts of the Knights of Columbus were unsuccessful, they were able to convince a majority of the relevance of inserting such a phrase and soon the movement began to gain momentum (Whitsitt 1896). It was not until Senator Homer Ferguson who in his report to the United States Congress on March 10, 1954 that the movement had begun to make significant progress. In this privileged speech, Senator Ferguson said, â€Å"The introduction of this joint resolution was suggested to me by a sermon given recently by the Rev. George M. Docherty, of Washington, D. C. , who is pastor of the church at which Lincoln worshipped. † By this time Congress concurred with the Oakman-Ferguson resolution, and Eisenhower opted to sign the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954. The rationale for the approval and adoption of the phrase â€Å"under God† was clarified by President Eisenhower in a letter which he wrote in August of 1954 (Bradley 1996). These words [â€Å"under God†] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded. This was actually taken from the sermon of Docherty to which President Eisenhower had taken a great interest in (Whitsitt 1896). It was eventually published by Harper & Bros. in New York in 1958 and President Eisenhower took the opportunity to write to Dr. Docherty with gratitude for the opportunity to once again read the fateful sermon. Finally, on Flag Day, June 14, 1954, Congress passed the legislation that add the phrase â€Å"under God† to the Pledge of Allegiance. At this point, it can be argued that the insertion of the word God into the Pledge of Allegiance was actually motivated by some religious influence, particularly the Christian religion. In order to have a better understanding of the issue at hand however it is important to briefly examine the import of the doctrine of the Separation of the Church and the State. Doctrine of the Separation of Church and State: The phrase, â€Å"separation of Church and State†, is actually from a letter that was written by one of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, to a group that called themselves the Danbury Baptists. In the letter, Thomas Jefferson wrote that, â€Å"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. † This was of course in reference to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (Whitsitt 1896). The basic precept of this doctrine is founded on a firm belief that religion and state should be separate. It covers a very wide spectrum, as mentioned in the previous sections of this discussion, ranging from the secularization or elimination of the church to theocracy wherein the state works in tandem with a religion in order to govern over the acts of people (Bradley 1996). The Secularist Perspective: The secularist perspective is that the state should be kept distant from religion and that, in the same vein, the religious institutions should also be free from any governmental interferences. This follows the second aspect of the Doctrine of the Separation of Church and State that dictates that there should be no entanglement between the Church and the State (Bradley 1996). In this perspective, the government is prohibited from citing the authority or influence of a specific religious institution for the justification of its authority (Bradley 1996). While there are some governments that claim religious justifications for their powers such as the Muslim states, the justification for such is based on the emphasis of the relationship for ceremonial and rhetorical purposes only. The acts done by the government are not meant to further the cause of any single religion but are actually for the general welfare and the benefit of the state. The state therefore does not conform to any particular religious doctrine but in fact caters to its own doctrine as mandated by the will of the people and of the Constitution (Clark 1965). Acts such as exemptions from taxation or providing funds for education and charities, though viewed as supporting religion, are in fact welfare based or â€Å"faith based† according to secularists. This reflects the view that temporal authority and spiritual authority should properly operate in complimentary spheres. The spheres where they overlap such as in moral values or property rights are areas where neither should take authority over the other but should instead offer a framework in which society can work these issues out without subjugating a religion to the state or vice versa (Bradley 1996).