Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Portfolio A new force for social change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Portfolio A new force for social change - Essay Example The realization of these ideals across every nation is what empowers human rights organizations in achieving their goals. Communications Technologies Human rights organizations find strength in the internet’s ability to bring geographically distant and isolated human rights violations to public attention and, in turn, elicit immediate response. Unconstrained by spatial and temporal boundaries, the internet can disseminate pertinent human rights information in real-time and in low cost. The two-way information flow facilitated by the internet, in addition, enables immediate feedback and interaction among the public. Human rights violations are brought to light, discussed over, and immediately acted upon through the use of the internet. Human rights organizations can also utilize social networking sites such as Facebook to reach more people and get them informed about their activities. The Press The press contributes to the goals of human rights organizations by reporting on hum an rights issues, humiliating/praising human rights violators/followers, and encouraging immediate action from the government. Like the internet, newspapers provide information on human rights issues, developments, and activities to the public. Being labeled as a human rights violator by the press, meanwhile, serves both as a wake-up call to offenders and a warning to those who are on the verge of committing violations.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Child of Divorce Essay Example for Free

Child of Divorce Essay Divorce is becoming a norm in the society nowadays. This refers to the complete termination of marriage between the couple who demands for it. Through the dissolution of the bonds of matrimony, both parties are allowed to marry again (Gallagher, 1996). However, opposing views are prevailing regarding divorce. For those who are in favor of it, divorce can be regarded as the only legitimate remedy when happiness and affection are no longer provided in the marriage (Scanzoni 1965). For those who are against it, divorce causes psychological problems and damage to social cohesion (Diefenbach, 2007). Divorce is not just the story of the couple parting ways but it is more of a story of the children who are products of a divorced marriage. â€Å"Human children need parents longer than any other species and are totally dependent on parents for food, shelter, and protection for the first several years of life. This dependency spawns a fear of abandonment. In divorce, one of the parents leaves. When one parent leaves, the children feel rejected. The loss children feel at divorce is similar to that experienced when a parent dies. Divorce might actually be harder on children because it lacks the concrete cause and finality of death (Bryner, 2001). † This causes most of the children of divorce to be more aggressive, impulsive and develop antisocial behavior compared to children from intact families (Hetherington, 1999). Others also exhibit lower academic performance (Kelly, 1998). However, some children manage to develop without these deleterious effects of divorce. As a matter of fact, these children are found to have less stereotyped sex behavior, greater maturity and greater independence (Emery, 1995). The developmental stage of the child when the divorce of his parents occurs is predictive of the child’s behavior and reaction towards the situation. An infant or a toddler will not react at all to his parents’ divorce because he can’t still comprehend the situation. However, a preschooler will tend to blame himself as the culprit of his parents’ divorce. Because he feels guilty and fears that the remaining parent may also leave him, he becomes more possessive of his parent (Roseby, 1998). For a young school-aged child, the divorce of his parents gives him a sense of responsibility. He feels that he should bring his parents together again and think of strategies that will make his parents interact in any way (Lansky, 1996). On the other hand, older school-aged children tend to blame one parent and take the side of the other parent. They become anxious and worrisome of the situation which makes them prone to illnesses such as headaches, sleeping disorders, chest pains, diabetes and asthma (Kimball, 1994). The reaction is more deleterious with adolescents who entirely mask their reactions. They switch to other outlets such as peers, sex, alcohol and drugs because they hate being bothered by their parents’ lives (Thompson, 1998). I have a friend named Diane. Fourteen years ago, her parents separated by divorce. Back then, she was only turning three and didn’t know anything about the chaotic situation between her parents. She was left to the custody of her mother while her father was just obliged by the court to provide some financial assistance. Everything went well with this arrangement until she entered primary school where she had greater monetary needs. Unfortunately, her father had another family and was compelled to reduce the money sent to her. This was the reason why her mother was obligated to work in order to support her. Because her mother became busy in her work, Diane was always left with her grandmother whenever she was off from school. It was only through her grandmother that everything regarding her family became clear. She hated the fact that her own mother concealed their broken family from her and would always say that her father is just working in a far away place. She realized that she will never have his father back and that her fantasies of having a complete family would never be real. That time, she began to skip classes in school and whenever she would attend a lecture, she never participates in the recitation. She also failed our exams. I was really worried about the big change in her behavior because she used to be the top student of our class. I just learned about her family problem when she never attended classes for a week and her mother came to our school looking for her. One of our classmates revealed that Diane eloped with her boyfriend. I can’t forget the face of Diane’s mother crying and blaming herself for what had happened to her daughter. After that, I never saw Diane again. The last news I heard about her was that she is living with her mother again. She broke up with her boyfriend but gave birth to a baby boy, who, like her, is a child of divorce. Diane’s story is just one of the millions of stories which we can get from the life of a child from a broken family. In her case, the effects of divorce were appalling because of the lack of effective communication. It would have been better if both her parents explained to her the situation and the reasons why they should have divorce. When Diane learned that her parents were already divorced, she was very frustrated because she fantasized of having a complete family when her father returns from work. She also felt betrayal because her mother never told her what’s real. These extreme negative emotions changed her attitude and made her rebel against the situation. Also, Diane’s mother was very preoccupied in her work that’s why she was not able to keep an eye on the performance of her daughter in school. If only she did, maybe she was able to help Diane solve her emotional problems at an early stage. After all, divorce can really cause a big scar but it doesn’t really have to. References: Bryner, C. L. (2001). Children of Divorce. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Practice;14:201–10. Diefenbach, H. and Opp, K. D. (2007). When and Why Do People Think There Should Be a Divorce? http://rss. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/19/4/485. Emery, R. E. and Coiro, M. J. (1995). Divorce: consequences for children. Pediatric Review;16:306 –10. Gallagher, M. (1996). The Abolition of Marriage. Regnery Publishing. Hetherington, E. M. and Stanley-Hagan M. (1999). The adjustment of children with divorced parents: a risk andresiliency perspective. Journal of Child Psychology; 40:129–40. Kelly, J. B. (1998). Marital conflict, divorce, and children’s adjustment. Child Adolescent Psychiatry;7:259 –71. Kimball, G. (1994). How to survive your parents’ divorce: kids’ advice to kids. Chico, California: Equality Press. Lansky, V. (1996). Divorce book for parents helping your child cope with divorce and its aftermath. Minnetonka, MN: Book Peddlers. Roseby, V. and Johnston J. R. (1998). Common developmental threats in high-conflict divorcing families. Child Adolescent Psychiatry;7:295–309. Scanzoni, J. (1965). A Reinquiry into Marital Disorganization. Journal of Marriage and the Family 27: 483–91. Thompson, P. (1998). Adolescents from families of divorce: vulnerability to physiological and psychological disturbances. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Service;36(3):34 –9.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Metamorphosis of Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck :: The Grapes of Wrath

The Metamorphosis of Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath Tom Joad from Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath is a prime example of a person whose morals and spiritual growth cannot be restricted by the law or any other limiting factor for long. Throughout the novel he develops from a man only interested in his own independent personal desires and needs to one who is devoted to his family and sacrifices his own personal comfort for the benefit of the family. At the novel's end Tom is continuing Jim Casy's generous work of uniting the poor hand laborers against the rich oppressive landowners who are starving the poor with low wages. Tom's concept of family grows with his work uniting the poor to encompass all of humanity. Maslow's Humanistic psychological "Hierarchy of Human Needs" can be used to track Tom's personal development. Humanists believe that humans are constantly striving to be the best person that their present conditions allow them to be. The Hierarchy of Needs lists the needs that humans need to satisfy to reach the next level of development. One cannot move to a higher level of development without first satisfying the more basic levels. The first level includes the physiological needs: food water, and sleep. The next level is safety and security, then love and belonging. Next of the list is a healthy self-esteem and finally self-actualization. One who is self actualized has efficient perceptions of reality, autonomy, fellowship with hum ity, strong and loving interpersonal relationships, and is task centered. At the beginning of the novel Tom has just been paroled from prison serving time for killing a man in a fight. Tom feels he was merely defending himself. He feels no guilt or shame about killing the man and would do it again under the same conditions. Tom's morals allowed him to justify the killing. These morals were instilled in him by his family especially from the strength and love of his mother. Tom is looking forward to "laying one foot down in front of another." At this point in he story Tom has his physiological needs met and is going home to his family to meet his needs of safety and security love belonging. In chapter 6 Tom finds his house abandoned and meets Muley, an old neighbor that stayed behind after his family moved to California for work.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Early Childhood Education Diversity Case Study Essay -- Inclusive Earl

Tom is a four year old boy and is attending preschool for the first time. He suffers from a condition called Cerebral palsy. According to Alvarez, (2014), Cerebral palsy (CP) is an abnormality of motor function, the ability to move and control movements and is acquired at an early age, usually less than a year of age. Tom and his parents represent the Rastafarian culture. His parents have long dreadlocks, but his dreadlocks appear to be in the initial growing stage. He is wearing a foot brace that serves as additional support for his body movements. Tom’s parents are eager to have him enrolled in the school, but is faced with a dilemma during the registration process. The teacher clearly demonstrated her lack of experience and the school’s inability to offer an environment that caters to the diverse needs of children. I will be examining the types of discrimination highlighted in the case study and reflect on examples of educational practices that respect and recognize the fundamental rights of children. I have explored numerous readings to validate my statements, perspectives and personal belief. My overall reflection is based on an understanding of the importance in creating an environment that is inclusive and represents diversity. I am deeply saddened that both Tom and his parents first encounter in a learning environment is tarnished by a negative experience. Issues Relating to Discriminatory Practices There are quite a few issues identified in the case study, the focus here emphasizes the importance of recognizing, addressing, and providing acceptable practice. The teacher reveals that the school is a faith school and Tom w... ...ional Research Journal, 27 (1/2), 31-44. Soodak, L. C. (2003). Classroom Management in Inclusive Settings. 42(4), 327-333. Retrieved fromhttp://muse.jhu.edu.library.open.uwi.edu/journals/theory_into_practice/v042/42.4soodak.html Trejack, P. (2010-2011). Highscope in the diverse and inclusive classroom. 29 (2), Retrieved from http://www.highscope.org/file/NewsandInformation/ReSourceReprints/Winter2010-2011/ReSource2010-11Winter_72.pdf Rouse, M. (N.d.). Developing inclusive practices: A role for teachers and teacher education. (16), Retrieved from www.abdn.ac.uk/eitn/uploads/files/issue16/EITN-1-Rouse.pdf‎ Winter, E.D., & O'Raw, P. (2010). Literature review of the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs. Retrieved from http://www.ncse.ie/uploads/1/ncse_inclusion.pdf Poster Images: Retrieved from: Google

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Annoyances of my life Essay

Through my life, I can say for many reasons it is annoy. The main reasons that causes my life annoys are the following: Being a minor, the transportation, language and pressure. I have to handle all of them every day; I do have a plan to keep going and almost all of them are not permanent. First, to be 17 years old is not easy. It is a challenge for me, because I am independent but not old enough to be free. I have to ask for permission to do everything, also there is a problem to find a job. I remember when I was 16 years old I broke my finger. The doctor did not want to see me because I am minor. A lot of disadvantages are caused by my age. Transportation is one of the biggest annoyances in my life. I have to leave home more than a hour to be on time for class, If I own a car that could be about 15 minutes. I hate when the bus is more than 2 minutes late because that makes me miss the trolley. English is not my first language; It is annoy when I cannot understand anything. I do not like to have to read my books so many times to make sure I understood the lecture. It is annoy when people laugh because of my pronunciation or any spelling mistake. Learn another language is interesting but sometimes it makes me frustrate. I am a kind of person who does not feel well under pressure. My family are first to ask for more than what I can do. It makes me mad because I always do the best I can. Especially in college the pressure is greater, a lot of classes and homework. Sometimes I am scare about not pass my classes, it does not let me sleep. Pressure is super annoyed for me. In conclusion, there are several things that make my life annoy. Almost all of them have a way to be solved. I will turn 18; I will get a license and be able to drive a car. College is not forever and is for a better life, my mom and brothers will be proud of me when I done my career. Thinking positive makes me see the annoyances of my life in the good way. It is great to know I am doing my best to reach my goals.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Why the Conservative party lost popularity between 1900-1905 Essays

Why the Conservative party lost popularity between 1900-1905 Essays Why the Conservative party lost popularity between 1900-1905 Paper Why the Conservative party lost popularity between 1900-1905 Paper The conservative party lost an enormous amount of popularity between the years 1900-1905, this loss of popularity affected them in the 1906 election, during the run up to the election certain things the conservatives did had an impact on the end outcome. I will be explaining these factors which I think were mostly to blame. The Anglo-Boer War in 1899-1902, the Taff vale decision in 1901 and the causes of Chinese slavery all had an impact on the loss of popularity. The Anglo-Boer war arose from an unexpected dispute; this was between the Dutch and the British. Reasons why the conservative’s party lost popularity were due to the conservatives provoking the war without a valid reason, the war started out of nowhere. Britain had intentions of becoming a powerful nation, in order to satisfy this Chamberlain made unreasonable demands on Boer, meaning Boer had no choice and they were forced to retaliate. The war was moving at a slow pace and nothing much was happening. It was obvious that the war was deliberately done making the people of Britain very upset, ‘Pro-Boers’ were known as people against Britain at war. The Pro-Boers questioned the morality and realism of their country, and how it was so obvious that it was purposely done. People of Britain were deprived and unhappy, this hate affected the conservative’s popularity and the public could not trust them in power. Therefore meant that many people opposed the conservatives in starting the Anglo-Boer, this clearly shows that it affected the public back home and it was obvious that the party wasn’t going to have support. This is one of the reasons why they lost popularity between 1900 and 1905. In 1900, the Taff Vale Railway Company in South Wales went on strike with their union. However this strike caused major conflict between the Union and the company. The company did not accept the strike movement so they decided to hire non-union workers to replace the union ones. By doing this they took the opportunity to take the union workers to court for illegal picketing. The railway company won this case and the workers were forced to come back to work empty handed. After the victory of this case, the company took the union workers to the courts once again, this time the case went to the House of Lords, and The House of Lords accepted the company’s decision and the workers were highly disappointed that the conservatives were not in favour of the working class. Considering the House of Lords are mostly made up of wealthy individuals and are supporters of the conservative party, it was fairly quick for the British public to realise how ignorant the conservative party were to the working class. This shocked many people and this was possibly one of the main reasons why the Tories lost popularity. They clearly had no moral empathy towards the working class and they didn’t receive any acceptance or recognition from the working class. Once of the minor issues that affected the Tories popularity was when, Arthur Balfour was accused of Chinese Slaves in Africa working on gold and diamond mines. This was seen as very disrespectful, due to them making others work for them, it certainly was selfish of Balfour to do that. These slaves would work in appalling conditions. The public to hear these disheartening stories gave them a fright. People of Britain couldn’t penetrate why Balfour was doing such corruption to Britain as a country, setting out negativity to neighbouring countries. Over all the public was unhappy over the inadequacy of the government which would have lost party support and popularity. Between 1900-1905, the conservatives party was in a very bad position, due to many of their decisions, one of the factors that led them to loss of popularity was the Anglo-Boer war, the public reaction to the was not supportive. The manner of Britain was highly selfish and pointless, because they gained nothing from that war, it was unnecessary and a waste of time. Britain was embarrassed, and this is one of the reasons they lost their popularity. Using Chinese slaves to work in the gold and diamond mines in Africa was also an immense disappointment for the public, as they saw it as moral wrong doings. This put Balfour in a shameless position; he was hated by many and lost major support, setting out a bad example to the people of Britain and neighbouring countries. Lastly the most important and effective way they lost the acceptance was the Taff Vale decision, just because it was the decline of the workers not allowing them to go on strike even though they had the full backing and financial aid of their union, it was very unfair and it demonstrated that the Tories were not supporters of the working class, they were for the upper class, this controversy was one of the main reasons why they lost fame, it outweighed the other factors because they separated the workers into a group of their own with no supporters certainly wasn’t fair to the workers. This was definitely the main reason why the conservative party lost recognition and supporters.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Edward sciccorhands review Essay Example

Edward sciccorhands review Essay Example Edward sciccorhands review Essay Edward sciccorhands review Essay Essay Topic: Batman Yet again Tim Burton has brought a masterpiece to our screens, this is indefinitely his best work following fankenwenie (1984), and batman (1989). Its the story of a shy lonely man (Johnny Depp) who finds friends, a lover, and then rejection in the heart of suburbia. Like the best fairytales, the story can be read many ways.  Scissorhands is arguably Burtons most personal film, a moving portrait of an imaginative outsider who cannot touch what he desires without harming or damaging it.  Tim has brought a great supply of cinematography once again, especially when he pans across the family and introduces them at the same time by doing this. While hearing slow and classical music to represent the difference in feeling from confused to happy and admiration. Burton mixes classic fairytale themes to create an original and touching character in Edward. Taken from his gothic castle to a colourful and romanticized suburban neighborhood he changes the lives of the towns people forever. The first half of the film is very funny, full of subtle physical comedy and gentle satire on suburban life. Edward brings his artistic skill to the town and the people almost ignore his creepy, weird and disturbed appearance. Then he begins a longing romance for Kim (Wynona Ryder), the girl he shares a house with but who seems to want nothing to do with him. He eventually wins her love, but is exploited by and then violently rejected by the towns people. The film is made with a skill far exceeding all of Burtons previous works of art. The unforgettable images make this a film to remember. Every performance is amazing. Johnny Depp brings a feeling of scared emotion to his almost silent character that lingers long in the memory. I almost forgot who was playing the part. Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin are, respectively, touchingly real and hilariously blank as the parents who adopt him. Winona Ryder brings warmth and beauty to her supporting role as the object of Edwards affectations, who comes to love him for his artistic vision. Anthony Michael Hall is suitably menacing as the jealous jock that eventually gets his what he is deserved, and Kathy Baker funny as the sex-starved, Tom Jones-listening housewife. Finally, Vincent Price, in his last feature film role, brings extra resonance as Edwards inventor.  Some people criticize the plot holes such as where did he get the ice? They are missing the point, as this fairytale bears no relation to the real world, except in its themes. You have to suspend your disbelief. Edward is the most normal person in the movie and it is the twisted towns people who are the real monsters, resulting in his loss of innocence. Edward represents, among other things: a childlike imagination; the unconditional love of an animal; someone who longs for love and close affection. The famously beautiful scene where Edward makes an ice-sculpture as Kim dances in the snow is the ultimate representation of the artist communicating his feelings through his work. This film is almost perfect in its own way, even with the unfortunately sad ending.  To sum up, I believe Burton will never make anything near the depth and emotion of this amazing film again. Its funny, sad at times and visually striking. This was an outstanding movie in everyway.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

My Senior Year essays

My Senior Year essays Standing in the land 11450 miles away from home with a language barrier, I felt lost. However, out with the old, in with the new. Everything has gone and something has changed this year. Every time when people ask me who I am, I can always get different answers and different definitions about myself. Every time I think back, I can always remember interesting novelties in my life. As I become older and more mature, I always find my views about things are different when compared to the past. When I realize I am a senior this year, my life seems to come onto a different screen: an ambitious, pleased, and successful theme. Flying 19 hours from China to U.S, I have been staying in US for one year. This is already my second year of Community School of Naples. Time flies. I am already an eighteen-year-old girl. When the first day I got out from the airplane and drove to the school, I met all my friends and gave them a big hug. They all know me really well this year. They know I am a girl from China. They know I still like Math and Science, and do not like History or writing. They know I enjoy eating different food and traveling. These habits have not changed; it seems I am still the same. I am still the girl who has a big dream of traveling around the whole world and discovering. I am still the girl who wants to go to unique and amazing places and find our how beautiful the world is. However, still, something has changed in my mind when I think back to last year. Last year was a disaster in my mind. It was a hard year for me, because of the different language, different people, and different culture. I always felt it was hard to get in to the social circle. Every time I was in the class, I was always afraid of speaking out. My face turned red, my voice became low, and my hands did not where to put. ...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Disorders of Mobility and Balance in the Hospital Environment Essay

The Disorders of Mobility and Balance in the Hospital Environment - Essay Example Reflective research was the means of learning from experience. Nurses had become busy practitioners considering the complexity of the environment they work in. The difficult and varying interpersonal relationships in the hospital milieu warranted that the nurse was to possess characteristics which helped her survive (Taylor, 2001). Whatever the constraints, the nurse had to deliver. Action research and reflection were two components which involved almost all the work that was done by a nurse. The educative nature of action research contributed to the learning experience. The relationship with patients could grow through psychosocial aspects of behaviour. Problem-focused research was possible with this kind of research. The specific context also was significant for reflection and remembering for future recall (Taylor, 2001). Trying out a specific intervention which was going to benefit patients in the future was possible. Improvement in therapy and involvement to change it could add t o the learning process through reflection. The change process could involve participants and nurses in a research relationship. Action research had contributed to many of the changes in the nurse’s life. The self-directed learning process was conducive to more effectiveness in their practice and the clarification of their roles (Taylor, 2001). Even participants could be empowered through the efforts of the nurse. The diverse aspects of solving problems, planning for changes and frequent evaluation were dealt with in reflective research.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Why cant Canadians compete with lower labour cost countries such as Term Paper

Why cant Canadians compete with lower labour cost countries such as India and China - Term Paper Example It is very difficult for Canada to be a manufacturing powerhouse like India and China. As of 2012, the 486.6-million Indian labor force makes it the globes second largest. Besides, the telecommunication industry in India is the world’s fastest growing. After the quarter of 2013, India became the third largest market for smartphones globally after China and the United States of America (Drà ¨ze & Amartya (2013). In terms of the gross domestic produxt, by 2013 China had become the globe’s second largest economy. On the other hand, China has been the globe’s manufacturing hub, leveraging its cheap labor in order to dominate global trade, especially the nation’s exports (Sang, 2013). In order to compete in the international manufacturing stage, Canada needs to differentiate itself from its competitors by making maximum use of its strengths. This will build ensure that it gains some steps in becoming a manufacturing powerhouse. China and India do not view Canada as a competitor because they have the capability to respond rapidly to the ever changing business environment and offer customers with what they need (Sexton, 2007). Chinese and Indian manufacturers have a vital strength in providing work that is customized together with services in order to meet the market requirements more flexibly than manufacturers in other nations like Canada. To attain this crucial strength (Scianna, 2014) argues that Canadian manufacturers need to invest in innovative technologies. Compared to low-cost nations like China, India, Malaysia and Brazil, the manufacturing sector in Canada is nowhere as big as other nations. In order for the Canadian manufacturers to stay in business competitively, the machine shops not only need to have the right equipment, but also make products for cost effective unit prices. Scianna (2014) noted that the most outstanding difference between Canada and its

Gossip in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gossip in the Workplace - Essay Example To start with, workplace gossip can have lasting effects and impressions. The workers and employees are best advised to abstain from it so that these gossip conversations do not have lasting effects in the long term. Workplace gossips can turn pretty ugly at times since the informal ‘grapevine’ network present within an organization spreads very quickly and no one can actually stop rumors as well as true stories from being shared openly. Continuing further, the causes of workplace gossips are that the small conversations which are held between two employees are spread to other workers working within the organization if the conversation is overheard by another individual who also works in that organization. (Heller, 1998) It is also possible that one of these two people might tell others who would further tell the remaining staff that is working within the organization and hence the gossip can turn really nasty at the end. With more and more informal gossips in the workplace, it is suggested that the employees are not concentrating properly on their assigned tasks and the bosses take particular note of this fact. They mention these points to the employees who like to gossip a lot and also warn them from time to time so that the gossip within the workplace is reduced drastically. The effects of this workplace gossip are that the employees have a bad image within the organization and they are not taken in high esteem. They are also told of concentrating on their own duties rather than wasting their times on having useless gossips all the time. (Drumheller, 2006) Workplace gossips also mean that the employees have lost a lot of interest in their work and they do not find their job challenging enough. The employers should provide comfort to these types of employees by changing their job nature or making their job focus a bit more different. They can also be delegated work in a

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Is HRM an Effective Approach to Managing People at Work Essay

Is HRM an Effective Approach to Managing People at Work - Essay Example Machineries will be passive resources unless they are controlled and operated by human workforce. It should be noted that only the human resources has natural intelligence whereas the machineries have only artificial intelligence. Since human intelligence is much more advanced than artificial intelligence, an organization cannot neglect the importance of manpower and human intelligence under any circumstances. Human resource management or HRM is one of the major divisions of every organization. The success and failures of the organization depends on the functioning of the HRM wing. According to Torrington et al. (2011), â€Å"Human resource management (HRM) is the basis of all management activity†(Torrington et al., 2011, p.4). In other words, all the organizational activities start from the HR department. HR is responsible for assigning duties to the employees of an organization. Human resource management theories are undergoing rapid changes because of the changes in life st yles and advancements in science and technology. Earlier, employees were more interested in getting decent salaries. However, current employees are not only interested in getting decent salaries, but also in getting proper work culture, environment and opportunities to keep a balance between work and life. Effectiveness of HRM lies in keeping a balance between the employee interests and that of the organization’s interests.It is difficult to define HRM in few words because of the complex functions associated with it. Generally speaking â€Å"HRM is the process of managing people in organizations in a structured and thorough manner† (Human Resource Management (HRM), 2012). HR department is responsible for recruitment, retention, allocation of suitable jobs, training and development of employees. A right person at the right place at the right time is always beneficial to an organization and it is the duty of HR to ensure it. Even though unemployment is a big problem in m any of the countries, lack of skilled manpower is creating major problems to organizations. It is the duty of the HR to identify best talents from the employment market so that the organization will always have the se4rvices of extremely good talents. Competition is growing day by day and as a result of that, organizations are competing each other for recruiting best talents. As a result of that employee retention is a major problem nowadays. HR department is responsible for employee retention. Training and development is another major HR function. No employee can develop properly if the organization fails to provide adequate training to them. Knowledge explosion and technological advancements forced organizations to give more importance to training of employees. HR is responsible for training also. It should be noted that the responsibilities of HR will be over after recruitment, retention, and training. Allocation of suitable jobs to the employees is another major HR function. A s mart employee at the wrong place may bring more harm than good to an organization. For example, an employee who has sales skills should be appointed only in the sales department in order to derive maximum efficiency out of him. If the organization wrongly places him in some other departments, he may not deliver the goods. In short, effectiveness of HRM depends on talent identification,

Market Communication - Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Essay

Market Communication - Integrated Marketing Communication Plan - Essay Example The marketing communication includes communication activities like selling, advertising, promotion of products, direct marketing, publicity, sponsorship, exhibition, packaging, merchandising, e-marketing, and similar other measures that can influence the selling of the product or the service to the ultimate consumers as well as retain the customers (Smith & Taylor, 4). In this regard, a communication process involves certain steps in order to prepare the plan communicating the product or service. The current study considers the product, fruit drink, and tries to focus on the preparation of an integrated marketing communications plan using the different steps of the process. The IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) Planning Process and Its Application on the Product, Fruit Drink: The integrated marketing communication plan consists of six steps that would be discussed considering the product, fruit drink and its marketing. These steps are essential as they create a connection betw een the buyer and the seller stressing on a long term relationship between them. Step 1: Identification of Target Customers: It can be understood that every product might not be required by every individual. This implies that every product has a particular segment of customers. ... Trying to reach out to each and every customer would create wastage in terms of expenditure as well as time on the part of the organization. Thus considering the fruit drink product, it can be understood that although the product would be healthy and needful for consumers of different ages, yet the younger generation might prefer it more particularly as an intake during their breakfast. Depending on such an understanding and thereby conducting a research, the target customers need to be analyzed. This is the first step that an organization coming up with fruit drink product need to accomplish, primarily focusing on what the product has in extra to provide to its customers and who would need the product. Step 2: SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis referring to the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company is essential for an understanding of the status of the company with respect to other competitors in the industry. The determination of the strengths and weaknesses provide with the company’s internal analysis while the opportunities and the threats represent the external situation for the company (Duncan, 166). Considering the fruit drink product, this step can be associated in the integrated marketing communication plan, since when a new company would try to launch the product, the company would require learning about its own strengths and weaknesses such that it becomes capable of competing against the existing competitors. Also, in order to understand the external threats and opportunities, the company needs to learn about the other players that are existent in the same industry as well about the possibilities of the threats that might arise from new entrants. Thus this forms the second step of the marketing

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Is HRM an Effective Approach to Managing People at Work Essay

Is HRM an Effective Approach to Managing People at Work - Essay Example Machineries will be passive resources unless they are controlled and operated by human workforce. It should be noted that only the human resources has natural intelligence whereas the machineries have only artificial intelligence. Since human intelligence is much more advanced than artificial intelligence, an organization cannot neglect the importance of manpower and human intelligence under any circumstances. Human resource management or HRM is one of the major divisions of every organization. The success and failures of the organization depends on the functioning of the HRM wing. According to Torrington et al. (2011), â€Å"Human resource management (HRM) is the basis of all management activity†(Torrington et al., 2011, p.4). In other words, all the organizational activities start from the HR department. HR is responsible for assigning duties to the employees of an organization. Human resource management theories are undergoing rapid changes because of the changes in life st yles and advancements in science and technology. Earlier, employees were more interested in getting decent salaries. However, current employees are not only interested in getting decent salaries, but also in getting proper work culture, environment and opportunities to keep a balance between work and life. Effectiveness of HRM lies in keeping a balance between the employee interests and that of the organization’s interests.It is difficult to define HRM in few words because of the complex functions associated with it. Generally speaking â€Å"HRM is the process of managing people in organizations in a structured and thorough manner† (Human Resource Management (HRM), 2012). HR department is responsible for recruitment, retention, allocation of suitable jobs, training and development of employees. A right person at the right place at the right time is always beneficial to an organization and it is the duty of HR to ensure it. Even though unemployment is a big problem in m any of the countries, lack of skilled manpower is creating major problems to organizations. It is the duty of the HR to identify best talents from the employment market so that the organization will always have the se4rvices of extremely good talents. Competition is growing day by day and as a result of that, organizations are competing each other for recruiting best talents. As a result of that employee retention is a major problem nowadays. HR department is responsible for employee retention. Training and development is another major HR function. No employee can develop properly if the organization fails to provide adequate training to them. Knowledge explosion and technological advancements forced organizations to give more importance to training of employees. HR is responsible for training also. It should be noted that the responsibilities of HR will be over after recruitment, retention, and training. Allocation of suitable jobs to the employees is another major HR function. A s mart employee at the wrong place may bring more harm than good to an organization. For example, an employee who has sales skills should be appointed only in the sales department in order to derive maximum efficiency out of him. If the organization wrongly places him in some other departments, he may not deliver the goods. In short, effectiveness of HRM depends on talent identification,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Alternatives of interest and usury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Alternatives of interest and usury - Essay Example Sweden has given a thought to implement a variant of an interest free system. As mentioned in Islam (2008), 35000 members of JAK Bank have saved 97 million Euros, of which 86 million were given as loans. JAK does not charge or pay interest on its loans. Administrative and developmental costs are paid by membership and loan fees. JAK has a variety of banking products all of which come into action by balancing the individual's saving point system. Carrie (2004) researched the work of JAK and concludes that the bank provides affordable and responsible finance and enables its members to have a say in where and how their money is invested. This shows that the outcome of interest free banking does not always relates to a dominantly Muslim country and can exist viably in a western capitalist state. Interest is generally thought as an extra amount charged over and above the principal amount which is accepted as unethical or unfair in Muslim world. A borrower is a person who is needy and a le nder exploits them by charging them with interest so a simple question of justifying the ethical basis of interest arises? This question may be answered by another question, is it alright that an already needy person is being oppressed? Our banking systems ultimately covert into an ugly vicious cycle consisting of a borrower and lender thus there exists a genuine need to find alternatives where interest speculation and gambling can be avoided with debt-like financing, futures and option like contracts and insurance/assurance-like products. Now coming over to debt financing, it is a kind of transaction that is solely dependent on interest! for example a person A needs to raise working capital for their company so they only way they have is to issue notes or bonds of, say $1000 to everyone now that investor will receive an interest of 10% of 10000 after four months. In simpler terms you can say that debt is borrowing money from an outside source with the promise to return the principa l, in addition to a agreed upon level of interest. Debt financing is one of the most used methods of financing. The reason why debt financing is so commonly used is that it helps maintain ownership because when you borrow from banks then you have to return the agreed amount on time however here you can choose the time of repayment for yourself without anybody else's interference. Moreover the most attractive factor is that you can decide the amount of interest rate yourself, it is an open option for you according to your budget, but we do need to find ways of excluding interest on it. Here the question is that is this possible? The best alternative is interest free equity financing. Equity financing is an act of raising money for company activities by selling common or preferred stock to individual or institutional investors. In return for the money paid, shareholders receive ownership rights in the corporation. In most cases equity financing is preferred over debt financing especia lly where the company wants to move on an interest free basis. Here there is no interest cost, the company does not has to pay any interest to the amount provided by the owners ( the stockholders) in fact the cost of production remains low as there is no burden of interes

Peter Eisenman Essay Example for Free

Peter Eisenman Essay Introduction * Peter Eisenman was born in 1932 in Newark, New Jersey. He studied architecture from 1951 to 1955 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and later at Columbia University in New York City, and concluded his academic training in 1963 with a doctoral thesis on design theory. * He worked together with Charles Gwathmay, John Hejduk, Michael Graves and Richard Meier in the architects’ group  »The New York Five. At this time, Eisenman developed his principles for design theory in a number of key publications. * At the beginning of the 1980s, Eisenman established his own architectural practice in New York, and since that time has created a number of important and diverse structures. * A recurrent topic is his thesis about an architecture of memory, from which he derives the postulate of a place-oriented or  »textual « architecture, which affords the observer a unique experience, difficult to express adequately, of space and time. MEMORIAL OF MURDERED JEWS, BERLIN INTRODUCTION * The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. * The Berlin Holocaust memorial was the outcome of a process which extended over a period of 17 years, moving from a grass-roots initiative to a government resolution and eventually a multi-stage competition. * Peter Eisenman won the competition and construction of project started in April 2003. It was inaugurated on May 10’ 2005, sixty years after the end of World War II. CONCEPT * Generally, while experiencing a building a person walks through the building perceiving columns on the left and moving around and again there are columns on the right, so there can be a sort of conclusion about the building being symmetric, axial etc. So understanding of a buildings comes from being presence in the experience.But in the holocaust memorial, experiencing the building does not give you understanding of the monument. In this project, when we move, we do not learn anything, there is no specific path to follow, any point within the memorial is no different than any other point.The underlying idea behind the memorial was to reduce the meaning of experience because this relates to what happened in camps. The memorial intends to show the absence of meaning in the executions carried out in camps.The memorial is an analogy to experience of the camps but also an analogy to the idea of breaking down the relationship between experience and understanding. * Often referred to as a â€Å"field of stelae,† the memorial consists of 2711 concrete stelae (95 cm x 2.37 m), with heights varying from less than a meter to 4 meters. * The stelae are separated by a space equal to the width of an individual stele, or enough room for a single individual to pass through. * The memorial is traditional in the sense of using material such as concrete, which is a common means for the construction of memorials, but it is innovative in its form and design. * There is a quality of indeterminacy to the entire field, despite what appears to be a regularly spaced grid. Regularity is only perceived when standing on top of one of the lower pillars at the perimeter or in an aerial photograph. * Upon approaching the site, one might assume that the stelae are evenly spaced but the undulating ground surface defeats the sense of a grid, as does the actual experience of walking through the relatively confined spaces and the existence of varying views framed and obstructed by the stelae. * Eisenman relates this monument to a living memory rather than a sentimental memory as the holocaust cannot be remembered in the first, nostalgic mode, as its horror forever ruptured the link between nostalgia and memory. Remembering the Holocaust can, therefore, only be a living condition in which the past remains active in the present. * The space of the memorial is not overwhelming in scale, the instability of the ground and unpredictability of the heights of the stelae interact to frustrate understanding of the space. * One is further confused or disoriented by the narrow alleys which are not truly perceived as straight lines, due to the varying heights of the concrete slabs and the uneven ground plane. * Perhaps even more disorienting is the fact that there are no written cues or symbols of any sort. Immediately discounting the notion that one should â€Å"read† the pillars as tombstones is the absence of any language and any apparent â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† direction or ending point. INFORMATION CENTER * The Information Centre beneath the Field of Stelae documents the persecution and destruction of the Jews of Europe and the historical sites of the crimes. * The focus of the exhibition lies on the personalisation of the victims and on the geographical dimension of the Holocaust. * A major section of the information centre that supplements the memorial is dedicated to informing the visitor about authentic sites – even about the ones that do not exist any more for reasons of concealment during the Third Reich. * The information centre stresses the importance of authentic sites and encourages the visitation thereof. AUTHENTICITY AND PURPOSE OF MEMORIAL * During the painful debates about erecting such a memorial, a major aspect of criticism was the danger of authentic sites of the holocaust losing their importance. Thus, it is vital to distinguish the different roles of authentic sites from the artificially created monument. * The more specified function was read in the resolution by the German bundestag (a legislative body) of June 1999. â€Å"With the memorial we intend to honour the murdered victims, keep alive the memory of these inconceivable events in German history ,admonish all future generations never again to violate human rights, to defend the democratic constitutional state at all times, to secure equality before the law for all people and to resist all forms of dictatorship and regimes based on violence.† * Peter Eisenman,the architect of the memorial says about its intention that â€Å"The enormity and scale of the horror of the Holocaust is such that any attempt to represent it by traditional means is inevitably inadequate Our memorial attempts to present a new idea of memory as distinct from nostalgia We can only know the past today through a manifestation in the present.† * The design is to turn the visit of the memorial into an individual experience that causes the visitor to reflect about the genocide. * Each individual entering the field of stelae will find him- or herself wandering alone, because the paths in between the concrete slabs are not wide enough for two people to walk next to each other. Thus, the visitation turns into an individual experience. * Lea Rosh, the initiator of the memorial stated that this meant to raise the murdered above their murderers and to raise the victims above the perpetrators. CONCLUSION * Looking at the historical significance of the claimed area, the memorial gains a layer of authenticity, but what is almost of more importance is the setting of the memorial in the government quarter and in the heart of the capital. * Time will show if the memorial will live up to the definition of authenticity in the sense of heritage conservation where it is understood â€Å"as the ability of a property to convey its cultural significance over time†. * For one thing is sure, that the memorial’s cultural significance is complex for being a monument to honour the Jewish victims of the holocaust and at the same time a testimony of Germany’s accounting with the past. WEXNER CENTER OF ARTS, OHIO INTRODUCTION * The firm of Peter Eisenman and Richard Trott won the design competition for Wexner Center of Arts. * Eisenman wowed the Jury with his bold ideas for the art center, which were aimed at linking the past to the present (â€Å"Timeless Earth 1), through the use of unconventional means. * The end result became both Peter Eisenman’s first large public commission and one of the first large scale constructions of Deconstructivist Architecture. * The building is tucked in between the Mershon Auditorium and Weigel Hall both of which are home to programs that were to be consolidated into the Wexner Center. DESIGN PROCESS * The literal use of the rotated grid is used by Eisenman as an extensive method of giving the architecture its own voice. * The identification of the dialectic grids stems from conditions that exist at the boundary of the site, Eisenman then grafts one grid on top of the other and seeks potential connections or ‘event sites’ at the urban, local, and interior scales. * Scalar operations are performed as a means of mediating the scale of the urban grid towards a pedestrian or human scale, lastly, the results of these operations serves as a map that is used to locate program, pathways, structure, interior forms, excavations, and views along the newly afforded possibilities of ‘event sites’ in both the horizontal and vertical planes. * The results of these operations are visible in almost every aspect of the construction, from the module in the curtainwall, the tiling of the pavers, planters and trees on site. * To add to the depth of possibilities afforded by this excavation of the immediate condition of the grid Eisenman grafts figured scaffolding onto the site and integrates this figure into the primary circuit or pathway of the building. * The scaffolding is scaled to represent the module of the grid that is interpretable at a human scale. * The scaffold is reduced to its raw type, to the essential condition that signifies the essence of its existence that being an impermanent accessory to architecture that allows its construction, but does not necessarily shelter. * This architecture of non-shelter is aligned directly adjacent to an interior pathway within the building that does enclose and protect. * Eisenman coupled his grid abstractions with a series of figures that would play a key role in his aim of linking the past with the present. * The most prominent of these figures exists as a reconstruction of a part of the armoury that occupied the site from 1898 until it was terminally damaged by fire on May 17th 1958. * The figure of the armoury Eisenman has presented along the south pedestrian access (the most visually accessible elevation of the building) has been reduced to a series of fragments of armoury-like forms that indicate the ‘essence’ of the armoury without reproducing any of the original intricate detail. * Within the armoury forms the negative space carved out of the solid brick masses that make up these figures is cast with a dark tinted curtain wall, within which is an aluminum mullion pattern evocative of the use of grid. * The contrast created by the anodized aluminum of the mullions intensifies the impenetrable depth of the glass. * The lack of historical fidelity in the reconstruction of the armoury, the fragmentation of the form, and the insertion of dark glass into the voids left between these fragments seems to speak of the disjointed manner in which we reflect the past, and in turn, it serves to remind us of a past we have lost and can never return to. * In revisiting the design devices that Eisenman used in the design of the Wexner Center for the Arts is has been possible to determine that much of the abstraction of form derives itself from co-related processes. * Initiated by a series of processes which appropriate and manipulate ‘rotate’ the coordinates of the urban and pedestrian, horizontal and vertical, and the past and the present Eisenman produces three very distinctive extensive and intensive operations of shifting, figuring, fragmenting that coalesce into an engaging ecology for the celebration of creative thought. HOUSE VI * In the earlier stage of his career he designed a series of houses, named as house I to house X. His House II, VI and X are most famous projects of his initial ones. * Eisenman, one of the New York Five, designed the house for Mr. and Mrs. Richard Frank between 1972-1975 who found great admiration for the architect’s work despite previously being known as a â€Å"paper architect† and theorist. * By giving Eisenman a chance to put his theories to practice, one of the most famous, and difficult, houses emerged in the United States. * Situated on a flat site in Cornwall, House VI stands its own ground as a sculpture in its surroundings. * The design emerged from a conceptual process that began with a grid. Eisenman manipulated the grid in a way so that the house was divided into four sections and when completed the building itself could be a â€Å"record of the design process.† * Therefore structural elements, were revealed so that the construction process was evident, but not always understood. * Thus, the house became a study between the actual structure and architectural theory. The house was effeciently constructed using a simple post and beam system. * However some columns or beams play no structural role and are incorporated to enhance the conceptual design. For example one column in the kitchen hovers over the kitchen table, not even touching the ground! In other spaces, beams meet but do not intersect, creating a cluster of supports. * The structure was incorporated into Eisenman’s grid to convey the module that created the interior spaces with a series of planes that slipped through each other. * Purposely ignoring the idea of form following function, Eisenman created spaces that were quirky and well-lit, but rather unconventional to live with. * He made it difficult for the users so that they would have to grow accustom to the architecture and constantly be aware of it. For instance, in the bedroom there is a glass slot in the center of the wall continuing through the floor that divides the room in half, forcing there to be separate beds on either side of the room. * Another curious aspect is an upside down staircase, the element which portrays the axis of the house and is painted red to draw attention. * There are also many other difficult aspects that disrupt conventional living, such as the column hanging over the dinner table that separates diners and the single bathroom that is only accessible through a bedroom. * Eisenman was able to constantly remind the users of the architecture around them and how it affects their lives. * He succeeded in building a structure that functioned both as a house and a work of art, but changing the priority of both so that function followed the art. * He built a home where man was forced to live in a work of art, a sculpture, and according to the clients who enjoyed inhabiting Eisenman’s artwork and poetry, the house was very successful. MICHAEL GRAVES * Michael Graves arrived in Princeton in 1962, when university offered him first ‘real’ job. * He had worked briefly for architect George Nelson in New York before spending two years at American Academy in Rome, a sojourn which was to have the most profound influence on his mature architecture. * Michael Graves and his two firms have received over 200 awards for design excellence in architecture, planning, interior design, product design and graphic design. Graves is the recipient of the 2001 Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects. * Michael Graves is considered as one of the five architects, known as ‘New York Five’, which includes (Eisenman, Graves, Meier, Hejduk and Charles Gwathmey.) GRAVES WAREHOUSE RESIDENCE * Michael Graves house in the university town of Princeton, New Jersey, is a highly personal work by an architect best known for large-scale projects. * The residence is being renovated from a ruined warehouse. So Graves often address his house as ‘warehouse’. * Modest in scale and virtually invisible from the public street, the ‘Warehouse’ is nonetheless a symbol of Graves’ passionate belief in an architecture which is both natural and humane. Its quiet grandeur reflects his final rejection of the machine aesthetic of the Modern Movement. * The house is a personal statement and a private retreat, where Graves keep the furniture, pictures, books, sculptures and other objects accumulated during a lifetime of collecting. * Graves like John Soane, sees his house as a place to display his collections, which will one day be available to the interested public. John Soane’s museum house has always been an inspiration for Graves. * The warehouse is an L-shaped building, consisting of a northern wing and an eastern wing. * The original north wing, hidden from the street, had large doors where trucks regularly disgorged loads of household accessories. * The later wing, at right angle, was much narrower. It was here that Graves first made his home. He installed a kitchen and bathroom and lived like a student at first. * In mid eighties with his practice booming, he tackled the northern wing, bringing in other members of his office to assist and began work on the garden. This second phase of work took four years and was followed by a year of work in the kitchen wing. * The formal inauguration of house take place in 1992, when a conference of US Governors took place in Princeton and Graves held a garden party for the Governors’ spouses. EXTERIOR * The exterior has a quiet monumentality, which derives from the vernacular barns and farmhouses of the Italian countryside. * Graves have rejected ‘canonic’ classicism in favour of a freer and more ‘natural’ approach to design and stresses that the house is intended as a practical place to live rather than a monument, despite his long term plans to preserve it and possibly house an archive of his work there. * The elevation of the house cannot be read in terms of conventional classical design. Informal and vernacular in inspiration, they equally have an almost Cubist abstraction which suggests connection with Graves’ earlier houses. * The chimney stack in particular, is a boldly expressed sculptural design. * The unity of house and garden is key theme. Graves seeks an idealized landscape, recalling those he loves to paint in Italy, and planting is subordinated to an overall architectural intent. The warm and slightly irregular texture of the stucco, contributes greatly to the overall effect of the exterior. * Highly sculptural in treatment and rigorous in its exclusion of ornament, the Warehouse looks beyond replication and more genuine ‘traditionalism’. * The entrance court at the house is a dynamic and yet comfortable space, open to the sky and preparing guests for the relatively low and intense entrance hall. * The dining room looks into this space, which has an agreeable ‘inside/out’ quality. INTERIOR LIBRARY * The Library is placed such that it behaves as connecting area between Living room and East garden. * The library has a sense of verticality and highly architectural in treatment, like a street of colonnaded buildings. * Skylight enlightens the volume of the library from the top. WORKSPACE * The house is close to Graves’ office, but he occasionally works in here and keeps a small functional study room on the first floor. * He often expresses himself in the delicate, enigmatic water colours he paints, on his tours. * Study room is lit by the square window on the front wall. LIVING ROOM * Graves’ living room is equally made for comfort rather than mere show. The relatively low floor to ceiling heights in the building – dictated by the original structure – have been cleverly utilized to produce interiors of some intensity. * Alcoves to the living room are distinctly Soanean in form, but reflects the dimension of original store rooms used by Princeton students to store everything from books to grand pianos. * A terra-cotta-colored wall sets off furnishings that range from antiques to chairs designed by Michael Graves. DINING ROOM * The dining room is lit by tall metal framed windows which look onto the courtyard which seems to form a natural extension to the space. * The chimney-piece has an austerity which is more Modernist than Classical. * Many of the accessories in this room were sold as Grand Tour souvenirs a century ago. Michael designed the glass-and-metal centerpiece vessel for Steuben (Manufacturer of handmade art glass and crystal). CONCLUSION * The Warehouse is a highly personal building, which expresses not just Michael Graves, master builder, but equally Graves the sceptic and questioner of orthodoxies, whether modern or ‘traditional’. The house is clearly both modern and traditional. * If its plan is essentially Classical and its use of light and shade specifically Soanean, the easy flow of the spaces and the essential informality of the building provide a reminder of its architect’s roots in the Modern movement * The Warehouse is indeed, a clear statement of a lively traditionalism which remains a powerful strand in contemporary American design. * Its quiet beauty is the work of a man who has played a key role in reshaping the face of architecture in the late twentieth century. DENVER CENTRAL LIBRARY * Michael Graves was commissioned in 1990 to renovate and design an extension to the Denver Central Library. * Sitting adjacent to Denver Art Museum, the Denver Central Library stands as the 8th largest library in the United States. * The 405,000 s.f. addition to the existing library allows for the original building designed by Burnham Hoyt in 1956 to maintain its own identity. * So much so that Graves’ addition and the original library are two parts in a larger composition that are connected by a three story atrium. * The expansive atrium serves as a new main entrance that becomes the main focal point for visitor orientation and circulation to either wing of the library. * For a post-modern building, the interior of the library is fairly conservative when it comes to the decorative aesthetics. * Most of the spaces appear as traditional library spaces composed of natural wood evoking a sense of grandeur and extravagance. * Only in the reading rooms is there any trace of the post-modern aesthetic. * One begins to understand the abstracted colonnades, vaulting, and colorful painting creating more of a fun learning environment rather than a stark, serious library space. * In addition to the extensive literary collections, the library functions as a community gathering space consisting of multipurpose rooms, meeting facilities, shops, a cafà ©, and a special â€Å"museum-like† collection on the American West. * The Denver Central Library sits affixed in Downtown Denver as not only an academic institution, but as part of a larger cultural epicenter. MARITIME EXPERIENTIAL MUSEUM * The Maritime Xperiential Museum is an iconic structure that draws its inspiration from sea-going vessels and thus embodies the stories contained in the exhibits and programs presented inside. * Throughout the day, the shadows and dappled light cast by the ribbed frame will enliven the interior exhibits. * The interactive exhibits and the circular 300-seat Typhoon Theater, provide a wide variety of experiences for visitors. * The exhibit focuses on the maritime Silk Route, which historically stretched from Southeast Asia to Oman. Geographically, Singapore is an important part of this history. * The Museum is set back from the water’s edge by an esplanade with a covered pedestrian loggia that allows visitors to enjoy the view of the mainland across the bay. * At night, when viewed from the water, the glass facade of the Museum will reveal the brightly-lit interior, becoming a beacon on the water and a landmark on the horizon. * West of the Museum, a small marina will display examples of sailing vessels, a tourist attraction in its own right, which lends an air of authenticity to the museum complex. * The Museum and Marina are thematically linked to the adjacent outdoor Marine Life Park and form a rich tourist experience focused on the sea, marine life and maritime experiences. * Along the waterfront at the base of Universal Plaza is the Showplace Theater, with large stone steps creating a seating area for 2,000 people. * With views across the bay to the main island, this is the location of the Crane Dance, a nightly sound and light show in the water that epitomizes the fun and drama of Resorts World.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Impact Of The Western Sahara Conflict

The Impact Of The Western Sahara Conflict The conflict in Western Sahara was a dispute between Western Sahara (Frente Polisario) and Morocco which constitutes a big threat to regional stability after decolonization in 1975 by Spanish powers. The war has caused thousands of lives, big numbers of prisoners of war on both sides and has led to Morocco constructing a huge fortified wall in Western Sahara (Lehtinen, 2003). This conflict has therefore had far reaching impacts on Polisario in terms of political, economical and cultural as here discussed. Frente Polisario is a national organization of the Western Sahara that was formed with the aim of obtaining independence for Western Sahara. The main political impact that the Western Sahara conflict had was the formation of Frente Polisario. This was a political front that advanced plights of Saharawi society. Frente Polisario was therefore charged with the responsibility of championing independence of the Sahrawi people. The conflict in the Western Sahara led to Polisarios adoption of socialist ideology in 1970s which was a common ideology at the time that was being adopted by most liberation movements in most nations. The ideology was meant to bring all Sahrawi people together as one big family and a united society to champion their independence course. In relation to Polisario political struggle for independence of Saharawi people, it has continued to champion for peaceful liberation efforts devoid of terrorists activities. For example, it denounced the 2003 bombing of Casablanca against civilians. In its quest for self independence from Morocco, it has advanced attack free liberation efforts. In addition, after the ceasefire in 1989, the movement committed itself to pursue peaceful independence route as long as the Moroccan side complied with the conditions set during the ceasefire. Further more, as a result of the persisted conflict in the Western Sahara region; Polisario signed a peace treaty that led to Mauritania assuming a neutral ground in the conflict which has been one of major political development that has given a glimpse of hope in the independence struggle of the Sahrawi people. The peace treaty has led to Morocco remaining as the sole hindrance to independence of the Saharawi people. In terms of political relationship with other states, Polisario has had collaborative relationship with foreign countries as such as Algeria. Algeria has helped it advance its course for independence struggle against Morocco. For example, it has continued to receive unconditional support from Algeria in terms of arms and training of its forces for a period panning to 30 years. This has been useful for Polisario as it has enabled it to withstand heavy attacks from the Moroccan forces. With the persistence of the conflict, in 1991, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a plan that gave birth to a United Nations Mission which came to be called MINURSO. This mission was sent to Western Sahara in the same year (1991) to fulfill its mandate which included arrangement of referendum that was supposed to be held in February 1992 (International Crisis Group, 2007). However, the referendum process never took place as Morocco was opposed to referendum modalities that included process of identification of legible voters. Economical Impacts and Issues on Polisario With the Spains departure from Western Sahara in 1975, the region has undergone changed in several ways. For example, the nomadic lifestyle of the Saharawi people was altered as their main economic activity changed to mining. This became their major economic activity for their livelihood as Western Sahara was now in the top six largest phosphate exporters in the world. Abundance of phosphate and other natural minerals were among the cornerstones for Moroccos desire to control the territory. However, the economic benefits accrued from exploitation of the natural resources were for the occupying power (Morocco) but not for the indigenous Saharawi people. Every territorial conflict comes along with huge economic impacts that negatively affect the well being of the participating states. In respects to Western Sahara Conflict, actual economical costs that the conflict has caused to the region and particularly to Polisario can not be actually quantified since reliable data on the same is absent. However, there are several issues that have taken place that have impacted negatively on economic situation of Polisario. One of the significant economic impact on Polisario has been widespread planting of landmine where by numerous parts of Polisario were given up due to suspected presence of mines (International Crisis Group, 2011). The conflict in the region has also resulted to most of the Sahrawi people fleeing their homes and opting to live in refugee camps. This has resulted to overdependence of aid from the international community such as WFP by the Polisario people. In addition, life in refugee camps do not provide suitable economic environment for any significant economic activities to be undertaken and this has intensified their foreign dependency. In addition, the Polisario people being pastoralists and nomads in nature, they have been affected hugely by the conflict since their nomadic and pastoralist activities were not favored by prevalence of tensions that engulfed the disputed territory. They were again affected by the closing up of the border with Mauritania between 19979 and 2002 (International Crisis Group, 2011). The closure of the border further limited the movement of the nomad and pastoral communities of Polisario which negatively impacted their economic well being. Furthermore, fishing activities also accounted for some significant economic well being of the Polisario people. However, with the conflict in place and Morocco being stronger in terms of organization and military might, the Moroccan military took advantage of the situation and obtained fishing license of the Sahrawi people and therefore denying the Polisario people one of their key economic endeavor. Cultural Impacts and Issues on Polisario Culture dimension of the Polisario people has not been spared in the Western Sahara conflict. Before the crisis, people of various tribes constituted the group that inhabited the land. During the colonial reign of Spain, Sahrawi society and culture remained intact in the entire colonial period. However, with Moroccan annexation, the Saharawi people become a minority within their own territory (Sandblast, 2011). This was due to the Moroccan policy to Moroccanize Western Sahara. Through Moroccanization of the territory, cultural practices of Saharawi people were washed away as new way of life of the Moroccan style was instilled. The government of Morocco settled more Moroccans in the Western Sahara territory hence diluting the cultural fabric of the Polisario people. Barakat (2001) notes that Western Sahara comprised of seventy four thousand Sahrawis who were living in the territory but in the late 1990s, the total Sahrawi population is believed to have reached close to three hundred thousand. This population was infiltrated by their common adversary (Moroccans) hence diluting their cultural organization. Saharawi peoples cultural organization and set up have been greatly impaired as a result of the effects of the conflict. For example, the continued repression and denial of fundamental human rights like denial of freedom of expression by the Moroccan occupiers have negatively impacted on their cultural practices. In respect to this, their pastoralist and nomadic way of life as even their movement was greatly monitored and restrained by the Moroccans. Territorial conflict in Western Sahara has resulted to war on different occasions where by Moroccan forces have gone physical with the Polisarios counterparts. In connection to this, the armed struggle has resulted to many causalities among civilians where by families and societies of the Saharawi people have been torn apart. The effects of the struggle have been wide spread. For example, there is prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and stigmatization which is as a result of evils committed by armed forces involved in the armed rustle. Morocco In the Western Sahara conflict, Morocco occupied the northern two thirds of the Sahara in the late 1975 and since then, it has fought against the Polisario (Barakat, 2001). The conflict has therefore been between the Polisario and the Moroccan side. The Western Sahara conflict has therefore had political, economical and cultural impacts on Morocco as a core actor in the feud. Political impacts and issues on Morocco Morocco has been impacted in two parallel ways; both negative and positive effects. Western Sahara crisis led to Morocco withdrawal from the AU in 1984 as a way of protesting against SADR admission to the AU which was one of the interested parties in the conflict. This move by Morocco tarnished its image on the international platform since it was viewed as an illegal occupying power in the disputed territory. In addition, foreign relations of Morocco and other states suffered a blow. For example, its relations with Algeria were negatively affected as Morocco perceived Algeria to be in support of the Polisario whom Morocco considered as their subjects. Furthermore, international tensions between states have also been heightened as a result of the persisted conflict. For instance, it has impaired relationship between France and Algeria. France defends Morocco in the conflict and against Polisario while Algeria remains one to main supporter of Polisario for its independence (Norway Bergen, 2010). Moreover, Morocco has successfully ensured that referendum is intentionally delayed. Morocco disregard of referendum in Western Sahara region is in view to continue with the territorys occupation. Referendum was a resolution that was adopted by UN as a way of ending the crisis amicably but Morocco has adopted a delaying tactics by disagreeing on the formula of conducting the referendum process. Furthermore, Morocco has successful gained the support of the United States over the stand off. US support of Morocco is guided by the fact that Morocco is a key ally of the US in the Arab world (Zoubir, 2010). Although America is not opposed to the Western Sahara independence, the geopolitical consideration and particularly strategic significance of Morocco in the Arab world and it long time historical cooperation with America especial in counter terrorism war and Israel-Palestinian conflict has been the guiding principle for continued support by the US to Morocco over the entire period of the conflict. Moreover, Moroccos back up from major world super powers have been one of the reasons why the conflict has persisted for too long. France also considers Western Sahara as an integral part of Morocco and they have continued to show their opposition to independent sate of Western Sahara (Haddadi, 2002). France has therefore believed that independence of Sahrawi will make them fall under influence and control of Algeria. In addition, France also considered independence of Western Sahara as a way of weakening Moroccan kingdom in which France has vested economic, political, cultural and military interests. This was a political mileage to Morocco in terms of occupation and control of the Western Sahara since it was assured of the support of major world powers in the crisis. However, this has been one of the reasons for Moroccos disregard of several UN resolutions including frustration of referendum exercise which was planned to take place but under played by Morocco for its own partisan interests in the conflict. Furthermore, morocco image in Africa has greatly been damaged as its being seen as an occupying power. Consequently, it has AU. In addition, its ties with other African countries continued to suffer a blow, for example, South Africa cut links with Morocco in 2004 as a result of Moroccos disregard of the Baker plan (International Crisis Group, 2011). Morocco has been at the central stage of all political happenings in Western Sahara crisis. For example, its invasion of August 1979 to Western Sahara region led to adoption of General Assembly resolutions 34/37 of 21 November 1979 and 35/19 of 11 November 1980 where by the General Assembly reaffirmed inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self independence (Gillespie, 2010). This however deepened the problem as there was continued colonization of the region by Morocco. Moreover, Morocco reiterated that in forthcoming negotiation over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, it will not accept anything other than its own proposal. This stand came as a result of winning support of major superpowers like the US and France. The support therefore complicated the already worse situation since on the other hand, Polisario was not ready to tame down their quest for self independence. France and US support of Morocco in the crisis only fueled the conflict instead of helping resolve it. This has resulted to many occasions where Moroccos refused to deliberate on Saharawis proposals and has even gone a head to disregard UN resolution of negotiations without setting some pre-conditions (Darbouche Zoubir, 2008). In addition, as a result of persisted conflict in the region, and with Morocco and Algeria supporting different stands of the conflict, their borders were closed in August 1994 (Zoubir, 2010). This was followed with strained relationship between the two countries as the both have partisan interests in the Western Sahara region. The closure of the border between these two states signified strained foreign relations that existed among countries in the region. With the continued and persisted conflict in the region, Saharawi People have continued with active peaceful resistance against Moroccos occupation. This has been successful in alerting the international community of human rights issues that the Saharawi people are going through in the struggle (Zoubor, 2010). Actions such as hunger strikes have triggered international attention to the Polisarios situation and as a result a personal envoy to the UN Secretary General asked the UN Security Council to include a human rights monitoring body in the region in order to check on human rights violation being practiced by the Moroccan authorities (Cavatorta, Chari Kritzunger, 2006). Furthermore, the continued crisis in the region has given Morocco some of the super powers acclaim in the conflict due to its geopolitical relevance in the region. For instance, it has been recognized by France, US and Spain as legitimate occupying power of the Western Sahara territory. This geopolitical factor has been the major hindrance for the resolution of the stand off since Morocco has refused to lessen its stand after this assurance of support and it is only prepared to accept a resolution that identifies the territory to be within its sovereignty. Economical Impacts and Issues on Morocco Territorial conflicts in any crisis are usually an expensive affair to participating parties and it usually impacts negatively to economical well being of the states concerned. To Morocco, the economic costs of staying in Western Sahara remains high (Cordesman, 2002: 105). This comes as a result of huge spending on military facilities used in the war especially if the conflict prolongs. In relation to Western Sahara conflict, the war has spanned over beyond three decades and as a core participator, Morocco has spent a lot of resources in the territory in order to have a grip of the region. The major cause and persistence of the Western Sahara conflict have been the desire to control natural resources that are found in the territory. Morocco has continually cooperated with other foreign states to have control and exploit these resources by denying Western Sahara their outright self independence. This therefore implied that Morocco benefits from rich mineral resources of Western Sahara which include phosphate reserves, iron, oil and methane gas. Despite oppression of Saharawi by Morocco, it has continued to benefit crisis and has had a continued advance of its economic agenda. In addition, Morocco considers all resources that it has spent in Western Sahara as an investment. However, since the inception of the crisis, there has been drastic increase in security costs. About a half of the Moroccos Military budget is devoted to Morocco in its attempt to keep the region under its control. This has at times strained it economic spending on military issue in the Western Sahara at the expense of other constructive development agenda. Furthermore, apart from military spending, Morocco has intensively engaged in infrastructural development of the Western Sahara. For instance, over the passed 30 years, Morocco has invested more than 2.4 billion dollars in basic infrastructure that included airports, sea ports and a 10, 000 kilometers of road (International Crisis Group, 2011). However, despite Moroccos occupation of the territory, Moroccans have remained critical of the developments in Western Sahara since they view the move by the Moroccan authorities as an attempt to derail development in other parts of their country in the name of Western Sahara occupation. In addition, the closure of the Morocco Algeria border by Algerian authorities was detrimental to economic stability of Morocco. This closure affected the economic life of the city of Oujda that heavily depended on trade and tourism from Algeria (Cavatorta, Chari, Kritzunger, 2006). These tourism activities have been one of the major economic activities that had boosted the region in its development agenda. Morocco pleaded for reopening of the border by Algeria but Algeria remained adamant in demand for Morocco to honor self independence of Western Sahara. Furthermore, the continued tension between Morocco and Algeria due to Morocco continued occupation of Western Sahara region has led to arms race between these two countries in show of power and mighty. However, arms race is costly and each country is forced to spend significant portion of its national income in acquisition of the arms at the expense of other important development issues. This has in most cases led to stagnation of other crucial development projects especially to Morocco which is sacrificing everything in order to have control of the Western Sahara territory. Cultural Impacts and Issues on Morocco Moroccos occupation of the Western Sahara territory has at time impacted negatively to its cultural well being. For example, Moroccan authorities occupying Western Sahara have used the region as the transit point of illegal trade such as drugs and arms hence going against the cultural fabric of the Moroccan society (Boussaid, 2009). However, trafficking seems to be on increase and it is likely to in place as long as the conflict continues. In addition, with continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and considerable huge investment in the territory at expense of Morocco, developments, a gap already exists where slums have mushroomed in some parts of Morocco. This has generally affected cultural well being of the Moroccan people and most of their needs are never addressed by the authority. Slum life have therefore formed part of most Moroccan population as most live as destitute in their own country. Algeria Algeria has been an active participant in the Western Sahara conflict where by it has continued to support Polisario for its independence in Western Sahara conflict against the wish of Morocco. Algeria and Morocco have since then taken their battlefield to the UN where each seeks to convince the international community of their positions over Western Sahara. However, like other interested parties in the conflict, there have been several impacts to Algeria in terms of political, economical and cultural to its well being. Political impacts and issues on Algeria Algeria has taken Morocco on task by advancing a political war in the UN where it has tried to convince the UN of legitimacy of their stand. On other hand, there has been continued lack of initiative by the Moroccan side to support their position in the UN. However, Algeria has continued to advance their course in the stand off by offering several resolutions in the UN platform. Algeria has maintained no territorial claim on Western Sahara conflict, it has continued to support Polisarios course for self determination through diplomatic means (Mundy, 2010). Important to note is that the Western Sahara conflict was already in place during the cold war period. Morocco was pro Western powers since it was a key ally of France and US. Since Algeria and Morocco were two protagonists in the Western Sahara conflict, Algeria opted for the eastern block where it became an ally of Moscow in the region. In respect to this, the continued conflict in the Western Sahara has continued to exacerbate strained relationship between Morocco and Algeria. In addition, the Western Sahara conflict strained relationship of Algeria with other states and in particular, its diplomatic relationship. Major world super powers had their own interests in the regions conflict. For example, US, France and Spain believed that Western Sahara self governance could make Morocco unstable and therefore they were always in opposition to Algerias stand on push for Western Sahara independence. Economical impacts and issues on Algeria Economic impacts on part of Algeria participation in the Western Sahara conflict are quite evident from its central role in the conflict. It is widely assumed that Algeria foots most of the bill for Polisarios international diplomatic efforts and it has generously contributed to the humanitarian needs of the refugees near Tindouf (Mundy, 2010). This means that Algeria has spend hundreds of millions in the Western Sahara conflict which would have been utilized in other development projects in the country such as infrastructural improvement. In addition, Algeria has continued to support Polisario and SADR in military aid, for instance, it provided weapons support against their fierce opponent (Morocco). The military support has been intensive and have had huge economic implications since their development program has been greatly compromised to the support for the quest of Western Sahara self governance. Algeria also faced a major economical blow when it failed to take the advantage of the Gara Djebilet iron reserves as long as the Western Sahara Conflict is still in place and as long as the tension with Moroccoo remains unresolved (Mundy, 2010). This was an economic set back to Algeria because of its stand that it had taken in the conflict. The stand off denied Algeria possible exploitations of the iron reserves that could have seen it advance more in their economic performance. Furthermore, Algeria and Morocco are the two major warring parties in the conflict and they both belong to the Maghreb Union. The Western Sahara conflict has therefore had massive economic impacts in the region since it has hindered positive regional development. The conflict have even gone a head and threatened the existence of Maghreb Union since key union members hold partisan interest in the conflict and are ever suspicious of one another. The loss of earnings due to the Arab Maghreb Unions failure is on the order of 2 percent of the average annual GDP for member countries (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania) (International Crisis Group, 2007). Cultural Impacts and Issues on Algeria The Western Sahara conflict has impacted heavily on Algeria in its cultural set up. For example, as a result of persisted conflict, Algeria has been the biggest refugee host of the Saharawi people. Refugees started streaming from Western Sahara in 1975 when the conflict broke out between Morocco and Polisario and by 1976; the government of Algeria estimated 165,000 refugees of Saharawi origin that it had hosted (UNHCR, 2010). This has resulted to humanitarian crisis that puts pressure to social amenities. Since the outbreak of the conflict and forced settlement in Tindouf, Algeria women have been forced to assume complete management of these refugee camps which are taken as their homes. This is contrary to their normal way of life and in regard with their cultural practices where men are supposed to assume leadership roles of their families. In addition, the long term exile life experienced by women and neglect by international community has a great impact to the Saharawi people and Algeria as a host country. Algeria continues to serve as a point of transit for refugees. However, there have been reported cases of human smuggling in the process of handling the refugees from Western Sahara territory. There are groups in Algeria that have taken advantage of the Saharawis plight in the present crisis as they smuggle them. This have hence intensified human trafficking problem that has been reported by UNHCR in the refugee camps. Spain Spain is the former colonial power that had occupied Western Sahara. With increasing consensus that colonized states should be given their own self independence, Spain later recognized this right as decolonization process was gaining momentum in the international politics. Morocco which is the current occupant of Western Sahara was indeed of the crusaders for decolonization of Western Sahara. Political impacts and issues on Spain As a former colonial master to Western Sahara, Spain have great political impacts and issues as a result of the conflicts persistence in Western Sahara territory. It bears a huge responsibility on continued crisis that stands unresolved in the region. For instance, instead of honoring its initial commitment of self governance of the people of Western Sahara as it initially intended in its decolonization process, it has continually collaborated with Morocco and Mauritania where by in November 14, 1975, it entered into accord with these countries that allowed them to invade Western Sahara that led to its occupation and division (Bolton, 2007,). As a former colonial master that had already accepted to grant self independence to its former colony, Spain was charged with the responsibility of guarding independence of Western Sahara but it went contrary to the agreement and instead allowed African countries to replace it as colonial masters in its former colony. This has therefore led to persistence of Western Sahara colonization by Morocco which has exacerbated Western Sahara plights. Polisario was therefore forced to continue with the struggle for independence under an African colony. Spain has continued to support Morocco for its occupation of the Western Sahara territory and it has recognized Moroccos occupation as legitimate. However, in the international deliberations, it pretends to support self independence of Saharawi people. This has since the commencement of the conflict portrayed Spain as a power with no reliable stand in Western Sahara crisis which has led to loss of its credibility on the issue. Economical impacts and issues on Spain Before Western Sahara conflict with Morocco, Spain was the legitimate occupier of the territory where it benefited from its huge natural resource base. For example, Spain exploited Western Sahara fishing sector during its colonial reign and even after its decolonization, it continued to benefit from the economic activities since it signed a pact with Morocco supporting its occupation. Crisis in Western Sahara nationalism ranges back during the colonial times by the Spanish. It is during the Spanish rule in the region that Polisario movement was formed as a nationalist movement to advance self independence of the Western Sahara region. The Saharawi movement has therefore continued to fight for their self governance in the present Morocco colonization. Spain has also continued to enjoy from phosphate resources that are found in plenty in the region both during their colonial period and even in the Moroccan occupation as they are in agreement with Morocco. Cultural Impacts and Issues on Spain Spain has continued to incline to Morocco instead of supporting the independence of the Saharawi people; it destroyed good moral ties that existed between the Spanish people and the Saharawi population. Morally, the Spanish had ethical responsibility of safeguarding Western Sahara as a former colony by ensuring that another power does not occupy it after it surrender. This was not the case as Spain went a head and supported Morocco and Mauritania for their occupation. This was not a proper moral standard that was undertaken by former colonial masters and therefore, it was a breach of its moral obligations. Spain has had close cultural and colonial ties with Western Sahara, the solidarity and human right group of Spain have actively demanded that the government of Spain pressure Morocco to hold its obligation to international law (Stephan Jacob, 2008). Several activists who support Saharawi have staged several demonstrations in protests of inhumane acts and repression that have been committed to Saharawi people. During numerous protests that they have engaged in, the Spanish Human Rights League have come clear on the issues and condemned Morocco and its allies including Spain for violation of Saharawis fundamental human rights which include freedom of assembly and free speech in Western Sahara. The failure by Spain to resolve a dispute involving its former colony and continued support of the Moroccans has portrayed Spain as a power that disregards human rights. UN has initiated several initiatives to try and settle the Western Sahara crisis which has turned into a human crisis as a result of increased refugees that have seen most of Saharawi people living as displaced people in other country. Mauritania Mauritania in the Western Sahara conflict was allied to Morocco. However, the country experienced a military putsch that drove out president Moktar Daddah due to the position that he had taken over the Western Sahara conflict (Bolton, 2007). This has subsequently forced the country into a tricky balancing move and it has since then embraced neutrality over the conflict. Political impacts and issues on Mauritania Mauritania has suffered great impacts from the Western Sahara conflict since its political leadership was reshaped as a result of the conflict. Initially, President Moktar Daddah was in support of the Moroccan side of the conflict. However, this was in contrary to the wish and will of many Mauritania nationals and thus a military putsch was taken against him which saw regime change in the Mauritania political landscape. In relation to this, the incoming government sought to assume a central position in the conflict and withdraw completely from the Western Sahara war. After Mauritania withdrawal from the war, it persuaded Morocco in considering withdrawal from Western Sahara and grant it self independence. In connection to this, during the OAU (presently AU) in 1981, King Hassan II of Morocco accepted the principle of self determination and even pledged his will to support a referendum exercise that could determine independence of Western Sahara (Amirah, 2008). Consequently, Mauritania signed a peace treaty with Polisario in Algeria in 1979 5th August and condemned the war. This also led to its denouncement of territorial occupations in Western Sahara. The move taken by Mauritania gave a glimpse of hope to the struggle of Western Sahara people as the only remaining occupying force in the region was Morocco and therefore its advances could not be that strong compared to the