The Grand Illusion Essay Example

The Grand Illusion Essay Example The Grand Illusion Essay The Grand Illusion Essay To wage a modern war is to fuse into a gigantic machine the resources of our most advanced technologies. Petroleum, rubber, and a host of other chemicals are the fuel of War; light and heavy materials its armor. Without aluminum, magnesium, tin, tungsten, molybdenum, quinine those looking to wage a total war cannot survive very long. The buttress of the Allied strategy rested secure in the knowledge that they, not Germany, controlled these resources and could therefore restrict German access to them. Blockade enforced by British dreadnaughts and backed by the US navy had been the basic element of Allied hope to thwart the German menace. Simple in its grandeur and apparent impregnability, this barricade of the sea lanes had the semblance of a wall which a mailed fist could never breach. In 1914, the Schleiffen Plan called for a swift and overpowering march to Paris as the coup de gri ce to end the war. However, since the Schleiffen Plan was not diligently obeyed, the Great War lasted longer than originally expected and resulted directly in a German defeat, a complication the axis powers did not account for. The tourniquet of the British Royal Navy constricted the German arteries of supply. By 1917, the German resource coffer that was needed to fuel its war machine was sucked dry and her people were withering away from starvation. Forced at last to surrender to the Allies, Germany studied this imprisoning cordon with great detail. With the cunning and aggression of Germany militancy eliminated from the world stage, the Allied forces finally relaxed. As the world order was gradually restored, science and technology forged ahead. In the early 1920s, German industry became evermore integrated and as a result, its dependence on the outer world for resources increased dramatically. However, with every addition to the myriad of materials NOT found within the Reich, it seemed to the Allied powers that the German threat was virtually eliminated. Without the necessary materials essential to technological progress, Germany was bound to her Allied captors. To begin with, Germany had absolutely no oil reserves; for a new war to be waged she would require a fathomless amount of petroleum. Conversely, the United States and Britain commanded more that half of the worlds oil supply. Germany had no rubber; Britain controlled a significant proportion of the world supply. From the context clues surrounding Germanys economic and financial state of affairs, the Allies concluded that it would be impossible for Germany to engage in rearmament and to escape the strangulation brought about by a dearth of strategic resources. The Great War revealed vital weak spots in the German armor the difficult task of rearming would be futile unless any new war could be started with a wider margin of advantage than it did in 1914. This requisite superiority required that Germany become an absolute autarky with the ability to provide for all its domestic needs. Was this economically possible when the Nightmare of Versailles continually haunted Weimar Germany? The Treaty emaciated the German military machine, slapped crippling monetary reparations on her, removed swathes of land from the German Empire, and left her in no viable economic position for wage any future wars. Of course, this was the consensus in the short run; Germany knew it had to focus on domestic policy and the rebuilding of its devastated country in the short-run. However, in the long run, Germany harbored a devious hidden agenda In hindsight, it can be assumed that the sweep of German aims in the early 20th century had but one reoccurring theme: world domination. Viewed by its captors as the have-not power on the Continent, Germany could not have asked for a better predicament to become a fortress of self-sufficiency. Hitler had the ruthlessness and cold, cruel realism to consolidate a position of power out of the collapse of the German economic structure. Resultantly, the vast centralized cartel organization which characterized German industry became a tool in the hands of a disillusioned dictator who no longer embraced private profit, but operated solely to serve his ruthless political ambitions. Thus, Hitler shouldered the conquest of the continent on the German industrialist. The First World War should have taught democratic nations that Germany used international cartels as the spearhead of aggression. Stronger in 1933 than 20 years prior, Germanys cartel brethren took back control of crucial industrial fields despite all the constraints imposed by Versailles to prevent their from doing so. With Hitlers compulsive determination to rearm, German controlled cartels simply served as the economic puppets of German interests. Neither before 1914 nor 1939 did Allied industrialists and financiers discover the truly destructive connotation of this outlook. Rather, to the savvy turn-of-the-century industrialist, cartels were considered as an efficient means of guaranteeing domestic monopoly. The industrialists operating businesses outside of the Third Reich thought of cartels in terms of low output, high prices, and maximized profits. However, the cartels of democracy were easy dupes and did not suspect that Germanys output was growing by leaps and bounds. These industrialists who consorted with German economic arrangements during the interwar period knew not what they did. Of course, history tells us that Germany lost WWI, but neither by this loss nor by the period of social unrest and inflation slowed the production of German industrial cartels. The failure of the allies to recognize that these cartels were not disarmed was their biggest mistake. This fait accompli, possibly due to the political myopia of the Allied powers, had repercussions in the war to come. Germanys consortium of cartels concealed from prying eyes what it could of its real operations. Armed with patents and secret know-how, the German cartels laid siege to the economies of prospective antagonists. These bold tactics, interlocked perfectly in design, are evident in the succession of maneuvers which characterized German policies in the 1920s. For example, rampant inflation liquidated the costs of the First World War and with a stabilized Mark in the mid 1920s, Germany extended an alluring invitation for foreign capital. The victors, not the vanquished, unknowingly provided the capital that helped fund Germanys reconstruction and later her massive rearmament program. In the late 1920s Germany made a portentous discovery: coal could be made into oil and oil could be made from rubber. The obstructions on the road to Armageddon were slowly being removed. While the rest of the world floated into oblivion, in Germany, war became certain. Lulled into a state of sleep, the world did not detect the direst omens of catastrophe. Sporadically, embedded in academic science journals and business reports, hints of German economic plans could be found. However, clouded in a haze of polysyllables the smattering of German blueprints evaded the eyes of the outside world. The Allied forces had characterized the German nation as economically dependent, unable to stand without the Allied crutch of raw materials and supplies.

Consumer law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer law - Essay Example As a general rule, the goods sold must â€Å"meet the standard that a reasonable person would regards as satisfactory, taking into account any description of the goods, the price and all other relevant circumstances†.1 By quality of goods, the intent of the law is to include not only the appearance and finish of the goods but also their durability and safety. The sales of Goods Act of 1979 so provides that a seller must only sell goods that conforms to its description and the failure of the seller to meet the requirements of the standards set would result into a liability on the part of the seller. Note that even tiny defects that could have gone unnoticed both by the seller and the consumer at the time the goods were sold are considered as non-compliance to the standards of the goods sold and shall be considered as a ground to impose liability on the part of the seller, should the consumer demand for such. However, where the goods are sold as â€Å"shop-soiled† or as damaged goods and the seller openly declares such damage, the seller shall not be held liable for non-compliance with the standards of goods sold. The goods must therefore be as described2. Aside from the standard of goods sold which must be satisfied, the goods must be fit for its purpose. According to the Supply of Goods and Services Act of 1982, the goods must be fit for any particular purpose mentioned by the seller to the buyer. For instance, where the seller purports to sell a pair of climbing shoes, such climbing shoes should be fit for the purpose and will not break easily from the rigors of mountain climbing. Where the goods do not perform as the seller claims it would, then we can say that the goods does not match its description not just in its physical appearance but also in its capabilities. In our hypothetical case, Lil bought a pair of shoes from â€Å"tuffstuff† and wore them on a hill-walking holiday. By the end of the holiday, the shoes

Investors in People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Investors in People - Essay Example a business whose focus seems mainly to be on the external people, their clients/members, to provide a haven from the everyday stressors. The business selected was Fitness First. As the leader in the leisure industry, Fitness First's staff focuses on quality services in order to take care of the members. Employees work so that members can take care of themselves and recuperate from the stressors of daily life. Perhaps by implementing Investors in People, the largest health club operator, which caters to people can also provide cater to their people (employee) and reach its objective more effectively. Hence, the focus of this project was to evaluate how the Investors in People Standard, can be useful to an organization, Fitness First UK, and to evaluate the changes, advantages and disadvantages and possible problems. Objectives of the Research The objectives of this research included: -To critically review the literature on Investors in People, or the Standard, companies that use, and the implementation of the Standard to Fitness First and similar organisations -To identify the strategies in implementing the Standard with Fitness First UK's policies -To find the result of investing in the people who take care of people as an occupation -To investigate the possible impact of the necessary changes, acceptance and rejection of staff,management, clients, and vendors when incorporating change -To monitor employees' motivation and attitude via training, benefits, empowerment,etc. -To examine management's role (this will even involve training managers) -To discover, implement, examine, and find the results of the planning, learning, anddevelopment to achieve organization's objectives as... Fitness First UK's employees work hard in order that client scan recuperate from the stresses of daily life. Perhaps by implementing Investors in People, the largest health club organization, which caters to their external people (clients) can also provide cater to their internal people (employee) and reach its objective more effectively. Hence, the focus of this project was to evaluate how the Investors in People Standard, can be implemented the current policies of Fitness First UK. The Investors in People Standard, or the Standard, provides a framework for organization to follow. However, the framework is kept open and flexible so that organisations can adjust and customize to meet its needs. Based on the actions of the planning cycle, the Standard's guidelines are to Plan, Do, and Review. It is not strictly structured in order that organizations can implement the Standard in the way that is best. This makes sense and is highly effective because each organization and its people are extremely unique. Investors in People UK list their framework: Scutt (1998) lists, "The current Director, John Layne, joined Airline Operations during 1994 and quickly identified the need to improve its business performance, customer service, and reduce costs.

Training Effectiveness (Human Resource Management) Essay

Training Effectiveness (Human Resource Management) - Essay Example The main question thus arises, how can one measure the effectiveness of training in organizations, yet training is an intangible and unquantifiable expense? One of the highly used methods is the visual confirmation. The visual confirmation aspect, hence considers various aspects that include the changes in behaviors, an increase in productivity and the overall level of expertise each of the people who have undergone training exhibit. This measure of training effectiveness is usually observed by the training manager or the HR head in charge of training. Another measure of training effectiveness is the aspect of social ownership. Social ownership is the ability of a trainee to disburse this knowledge to other people, acting as a trainer. Social ownership can be packaged an analysis of peer-to-peer teaching moments or commanded training by manager, whereby the trainee would have to share his or her learning from the training program (Eades, 2014). Even so, the most used and reliable method is skill assessment. After training has been conducted in the organization, a periodical monitoring and assessment of skills can be conducted to ensure that the training was effective in imparting such skills. Of all the mentioned methods, the most appropriate is the skills assessment module. Skill assessment is the preferable measure of training effectiveness that can be used in this organization. Primarily, one of the key reasons why skill assessment is the most appropriate, is the fact that a statistical quantification can be implemented. By assessing the skills, a manager can understand the effectiveness of the training. As such, it is arguable that skill assessment is one of the best approaches of measuring training effectiveness in any given

The Talent of Iago in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Shakespeare Othel

The Talent of Iago in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Shakespeare's Othello is a tragic drama that shows the overwhelming power of deception and the damage it can lead to.   Othello's right-hand man is Iago; on the surface a die-hard friend and confidant, in reality comparable to the devil himself.   Iago uses other characters as though they were his puppets, planting lies and watching the sorrowful fruit born.   Iago deceives virtuous, yet weaker men (such as Cassio and Roderigo) with ease, but feels greatly threatened by the most powerful, virtuous general in the land - Othello.   Othello's only flaw is jealousy, and Iago exploits this to no end, using him to get what he wants.   Iago's talent to manipulate the truth and control other people with his lies is what gives this play momentum.   More than any other characteristic, Iago preys on those who are emotionally unsure of their desires.   Iago manages to find ways of altering these characters' perceptions of reality, forcing them to believe in the dark world that Iago has created for them.   The main emotions that Iago bends and twists are those of love... ... Castlerock Entertainment, 1995.    Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Othello, The Moor of Venice. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, sixth edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. "The Engaging Qualities of Othello." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957   

Hrm and Employment Relationships

HRM and Employment Relationships Employment Relationship Employment Relationship can economical, social and political relationship in which employees provide manual and mental labour in exchange for reward from employers (Gospel and Palmer 1993) There are 4 Dimensions within the employment relationship * Economic exchange – Wage-effort bargain * Socio-political – Power * Legal/Contractual * Psychological contract/social exchange Contract of employment is formed when an offer of employment is made and accepted There are 3 ‘types’ of contract in the employment relationship (Schein 1980): 1. Formal – Economic and legal; 2. Informal – Reflecting the social norms in the workplace (the organisational ‘culture’) and those in wider society about how people should treat each other (‘Natural justice’); 3. Psychologrcal (implicit ‘contract’ made up of unspoken expectations and obligations). The Psychological Contract of Employment A set of unwritten reciprocal expectations between an individual employee and the organisation’ (Schein 1977) Positive psychological contract through particular configurations of HR policies and practices * Behavioural and performance outcomes such as job satisfaction, employee commitment, motivation and lowered intention to quit. The Explicit Contract of employment An agreement between two parties enforceable by law†¦ a contract of service and comes into being when an employee agrees to work for an employer in return for pay’ (ACAS) * Accumulation of rights and responsibilities for both parties * The terms of a contract can be: * Express (explicitly agreed between the parties, either in writing or orally) * Implied (not explicitly agreed but which would be taken by the parties to form part of the contract Control VS Commitment With the evolution of people management there is now more of a focus on control. The logic of control Direct control * Low trust employment relationship * Strict supervision and task specification * Subordination of labour to capital. Responsible autonomy High trust commitment relationships A degree of worker discretions and responsibility Edwards (1979) developed this analysis by identifying two ‘structural’ strategies for control: Technical control -built into machinery and technology (Fordist) Bureaucratic control -Control via internal labour markets, career structures and the position of individuals relative to one another with regard to job security, status and ‘rank’. Social control Conformity and compliance with a set of formal or informal rules Internalisation of norms and values of a group Handy (1976), referring to organisations in their broadest possible sense (not only work organisations), identifies three types of psychological contract: Coercive * Contract is not entered into freely (e. . prisons) * Majority dominated by minority who exercise control by rule/punishment * Emphasis on conformity. Calculative * Contract is entered into freely but control is maintained by management * Power is expressed in terms of their ability to give desired rewards to the individual. Co-operative * Individual tends to identify with the goals of the organisation and strive for their attainment through individual effort. * Effort is based on the degree the individual has input in the company's goals. Commitment is closely associated with motivation, but whereas motivation is focused mainly on the individual, commitment is more strongly associated with the individual’s attachment to, and identification with, the work organisation and the organisation’s goals’ (Blyton ; Jenkins 2008; 139) Employee commitment and association with the aims and values of the firm are the mediating link between HR policies and practices and enhanced individual and organisational performance Relationship reflects form of ‘labour’ involved and that can be ‘bought’ in this exchange: * Physical * Mental (‘thinking’) * Emotional (‘the act of expressing organisationally-desired emotions during service transactions’: Morris ; Feldman 1996; 987) * Aesthetic (‘looking good’ or ‘sounding right’: Nickson et al. 2003).

Animal Farm, 1984 Essay - 605 Words

Animal farm and 1984 Napoleon, the leader of all the animals of the Rebellion, can be compared and contrasted with Big Brother, the leader of all the people of 1984. Both Big Brother and Napoleon show the qualities of a cruel ruler. Similar to Big Brother, Napoleon is a secretive plotter who works behind the scenes rather than openly. However, unlike Napoleon, Big Brother periodically appears on the television screen. Napoleon and Big Brother both work continually to weaken their rivals, whether it is by removing Snowball or eliminate Rutherford. Both place importance on complicated ceremonies and parades to prevent their workers from thinking about their schemes. Napoleon’s control over animal farm is not as powerful as Big Brothers†¦show more content†¦At the end, one is presumably vaporized. The characters in Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four have similar and distinct characteristics, which put towards in the growth of theme. Big Brother and Napolean, unrelenting and sly, established a totalitarian group. Winston and Boxer are true followers of their leaders, they always thing the leader is right. All together these two books share many features, George Orwell is trying to show Totalitarianism/Animalism and fascism. He has set the two stories very well in the way he has compared and contrasted the characters to show different points of political aspects. Short Summary of Animal Farm Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution, it is based on certain aspects of the Revolution. For example, revolting the government, all of the animals on the farm group together to overthrow their cruel owner because they believe they are not being treated as well as they should be. When the animals come into power after overthrowing their master the pigs consider themselves to be the dictators on the farm, snowball one of the pigs starts to plan building a windmill to give power to the farm but Napoleon is not happy that snowball is leading the animals in thought, so he starts blaspheming him, the animals are agreeing for Snowballs idea but now Napoleon is outraged. Napoleon lets out a high pitch squeal and out of nowhere a pack of dogs he raised from puppies ran after Snowball and chased him intoShow MoreRelatedGeorge Orwell s Animal Farm And 19841948 Words   |  8 Pagesuse of symbolism, metaphors, and allusions to help develop the ideals of totalitarian governments a nd their effects on society in his novels Animal Farm and 1984. Orwell uses symbolism to show various aspects of totalitarian governments in Animal Farm. The animal farm, or manor farm, is the plantation in which the animals all live and work on. Manor farm symbolizes various Human societies such as capitalists, socialists, and communists. Orwell uses this to show that there are multiple parties withinRead MoreAnimal Farm And 19841457 Words   |  6 Pagesthese books were Nineteen - Eighty -Four and Animal Farm, which were his works that most obviously portrayed his disfavor for totalitarian governments. Totalitarian governments are controlled by political authorities who have control of all aspects of society. Nineteen-Eighty-Four and Animal Farm are two different books that have different ways of expressing the same theme. For example, Animal Farm is constructed on a farm and the characters are animals and Nineteen - Eighty - Four is set in a societyRead MoreOrwell s 1984 And Animal Farm1243 Words   |  5 PagesHopelessness in 1984 and An imal Farm Hopelessness is a very strong quality present in 1984 and Animal Farm both by George Orwell. 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He could then play only with the other children in the family, all of whom were at least five years older or youngerRead MoreGeorge Orwells 1984 And Animal Farm1994 Words   |  8 Pages George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm share a very important theme and common elements that shape the idea of an Orwellian society. Orwellian is widely described as a society in which the liberties of all are diminished due to powerful rule. Orwell conveys the theme of â€Å"Many believe that man’s actions result from his free will, the presentation/perception of what is fact, remains dominant over society s actions.† through parallel elements of rep ression of information, fear propaganda, and languageRead MoreAnimal Farm And 1984, By George Orwell1936 Words   |  8 Pagesoppressive powers, such novels include Animal Farm and 1984. He wrote Animal Farm in 1944-1945 at the tail end of the WWII, his inspiration came from the revolutions in Russia, the result of that was the USSR, which divulged the country into a totalitarian regime. This was accomplished by manipulating socialist ideas of equality among the working class to oppress its people and maintain power. This created the basis for Animal Farm where many of the animal characters have direct correlations to peopleRead MoreAnimal Farm And 1984 George Orwell Analysis889 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell used the theme of betrayal to show how the society in both â€Å"Animal Farm† and â€Å"1984† controls the people. Both books have a totalitarian government controlling everyone but in 1984 the government has people betray each other to gain power. People do as they’re told and lose the relationships such as family, friends, or intimate relationships, all of which they would have in a normal society. The government does this so each individual becomes alienated from each other and feels likeRead MoreGeorge Orwell s 1984 And Animal Farm1983 Words   |  8 PagesGeorge Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm shares a fundamental theme and common elements that shape the idea of an Orwellian society. Orwellian is widely described as a society in which the liberties of all are diminished due to authoritarian rule. Orwell conveys the theme of â€Å"Many believe that man’s actions result from his free will, the presentation/perception of what is fact, remains dominant over society s actions.† through parallel elements of repression of information, fear propaganda, and languageRead MoreAnimal Farm, 1984 and John F. Kennedy503 Words   |  2 Pageswant, therefore you impede your own growth. Throughout Animal Farm and 1984 bo th by George Orwell, this is seen by the use of motifs, characterization and symbolism. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses motifs and characterization to demonstrate how conformity can take ones freedom away and stop them from expressing their own ideas. The â€Å"Beasts of England† song is a great example of a motif that’s supports John F. Kennedy’s quote. In Animal Farm, this song and many other songs/slogans act as propagandaRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s 1984 And Animal Farm 1401 Words   |  6 PagesTitle/Author: 1984/ George Orwell Date of Publication/Genre: 1949/ Dystopian Fiction Biographical information about the author: George Orwell, who was originally Eric Arthur Blair was born in 1903 in British India. His two greatest novels include 1984 and Animal Farm. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelist of the 20th century. Historical information on the period of publication: During this period, the United Kingdom recognized the republic of Ireland. The United States claimed Israel as