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

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

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,

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.

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