Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Picking the Lock to Davy Jones's Locker † ‘Bite me'?† Libby Quinn said, reading the tail. The whale tail slowly twisted in space, pixel by pixel, as the computer extrapolated the new angle. Margaret Painborne sat at the computer. Clay and Libby stood behind her. Kona was working across the room on Quinn's reassembled machine. † ‘Bite me'?† Clay repeated. â€Å"That can't be right.† He thought about what Nate had said about seeing a tail just like this and shivered. Margaret hit a few keys on the keyboard, then swiveled in Clay's chair. â€Å"This some kind of joke, Clay?† â€Å"Not mine. That was raw footage, Margaret.† As attractive as Clay found Libby, he found Margaret equally scary. Maybe the latter because of the former. It was complex. â€Å"The tail image before you shifted it is exactly what I saw when I was down there.† â€Å"You've all been saying how sophisticated their communication ability was,† said Kona, trying to sound scientific but essentially just pissing everyone off. â€Å"How?† said Libby. â€Å"Even if you wanted to, how would you paint a whale's flukes like that?† Margaret and Clay just shook their heads. â€Å"Rust-Oleum,† suggested Kona, and they all turned and glared at him. â€Å"Don't give me the stink-eye. You'd need the waterproof, huh?† â€Å"Did you finish inputting those pages?† Clay said. â€Å"Yah, mon.† â€Å"Well, save them and go rake something or mow something or something.† â€Å"Save as a binary,† Margaret added quickly, but Kona had already saved the file, and the screen was clear. Margaret wheeled her chair across the office, her gray hair trailing out behind her like the Flying Sorceress of Clerical Island. She pushed Kona aside. â€Å"Crap,† she said. â€Å"What?† asked Clay. â€Å"What?† asked Libby. â€Å"You said save it,† Kona said. â€Å"He saved it as an ASCII file, a text file, not a binary. Crap. I'll see if it's okay.† She opened the file, and text appeared on the screen. Her hand went to her mouth, and she sat back slowly in Clay's chair. â€Å"Oh, my God.† â€Å"What?† came the chorus. â€Å"Are you sure you put this in, just as it came off the graphs?† she asked Kona without looking at him. â€Å"Truth,† said Kona. â€Å"What?† said Libby and Clay. â€Å"This has got to be some sort of joke,† said Margaret. Clay and Libby ran across the room to look at the screen. â€Å"What!† â€Å"It's English,† Margaret said, pointing to the text. â€Å"How is that possible?† â€Å"That's not possible,† Libby said. â€Å"Kona, what did you do?† â€Å"Not me, I just typed ones and ohs.† Margaret grabbed one of the legal pages with the ones and ohs and began typing the numbers into a new file. When she had three lines, she saved it, then reopened the file as text. It read, WILL SCUTTLE SECOND BOAT TO__ â€Å"It can't be.† â€Å"It is.† Clay jumped into Margaret's lap and started scrolling through the text from Kona's transcription. â€Å"Look, it goes on for a while, then it's just gobbledygook, then it goes on some more.† Margaret looked back at Libby with Save me in her eyes. â€Å"There is no way that the song is carrying a message in English. Binary was a stretch, but I refuse to believe that humpbacks are using ASCII and English to communicate.† Libby looked over to Kona. â€Å"You guys took these off of Nate's tapes, exactly the way you showed me?† Kona nodded. â€Å"Kids, look at this,† Clay said. â€Å"These are all progress reports. Longitude and latitude, times, dates. There are instructions here to sink my boat. These fuckers sank my boat?† â€Å"What fuckers?† Margaret said. â€Å"A humpback with ‘Bite me' on his flukes?† She was trying to look around Clay's broad back. â€Å"If this were possible, then the navy would have been using it a long time ago.† Now Clay jumped up to face Kona. â€Å"What tape is this last part from?† â€Å"The last one Nate and Amy made, the day Nate drown. Why?† Clay sat back on Margaret's lap, looking stunned. He pointed to a line of text on the screen. They all leaned in to read: QUINN ON BOARD__WILL RENDEZVOUS WITH BLUE-6__AGREED COORDINATES__1600 TUESDAY__NO PASTRAMI â€Å"The sandwich,† Clay said ominously. Just then Clair, home from school, stepped into the office to discover an impromptu dog pile of action nerds in front of Quinn's computer. â€Å"All you bastards want to be part of a sandwich, and you don't even know what to do with one woman.† â€Å"Not the spoon!† squealed Kona, his hand going to the goose egg on his forehead. Nathan Quinn awoke feeling as if he needed to crawl out of his skin. If he hadn't felt it before, he would have thought he had the generic heebie-jeebies (scientifically speaking), but he recognized the feeling as being hit with heavy subsonic sound waves. The blue-whale ship was calling. Just because it was below the frequency of his hearing didn't mean it wasn't loud. Blue-whale calls could travel ten thousand miles, he assumed that the ship was putting out similar sounds. Nate slipped out of his bunk and nearly fell reaching for his shirt. Another thing he hadn't noticed immediately – the ship wasn't moving, and he still had his sea legs on. He dressed quickly and headed down the corridor to the bridge. There was a large console that spanned the area between the two whaley-boy pilots that hadn't been there before. Unlike the rest of the ship, it appeared to be man-made, metal and plastic. Sonar scopes, computers, equipment that Quinn didn't even recognize. Nuà ±ez and the blond woman, Jane, were standing at the sonar screens wearing headphones. Tim was seated beside one of the whaley boys at the center of the console in front of two monitors. Tim was wearing headphones and typing. The whaley boy appeared to be just watching. Nuà ±ez saw Nate come in, smiled, and motioned for him to come forward. These people were completely incompetent as captors, Nate thought. Not a measure of terror among them, the humans anyway. If not for the subsonic heebie-jeebies, he would have felt right at home. â€Å"Where did this come from?† The electronics looked incredibly crude next to the elegant organic design of the whale ship, the whaley boys, and, for that matter, the human crew. The idea of comparing designs between human-built devices and biological systems hadn't really occurred to Nate before because he'd been conditioned never to think of animals as designed. The whale ship was putting a deep dent in his Darwin. â€Å"These are our toys,† Nuà ±ez said. â€Å"The console stays below the floor unless we need to see it. Totally unnecessary for the whaley boys, since they have direct interface with the ship, but it makes us feel like we know what's going on.† â€Å"And they can't type for shit,† said Tim, tucking his thumbs under and making a slamming-the-keys gesture. â€Å"Tiny thumbs.† The whaley boy next to him trumpeted a raspberry all over Tim's monitor, leaving large dots of color magnified in the whaley spit. He chirped twice, and Tim nodded and typed into the computer. â€Å"Can they read?† Nate asked. â€Å"Read, kind of write, and most of them understand at least two human languages, although, as you probably noticed, they're not big talkers.† â€Å"No vocal cords,† said Nu;ez. â€Å"They have air chambers in their heads that produce the sounds they make, but they have a hard time forming the words.† â€Å"But they can talk. I've heard Em – I mean, them.† â€Å"Best that you just learn whaleyspeak. It's basically what they use to talk to each other, except they keep it in the range of our hearing. It's easier to learn if you've learned other tonal-sensitive languages like Navajo or Chinese.† â€Å"I'm afraid not,† Nate said. â€Å"So the ship is calling?† Tim pulled off his headphones and handed them to Nate. â€Å"The pitch is raised into our range. You'll be able to hear it through there.† Nate held a headphone to one ear. Now that he could hear the signal, he could also feel it start and stop more acutely in his chest. If anything, it relieved the discomfort, because he could hear it coming. â€Å"Is this a message?† â€Å"Yep,† said Jane, pulling up a headphone. â€Å"Just as you suspected. We type it in, the computer puts the message into peaks and troughs on the waveform, we play the waveform for the whaley boys, and they make the whale sing that waveform. We've calibrated it over the years.† Nate noticed that the whaley boy at the metal console had one hand in an organic socket fitted into the front of the console – like a flesh cable that ran to the whale ship through the console's base, similar to the ones on the flesh consoles the pilots used. â€Å"Why the computers and stuff at all if the whaley boys do it all by†¦ what? Instinct?† The whaley boy at the console grinned up at Nate, squeaked, then performed the international signal for a hand job. â€Å"It's the only way we can be in the loop,† Jane said. â€Å"Believe me, for a long time we were just along for the ride. The whaley boys have the same navigational sense that the whales themselves do. We don't understand it at all. It's some sort of magnetic vocabulary. It wasn't until the Dirts – that's you – developed computers and we got some people who could run them that we became part of the process. Now we can surface and pull a GPS coordinate, transmit it, communicate with the other crews. We have some idea of what we're doing.† â€Å"You said for a long time? How long?† Jane looked nervously at Nuà ±ez, who looked nervously back. Nate thought for a moment that they might have to dash off to the bathroom together, which in his experience was what women did right before they made any major decisions, like about which shoes to buy or whether or not they were ever going to sleep with him again. â€Å"A long time, Nate. We're not sure how long. Before computers, okay?† By which she meant she wasn't going to tell him and if he pressed it, she'd just lie to him. Nate suddenly felt more like a prisoner, and, as a prisoner, he felt as though his first obligation was to escape. He was sure that was your first obligation as a prisoner. He'd seen it in a movie. Although his earlier plan of leaping out the back orifice into the deep ocean now seemed a tad hasty, with some perspective. He said, â€Å"So how deep are we?† â€Å"We usually send at about two thousand feet. That puts us pretty squarely in the SOFAR channel, no matter where we are geographically.† The SOFAR channel (sound fixing and ranging) was a natural combination of pressure and temperature at certain depths that cause a path of least resistance in which sound could travel many thousands of miles. The theory had been that blues and humpbacks used it to communicate with each other over long distances for navigational purposes. Evidently whaley boys and the people who worked their ships did, too. â€Å"So does this signal replicate a natural blue-whale call?† â€Å"Yes,† said Tim. â€Å"That's one of the advantages of communicating in English within the waveform. When the whaley boys were doing the direct communication, there was a lot more variation in the call, but our signal is hidden, more or less. Except for a few busybodies who may run across it.† â€Å"Like me?† â€Å"Yes, like you. We're a little worried about some of the acoustic people at Woods Hole and Hatfield Marine Center in Oregon. People who spend way too much time looking at spectrograms of underwater sound.† â€Å"You realize,† said Nate, â€Å"that I might never have found out about your ships. I didn't make any sort of intuitive leap to look at a binary signal in the call. It was a stoned kid who came up with that.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Jane. â€Å"If it makes you feel any better, you can blame him for your being here. We were on hold until you started to look in the signal for binary. That's when they called you in, so to speak.† Nate sincerely wished he could blame Kona, but since it appeared that he might never see civilization again, having someone to blame didn't seem particularly pertinent right now. Besides, the kid had been right. â€Å"How'd you know? I didn't exactly put out a press release.† â€Å"We have ways,† said Nuà ±ez, trying not to sound spooky but failing. This evidently amused the whaley boy at the console and the two pilots no end, and they nearly wheezed themselves out of their seats. â€Å"Oh, fuck you guys,† said Nuà ±ez. â€Å"It's not like you guys are a bunch of geniuses.† â€Å"And you guys were the nightwalkers that Tako Man was talking about,† Nate said to the pilots. â€Å"You guys sank Clay's boat.† The pilots raised their arms over their heads in a menacing scary-monster pose, then bared their teeth and made some fake growling noises, then collapsed into what Nate was starting to think of as whale giggles. The whaley boy at the console started clapping and laughing as well. â€Å"Franklin! We're not done here. Can we get the interface back?† Franklin, obviously the whaley boy who had been working the console, slumped and put his hand back in the socket. â€Å"Sorry,† came a tiny voice from his blowhole. â€Å"Bitch,† came another tiny voice from one of the pilots, followed by whaley snickering. â€Å"Let's send one more time. I want base to know we'll be there in the morning,† Nuà ±ez said. â€Å"Morale's not a problem, then?† asked Nate, grinning at Nuà ±ez's loss of temper. â€Å"Oh, they're like fucking children,† Nuà ±ez said. â€Å"They're like dolphins: You dump them in the middle of the ocean with a red ball and they'll just play all day long, stopping only long enough to eat and screw. I'm telling you, it's like baby-sitting a bunch of horny toddlers.† Franklin squeaked and clicked a response, and this time Tim and Jane joined in the laughter with the whaley boys. â€Å"What? What?† asked Nate. â€Å"I do not just need to get laid!† shouted Nuà ±ez. â€Å"Jane, you got this?† â€Å"Sure,† said the blonde. â€Å"I'm going to quarters.† She left the bridge to the snickering of the whaley boys. Tim looked back at Nate and nodded toward the sonar screen and headset that Nuà ±ez had vacated. â€Å"Want to stand in?† â€Å"I'm a prisoner,† said Nate. â€Å"Yeah, but in a nice way,† said Jane. That was true. Everyone since he'd come on board had been very kind to him, seeing to his every need, even some he didn't want seen to. He didn't feel like a prisoner. Nate wasn't sure that he wasn't experiencing the Helsinki syndrome, where you sympathized with your captors – or was that the Stockholm syndrome? Yeah, the Helsinki syndrome had something to do with hair loss. It was definitely the Stockholm syndrome. He stepped up to the sonar screen and put on the headset. Immediately he heard the distant song of a humpback. He looked at Tim, who raised his eyebrows as if to say, See. â€Å"So tell me,† Nate said, â€Å"what's the singing mean?† It was worth a shot. â€Å"We were just going to ask you,† said Jane. â€Å"Swell,† said Nate. Suddenly he didn't feel so well. After all this, even people who traveled inside whales didn't know what the song meant? â€Å"Are you all right, Nate?† Jane asked. â€Å"You don't look so good.† â€Å"I think I have Stockholm syndrome.† â€Å"Don't be silly,† said Tim. â€Å"You've got plenty of hair.† â€Å"You want some Pepto?† asked Jane, the ship's doctor. Yes, he thought, escape would seem a priority. He was pretty sure that if he didn't get away, he was going to snap and kill some folks, or at least be incredibly stern with them. Funny, he thought, how your priorities could change with circumstances. You go along for the greater part of your life thinking you want something – to understand the humpback song, for instance. So you pursue that with dogged single-mindedness at the expense of everything else in your life, only to be distracted into thinking maybe you want something in addition to that – Amy, for instance. And that becomes a diversion up until the time when circumstances make you realize what it is you really want, and that is – strangely enough – to get the fuck out of a whale. Funny, Nate thought. â€Å"Settle down, Kona,† Clair said, dropping her purse by the door, â€Å"I don't have a spoon.† Clay jumped off Margaret's lap. He and Kona watched as Clair crossed the room and exchanged hugs with Margaret and Libby, lingering a bit while hugging Libby and winking over her shoulder at Clay. â€Å"So nice to see you guys,† Clair said. â€Å"I'm not going out to get the pizza, mon. No way,† said Kona, still looking a bit terrified. â€Å"What are you guys doing?† Clair asked. And so Margaret took it upon herself to explain what they had discovered over the last few hours, with Kona filling in the pertinent and personal details. Meanwhile, Clay sat down in the kitchen and pondered the facts. Pondering, he felt, was called for. Pondering is a little like considering and a little like thinking, but looser. To ponder, one must let the facts roll around the rim of the mind's roulette wheel, coming to settle in whichever slot they feel pulled to. Margaret and Libby were scientists, used to jamming their facts into the appropriate slots as quickly as possible, and Kona†¦ well, a thought rolling around in his mind was rather like a tennis ball in a coffee can – it was just a little too fuzzy to make any impact – and Clair was just catching up. No, the pondering fell to Clay, and he sipped a dark beer from a sweating bottle on a high stool in the kitchen and waited for the roulette ball to fall. Which it did, right about the time that Margaret Painborne was reaching a conclusion to her story. â€Å"This obviously has something to do with defense,† Margaret said. â€Å"No one else would have a reason – hell, they can't even have a good reason. But I say we write our senators tonight and confront Captain Tarwater in the morning. He's got to know something about it.† â€Å"And that's where you're completely wrong,† Clay said. And they all turned. â€Å"I've been pondering this† – here he paused for impact – â€Å"and it occurs to me that two of our friends disappeared right about the time they found out about this stuff. And that everything from the break-in to the sinking of my boat† – and here he paused for a moment of silence – â€Å"has had something to do with someone not wanting us to know this stuff. So I think it would be reckless of us to run around trying to tell everybody what we know before we know what we know is.† â€Å"That can't be right,† said Libby. † ‘Before we know what we know is'?† quoted Margaret. â€Å"No, that's not right.† â€Å"Is making perfect sense to me,† said Kona. â€Å"No, Clay,† said Clair, â€Å"I'm fine with you and the girl-on-girl action, and I'm fine with a haole Rasta boy preaching sovereignty, but I'm telling you I won't stand for that kind of grammatical abuse. I am a schoolteacher, after all.† â€Å"We can't tell anyone!† Clay screamed. â€Å"Better,† said Clair. â€Å"No need to shout,† Libby said. â€Å"Margaret was just being a radical hippie reactionist feminist lesbian communist cetacean biologist, weren't you, dear?† Libby Quinn grinned at her partner. â€Å"I'll have an acronym for that in a second,† mumbled Clair, counting off words on her fingers. â€Å"Jeez, your business card must be the size of a throw rug.† Margaret glared at Libby, then turned to Clay. â€Å"You really think we could be in danger?† â€Å"Seems that way. Look, I know we wouldn't know this without your help, but I just don't want anyone hurt. We may already be in trouble.† â€Å"We can keep it quiet if you feel that's the way to go,† said Libby, making the decision for the pair, â€Å"but I think in the meantime we need to look at a lot more audio files – see how far back this goes. Figure out why sometimes it's just noise and sometimes it's a message.† Margaret was furiously braiding and unbraiding her hair and staring blankly into the air in front of her as she thought. â€Å"They must use the whale song as camouflage so enemy submarines don't detect the communication. We need more data. Recordings from other populations of humpbacks, out of American waters. Just to see how far they've gone with this thing.† â€Å"And we need to look at blue-, fin-, and sei-whale calls,† said Libby. â€Å"If they're using subsonic, then it only makes sense that they'll imitate the big whales. I'll call Chris Wolf at Oregon State tomorrow. He monitors the navy's old sonar matrix that they set up to catch Russian submarines. He'll have recordings of everything we need.† â€Å"No,† said Clay. â€Å"No one outside this room.† â€Å"Come on, Clay. You're being paranoid.† â€Å"Say that again, Libby. He monitors whose old sonar matrix? The military still keeps a hand in on that SOSUS array.† â€Å"So you think it is military?† Clay shook his head. â€Å"I don't know. I'm damned if I can think of a reason the navy would paint ‘Bite me' on the tail of a whale. I just know that people who find out about this stuff disappear, and someone sent a message saying that Nate was safe after we all thought he was dead.† â€Å"So what are you going to do?† â€Å"Find him,† Clay said. â€Å"Well, that's going to totally screw up the funeral,† said Clair. PART THREE The Source We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of selfish replicators. – RICHARD DAWKINS, The Selfish Gene Ninety-five percent of all the species that have ever existed are now extinct, so don't look so goddamn smug. – GERARD RYDER

Organization and Management_theories Essay

Organization is a complex and intricate framework whose nature, behavior, effects, consequences and incidents are broad and ambiguous. It is not automatically comprehensible and manageable as any person dealing with it remains uncertain of what the organization is all about. This is so simply because the behavior, conditions and status of the organization is contingent or dependent upon individual members. Hence, one must first have to determine the basic traits, behavior, disposition, aims, and positions of each member before one can truly have the rudimentary idea of an organization which could guide and lead towards its dealings for a better and more effective management policies. Managing an organization requires a basic framework, plan, strategy or principles on how the manager will deal to his or her subordinates. These framework, plan, strategy or principles should be possessed by the manager, and should be well defined with a sense of concreteness and direction, before he or she can deal with his or her subordinates. The success of the manager’s plan or the fulfillment of his or her objective is basically determined on how efficacious and sustaining is his methods of management towards the subordinates. The manager must devise and establish such a framework, plan, strategy or principles which would best fit to the basic structure and environment in which he is managing, and one that is acceptable, favorable and bearable by all subordinates. This paper concerns the need for a manager to have an instrumental and conceptual knowledge in everyday practice. This includes the assessments of various frameworks critically analyzing some management and organizational methods and theories that may be utilized and applied as a management policy. The manager may not contend only to use one method, but resort to various methods could before practical and efficacious in reaching for the intended output. The manager therefore, must possess a sound and rational discretion, this being the condition sine qua non, in order for him to make use of the various management theories and methods which he may deem fit, convenient and effective within the premises and circumstances of the establishment or enterprise which he or she is managing or dealing. Critique on the Classical Models The classical thinkers like Plato waxes some ideas though profoundly and abstractly laid down in his The Laws and The Republic. He advanced the idea that a leader must necessarily possess a general idea of everything to the extent that he or she must know the basic function of each unit in the community. Plato would suggest that managers must be acquainted to his or her subordinates, especially their strengths, talents, skills, ability and capacity so as he may designate and assign them to such a job where such subordinate or member of the community is best fitted and productive. The explicit theory of the one best way to organize is normally ascribed to the â€Å"classical† theorists, notably Frederick Taylor and Max Weber, but it is, as we have seen, much older, even if it then only concerned social organization. Taylor’s model sprang from factory production and Weber’s from the offices of public administration, but they had a lot in common—notably a reliance on standardization of work, control of quality, fine-grained division of labor, and a strict hierarchy. They both strongly believed that the organizational models they proposed would prevail and eventually supplant all others because they were the most efficient. Weber’s interest was not in organization per se, but in the role it played in politics and economics in general. His discussion of bureaucracy therefore centered on its legal and political ramifications, as well as its part in the general rationalization of society—a result of the growing hegemony of rational means-ends relations. Weber viewed bureaucracy as the epitome of this development, working with supreme efficiency, and believed it would supersede all other organization forms. In Weber’s eyes, this development was not necessarily in humanity’s interest—on the contrary, he saw in the efficiency of bureaucracy a frightening potential to lock us into an â€Å"Iron Cage† of machine-like existence. With Weber’s own definition of sociology in mind, it is difficult to understand how he could be so sure of the inevitable and total domination of a single organizational structure. In that definition, he bases sociology squarely on an understanding of individual action and interaction, based on individuals’ subjective understanding of their situation and the purpose of their own actions (Fivelsdal 1971). Supra-individual concepts such as structure, function, and system are rejected as causes. One should think that human variation would make room for more than one structural form, and at least that its grim advances could be blocked by a pervasive tendency among disgruntled individuals to choose (for subjective reasons) other solutions. Henri Fayol and later Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick emphasized formal authority and the role of direct supervision (Mintzberg 1979), but the spirit of their work was the same as Taylor’s. You might even say that they were not really presenting theories of organization at all, but recipes—indicating the best solution for every type of activity, just as Plato did in the meticulous details of The Laws. The early theorists’ belief in the existence of final, superior solutions and their inescapable triumph can be viewed as an expression of their times—of the rapid progress of science and technology; the immense success of the mass-producing factory, the general increase in rational attitudes; and a rather naive belief in the simpleness of human affairs and their resemblance to physical systems. Buckley (1967) has suggested that such theories represented a continuation of the â€Å"Social Physics† the central notion of which was that man was a physical object, a kind of advanced machine; that behavior and social relations were subject to natural laws of the same kind as the laws of physics; and that man and society could be analyzed and managed accordingly. In politics and history the Marxian visions of inevitable social transformations embodied much of the same spirit, even if the underlying analysis was more sophisticated. The belief in the rationality and inevitability of things was thus a reflection of the contemporary beliefs in progress and technology, and the notion of the one best solution also appeals to our natural thirst for simplification—a faith in a â€Å"one best way† is much more reassuring than the acknowledgment of a bewildering array of optional solutions. As such, this view lingers on today—both in the minds of managers and in the offerings of consultants. Implied in this view is a notion of technological determinism—if there is a one best way of organizing, there must also be a one best way to utilize any new tool. Such a one-to-one relationship between a tool and its optimal use means that the tool itself will, by necessity, have strong bearings on organizational design. It is quite obvious that Taylor included tools and machinery in his designs for factory organization, and that the properties of those tools and machines were important determinants for the design of jobs and the relationships between them. The connection may not seem just as plain when we look at Weber and his theories of bureaucracy—there do not seem to be so many tools in use. However, the most important organizational tool in history (at least before the computer) has probably been the art of writing, and Weber’s bureaucracy is explicitly based on written procedures and written information. In other words, if bureaucracy is the one best way to organize administrative work in a literate society, and it presupposes the use of writing, the properties of writing (as a tool) must be regarded as one of the most the most important determinants of bureaucratic organization—maybe even the most important. In Scott’s (1987) classification of theoretical schools, both scientific management and Weber’s theory of bureaucracy are closed, rational system models. They presuppose that organizational actors are fully rational in all their decisions, that they always strive to achieve the organization’s expressed goals, and that the structure and functions of an organization are independent of its environment. Simon’s Bounded Rationality In the development of organization theory, the belief in the â€Å"one best way† and the closed, rational model of organizations (Scott 1987) gradually came under attack after World War II. One of the early attackers was Herbert A. Simon, who developed a new theory of decision making, opposing the reigning concept of unbounded rationality in organizational and economic matters. Simon attacked both the economists’ image of â€Å"economic man† and the â€Å"rational manager† of the earlier management theorists. Although he seemed to accept the notion that there was an objective, theoretical â€Å"best way† in a given set of circumstances, he denied the possibility of finding this solution in practice. Simon’s great common-sense realization was that humans operate with limited information and wits in an exceedingly complex world, and that they have no choice but to simplify, to operate with a bounded rationality, to satisfice—not maximize. The basic realization of an objective â€Å"best way† is not a practical possibility, even if it may exist in theory. The objective, practical goal of organizational members is therefore never to find the optimal solution (even if they may think so themselves), but to find one that is good enough for their ends—which usually also means good enough for the organization to survive. It also follows that there must be many such solutions, and that different people and different organizations will more often than not choose different solutions. Scott (1987) also classifies the theory presented in Administrative Behavior as belonging to the closed, rational system model. This seems a bit unjust, since several passages in the book discuss interactions with the environment (for instance, the discussions in Chapter VI, â€Å"The Equilibrium of the Organization†) and fully document that Simon does not believe that an organization is an island to itself. However, the theory of decision making that is developed in the book largely treats organizational decisions as something internal to the organization, and this may perhaps merit Scott’s classification. Because the environmental connection is more pronounced in the book coauthored with March (March and Simon 1958), the theory presented there is classified by Scott as belonging to the open, rational system models. These models represent organizations as predominantly rational systems, but they recognize that organizations are continuously dependent on exchanges with their environment and must adapt to it to survive. Transaction Costs Analysis Another approach in the open, rational systems category is the transaction cost analysis developed by Williamson. However, Williamson’s interest in organizational structure centers on questions of organization size and the degree of vertical integration. He argues that the cost of exchanging goods or services between people, departments, or organizations will decide whether or not a function will be incorporated into the organization. The primeval, â€Å"natural† state of business activities can be seen as a situation with individual producers exchanging goods and services through the market. If markets or tasks (or both) grow so complex that the cognitive limits of the producers become overloaded or if the transaction costs increase for other reasons, there will be a pressure to increase the level of organization in order to overcome these difficulties. Applied on the current situation, this implies that existing organizations will try to internalize transactions if they believe they can execute them more efficiently than the market or if they become so complex that market-based solutions become intractable. For instance, an auto manufacturer will develop or buy its own dealer network if it believes it can sell more cars or fetch a bigger profit that way; an aluminum producer will buy into bauxite mines if it believes that this will shield it from dangerous price fluctuations. Technology has a part in transaction theory insofar as it changes transaction costs in the market, inside the organizations, or both. Since information technology has a great potential for changing the conditions for coordination—both within and between organizations, it should be of great interest to the transaction cost perspective. The Several Best Ways: The Human Relations Movement The human relations school brought the individual and the social relations between individuals into focus. People in organizations were no longer seen only—not even mainly—as rational beings working to achieve the goals of the organization. It was discovered that they were just as much driven by feelings, sentiments, and their own particular interests—which could be quite different from what classical theory presupposed. Moreover, the new studies also showed that there was an informal structure in every organization, growing from the unofficial contacts people in the organization had with each other. This informal structure could be just as important as the formal one for predicting the outcome of decision-making processes—sometimes even more important. There were a number of main themes investigated by the different approaches within the human relations school, and most of them are still actively pursued by researchers. The most basic is the insistence on the importance of individual characteristics and behaviors in understanding organizational behavior. This easily leads to an interest in the effects of different leadership styles, as well as in the effects of race, class, and cultural background. Formalization in work is strongly repudiated on the grounds that it is detrimental to both worker commitment and psychological well-being, and participative management, job enlargement, or, at least, job rotation is prescribed. In fact, human relations theorists have always been eager to promote changes in organizations to produce what they see as more humane work places, and they claim that the less formal, more participative organization will also be the most productive. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to criticize at least the most ardent proponents of these views for prescribing â€Å"one best way† solutions just as much as the classical theorists (Mohr 1971). With their emphasis on humans and their psychological and social properties, the human relations theorists were not especially interested in tools and technology except as a source of repressive formalization. However, even if we might say that they inherited a belief in optimal solutions from the classical theorists, their theories implied that it was human needs and qualities, and not technology, that dictated the optimal organizational forms. In other words, it was in their view possible to design and operate organizations principally on the basis of human characteristics, and thus thwart what others viewed as technological imperatives. Woodward Among the new research projects were Woodward’s pathbreaking studies of a number of manufacturing companies in the southeast of England in the 1950s (Mintzberg 1979, Clegg 1990), in which she showed how three basic production technologies strongly correlated with a corresponding number of organization structures: Bureaucratization increased as one went from unit or small batch production via large batch or mass production to continuous-process production. First, this discovery led to renewed faith in technological determinism: there now seemed to be not one best way to organize, but rather a best way for each class of production technology—in Woodward’s case, unit production, mass production, and process industry. The Multitude of Ways: Sociotechnics In England a group of researchers developed a distinct framework, which in addition to â€Å"action† approach, they also proposed that â€Å"the distinguishing feature of organizations is that they are both social and technical systems† (Scott 1987, p. 108). The core of the organization represented, so to speak, an interface between a technical system and a human (social) system. This implied that, in order to achieve maximum performance in an organization, it did not suffice to optimize only the technical or the social system, nor to search for the best match between existing technological and organizational elements. The goal should be a joint optimization of the two—creating a synergy that yielded more than could be achieved simply by adding the two together. Their preferred organizational solutions emphasized co-determination, internalized regulation, and workgroup autonomy. They also discovered that changes at the workgroup level did not survive for long without compatible changes in the overlying structures—a discovery that was also made in a series of experiments with autonomous workgroups in Norwegian industry in the 1960s, inspired by the Tavistock group and directed by the newly founded Work Research Institute in Oslo (Thorsrud and Emery 1970). During their projects they also learned that the environment impinged on intra-organizational activities to a much larger degree than they had anticipated. Sociotechnics, for me is here taking a position that is particularly relevant for information technology, even if sociotechnics was established as a theoretical framework before computers started to make themselves felt to any significant degree. When working with information technology in organizations, it is of utmost importance to be aware of the intimate interdependence between the computer-based systems, the individuals using them, the manual routines, and the organizational structure. Any serious attempt to optimize the use of information technology must acknowledge this reciprocity. It is therefore quite remarkable that sociotechnical theory has remained so much out of fashion for the last decade, just the period when the use of computers has really exploded. One reason may be the general lack of interest in information technology that has plagued the social sciences overall; another is that those who were interested within the sociotechnical tradition tended to be drawn toward research on the cognitive aspects of computer use, especially the (literal) user interfaces of computer systems, neglecting the overlying question of the broader interaction of humans and computer systems in structural terms.

Effects of Verbal Communication Essay

Verbal Communication Communication of all types can be found everywhere. It does not necessarily have to be spoken or oral, it can be found in verbal and nonverbal forms. This is especially true in the areas of the criminal justice system. Communications can be found in equipment, reports, phones, in roll call, or everyday operations. For police officers and other members of the criminal justice system, communication in some form or type can always be certain. It may be in the form of verbal communication, such as roll call, talking with the public, talking to peers, inmates, administration, or supervisors. It is said that nearly 70 percent of one’s time is spent communicating (2009). Officers or those appointed by the department, talk to the media on a daily basis. Whether it is the television, the newspaper reporters, or the radio, it is on a daily basis. For law enforcement officials there is the need to communicate with the press from time to time. This could be to talk about public affairs, providing information about a situation that the police are involved in, or to make announcements. It is common in most areas that law enforcement appoints a spokesperson for the department. This person chosen represents the community and the department, along with all officers. This person must have the intelligence and the ability to speak clearly and in a concise manner, and have the ability to understand questions if asked. He or she should have some clear understanding of what the media only needs to hear. One way to assure this is to him or her draft a statement, before making the announcement to the press. When drafting the announcement and when reading the announcement, the person should avoid using what is called police jargon or codes. Using such language can be confusing to the general public and may cause confusion with the press. When talking to the press he or she should be able to avoid being distracted and should keep eye contact with those who he or she are talking to. Nonverbal communication between the press and officers can also have a confusing effect at time. â€Å"Sometimes nonverbal messages may contradict verbal; often they may express true feelings more accurately than the spoken or written language (Murphy & Hildebrandt). For nonverbal communication, the situations that he or she may want to be careful with can include the stance. There should be no slouching or leaning on the podium. This gives an appearance of the press seeing that he or she either does not want to be there or it could show disinterest. The spokesperson choose vocabulary carefully also. He or she may want to use a friendly tone also, and avoid using emotions during the press release. This must remember that the press usually ahs cameras somewhere that records everything that is said verbally and nonverbally, which may cause some confusion. The courtroom is another place that communication is done daily. Within this setting the law enforcement officer or other personnel, may be called to testify for the prosecutor. Communication in the courtroom setting for police, prosecutors, defense, the suspect, judge and jury, all play a crucial part. The officer when called to testify, should have the ability to understand the questions clearly, is able to listen effectively, and be able to explain the facts written in his or her report. The affidavit is based on the facts that have been written in the officers’ incident report. There may be situations or times when an officer feels uncomfortable, while sitting or standing in a group of other people. Or he or she may fill uncomfortable when having to be in front of the others in the courtroom. The officer should never let emotions or nonverbal cues cloud his or her testimony. During cross-examine; the reputation of the officer could be misinterpreted. Before testimony officers should try to talk to the prosecutor to learn what to expect. He or she may want to practice the testimony also. Being able to communicate verbally and use less nonverbal cues like emotions, could make the difference in the testimony. When testifying the officer should be able to answer in a clear and audible voice with recalling or stating just the facts. He or she may also want to remember to present themselves as a professional and to look and act as one. Not only is his or her reputation at stake, but the department also. For law enforcement personnel who work inside the correctional facility, communication techniques can be a critical part of the job. Officers must be able to talk to their peers, and inmates. The ability to be an active listener, understand, read and write clearly and to follow verbal and nonverbal orders are very important. There may be issues at time among inmates that may cause a barrier of communication. Some of these barriers could include the disruptive inmate, a language barrier, such as a foreign language or a deaf person. There may be the inmate that may cause tension between the officers and others. There are many factors to consider on how to communicate within the correctional setting. There is the use of daily reports that must be filled out by officers. There has to be a clear understanding by the officers and other employees of operating procedures. Incident reports that are fact based must be filled out by officers involved. As with police the correctional officer must also confront inmates and vice versa. The officer should at all times be careful of the nonverbal clues used. This would include his or her emotions at the time, the way he or she stands, or the tone of voice. Most correctional officers are trained on the use of verbal and nonverbal methods of communications before being assigned to the facility (2010). For the peer to peer communication the officer must be able to understand the assignment given, whether it is verbal or nonverbal communications. Assignments are usually given at the beginning of the shift, and it is the responsibility of the officer and peer to have a clear understanding of what it is. If the officer does not understand it is his or her responsibility to ask questions. Another form of peer to peer is among the officers themselves. Communication is a key role inside of the correctional facility when working with the inmates. He or she should be able to understand clearly the instructions that pertain to an inmate or surroundings. He or she must be able to read nonverbal cues from other officers and to be able to read nonverbal cues from the inmates. Within the Juvenile facility, there is a great need for communication of nonverbal and verbal. Like any other facility the officers must be able to understand the importance of filing out the report, whether it be an incident, daily, or new arrival. Each officer must have the intelligence and ability to be able to communicate with a juvenile in custody. Like inmates in the adult correctional setting, juveniles may also become belligerent at times and want to cause problems. The officer must be able to talk with the juvenile as well as be able to listen. Officers must also be able to read the nonverbal cues that are given by the inmates. These could include actions such as throwing of things, language, the stance, eye contact, vocal sounds, and emotions such as anger, sadness and more. Juveniles have a language that seems to be something that they have learned. Most people call it street slang and signs. Most officers are provided continuing training on problems involving juveniles, as well as training to understand the signs and slang used by them. For Officers and other employees of the juvenile facility there is the need to understand clearly the written reports, the operational procedures, releasing of information to outside agencies and families and the ability to talk clearly to peers. Officers and other employees may be called on to answer questions over the phone, concerning a juvenile. They may have to work on computers, and other equipment, or spend hours doing paperwork. This is all an important part of communicating within the facility. When an officer’s peer assigns the officer to a certain department in the facility the officer must have a clear understanding of what is expected of him or her at the time. The one way for the officer to make certain of the assignment, is to ask the needed questions if any should arise. The officer must be able to take orders on a continuous basis and be able to understand the details. When working with other officers there has to be a clear line of communication between the officers. Nonverbal cues, as with any other law enforcement facility should be easily read. The officer must have the ability to do so, in case something should happen. These nonverbal cues could be eye contact, a facial expression, or a nudge, or a physical gesture such as the wave of a hand. As with any other situation officers that work in a juvenile facility must show professionalism and act accordingly. The officer must be careful when using nonverbal communication. These include keeping the emotions from getting away from him or her, keeping the tone of his or her voice from becoming too loud, watching the stance and posture when talking to other employees, inmates, and peers. Communication can be seen in many different forms. These can include fact based reports by law enforcement officers, correctional officers, reports to the press or other media, juvenile facilities and courtrooms. There may be barriers for the officers at times, such as language, ineffective listening, a misunderstanding, or miscommunication. Whatever the reason, for one to communicate properly there must be the ability to understand, listen actively, ask questions when needed, and to speak clearly when asked to. For law enforcement and others in the criminal justice system the need to recognize nonverbal communication is essential. An officer must be able to identify cues given by a suspect, or by an inmate in custody. The law enforcement official should always act and speak in a professional matter when facing the public or fellow workers and supervisors or administrators. He or she must remember that they represent not only themselves but the departments and states they reside in. Effective communication is the key to an effective organization such as the criminal justice system.

Short report of how the organisation will implement Total Quality Research Paper

Short report of how the organisation will implement Total Quality Management - Research Paper Example The success of Coffeehouse shall be evident if the 6Cs of TQM are applied and later the implementation recommended. Recommendations include the hiring of a new, qualified staff to prepare a higher quality of coffee than that of the competitor has in order to counter their recent stiff dominance in the market. Coffeehouse is a chain of coffee shops situated in different towns in Australia, and has been in existence since 2001, and owned by one person. The management envisions this business as the center of producing the best coffee, and its vision is to be the preferred coffee house across Australia in a period of 5 years. Even though it has witnessed some profitability- turnover was $4.5 for the year 2011/12-its market share currently is only 10% with stiff competition coming from newcomers Starbucks and Coffee-club. According to Bagad (2008, p.21), TQM involves several features without which success cannot be witnessed in any organization. These features include commitment from all the employees in the organization. In other words, for TQM to be productive, the employees need to be find pleasure in their duties. Additionally commitment to the quality of services offered by the organization must be emphasized. Morfaw (2009, p.20) noted that if there lacks a commitment on the quality, the staff commitment will not sustain the organization since clients will be disappointed and seek services elsewhere thus leaving an organization with losses. Moreover, total customer-oriented attitude and behavior is vital in the application of this philosophy. Even though, every business seeks to make profit, this feature requires that an organization show total commitment in serving its clientele failure to which the profits cannot be enjoyed for a long time. Further, continuous improvement within the organization is needed; all employees must also be united in the performance of their duties. Morfaw (2009, p.33) implied that an organization that fails to emphasize on

Most important materials science in a Power Plant Research Paper

Most important materials science in a Power Plant - Research Paper Example The conclusion looks at the overall outlook of a hydroelectric power plant touching on its main aspects. Hydroelectric power involves extraction of energy from water that is utilized to turn turbines. These turbines run generators that then produce the electricity in question here. The fact behind this is that rain or water falling on the surface of the earth contains potential energy, which is relative to the direction where its drainage is; it can be a lake, sea, or ocean (Krishnaswamy and Bala 107). The water has to fall against a certain vertical distance to gain maximum amount of energy that will turn the turbines to enhance efficient production of electricity. The amount of power produced in hydroelectric power plants is a little less than that produced in nuclear and thermal power plants. During peak hours, the power produced in the hydroelectric power plants is used by the other power plants, thermal and nuclear, to deliver power to the required sites efficiently. The paper describes materials used in hydroelectric power plants. A hydroelectric power station has to consist of a dam that collects water to a certain height for it to attain the maximum required energy to run turbines. The dam is constructed by incorporating a thick wall across the pathway of a river; all season river. The wall varies in thickness; whereby the base is thicker than the top. The reason as to this is to contain the water since pressure at the bottom is greatest risking breakage of the wall if it is not strong enough. A dam straddles a river, hence blocking the water flow. It collects in the upper part of the dam to form an artificial lake or dam; known as a reservoir (Ahmed, Petersen, and Arvanitides 76). Damming a river changes the kinetic energy in water to potential energy: This could be explained well by using an example of a battery. A battery has stored energy that is not in

Exploring the impact of e-commerce adoption on management strategy in Research Proposal

Exploring the impact of e-commerce adoption on management strategy in Gulf Cooporation Council Countries(GCC) Enterprises - Research Proposal Example This study traces the adoption of e-commerce in SMEs in Saudi Arabia and explores what impact this phenomenon is having on management strategy. A survey of 50 managers is conducted in order to identify what has changed in their strategic thinking over the last ten years, and this is analysed in the context of GCC development potential in the next ten years. Aim. The aim of this research is to explore the impact of e-commerce on management strategy in Saudi Arabia SMEs. In particular the project will attempt to find out how far managers are reacting to the changes in the business environment that e-commerce brings, and how far they are themselves trying to drive that change or even avoid that change. Objective of the Research. The research has three objectives : To trace how far e-commerce has developed in Saudi Arabia up to December 2011. To find out what Saudi SME managers think about e-commerce at the present time To identify what impact, if any, e-commerce is now having on Saudi S ME managers’ strategies for the future. Literature Review. ... Per capita income had been $17,000 in the mid 1980s but it had dropped to only $8,200 in 2003. (Looney 2004)The old rentier state dynamics are sorely tested when such a huge change occurs, and this one reason why considerable investment is now being made in the SME sector. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consists of 6 Arab countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and is well connected with other Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It also enjoys good relations with the United States, and plays a pivotal role in international diplomacy. Saudi Arabia is one of the more conservative members of this group, and takes a leading role in religious and cultural affairs due to its stewardship of key religious sites including Mecca Studies on the economy of Saudi Arabia have noted that there is an imbalance in the workforce, with a tendency for private businesses to recruit staff from outside the Kingdom, especially in h igh technology or specialized fields, leaving the domestic workforce ill-equipped to adapt to the changing workplace requirements. Education facilities and worker expectations are not yet well matched to the needs of the private sector. An interesting dilemma that is beginning to affect the economy is the growing number of well educated women who are now able and willing to take part in the development of the Saudi economy. E-commerce has been a part of international business for around two decades, but it has still not penetrated into all geographical areas of the world, and into all layers of society. People tend to think of the term â€Å"e-commerce† as meaning just the process of buying and selling goods online, but in fact it covers a far wider range of systems and processes than

Prostate cancer among African American men Essay

Prostate cancer among African American men - Essay Example In essay "Prostate cancer among African American men" author describes the connection between genetics, social status, health and cancer occurrence among Afro-American in the USA. Despite an intensive campaign that is directed to men in order for them to undergo regular medical screening, the majority of them are still reluctant resulting to increased cases of deaths caused by prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a major type of cancer that affects the reproductive system of males especially those above the age of 45 years. However, there are cases of insistent prostate cancer that results in major complications on the reproductive system. This paper seeks to discuss medical compliance treatment of prostate cancer among African American men. As mentioned earlier, African-American men are at high risk of prostate cancer development. According to the 2003-2007 US medical report, for every 100,000 African American men, 234.6 cases of prostate cancer were reported in the US as compared to 150.4 cases per 100,000 white men. Due to the high number of cases of prostate cancer among the African American men, their mortality rate is more than double as compared to the white men. For example, between 2003 and 2007, 54.2 cases of mortality rates were reported for every 100,000 African-American while only 22.3 cases of mortality rates occurred among the white men. In 2001, more than 31,500 deaths due to prostate cancer were reported. Since 2001, at least 221,000 cases of prostate cancer are reported per year (Chronic Disease Indicators, 2012). One of the major obstacles that are affecting the efforts of the medical personnel is lack of early detection guidelines. In the same way, men are hesitant to screening thus making it difficult to curb the diseases during its early stages. In its endeavor to address the challenges faced by the African American men as far as control of prostate cancer is concerned, American Cancer Society, advocates for adoption of two major strategies . First, it recommends that men at the age of 45 years should emulate digital rectal examination (DRE). Secondly, the society recommends for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test for men who are between the ages of 45 and 50 years. Even though a task force that is concerned with prevention services depicts that there is insufficient evidence on the implications of DRE and PSA on the prevention and control of prostate cancer, the task force argues that a strong relationship between doctors and patients should be maintained to ensure that men are interested in undertaking regular screening. Additionally, the task force maintains that PSA is a better strategy of early detection. However, it is still unclear of how early detection

Ballroom dancing classes (or any other dance style where both genders Research Proposal

Ballroom dancing classes (or any other dance style where both genders would be happy to take part in) improve balance (dynamic) and decrease falls incidents in healthy older adults - Research Proposal Example has led to the initiation of more critical studies to explain how ballroom dance can remain tailored to boost balance and minimize falls incidences in older individuals. Inquiries into the physical activities note that, regular involvement in ballroom dance is vital to maintain one’s physical, emotional, and cognitive health (Bethancourt et al., 2013), besides, it can also be tailored towards the improvement of balance and reduction of falls incidences. Further, despite numerous advantages related to the exercise, many individuals fail to participate in any form of physical activities in sufficient periods (Park et al., 2014). The purpose of this study is to present a detailed report on the importance of engaging older adults in ballroom dance. As a form of physical activity, ballroom dance enhances balance and reduces falls instances among older individuals. Early research, epidemiological data, and surveys suggest an arrangement of groups to utilize the ballroom dance as a form of physical activity amid older individuals (Souza et al, 2015, p. 1). Two categories, that is, the conditions and practices related to health and demographic data have remained emphasized in the prediction of exercise among older individuals in the contemporary world. In relation to demography, age is perceivable to be less associated to exercise whilst high education levels show an increased trend of older adults in physical activities, particularly ballroom dance (Medina, Barquera, and Janssen, 2013, p. 21). Further, there is a significant relationship between ballroom dance and marital status. Studies show that ballroom dance serves as a substitution for social support among adult couples. On employment, people tend to be busy with the job demands and forget about exercises. Proposals argue that, after job, the people are too tired to be involved in dynamic physical activities like ballroom dance. The situation enhances negative behaviors in older adults in relation to this kind of

Why do you want to be a petroleum engineer. As a nigerian student in Essay

Why do you want to be a petroleum engineer. As a nigerian student in Texas A&M University - Essay Example In spite of the economic climate, active recruitment of graduates in the discipline of Petroleum Engineering by oil companies remains buoyant. Job prospects for Petroleum Engineers are abundant both within Nigeria and abroad. My cousins are Petroleum Engineers and have been working in the Gulf States for over a decade. They are a huge source of motivation for me. Having seen them successfully progress professionally as Petroleum Engineers, getting a degree in Petroleum Engineering is not a decision that I have reached in a hurry. I have been learning about Petroleum Engineering by consulting such websites over the Internet as Rigzone and SPE as well as watching university lectures. Once I went to Mount Pilchuck with my friends for climbing and was amazed to see how the rock composition varied from one level to another. Learning how geological variations impact our ability to develop a field would be fascinating. Opportunities for excelling academically in Petroleum Engineering are tremendous. Every year, thousands of scholarships are offered to the qualifying graduates of Petroleum Engineering worldwide. Being an interdisciplinary field, students study a broad range of subjects including thermodynamics, geology, mathematics, chemistry, and fluid mechanics. I can easily specialize in one of these core subjects of Petroleum Engineering after

Attraction Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Attraction Management - Assignment Example The level of security that is put in place in the 02 Arena was the very important feature for the visitors, the fact that the Arena is fast enough and it can hold almost 23,000 people it can be a terror target. This is a very important feature as it makes the people feel secure as they are at the 02 Arena. The market target was the very important aspect for attraction, the various businesses and the events in the area can attract all sort of ages. The movies can attract kids, the musical events are capable of attracting teenagers, and the casinos can attract those who are not in their youthful years. Major events such as hosting prominent and flashy musicians, like Justin Timberlake, Beyoncà © were a very strong tool for attraction. Holding events such as the Paralympic games also makes the Arena to be known and the venue will be in the mouth of many potential visitors. The geometrical shape of the 02 Arena that is dome-shaped was very attractive and it brought upon experience to a majority of the people. Controlling the behavior of the clientele is the very important aspect of attraction management, this can be achieved by making sure factors such. The flexibility of the arena was very catchy and this has attracted many because they think and try to figure out how different events that of different nature can be held in one Arena. Employees of the area were and are very supportive, there is an efficient call center within the area that can't take any query presented by a potential client.

Jesus Christ Essay Example for Free

Jesus Christ Essay Hate is one of the human’s feelings. It is a complex subject to study its reasons, causes and consequences. Broadly saying hate in this or that manifestation is one of the reasons of the majority of the violent crimes. Hate is used as an ideological background for a number of violent acts ranging from the street and terrorist attacks to full scale wars. Hate may be either justified in this or that way or it may be impulsive, based on the race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or national origin. In the first case when the hate is caused by the unjust treatment it may be defined as rational, in the second one it is irrational (John R. Schafer, MA and Joe Navarro, MA, 2003). One of the most significant examples of the hate group is Aryan Nations. Aryan Nations is a typical hate organization promoting the white race supremacy. It is the political arm of the White Identity Church of Jesus Christ-Christian, long led by Richard Butler. The movement promotes the heresy known as Christian Identity. (Apologetics Index, 2006). The ideological background of the Aryan Nations is anti-Semitism. Paramilitary hate group Aryan Nations was founded in the mid-1970s by Rev. Richard Girnt Butler, now 77 years old. It was formed around Butlers Church of Jesus Christ Christian, one of the several hundred churches affiliated with Identity, a pseudo-theological hate movement. Identity doctrine maintains that Anglo-Saxons, not Jews, are the Biblical chosen people, that non-whites are mud people on the level of animals, and that Jews are children of Satan. (The Nizkor Project, 2006). The anti-Semitism has been of the main hate ideologies since the biblical times. It was utilized by the worst human hating regimes, the most vivid examples of which were the Fascist regimes in Germany and Italy. The anti-Semitism doctrine as an ideology compromised itself in the 20th century. Aryan Nations militantly advocates anti-Semitism and the establishment of a white racist state. A statement of beliefs on the Aryan Nations Web site declares: The Jew is like a destroying virus that attacks our racial body to destroy our Aryan culture and purity of our race. Those of our Race who resist these attacks are called chosen and faithful. † (Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian, 2006). In their â€Å"Declaration of Independence† the ideologists of the Aryan Nations declare threat to the white Americans from the federal government which pursues the interests of the Jewish rulers. The ideologists of the Aryan Nations state that only the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Teutonic, Scandinavian, Celtic peoples are the descendants of biblical Adam and the rest are the descendants of Cain and they are the results of the Eve’s original sin. The Aryan Nations leaders identify the Jews as the main threat to the white race. This movement could be considered as political and a religious movement. This is one of the causes of the extreme danger of Aryan Nations. Violence is declared by the leaders of the group. The motto of the group as indicated in its web site is Violence Solves Everything! †. Still the original biblical part of the ideology of the Aryan Nation has been completely confused because the calls for violence became the dominating ones. The ideologies of Aryan Nations declaring their Christian origin try to support their violent call with the Muslim militant motto â€Å"Allahu Akbar! † (http://www. aryan-nations. org/) thus bringing complete confusion into their ideological basis. According to Aryan Nations â€Å"That VIOLENCE IS THE ONLY SOLUTION! You can no longer look toward local, state or federal law enforcement authorities to protect you, your families or your interests from these invaders† (Aryan Nations web site, 2006). The â€Å"Christian† identity of Aryan Nations was expressed by the leader of the group August Kreis in his comments on the 9/11 attacks and his attitude towards Al-Qaeda, â€Å"You say theyre terrorists, I say theyre freedom fighters. And I want to instill the same jihadic feeling in our peoples heart, in the Aryan race, that they have for their father, who they call Allah. (Henry Schuster, March 29, 2005). Such sayings put off the religious part from the Aryan Nations ideology leaving the extremist one. Terror unites the â€Å"proponents† of some special â€Å"violent† Christianity and Mohammedanism. In fact the only things which may unite both groups are the hate, extremism and terror which they share as basic of their ideologies. In fact, Aryan Nations have a lot of common features with the extremist Muslim groups. They share the same anti-Semitism, they accept the same terror methods and they lack any constructive ideology. They both base their activity on the hate which is destructive in its nature. The numerous hate groups whose ideologies are based on the irrational hatred can hardly find any serious political support in such democratic and a multinational country as the United States. As for the connections of the hate groups with the Muslim extremists, they are not new. During the WWII the leader of the German Nazis Adolph Hitler tried to find the connections with the Muslim extremists. Moreover, some Nazis found refuge in Egypt and Syria after WWII. At the same time it is too early to speak about the real alliance between Neo-Nazis and Muslim extremists. Most likely the leaders of Aryan Nations express their desire to create such an alliance and it proves the ultimate danger of the group. â€Å"Mark Potok, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that while some U. S. extremists applauded the September 11 attacks, there is no indication of such an alliance at least not yet, and not on a large scale. If it exists anywhere, he said, it is in the mind (and the Internet postings) of August Kreis. † (Henry Schuster, 2005). At the same time the Aryan Nations desire to link to the most dangerous terrorist organization confirms the fact that Aryan Nations may become the serious threat to the national security of the United States. Bibliography John R. Schafer, MA and Joe Navarro, MA, The seven-stage hate model: The psychopathology of hate groups, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin/March 1, 2003, available at http://www. rickross. com/reference/hate_groups/hategroups355. html, retrieved 06. 12. 2006

Moral Sainthood Essay Example for Free

Moral Sainthood Essay The concept of moral sainthood quickly becomes a negative one, simply because no one can be perfect. When we hold high expectations for people, they will inevitably fail to meet these criteria for perfection. When this occurs, individuals who hold high expectations of their moral saint will experience a huge let down. Also, a mere onlooker may get the wrong idea, and value the immoral decisions that this person made, or at least view their mistake as acceptable behavior. One of the main arguments against moral sainthood is that there is a limit to how much morality we, as humans, can take. A true moral saint would carry through with their virtues to an excess. You would not be able to make a negative assessment to an immoral person, or a positive one to moral one. A true moral saint can not gain any skills, or glean any joy from non-moral events, like winning a football game, or finishing a painting. The normal persons direct and specific desires for objects, activites, and events that conflict with the attainment of moral perfection are not simply sacrificed but removed, suppressed, or subsumed (Wolf 350). These would be pointless attempts at folly. Moral perfection is not only impossible, its not desirable socially. The qualities that a true moral saint would possess, if saints did exist, are qualities that are unattractive to society. A true moral saint cannot go through the normal social experiences we go through, like developing a sense of humor, or getting into an intimate relationship. A moral saint would not conform to any of the molds society creates. Given many of these molds may be inappropriate or immoral, there are some you can not overlook as necessary. Your overall characteristics as a person would suffer as well, seeing how the well-rounded qualities we all need would not be present. These moral saints can often cause tension among average citizens because of the uncomfortable feeling they may bring to the table. These people of perfection highlight the natural flaws we, as humans, all have. A small mistake soon becomes a huge ordeal, and these higher beings are eventually making us feel inferior, instead of people we should be looking up to, and aspiring to be. Humans are not willing to condemn themselves, so this process of being frowned upon is, well, frowned upon. When people develop into role models, they attain the admiration of others. Although media portrayal may transform these everyday people into super heros, they are not. When we value other peoples morals and opinions instead of considering our own, we are being shallow. Although some may say we base our role models on our own morals, we have a certain expectation for role models that, as humans, they can not always fulfill. These people many hold as role models, are individuals we do not even know personally. Athletes and movie stars are people that we do not know on a personal level, so we dont even know if their behaviors are worth valuing. These heroes are being judged based on how the media portrays them. When we judge a person based on their media presence, we choose to view them only in the light, not the dark. As humans, we are often afflicted with an obsession of power. This obsession with power causes us to create heroes out of everyday people with ordinary characteristics. When we put them on a pedastol and look up to them, this undue admiration is given out far too easily. These leaders we establish will eventually conform to the group theyre in charge of and act the way they think people want them to act. Expectations then soon lead to pressure, and this will cause the person to act differently. What people fail to realize is that there are ordinary individuals who are doing better things, achieving higher standards, and living their life more ethically and morally than those we call super heroes. People such as movie stars, sports stars, and the rich and famous person will, in our society, be more of a hero than the ordinary person, until they make a mistake. The process of becoming a moral saint simply does not work within our society. Social norms do not lend themselves easily to one seeking unattainable qualities of moral sainthood.

Representation Of The American Dream Film Studies Essay

Representation Of The American Dream Film Studies Essay Independence Day is a film directed by Roland Emmerich WHAT HAPPENED RELEASED in 1996, which shows the planet under an alien attack, where the U.S. is the center of the problem and the country that saves the world. In relation to this film several elements can be analyzed belonging to the American culture. One of the most significant is The American Dream. An ideal of American culture that is based on democracy and equality and aims to maintain the welfare of society, in order to achieve the fulfillment of the dreams of its members. Based on this, the question that this paper attempts to answer is: To what extent the movie Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich reflects the American dream? In this paper is exposed how there is a relationship between The American Dream as a cultural element that represents an American ideal and the script of the film, where elements, the film presents such as leadership, equality in terms of race, gender and social context, and the image of a perfect democracy REPRESENT THIS FEATURE. So we can see IN THIS WAY that the film represents to a great extent and very clearly the American Dream, because it reaffirms the central role of American culture on a global context by exposing the values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of the American Dream as the country defends the planet from the Alien attack, it also brings these values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹to a global context as it takes the independence Day as a celebration of global importance, and showing America as a country where the dreams of an entire nation and its members are fulfilled. Word count: 262 INTRODUCTION Nowadays The United States is one of the most influential countries in the global context, taking into account its economic and military power. However its importance worldwide is also due to their culture, a culture that has strongly expanded in the Western Hemisphere by spreading a set of customs, traditions and ideals. Among the strongest and representative ideals of American culture is what is known as The American Dream, a concept that has transcended through history and has strongly consolidated American culture by showing that in this country people can achieve an ideal lifestyle where all of its members fulfill their dreams in a country that enforces their rights and welfare. Taking this into account it is important to analyze how these ideals are represented and displayed as part of American culture by focusing on a specific cultural artifact, in this case the film Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich released on 1996. Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter and producer known by his science fiction productions which usually show humanity under catastrophic and risky situations. That is why on Independence Day a catastrophic context can be seen a context in which Planet Earth is under an Alien attack and places The United States in the center of the tragedy and as a country that puts all of its efforts to save the planet. The aim of this paper is to show: To what extent the film Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich reflects the American Dream. For this IT IS NECESSARY TO analyze the concept of The American Dream as part of their culture in relation to the elements that the film shows, an analysis of the script by showing the different situations and characters, and an analysis of the symbols used throughout the film. THE AMERICAN DREAM AS REPRESENTATION OF THEIR CULTURE The concept of the American Dream was introduced by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic America, where he talks about this concept as a social ideal representative of American culture, which seeks equality in terms of opportunities and a comfortable lifestyle for everyone, based on a proper use of democracy to achieve it. The American dream is the cultural expression of North American identity and, even if it was occasionally transformed into the American nightmare, it remains one of the most motivating forces of American civilization and a still viable token of American exceptionalism. (Stiuliuc, 2011). According to this, Diana Stiuliuc in her text The American Dream as the Cultural Expression of North American Identity claims that the American Dream despite the different interpretations that may have, will always refer to the American culture as a unique factor that represents the American national identity. Taking these definitions into account we can see how this concepts fi t the American culture, because it is based on democracy and equality, concepts that were consolidated as part of that culture since they were mentioned in the American constitution and the declaration of Independence. On the other hand, referring to Ferdinand Lasalle who said on his book On the essence of constitutions (YEAR) that culture is related with public consciousness, we can consider a relationship between the Constitution and culture. It means that the constitution has to reflect the aspects of society that are determined by their customs, their morality, their ideas about good and evil and in general all kind of aspects that represent the members of a society, in order to make people identify with the constitution and actually obey the laws. According to this and focusing in the movie, it is significant to stand out some concepts that clearly reflect The American Dream because they are based on democracy and equality, the concept of The United States as a country with a perfect democracy, a multicultural country and a global leader. ANALYSIS OF THE SCRIPT Throughout the film America is depicted in many ways as a model of democracy. Several ideas present in the classic documents mentioned appear as concepts in the films plot, there are mainly four ideas represented in the film, they are: America depicted as a progressive country, America depicted as a land in which goals can be fulfilled with enough effort, America as a country in which peace and the due processes are a priority, and America as a country which authority comes from the consent of the governed. America is shown as a progressive country in terms of its political structure, as the movie shows how the country is worried about social progress and welfare. One of the main characters in the film is the President who takes on many roles depending on the situations he faces throughout the film; one of these roles is that of a young yet wise politician. In the film America is shown as a land in which youth is not a hindrance in terms of wisdom. This is shown at the beginning of the film when the Presidents communication director Constance Halbrook, another important character, shows the news to the President arguing that people are attacking not his policies but his age. Other types of progressive thinking are shown throughout the movie such as the presence of debate and protest among the citizens. The President is shown as a human being despite his role as a hero, if he is not defeated at the end of the film, it is due to his prowess as a politician and soldier instead of a set of special abilities inherent to himself. Protestors are shown when US police and military forces take place close to the Alien ships. And debate is implied in occasional TV broadcasts shown as secondary plot devices. America is depicted as a land in which dreams can be fulfilled throughout the entire film. Almost each character starts his or her journey with a certain frustration, David failed as a scientist, Constance failed in her previous relationship with David, Steven could not get a job in NASA and Jasmine struggles with keeping her family together. At the end of the film after each character is forced to grow and has to put huge efforts in developing their skills or going through great risk, is able to accomplish his or her goals, David and Steve succeed in their attack to the alien ship, Constance and Jasmine are able to put their families together. America is also shown as a peaceful country that wont attack unless it is attacked first. After Alien ships are positioned over each major city in the United States the President gives the order to approach them in a peaceful way by having a group of helicopters get close to one of the space ships and broadcast a welcome message. Following an offensive by the Aliens the President gives the order of a counterattack. Also it is implied at several moments that America is a country that respects the supremacy of others, it is only after the United States supremacy is threatened that open war begins. This is closely related to the idea mentioned before that America is a country in which authority comes from the consent of the governed. Most scenes in the movie show scenarios of political life, TV debates, the Oval Office, the White House and so on, democracy is a central theme to the movie. A very representative moment of this idea is when the President decides to prepare a nuclear attack just after receiving a message from the Aliens that describes their method; Aliens are compared to locusts, their essence is that of the exact opposite to the freedom of a democratic government. Some of the mentioned ideas have a parallel in classic documents. The fifth amendment of the United States constitution mentions due process as one of the main components of justice in the United States; this thinking is re-enacted several times during the film. Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. (U.S constitution. Amendment. 5). The Declaration Of Independence states that the source of authority of each country should be the consent of the governed and not the authoritarian rule of a monarch, and that idea is reflected in the movie as it shows the concerns of the president anytime he is making a decision that may or may not benefit people. Another notorious idea is the representation of America as a multicultural country. Different genders and ethnicities are shown in the movie occupying different important roles, as it is an idea of equality that reaffirms The American Dream. Scientists are shown as people from Caucasian, Asian and African-American descent as well as one of the main characters, David, who is clearly of Jewish descent. Women have important roles during the film too, Constance and Margaret, the First Lady, are shown as brave and dedicated women among the world of politics, and Jasmine is shown as a strong woman and mother willing to do what it takes in order to survive and protect her family. It is important to mention about this element of the film what Hanson said on her work American Dream in the 21st Century an idea that shows a close relationship between the film and the American Dream. The American Dream represents a state of mind that is an enduring optimism given to a people who might be tempted to succumb to the travails of adversity, but who, instead, repeatedly rise from the ashes to continue to build a great nation. (Hanson, White, 2011). Soldiers that are one of the main components of the plot are also from different ethnic backgrounds. There is representation of Caucasians, African-Americans and Latinos, each person is compelled to fight for the independence of the United States regardless of their ethnic background or occupation as is mainly shown with Russell a farmer who is considered crazy and drunk during most of the film but turns into a hero by the end. Both the 15th and 19th amendments to the United States constitution defend gender and race diversity by protecting the right to vote of people from all genders and ethnicities. This idea is an essential part of The American Dream and their culture, and is therefore represented in the film repeatedly. Aside from that, it is important to mention how the military forces of the United States of America are shown throughout the film. Military forces are important since they are the first institution of the American government to appear in the film after the aliens have appeared and have been identified, they are the first group to face the threat and set research and analysis into motion. They are also the first ones to establish a defensive stance towards the invaders. This is shown in the movie since a Pentagon official who discovers the Aliens presence takes as first measure the action of summoning the Secretary of Defense. A very prominent idea shown in the film is the American position in regards of conflict against enemies. It is very important to stand out their role as negotiators and a peaceful society at the beginning of the film, they initially will not attack unless they are attacked. In the film, the first approach to the aliens by the American government is a peaceful one. After this peaceful attempt goes terribly wrong and the aliens attack, the army is given the green light to retaliate. This response as we mentioned before was of course more than ready. This peaceful feature of the American society has as well parallels in the official documents. In the Declaration Of Independence, it is stated that the King of England had attacked first by placing troops in American territory even in times of peace. It also says that America will stay in peace with all its allies and friends but will be in war with any enemy. Doing an analysis of the main characters points of view we can see that they always keep an attitude of braveness and enthusiasm. First of all we can see how the President always keeps a brave image and is never afraid or intimidated by the Aliens; he is always present at every moment, refusing any invitation to a shelter and doing everything possible for his country. This idea is reinforced when he decides to be a member of the final offensive fighting like any other soldier. Another element depicted in the film that reinforces this idea of America as a peaceful and caring country yet ready to battle, is how solidarity is an essential characteristic of all characters personality. This idea is prominently shown once again in the President. He is constantly shown as a loving family man. He appears for the first time during the film while receiving a call from his wife and being with his daughter. He stays with his daughter throughout the entire film and has his wife in mind. On the other hand, David is shown as a character attached to moral integrity, an environmentalist always concerned about taking care of the planet and the greater good. He is because of that the first one to go against the decision of launching a nuclear assault. Another recurrent theme in the film is the characterization of the United States as a technological super power. Scientists are during the story more than support characters, they are heroes. Since the beginning of the film scientific facilities are shown. In fact the first character to appear in the film is a scientist. The film goes back and forth between political and scientific scenarios in which all characters interact. America displays power in the film through politics, the army and technology. All these three scenarios are closely intertwined and together form what makes the United States a super power in the film. As mentioned, science appears in the film very early. The first image is a shot of the American flag placed on the moon showing one of the biggest achievements of humanity in terms of space exploration. Then it continues by depicting a scene of a Hi-tech facility in which scientists discover for the first time the presence of the Alien invaders. The importance of science in the movie not only as a tool of survival but as an icon of American pride is reinforced every time that characters face an obstacle in terms of technology. Very early in the film a member of the military is aggravated when an employee of the Pentagon admits that they are confused about what is going on. Another feature of the film related to the depiction of technology is the way that other countries technology is represented. Iraq and Russia are shown as countries in ruins after the alien attack, the Russian satellite is shown as old and is immediately destroyed, it is implied that the only network the Aliens use is the American one. David is therefore the most important character in the film in terms of technology. His personal journey goes from being a scientist who failed professionally despite his studies and intelligence to being the one who discovers the alien communication system and the one who learns how to destroy their defenses. David is the genius who represents the true power of America which is not the brute display of force but the use of knowledge, technology and progress. It is because of him that the world has to follow Americas lead during battle. Another very prominent representation of America in the film is that of the country being shown as a brave and resilient nation. Americans are shown as heroes who overcome adversity no matter how strong their opponents may be, always willing to defend themselves and their people, American scientists, politicians and soldiers seem to be utterly resilient and indestructible. That characteristic though is not shown as the starting point of the film, in fact, Americas most powerful cities are destroyed and all of their military efforts are rendered useless before the attack is successful displaying a story of heroes who had to sacrifice everything in order to win and who to be able to defend their freedom had to rely on their braveness only. Indeed America is shown as the Land of The Free and the Home of The Brave many times during the movie. The figures of the President and the First Lady are examples of courage, unwilling to hide, both decide to stay with the people of America during the alien attacks even after they are offered protection. The First Ladys sacrifice is therefore the ultimate display of braveness and will to resist against the oppressors. Even right before her death she is shown as a warrior who has set her mind on the only goal of defending her country even at the point of surrendering her life, she says she trusts her husbands capabilities in winning the battle turning her death into the moving force of the Presidents determination to win. The President is then the most important figure of braveness and resilience. Not only he is challenged in terms of his job he is also personally attacked and has his family destroyed before he can stand against the aliens. This mixture of professional and personal obligation comes together in his role as a soldier. The President is also a soldier with special abilities in the fields of air combat, he personally leads the final battle against the aliens, because of this reason he is fundamental to Americas victory, he embodies the might of the State, the braveness of Americans and the peoples will to resist and thrive through great efforts. Other main characters are symbols of courage and resilience. Russell is the everyman who even after being described as a bad father and mediocre man saves the day by showing that nothing else is more important than serving his country and fulfilling his duties as an American soldier, the President grants him the status of hero, because of this reason Russell receives the approval of his family and in spite of his previous failure he turns into a hero because of his braveness and willing to sacrifice. Steven is also the soldier who is willing to lose everything if it is for his country and his loved ones. His motivations are fulfilling his dream of being an astronaut, serving his country and protecting the family he wants to form with Jasmine. He puts himself at great risk by being a part of the stealth mission to destroy the enemy defense and does it without any hesitation. The same goes for David who as a member of this mission risks everything in name of the things he believes in, he is shown as an environmentalist who would do anything in order to save his country. Jasmine on the other hand shows another type of resistance. She is the one that as a main character represents the people of America. The everyday fighter, the passionate mother, she can only resist by doing what every civilian can do, being brave and trusting her state leaders. This is another prominent feature of the film. People are shown as hopeless yet brave citizens, they dont have the strength to fight against the aliens but do so by putting their trust in their government. The American civilians have anyway a common characteristic with the military and government their weakness that turns into braveness and finally victory. Then war is not between two equally powerful opponents, humans are obviously outnumbered and overpowered. Their machines and weapons are shown as tiny next to the huge weaponry of the aliens, even the final weapon against their defenses is tiny, a computer virus, showing that intelligence, courage and sacrifice are worth more than raw force. USE OF SYMBOLS One of the most prominent symbols shown in the movie is the speech given by the President to the soldiers prior to the battle against the aliens, where not only are displayed patriotic ideals but also America is depicted as a country that fully represents the promises of the American dream. One of the main symbolic references is the declaration of the 4th of July as a worldwide celebration extending the idea of The United States national independence to the entire world declaring that way that the ideals of the American revolution and its independence values are applicable to the entire world and should therefore be celebrated by all nations since they represent what is good for every nation. This reference to the 4th of July, which is of course a main idea in the film considering its relevance in relation to the title, places America as the leader of the world. The United States government and its military institutions are the ones to begin and lead the attack against the alien threat; the mentioned speech keeps a strong moral and military rhetoric style. The response from the listeners of the speech is highly emotional as they are all willing to defend these universal values in a clear reference to The American Dream. On the other hand we can talk about the symbols displayed visually. Throughout the film different places are shown and many are representative of American culture. Mainly, government buildings like the Pentagon or the White House and national monuments like the Statue of Liberty are shown, also the skylines of New York City and the city of Los Angeles are repeatedly featured. These symbols are a representation of the main aspects of American culture in relation to The American Dream; government buildings represent the power of the United States, its importance in keeping peace and order, as they show the importance of democracy. Cities like New York or Los Angeles are not only the main economic centers of the country but the most renowned touristic destinations in America. CONCLUSIONS Finally it can be seen how the concept of the American Dream has a very important role in everything related to the American culture, from it, the bases for a great amount of social ideals that represent and promote American culture and identity have been formed. The American Dream attempts to fulfill all ideals of equality and common well-being a nation where the dreams of all its members can become a reality depending on the extent to which they belong to the American society. It is very interesting also to analyze how these concepts go back to classic texts like the Declaration Of Independence and the Constitution of the United States since the importance of creating a global country had already been stated. Taking this into account, it can be seen how this film includes clear references reaffirming the cultural importance of the American Dream in a global context by showing how this nation has the capacity of being a world leader and keeping a society together. In the film, the concepts that depict the United States as a country with a perfect government system can be seen. America achieves through democracy a society that has equal rights for everyone regardless of ethnicity, gender and social differences but most of the film depicts America as a country able to keep a society in harmony where collective objectives and individual dreams are fulfilled. Finally, in terms of the inquiry that guides this paper, it can be seen that the film greatly represents the American Dream. Even from the title which refers to an American holiday but places it on a global context we can see how this film shows American values as the answer the world needs to be able to survive the invasion. We can see in the film how the United States is tested and destroyed just so it can reaffirm itself as a powerful nation in all its aspects, mainly culturally, showing the importance of the American Dream at a national and international level. Word count: 3974