Different perspective of human

Motivation is a force in workers that enable them to go the extra mile in executing their official functions. As human beings are different, so are the factors that motivate them. Human idiosyncrasies and attitude would determine what motivate them. While some are motivated based on monetary incentives, other are motivated by the actualization of accomplishment they attain in their official function. It is then germane that managers know what really motivate each worker under their supervision for the organization to attain maximum effectiveness and efficiency. There are plethora theories on motivation. The Scientific school of thought of Frederick Taylor sees workers as machine that would be motivated only by monetary and economic incentives. This school of thought disregards the human relations aspect and informal networking among workers. The reward system advocated by the scientific school of thought on motivation is a piece-meal reward system. In this instance each worker are rewarded based on what he is able to produce. The Scientific school sees human being as naturally lazy who tend to devise ‘soldiering’ tactics to dodge work. Hence, close observation is advocated by this school of thought. The incentive through extra payment and reward for bonus work done is seen as the motivational factor for increasing productivity by the scientific school of thought. The Human Relations School, in an experiment in Hawthorne led by Elton Mayo, discovers those workers are really motivated by informal interrelationship at the work place. The welfares for workers would go a long way to motivate them in accomplishing more. Thus, the human relation school sees human resource as the most vital resource in the organization that should be catered for maximum productivity. Other motivational theories that stemmed out of the human relation school include Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of need theory’, McGregor ‘X and Y theories’, Fredrick Herzberg ‘Two factors theories’, i.e. the ‘motivators’, and ‘hygiene’ factors, David McClelland ‘achievement theory, Victor Vroom’s ‘Expectancy theory, Adam’s ‘Equity theory’, etc. These theories have a meeting point, whereby they advocate that there are different levels and types of motivational factors. According to these theories when Individual workers are motivated by the right factors, they tend to put in the extra effort at ensuring they accomplish the target they have set for themselves as a way to repay the organization for meeting their needs and aspirations. REFERENCES Garner, Rochelle (2003), â€Å"Executives' Guide to Call Center Excellence: Motivational Strategies—Just Desserts† February. http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/magazine_index.asp?IssueID=140   ( 1/11/06). Moore, Dianne-Jo (1991), â€Å"7 Motivational Strategies – Manager's Motivation Of Workers† Modern Machine Shop http://findarticles.com/p/search?tb=art&qt=%22Dianne-Jo+Moore%22 (2/11/06) Wertheim, Edward G. (2005), â€Å"Historical Background of Organizational Behavior† http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/introd/history.htm (11/09/06)   

Reaction Paper Of Jose Rizal Life

One note, this movie is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic depictions of violence and even torture. The opening few scenes depict some episodes from Rizal's novels. In one a Catholic priest rapes a Filipina. I guess I now know where the Mestizo mixed blood class came from in the Philippines. In the other scene a Catholic priest beats a child for alleged stealing. Strong stuff and it made me wonder how the Catholic Church could possibly retain any power in the country, if this is what the national hero thought about it. The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. A three hour epic movie on the life and struggles of his poet and patriotisms. It covers his life from his childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying the Philippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels filmed in black and white, so we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. The film also through a series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, thus giving a rich texture of Rizal’s character. The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. I also commend the film for its bravery in showing the evil tyranny of the Catholic Church during that time. Considering that the Philippines is a Catholic nation that is like butchering a sacred cow but alas, Abaya works her magic in depicting the suffering of the Filipinos because of the friars. This is by far the best Filipino movie that I have seen so far. I would urge anyone reading this who likes movies, to either rent it or buy it. I particularly love the last scene of the film when Rizal fell in the ground facing the sky, having his last breath looking at a beautiful sunrise- a metaphor depicting that Rizal did not die in vain. He did not die for nothing. He did not die defeated. Rather he died victorious because his death is the torch that lights Philippine independence, which ignites Philippine Revolution. The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. It covers his life from his childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying the Philippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels. So we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. And the movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. We see scenes both from Rizal's actual life but also from his imagination. As a young man, Jose is sent to study in Spain. This is a plan hatched by his brother Paciano. Jose will write and do everything in his power to bring to the attention of the world the abuses of Spanish power in the Philippines, while Paciano will protect the Rizal family at home and keep up the struggle against Spanish rule. Jose excels in his studies as a medical student at Madrid University and eventually earns a degree as an ophthalmic surgeon. Meantime, he becomes involved with a group of radical Filipino students who also seek to end the Spanish abuses in their country.

A Fitness Center Where Every Body Benefits Marketing Essay

A Fitness Center Where Every Body Benefits Marketing Essay Entrepreneurship project that was assigned to us was to make a business plan of a new business venture. The report covers the core concepts that are involved in the making of and implementation of a new company’s business plan. Identifying the opportunity and taking the initiative towards something novel and different, a new venture concept that I have decided is a fitness center. This report contains about the company, identification of the target market, strategies to penetrate in the target market segmenting it to different locations, the industry analysis, marketing plan and positioning of the company, effective pricing strategy, how to promote it to clients through different strategies of advertising and promotion, the operational plan for the early stages of the company and the financial factors that are major challenges for the company THE BUSINESS Our vision: To make BODYFIT a place where every body benefits. Mission statement: Your fitness is our priority. We strive to provide you a safe, healthy and secure fitness environment. where customers can achieve their fitness goals. Our professional, expert and qualified staff is committed to the highest level dedication that ensures the satisfaction of customers’ fitness with motivation and quality Opportunity (potential business): We are going to launch new company in Islamabad, Pakistan which is basically a fitness center/club. In Islamabad, there are already few companies that are providing such services like FIT n FLEX, METAFITNOSIS, and FITNESS FIRST, ULTIMATE GYM etc. so there is a room for a new fitness center to establish and capture the market and response. As we have recently seen this trend that people are becoming conscious day by day about their health and fitness and they want such a place where they can get fitness under proper guidance from professionals. So by setting up our fitness center we can cater the needs of our customers by providing unique services under one roof, and get our market share in health industry. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Board of Directors: initially the board of directors will be the inside investors who providing with the necessary funding and investment to the company. Law firm: Accounting firm:KPMG Consulting firm: The management team is very crucial for any business success. Our team consists of dedicated members who strive to achieve the maximum benefit for the organization and its customers. Of them MD will play vital role in management by using his expertise and knowledge in the smooth and efficient running of the organization. He would have to oversee and control all the major departments of the company. COMPANY STRUCTURE & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The company would be established under the legal structure of: Private LTD Company. And the brand name would be protected through registering the company name so that it cannot be copied. As per requirement patents and copyrights would also be applied for. The company will consist of the following departments and their duties would be as follows:- Management department As our vision and mission statement, management departments’ aim is to translate vision and mission in strategic manner to achieve the targets and goals. As this department is the backbone of any organization. The managing Director (MD) will control the structure of the organization.

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Economics - Essay Example Interest rates are used as tools by central banks to control inflation. When Bank believes inflation is beginning to rise, it raises interest rates to cool the economy and vice versa. Therefore, the long term affect of raising interest rate will be to reduce inflation. For the constructers of apartments, this might mean relatively cheaper production due to cheaper cost of resources. The supply curve will therefore shift to the right (fig.4). Constructers will be able to provide more value for the same price to the customers. Also, many of the customers who might have refused to invest in property initially when the interest price increased would now be more in terms with the market and willing to invest. In the longer run, increased interest rate would have made its impact of controlling inflation and prices for other goods would be more stable. All these factors would result in increasing the demand and would result in a shift in demand curve to the right

Developing Effective Employment Relationships Essay - 2

Developing Effective Employment Relationships - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that businesses today face a lot of challenges, ranging from international competition growth to changes in the technology market that impact business direction. One of the most fundamental challenges is establishing effective employment relationships, both in a recessionary environment and in a more conducive and stable economic climate. To build effective employee/manager relationships, there are several leadership models that provide valuable human resources-based outcomes. These include transformational leadership, laissez-faire leadership, and transactional leadership. All three of these models have differing approaches to building successful employment relationships, either focusing on autonomy, inspiration and vision iteration, or establishing effective rewards for meeting performance targets. Whatever model utilized in the organizational environment, there are opportunities and challenges associated with how employees will respond i n a recessionary environment and when economic conditions are more favorable for business growth and development. During a recession, employees begin to find personal concern about their employment security. Job security, under respected models of psychology, is a fundamental need that must be fulfilled before the employee can achieve self-esteem, a sense of social belonging, or achieve full self-actualization; the process of reaching the pinnacle of motivation and self-expansion. When employees feel that their jobs are in jeopardy, they will be more resistant to enacting change processes and will be de-motivated toward meeting performance expectations. When employees feel that their job positions are in jeopardy due to economic recession or business slowdowns occurring as a result of the macro-level economic environment, they are less motivated to perform under Expectancy Theory. Under this theory, employees choose a certain behavior based on the perceived desirability of the outco me of this behavior. Economic recessions often lead to internal job reductions through layoffs, thus consolidating job roles until the recession has run its life cycle and business returns back to expected levels of profitability. Employees that have remained behind and witnessed job losses with important reference group colleagues and associates, issues of job security are fresh on the minds of the employee.

Understanding Workflow Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Understanding Workflow Design - Research Paper Example As a means to expound upon the process, this brief analysis will seek to three different concepts that were related in the workflow assessment of healthcare IT toolkit as well as seeking to summarize the article in question, â€Å"Developing a mentor program for our cardiovascular ICU†, and providing key ways that these techniques could be utilized within the given context. Firstly, with reference to the three techniques for workflow assessment, the ones that this student has selected for being the most pressing involve the following: determining system requirements, creating and maintaining checklists for work flow and completion, and discussion of systems operation with affected shareholders. With respect to the first and third steps, these act as a type of relay within which the director of change can help to categorize the process and make sure that it adequately addresses the needs of the component parts (Rose 127). All too often when change is initiated, regardless of context, it very often takes place at the very upper echelons of management with no forethought with regards to how that change will affect the individuals upon whom it relates. Secondly, with regards to implementing plans and change mechanisms, it is necessary to determine the overall system requirements and seeking to make the workflow match the given needs that are exemplified (R ouse 4). Lastly, writing down a checklist of goals and integrations helps to force the process to portray something that will take careful consideration of all facets that the workflow process will touch upon. As a means of implementing the aforementioned three components, the article that was reviewed, â€Å"Developing a Mentor Program for Our Cardiovascular ICU† helps to acquaint the reader with the needs of providing a paradigm shift in training for the cardiovascular ICU (Bredeger 112). In

Criminal Liability Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Liability - Coursework Example The paper tells that criminal law is a body of statutes and rules that deals with crimes and their punishment; the law defines conduct that is prohibited because it can harm, endanger or threaten the welfare and safety of the public. Fitzerald is aged 13 years and is engaging in behaviours that can threaten public safety; he threw stones at passing car and it hit Gordon’s car and severely injured Gordon. In the second instance, he threw a stone at Dan but missed him and hit John instead. In advising Fitzerald, I will tell him the following legal facts relating to his behaviour; one, under UK law, age 13 years (his age) is under the age of criminal responsibility. Therefore, his behaviour should not be based on the assumption that because he considers himself a child he cannot be found guilty of a crime. As a matter of fact, within England and Wales, a child over the age of 10 years is considered to be responsible for crime as a result of their actions and should face legal con sequences if found guilty. Children below the age of ten years are considered doli incapax and are therefore not capable of forming criminal intent. The law assumes that children under the age of 10 years do not adequately understand differences between right and wrong acts and cannot be responsible for their actions. But children over 10 years are assumed to understand this difference just like adults and can be tried for their actions which may be deemed to amount to a crime. In addition, I will advise Fitzerald on what constitutes a crime according to the law. Glazebrook (2011, p. 49) explains that a person can be found guilty of a crime if it can be proven that that person had intended to commit the act before. Secondly, a crime can be committed through reckless actions of a person; that is, a person not caring about the consequences of his or her actions. Therefore, in Fitzerald situation it is clear that he can be accused from the two perspectives of what constitute a crime. F or example, in the first instance where he was throwing stones at passing cars, it can be said he did that with an intention to harm motorists or he was simply reckless and did care about the consequences of his actions. In the second instance, he had intention to hit Dan but he missed and hit John instead. In both instances, his actions can cause harm to the public and threatens public safety as well. Without doubt his actions which can be supported by substantial evidence in the court of law can result to him being charged and convicted. I will let him know what will inform the decision to convict him in court; one of the major reasons will be retribution which will make him ‘suffer’ in some way as a punishment of harming and making others suffer due to his actions (Mitchell and Farrar, 2008, p. 70). The second reason for his punishment will be rehabilitation. Law Library of Congress (2011) notes that the main aim of punishing criminal offenders especially children is to transform them into members of society who are valuable and can coexist peacefully with others. I will tell him that rehabilitation will aim at preventing future offense through convincing him that his conduct was wrong. Thus, in the light of the legal facts that I will have given to him, I will advise him to desist from such acts in the future to avoid being arrested. Instead, he should divert his time and energy to more constructive activities such as reading. Q2: A’s Criminal Liability and B’s Possible Legal Position Considering the circumstances surrounding the incident involving person A and B, A is not criminally liable for his actions because the intent to cause

Mortgages and the Federal Reserve Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mortgages and the Federal Reserve - Coursework Example The prospective client must be on the lookout for events that will lead to lower mortgage interest rates. He therefore needs to be equipped with the knowledge of how to forecast interest rates. An understanding of key economic indicators can provide clues to the future direction of interest rates. These indicators are usually published and are available to everyone. Based on Woodruff (2007), they are the following:   Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total output of goods and services produced by labor and property of a certain country and are considered as the most important economic indicator published. An increasing trend could lead to inflation and make the Federal Reserve raise interest rates in order to slow growth. A negative growth would mean a weaker economy but is desirable because interest rates will be lower due to the need to stimulate commerce.   Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicates the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a fixed market basket of consumer goods and services. It is the leading indicator of inflation. If the CPI registers an increasing trend, inflation is likely and interest rates are likely to rise. The converse is also true.   Producer Price Index (PPI) is a family of indexes that measures the average change over time in the selling prices (from the seller’s perspective) received by domestic producers of goods and services. High PPI is inflationary and leads to a decrease in bond prices and higher interest rates. The converse is also true.   Employment Situation: The payroll employment report involves data on employment, hours and earnings estimates based on payroll records of business establishments. It is also used to predict other important economic indicators such as Personal Income and Industrial Production. If the Payroll Employment registers a monthly increase or increasing trend, inflation is likely and could cause interest rates to rise. A smaller-than-expected figure causes yields and interest rates to fall.   Employment Situation: Information on the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons by occupation, industry, duration of unemployment, and a reason for unemployment is published by the government and use as a lagging indicator. A declining unemployment rate is considered inflationary and causes interest rates to hike. The converse is also true. The reason behind this is that as more people get employed, the more people are willing to compete for a property. Creditors find it as an opportunity to maximize sales.   Consumer Credit data provides information on levels of debt for industries such as auto financing and commercial banking credit and is a good indicator of consumer spending. Although it is considered as having little impact on interest rates, it gives an idea on the degree of consumer spending.   Housing Starts When housing starts to register a higher-than-expected increase, the economy is registering positive growth but it is considered inflationary. This scenario leads to falling in bond prices and yields and interest rates to rise. Likewise, decline or declining trend in housing activity slows the economy and can push it into a recession, causing yields and interest rates to fall.

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Management - Research Paper Example PM has appeared as an efficient tool for addressing the intricate needs as well as requirements of present business environment. Moreover, PM is a type of management discipline which strengthens various economic activities of a company within an industry. Project Management Institute (PMI) is an internationally recognized not-for-profit membership organization for the profession of project management. PMI consists of 600,000 members as well as official document holders in over 185 nations (Bialaszewski 1-17). There are various phases or processes of PM by which a project should be managed in various steps and these entire steps are interrelated with each other. Project is managed by planning, implementing, monitoring and controlling procedures. The first step is the initializing process, where objective and scope of project is clearly defined. The objective of the project depends on the business requirement (Bialaszewski 1-17). The second step is planning process. ... Moreover, in this phase, project manager is responsible to analyze whether or not extra fund is required for executing the project (Bialaszewski 1-17). The fourth step is controlling procedure; as in this step project manager is responsible for controlling as well as rescheduling the entire project to keep the process on right track. Essentially, in this stage, customers’ deliverables are created as well as project manager is accountable for quality pledge and deliverable signoff (Bialaszewski 1-17). The final step is the project closing stage. In this stage, reflection on the success of the project takes place. It is reviewed that what kind of possible changes if any would be implemented if similar project is conducted in future (Bialaszewski 1-17). Communication is one of the most important aspects within a team to make sure of best potential outcomes. When PM processes are utilized in order to complete a project, an effective communication is essential within a team. From t he first stage of PM process if the planning thoughts are not communicated in a timely, accurately and relevant way then there would be a considerable obstruction in the completion of any project (Bialaszewski 1-17). ‘Emotional Intelligence’ is one of the crucial aspects than ‘Intelligence Quotient’ in envisaging leadership success. A project leader is assigned to work with members of various attitudinal types in order to complete a project, thus the project leader needs to demonstrate the quality of emotional intelligence in decision making (Bialaszewski 1-17). Time management and cost are the two necessary considerations which are intrinsic to quality of any project. Moreover, inefficient

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay Example for Free

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay In analyzing human behavior and human thought processes it can be said that reason and emotions are always present in each major decision. There is no human being, even the most morally upright or the most unbiased observer can make crucial moral decisions without having to have felt the power of reason and the equally powerful emotions in his mind and body. If Emotion and Reason are taken together and if the proponent of this paper will not be given the freedom to choose one from the other then the answer to the query is no. There is no need to have the combined benefit of emotion and reason to justify a moral decision. But if allowed a free hand one should insist that Reason is necessary in justifying moral decisions. This paper will look into the implications of using Emotion and Reason in matters regarding moral decisions. This will be done by finding out what is the meaning of emotions and reason in the world of epistemology. But even before that there is a need to have a review of epistemology the theories on how human beings acquire knowledge. Background Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that deals with how man attains knowledge. For many the getting of knowledge from reading, observing the external environment and by doing experiments can be taken for granted. But for philosophers it is not simply about getting data and then having the ability to describe what was observed and inferred afterwards. Philosophers are persistent that man knows the exact process and if there is none then one should suspect if there is actual learning that occurred after all. With this in mind it is time to introduce two diverging schools of thought when it comes to epistemology and how man exactly acquires knowledge. The first group of philosophers believes that human beings can get knowledge using pure reason. It is the use of the rationale mind, to think using logic to deduce and infer from what can be observed. It is easy to say â€Å"reason† but it is difficult to explain the actual processes of how man looks at the different pieces of the puzzle and then be able to see the whole picture and finds a pattern or connection. Reason is the man’s secret weapon and allows him to reign supreme in this planet. There is no other creature that can use the harness the awesome power of reason in the same way as a human being. A good example is on how man can deduce that certain plants are edible while others are lethal. It is common knowledge that man learns to distinguish between a tasty snack and a vine of poison by observing animals around him. This is probably the same technique used to discover that the seeds hidden behind the coffee pod are not only edible but also a source of one heavenly drink. Without the ability to reason it would have been impossible for man to realize that there is something in that coffee pod after observing the goat or maybe birds taking a liking for the sweet fruit. Another example of reason is in finding a pattern and consistency in natural occurrences such as typhoons, fruiting seasons, gestation period etc. Using reason man was able to build a system where he can begin to tame nature and enjoy her benefits. He can plant and expect harvest. He can build shelter and expect to be protected by an upcoming storm. Man can also reproduce his kind and even multiply his flocks knowing pretty well that there are certain laws in nature that he can rely upon and all these are possible by unleashing the power of reason. Diverging Stream Another school of thought when it comes to the acquirement of knowledge is called empiricism. The empiricists believe that it gaining knowledge through reason alone is suspect. They argue that reason can be influenced by many factors and they conclude that biases and prejudices can interfere in the process. This is understandable because for thousands of years man has postulated about something and made predictions about the future only to be made a fool at the end. This is because reason has its limits. It is at this point that that man is advised not to jump to conclusions. Empiricists will assert that accurate knowledge is only possible if man avails of his senses. The eyes to use to see and measure; the hands used to grasp and determine shape; the ears to hear and determine sound; the nose for determining smells; and the tongue for taste. Emotions are feelings and better yet it is a reaction that a person can observe after the body and the mind – or the heart – is exposed to certain external factors. For example, a mother sees her baby crying because she had not eaten the whole day. The mother has no money to buy milk and she too begins to cry. Her emotion – can be labeled as sadness – tells her that her mind and body does not agree to the image that she saw which is her poor baby experiencing acute hunger. There is another view of emotions which can be very helpful in this study. There are those who assert that emotions are not only act as messengers that tell a person whether something good or bad has occurred but they can be feelings that propels a person to do what is right even when faced with great odds. Jaggar remarked that, â€Å"†¦it is appropriate to feel joy when we are developing or exercising our creative powers, and it is appropriate to feel anger and perhaps disgust in those situations where humans are denied their full creativity or freedom† (1996, p. 82). A good example of such an occurrence was again given by Jaggar who wrote, â€Å"Certain emotions may be both morally appropriate and epistemologically advantageous in approaching nonhuman and even the inanimate world Jane Goodall’s scientific contribution to our understanding of chimpanzee behavior seems to have been made possible only by her amazing empathy with or even love for these animals† (1996, p. 182). To those who are familiar with Goodall’s case will admire her courage and determination considering that she had to travel to Africa and be removed from the comforts and security of Western society and be immersed in a hostile environment, not with humans but with wild animals. It is a good instance of how emotions guided someone to do something heroic. It is easy to understand what emotions can do to lift ordinary humans to strive for things that exceed his grasp. Emotions can fire-up a person and allow him to go where no one has gone before. The history of the United States is replete with examples where tough moral decisions were justified with the cry for freedom and equality. But there is also a counter-argument that emotions are not needed to do justify moral decisions. Reason alone should be enough to move a person to do what is right. This is because emotions can be subjective. And there is no need to furnish volumes of scientific material to prove that point. Emotions can even be counter-productive when used to analyze tough moral decisions as evidenced from the results of a new study published in Newsweek. According to Wray Herbert – writing for Newsweek (2008): A large and growing number of psychologists now argue that a welter of prejudices are simmering just below the surface of society: prejudices against many ethnic groups, against women, gays, the elderly, and outsiders like the homeless and drug addicts. The big question is whether these unconscious animosities are potent enough to actually shape our actions, to make us do things we ourselves find shameful. A new study suggests that, unhappily, the answer is yes. Conclusion The question whether emotion and reason are equally necessary to justify moral decisions is a double-headed query that should have been simplified by separating emotion and reason; rephrasing it in two separate questions: 1) Is emotion necessary to justify moral decisions and 2) Is reason necessary to justify moral decisions. If this is possible then the proponent of this study will say no to the first and then say yes to the second question. But since the main topic used the phrase equally necessary then the answer is no meaning there is no need to bring both emotion and reason to the process of analysis of the problem and ultimately giving the justification for a moral decision. To clarify what is meant by using emotion in the decision process, one has to revisit the example of Jane Goodall and his work with endangered species, it was her strong feelings of emotions, specifically empathy that allowed her to do so much. Using this understanding of emotion the proponent still cannot endorse the use of emotion to judge a moral case because even with strong emotions one can still be mistaken. An excellent example would be the events that transpired in Germany in World War II. The residents of this nation enthusiastically embraced the idea given by Hitler that Jews deserve nothing but death and suffering. The majority agreed or at least the Nazis agreed that this is fact, even truth and they are responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. If one will go to Germany today and present the same ideas to present day Germans they will surely not react with the same fervor as they did in the time of Hitler but they will recoil in horror. This is a clear example of the subjectivity of emotions and therefore not needed to analyze tough moral issues.

The Use Of Semiotics In The Theatre Film Studies Essay

The Use Of Semiotics In The Theatre Film Studies Essay For the French postmodern theorist, Lacan, each sign in a language is given a meaning by other signs in the language there is no essential meaning to signs, only in chains of significance. For example, Robert Wilson often uses colour to create symbolic meaning in performance through its use, while the Theatre du Complicite may transform objects into signifiers of meaning separate from their every day meaning (i.e. in Mnemonic a chair becomes the Iceman). Address in this essay, how contemporary theatre practitioners use this understanding of the signifier/signified to push the boundaries of the theatre. Through an examination of at least TWO theatre companies, or practitioners either from the reading, or from your own experience, show how they use signifiers in their work and to what purpose. The reason for creating and presenting theatre is to communicate meanings. Understanding how meanings are communicated to and assembled by spectators can be of enormous help to the director as he works to translate his individual vision of the theatre production into a living, three-dimensional work of arts The late twentieth century saw a great of interest in semiotics, the science of the signs. The semiotics in theatre is composed of a representative actions implemented in a certain moment with the emphasis on things and objects to be observed. This sign system has important characteristics which are the relation between signs and themselves as well as the multifunctional and mobility of the signs in the theatrical context. Some theatre artists find out that the spoken word does not need to be the central force of the performance. Therefore they developed performance through experimentation with objects, visual images, sound, improvisation, or pieces of disjointed language or information (Whitemore, 1994). In this essay I will explore and examine the importance of using Semiotics in the work of two important post-modern theatre directors which are Richard Foreman and Robert Wilson as well as I will address how these contemporary theatre practitioners uses the signifier/signified in particular the visual semiotics such as the setting, costumes, lighting, colours and properties to push the boundaries of the theatre and to what purpose. We can begin to explore the sign system of the contemporary theatre by looking at the work of Richard Foreman and Robert Wilson who are considered examples of western directors, Both Their work contributed to the development of the postmodern theatre through their experimentation with theatre and its various communication systems. Foremans work is almost about his life and a reflex on himself and his thoughts; his theatrical wok always commenting on itself which makes the spectators alert and aware while seeing it. The deficiency to communicate with language is one of the main elements that Foremans theatrical pieces focus on. He developed theatrical techniques that relied on visual images. In his works he uses a number of repeated theatrical devices such as using recorded or live voice to comment on the stage action, using exaggerated physical and vocal techniques as well as other visual elements. The use of visual images has become one of his unique theatrical contributions that differentiate his theatre from other contemporary theatres (Hugo, 2009). Also, Robert Wilson has been altering the way of seeing language, staging, lighting, colour, set design, dance and direction. Robert Wilson has been considered as being one of the most significant visionary artists of the 20th century. His work, often called a theatre of visuals or theatre of images presents an artistic field of theatre where precise choreographed gestures, movements, shapes of objects, textures of sound, and lighting aim to create a heightened experience for the viewer. Robert Wilson is known for his creations of extremely big and long epic productions which focus on the theatrical images and are frequently accompanied by music. His productions cut across the boundaries that traditionally have defined theatre, dance, opera and the visual arts to create a total work of art. Wilson began his exploration of slow motion and visual theatre in workshops he ran for autistic and brain-damaged children. In his work, he used essential non-linguistic montage and displaces any univocal signification. He is also a landscape artist who believes that the pioneering of the theatre depend on visual images (Holmberg 1996). Semiotics can best be defined as a science dedicated to the study of the production of meaning in society. As such it is equally concerned with processes of signification and with those of communication, i.e. the means whereby meanings are both generated and exchanged. Its objects are thus at once the different sign-systems and codes at work in society and the actual messages and texts produced thereby. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, semiotics is the methodical study of signs, more precisely; it is the production of meanings from linguistic or non linguistic sign systems. Semiotics began to become a major approach to cultural studies in the late 1960s. The modern theory of semiotics was founded and developed by two important philosophers, Charles Sanders Peirce who defined semiotics as the relationship among sign, an object and a meaning as the sign represents the object or referent in the mind of the interpreter. The system Pierce devised allows for a simple technique for reading and understanding signs through three categories: symbol, index and icon. A symbol has an arbitrary relationship to the audience. As by adding a vocalisation or gesture such as pointing, the meaning is easily understood by an audience. In pointing we have added a depth to the word, given it meaning, and thereby forced an interpretation onto the audience. Indexes are easier si gn systems to read. They take the form of pictures/illustrations. We understand an icon as the resemblance of something it is a representation and not a reality. And the second, Ferdinand de Saussure who proposed that linguistics would form one part of a more general science of signs: semiology. His definition was that semiotics is a science capable of understanding all possible systems of signs, from language to music and, of course, the visual arts. Semiology therefore aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification. (Chandler, 2007) Semiotics is concerned and focuses on the interrelationships between signs themselves. The semiotic approach to literary works stresses the production of literary meanings from shared conventions and codes; but the scope of semiotics goes beyond spoken or written language to other kinds of communicative systems such as cinema, advertising, gesture and others. In other words, semiotics is the study of signs and symbols of all kinds, what they mean, and how they relate to the things or ideas they refer to. It is concerned with the process of signification and communication. Semiotics is well known for calling attention to the formal structures of significance and meanings in the culture. Semiotics can be seen as an important factor that points to structural differences found in each system of signification as well as it is seen as a unifying approach to sign systems in the theatrical performance. A sign is usually represented by different type of physical image, object or person, which is then placed within some specific setting or social framework. Due to this framework, this physical image, person or object becomes representative of the social signs system and the audience become responsible of determining whether or not the sign being placed before them is genuine (Leaman, 2007). Moreover, it can be visualized as an approach to a wide variety of systems of signification and communication or it can be visualized as a description of those various systems focusing on their mutual differences or their specific structural properties such as the transformation from verbal language to gestures or from visual images to body positions. It can investigate those various systems either at the elementary level of their sequential units such as words, colour spots, sounds or at the more complex level of the texts which is, narrative structures or figures of speech (Eco, 1977). Semiotics is important because it can help us not to take reality for granted as something having a purely objective existence which is independent of human interpretation. It teaches us that reality is a system of signs. Art historian Keith Mosley comments that: Semiotics makes us aware that the cultural values with which we make sense of the world are a tissue of conventions that have been handed down from generation to generation by the members of the culture of which we are a part. It reminds us that there is nothing natural about our values; they are social constructs that not only vary enormously in the course of time but differ radically from culture to culture(Schroeder, 1998). Studying semiotics can assist us to become more aware of reality as a construction and of the roles played by ourselves and others in constructing it. To decline such a study is to leave to others the control of the world of meanings which we inhabit. Signifier/signified Signifier and signified together, they constitute a sign, the basic object studied by the science of semiotics. The signifier is any material thing that signifies. It may be a meaningful sound, a facial expression, a picture, or a more complex unit such as a word or phrase. The signified is the concept that a signifier refers to. Each sign thus gains its value by being placed in the context of other signs. The relationship between signifier and signified is traditional, there is no existence of similarities or physical connection. (Dor, 2005). According to Erika Fischer-lichte- theatre professor- (1992) Theatre does not make use of these signs in their original function, i.e., does not put them to the purpose for which they are/were generated by the respective cultural systems. Rather, it deploys them as signs of the signs produced by the cultural systems. Consequently, theatrical sign must, at least at the level of the system they form, be classified exclusively as iconic signs  ¹ . We make meanings through our creation and interpretation of signs. As according to Peirce we think only in signs (Peirce, 1931). Signs take the form of words, images, sounds, acts or objects, but such things have no essential meaning and become signs only when we invest them with meaning. Nothing is a sign unless it is interpreted as a sign (Peirce, 1931). We interpret things as signs by relating them to familiar systems that we understand and agreed on. A sign is a recognizable combination of a signifier with a particular signified. You cannot have a totally meaningless signifier or a completely formless signified (Saussure, 1983). The same signifier could stand for a different signified and thus be a different sign (Chandler, 2007).  ¹ Signs where the signifier resembles the signified Elaine Aston and George Savona (1991) argue that Everything which is presented to the spectator within the theatrical frame is a sign as the Prague school  ² were the first to recogniseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The process of signification is directed and controlled even is something has arbitrarily entered into the frame it is read as significant. Several semioticians have recognised the role of the systems of signs that are used during a theatrical performance as it to communicate with an audience as was mention before everything that is presented to an audience in a theatrical context is consider to be a sign. The value of semiotics for the theatre practitioners is that it can provide a framework for structuring experimentation during the preparation, and rehearsal stage of creating the production. Theatre directors coordinates signifiers and make thousands of choice; they select individual signs and blend them into sequences of signs which lead to large pattern of signs which eventually produce a performance. They also highlighting and emphasizing on different signs to bring the spectators attention to the most important signifiers at a specific moment in the performance (Whitemore, 1994). According to Tadeusz Kowzan (1968) -who is Theatre and literature historian- classification of sign systems, there are two main signs systems, the auditive signs which include the spoken text as words, tones and the inarticulate sounds as music and sound effects and the visual signs which include the expression of the actors body as gesture, movement and actors external appearance as the makeup, costumes and the appearance of the stage as the props, setting, lighting.  ² It was an influential group of literary critics and linguists in Prague. Its proponents developed methods of structuralism literary analysis during the years 1928-1939. It has had significant continuing influence on linguistics and semiotics. After World War II, the circle was disbanded but the Prague School continued as a major force in linguistic functionalism. Contemporary theatre practitioners push the boundaries of the theatre Semiotics in theatre formulated from a complex relationship between images and their meanings to the theatre practitioners and the spectators. The contemporary theatre practitioners find semiotics to be an important science as it considers being an aid of communication between the director or the scene designer and the audience, this communication relies on understanding the image and its context in order to bring out meanings. Then by emphasising on any element of this image the sign will be created and that will lead to the creation of new meanings, All this helped the theatre practitioners to find new ways to open up new prospects of representation through work on the theatres systems of signification such as the representations in acting style, costumes, properties, music, lights, visual design and other elements which is treated as a signifying elements (Finter I983). Emphasis is defined as the subject of audience interest at any given moment of the performance. In other words, the element of the theatrical scene that receives the attention of the audience is the one that is emphasis on. Theatre directors pay close attention to the use of emphasise in the theatre in order to focus the attention of the audience on selected characters, places, or effect (Whitemore, 1994). According to Elaine Aston and George Savona (1991) The director nowadays has control over the theatrical shape and is faced with the task of organising the signifying system of theatre at her/his disposal (lighting, scenery, props and so on) into a codified process appropriate to the production of a text. If the director fails in this task, then the performance will not make scenes to the spectator. Visual sign systems are used by theatre directors in a wide range of configuration to produce signification and meanings. And may be the most remarkable feature of postmodernist directing is the concentrated use of visual signification as pivotal signifier (Aston E G Savona, 1991). Richard Foreman Visual aspects are considering an essential aspect in Richard Foreman theatre. His theatrical ideas created from the influence of images conception as well as the visual elements. With the help of those visual elements, he tried to frame and break up space. His use of lines and objects has a role as important in his theatrical space as the role of the performers. Such objects are reflections of Foremans consciousness as well as reflections of the structure of thought. In the traditional theatre, the impact of the visual elements on performers is different than its impact in performances that filled with different visual elements and objects. Foreman focuses in his work on building multiple layers in the performance. He used visual images that represented the writers view while, in the same time the performers and objects expressed another level of this view (Lee, 2001). The uses of setting and props in Foremans theatre The important aspect in Richard Foremans theatre is how he uses properties as signifiers. His sets are littered on his stage without clear explanation as well as he always uses a variety of props of all sizes, styles, and shapes. For example, in some of Foreman performances, he has placed television monitors onstage to provide multiple images. He also uses projected images for the text of the performance as a way to use written words with spoken words in order to contradicting, questioning, or strengthen other visual or aural signifiers (Whitemore, 1994). Foreman designed his stage with the use of vertical and horizontal lines. The use of ropes and strings stretched across the stage to create special effects that frame his performance to help him to provide multiple visual paths that allow each spectator to achieve a unique perception of the stage. Because of the strings, each member of the audience is able to perceive varying degrees of stage depth (Lee, 2001). The uses of strings functioned to increase an awareness of the reverberation chamber aspect of the stage space, to create a certain amount of ambiguity through suggested superimposition, and to remind you of the limits of the geometric space. I was using the strings to contradict a unitary reading of the stage space (Foreman, 1992) Another important aspect of his stage objects comes from his usual attempt to distort the shapes of the objects. By using distorted stage objects, Foreman creates new phenomena out of once familiar objects (Lee, 2001). Foreman exaggerates his theatrical objects in various scales. His designs to many of the objects is to be either smaller or larger than life-size for example, the big rock in his performance Hotel China and the 6-foot-tall potatoes in Rhoda in Potato land. Moreover, he uses stage objects to lead him through the development of the dramatic action of the performances text. Foreman said that with Hotel China I began to write plays by imagining intricate, strange objects that would suggest ways that desire, working through the performer, might cause them to be manipulated. I stopped working from outlines, and instead let the complicated physical objects that I imagined lead me in whatever direction they suggested. Properties and objects take on such a strong focus for Foreman that he even uses them as a starting point for creating the written text for his performances. How Richard Foreman used costumes and colours in his performances In his early years Richard Foreman chose to let chance dictate costuming as a sign system. In Foremans performances, the uses of costumes as a signifier is not a habit, he worked on creating visual dissonance and psychological tension in his performances which led him to contrast the setting and the text of his performances with the simplest costume in the world which is- from his perspective- nudity.Foremans individual costume choices become part of rich grid of signifiers (Whitemore, 1994). In his performance, Rhoda in Potato land he used a tangle setting, bright lights, performers in clothing, and a nude woman lying down on the floor. In spite of the conflicting signifiers in this theatrical scene, but it led to a formation of a connected unit of signifiers for the audience The use of colours is very important in Foreman performances. As Whitemore (1994) argues, Colours are dynamic signifiers; when chosen carefully they bring coded messages to the spectators for their individual interpretation. Foreman uses simple lines and basic colours such as black, gray and white in order to create abstract images. He feels that simple and basic colours creating the unfocused kind of attention and promoting meditation which he is aiming for (Davy, 1981). In his theatre, he sense that individual objects will become isolated by individual colours rather than be seen as aesthetically unified (Whitemore, 1994). In summary, Richard Foreman treats his stage objects as live performers. Part of the performers role in his performances has been shifted to the stage objects. Instead of the performers actions, visual images became signifiers which rose by these stage objects dominate the stage space. Foremans visual imagery is considering a principal element directly affecting the audiences attention. He extracts images from actors and from theatrical objects in his work by using different techniques such as, his uses of different size and shapes of objects as well as his uses of ropes and strings in performances in order to break the familiar concepts and provide multiple visual paths that allow each spectator to achieve a unique perception of performance, his uses of nudity costumes as a way to demolish and build new signifiers also the uses of monochrome colours in his work as a mean of creating unfocused attention and promoting meditation. Robert Wilson My purpose in this method of working is to emphasize the importance of each separate element. In many of my pieces, what you see and what you hear do not go together. The video and the audio are meant to stand on their own. If you closed your eyes you would still be able to appreciate the program, and the same would be true if you turned off the sound and just looked. What I am trying to do is give individual lives to both sound and picture. Robert Wilson One of the most salient aspects of Wilsons work is the broad and disparate range of material visual and verbal he weaves together. He scavenges from innumerable centers of culture: canonical literary texts; newspapers; opera; pop songs; advertisements; stock market reports; cinema; dance; historical documents; autistic poetry; paintings by old masters and new; architecture; industrial design; the drawings and body language of a deaf-mute boy; sculpture; postcards; and the banal conversations he overhears on the street. Leafing through one of the black notebooks in which Wilson sticks anything that tickles his fancy is to confront a higgledy-piggledy mass of incongruous images. For example, much of the language and many of the images in Einstein on the Beach are pillaged from the debris of mass culture. All of these heterogeneous materials create a centrifugal energy, but Wilson controls them through his monumental architectural sense of visual structure (Holmberg 1996). The uses of props and objects in Robert Wilsons theatre Robert Wilson usually selects and designs properties with large-scale settings and with the uses of huge space to suit his characteristics of a highly selective method of visual communication. He not only designs the props himself but often takes part in their construction as well. Whether it is a piece of furniture or an object such as a giant crocodile, a large black crow sitting on a womans arm, long thin ladders reach high into the fly tower and many others (Holmberg 1996). He used different shapes, size, colours and style while designing his props and objects. He used the exaggeration technique in some of these objects as well as the realistic and abstract style and many other techniques. But when combined these objects with all the other visual elements of Wilsons productions it present a unified network of dynamic optical that dazzled the audience (Whitemore, 1994). The importance of costume Costume for Robert Wilson is considered to be one of the significant aspects in his theatre. He uses costumes for every kind of signification possible. Wilson constantly chose every costume for his performances very carefully in order to fulfil its visual impact. Many of the costumes he uses in his performances are realistic and many are satirical. For example, his epic performance, Death Destruction and Detroit II, are groups of costumes from unrelated periods with different styles, sizes, shapes, lines and colours. The audience see large dinosaurs, an huge round man in a white suit and a woman in a magical lights dress. In his other performances he used different kind of animals such as a giant cat that is so large that only his legs can be seen walking across the stage, dancing ostriches, a child in a diaper, a man in an oversized, padded-shouldered trench coat, soldiers in various uniforms, and many other costumes (Whitemore, 1994). The costumes are made to reveal movement and style and to signify every kind of information: period, mood, style, and emotional state of the character. He always chooses his costumes, the sizes, shapes, colours, and styles almost randomly and instinctively but with taking into account the unification the total performances signifiers. The costume signifiers are mixed, compatible and contradictory at the same time as black and white, giant and tiny, rough and smooth but at the same time, when it all combined with the set, properties and lighting they present global signifiers of epic and spiritual consequence for the spectators to gather into meanings (Whitemore, 1994). The uses of lighting According to Wilson, the most important part of theatre is light as well as the light is the most important actor on stage (Holmberg 1996). He is also recognized by some as the greatest theatre lighting artist of our time. Wilson found a way to use light as the central signifier, replacing the performer, as in one of the scenes in Einstein on the beach when the light displaced the actor and became the action for nearly half an hour. Wilson is very concerned with how images are defined onstage, and this has practically everything to do with the light that is placed on a given object. He feels that the lighting design can really bring the production to life. Tom Kamm, The set designer for Wilsons Civil Wars performance said a set for Wilson is canvases for the light to hit like paint (Holmberg 1996). This attention to detail certainly proves his devotion to the importance of lighting, In Death Destruction and Detroit, Wilson used light as a defining signifier of the theatrical scene. T hrough a constantly shifting black and white, shadow and bright this shifting served as a dominant unifying and controlling agent (Whitemore, 1994). In summary, Robert Wilson has a massive contribution in the contemporary theatre practice. He is considering one of the most important directors and designer in the contemporary theatre. Wilson revolutionized the stage by making visual communication more important than words. His productions cut across the boundaries that traditionally have defined theatre, dance, opera and the visual arts to create a total work of art. Wilsons performances concern not only for trespassing the boundaries that define artistic genres but also for erasing the distinction between high art and popular culture, forcing the audience to examine the assumptions behind these categories (Holmberg 1996). Robert Wilsons productions have decisively shaped the look of theatre. Through his use of light, costumes, props and setting as well as his exploration into the structure of his scenic and furniture design he was able to achieve his goal in changing the concepts and perceptions that related to the fixed culture. Wilson always uses the power and originality of his vision in order to create new meanings and perceptions for his theatre. Conclusion In summary, the theatrical system of signs consists of representative actions implemented in a situation with an emphasised function of objects to be observed. The power of sign systems depend on their role in generating and maintaining shared expectations as well as shared interpretive frameworks. Signs do not force us to have certain interpretations as much as they create the context for other peoples interpretations of us, and even more importantly, our own expectations of what others think. Contemporary theatre practitioners, in particular the two important directors Richard Foreman and Robert Wilson, emphasise on visual images and focus on size, shape, colour, costumes, light and other visual elements in order to create and develop a way to affect the audiences way of seeing, thinking and understanding of actions and events. Using semiotics in theatre helped the directors to see the various cultural and historical traditions as a vast source of signs. Representations in acting style, costumes, production design, music and other elements are taken from different contexts.  Also it helped them to understand how performances communicate meanings by examining the signifiers that are decoded by each member of the audience. Semiotics gives the directors a frame work for making choices about which sign system should dominate the performance, how signifiers can create meaning which the spectators interpret differently. They are asked to read the visual diminutions of performance as a key language of the theatrical discourse.