Human Rights Essay Example for Free

Human Rights Essay Human rights are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being. Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in local, regional, national, and international law. The doctrine of human rights in international practice, within international law, global and regional institutions, in the policies of states and in the activities of non-governmental organizations, has been a cornerstone of public policy around the world. The idea of human rights states, if the public discourse of peacetime global society can be said to have a common moral language, it is that of human rights. Despite this, the strong claims made by the doctrine of human rights continue to provoke considerable skepticism and debates about the content, nature and justifications of human rights to this day. Indeed, the question of what is meant by a right is itself controversial and the subject of continued philosophical debate. Many of the basic ideas that animated the human rights movement developed in the aftermath of the Second World War and the atrocities of The Holocaust, culminating in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The ancient world did not possess the concept of universal human rights. The true forerunner of human rights discourse was the concept of natural rights which appeared as part of the medieval Natural law tradition that became prominent during the Enlightenment with such philosophers as John Locke, Francis Hutcheson, and Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, and featured prominently in the political discourse of the American Revolution and the French Revolution. From this foundation, the modern human rights arguments emerged over the latter half of the twentieth century. History of concept  Although ideas of rights and liberty have existed in some form for much of human history, they do not resemble the modern conception of human rights. According to Jack Donnelly, in the ancient world, traditional societies typically have had elaborate systems of duties conceptions of justice, political legitimacy, and human flourishing that sought to realize human dignity, flourishing, or well-being entirely independent of human rights. These institutions and practices are alternative to, rather than different formulations of, human rights. The modern sense of human rights can be traced to Renaissance Europe and the Protestant Reformation, alongside the disappearance of the feudal authoritarianism and religious conservativism that dominated the Middle Ages. One theory is that human rights were developed during the early Modern period, alongside the European secularization of Judeo-Christian ethics. The most commonly held view is that concept of human rights evolved in the West, and that while earlier cultures had important ethical concepts, they generally lacked a concept of human rights. For example, McIntyre argues there is no word for right in any language before 1400. and constituted a form of limited political and legal agreement to address specific political circumstances, in the case of Magna Carta later being recognised in the course of early modern debates about rights. One of the oldest records of human rights is the statute of Kalisz, giving privileges to the Jewish minority in the Kingdom of Poland such as protection from discrimination and hate speech. The earliest conceptualization of human rights is credited to ideas about natural rights emanating from natural law. In particular, the issue of universal rights was introduced by the examination of extending rights to indigenous peoples by Spanish clerics, such as Francisco de Vitoria and Bartolome de Las Casas. In the Valladolid debate, Juan Gines de Sepulveda, who maintained an Aristotelian view of humanity as divided into classes of different worth, argued with Las Casas, who argued in favor of equal rights to freedom of slavery for all humans regardless of race or religion. In Britain in 1683, the English Bill of Rights and the Scottish Claim of Right each made illegal a range of oppressive governmental actions. Two major revolutions occurred during the 18th century, in the United States and in France, leading to the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen respectively, both of which established certain legal rights. Additionally, the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776 encoded into law a number of fundamental civil rights and civil freedoms. These were followed by developments in philosophy of human rights by philosophers such as Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill and G. W. F. Hegel during the 18th and 19th centuries. The term human rights probably came into use some time between Paines The Rights of Man and William Lloyd Garrisons 1831 writings in The Liberator, in which he stated that he was trying to enlist his readers in the great cause of human rights. In the 19th century, human rights became a central concern over the issue of slavery. A number of reformers, such as William Wilberforce in Britain, worked towards the abolition of slavery. This was achieved in the British Empire by the Slave Trade Act 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. In the United States, all the northern states had abolished the institution of slavery between 1777 and 1804, although southern states clung tightly to the peculiar institution. Conflict and debates over the expansion of slavery to new territories constituted one of the reasons for the southern states secession and the American Civil War. During the reconstruction period immediately following the war, several amendments to the United States Constitution were made. These included the 13th amendment, banning slavery, the 14th amendment, assuring full citizenship and civil rights to all people born in the United States, and the 15th amendment, guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote. Many groups and movements have achieved profound social changes over the course of the 20th century in the name of human rights. In Europe and North America, labour unions brought about laws granting workers the right to strike, establishing minimum work conditions and forbidding or regulating child labor. The womens rights movement succeeded in gaining for many women the right to vote. National liberation movements in many countries succeeded in driving out colonial powers. One of the most influential was Mahatma Gandhis movement to free his native India from British rule. Movements by long-oppressed racial and religious minorities succeeded in many parts of the world, among them the African American Civil Rights Movement, and more recent diverse identity politics movements, on behalf of women and minorities in the United States. The establishment of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the 1864 Lieber Code and the first of the Geneva Conventions in 1864 laid the foundations of International humanitarian law, to be further developed following the two World Wars. The World Wars, and the huge losses of life and gross abuses of human rights that took place during them, were a driving force behind the development of modern human rights instruments. The League of Nations was established in 1919 at the negotiations over the Treaty of Versailles following the end of World War I. The Leagues goals included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation and diplomacy, and improving global welfare. Enshrined in its charter was a mandate to promote many of the rights later included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the 1945 Yalta Conference, the Allied Powers agreed to create a new body to supplant the Leagues role; this was to be the United Nations. The United Nations has played an important role in international human-rights law since its creation. Following the World Wars, the United Nations and its members developed much of the discourse and the bodies of law that now make up international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Philosophy The philosophy of human rights attempts to examine the underlying basis of the concept of human rights and critically looks at its content and justification. Several theoretical approaches have been advanced to explain how and why human rights have become a part of social expectations. One of the oldest Western philosophies of human rights is that they are a product of a natural law, stemming from different philosophical or religious grounds. Other theories hold that human

Marks and Spencer: Structure and Culture

Marks and Spencer: Structure and Culture 1. INTRODUCTION Marks Spencer is British institution. Opened in 1884, the company emerged as a major retailer of clothes, food, household items and financial services. By 1997, Marks Spencer was an international company with sales of over  £8 billion and very high net profit margins. However, the group experienced a shocking reversal in fortune at the turn of the 21st Century when its main customer base, women aged between 35 and 55 began to stop shopping at their stores. This posed a very serious threat to the companys survival and Marks Spencer thought hard and long about how to rectify the situation. It did so by introducing bold new moves changing its corporate culture and by strengthening existing systems and processes. By doing so, the company was able to regain its loyal customers and grow once again. Yet, the last few years have been challenging as the company was badly affected by the global economic crisis. This report outlines the changing structure and culture at Marks Spencers. It provides a comparison of the contributions of the key business functions to the organizational change. It also identifies the key stakeholders of the organization and the key issues of managing them. Finally, a SWOT analysis is done for Marks Spencer along with an assessment of its long term future prospects. 2. CHANGING CORPORATE CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE All organizations have their own cultures, which consist of the values and beliefs shared by its members which determine to a considerable degree how managers respond to problems and opportunities. But corporate culture can become static and excessively bureaucratic over time, even among successful organizations (Huff et al, 2009). An organizational culture is powerful because it automatically shapes the way members see their world. Any culture is deeply rooted in beliefs and values that members have internalized. When beliefs and values are held without challenge for a long period of time, they are even less likely to be questioned (Robbins and Judge, 2007). The norms rarely change to accommodate those who deviate from them. Inertia sets in and employees become stuck in a rut. Employees become resistant to change and are unwilling to do things differently because they involve inconvenience and uncertainty. This could ultimately destroy the company. Like most successful organizations, Marks Spencer was a victim of its own success. Its corporate culture because inflexible, rigid and resistant to change because it was felt that since the company was successful, there was no need to change. Deeply entrenched was a sense of employee entitlement regarding remuneration and working hours. However, when it became clear that the old culture was unable to cope with changing demands of the marketplace, the top management decided on a major revamp. As a result, employees became less resistant to change and began to embrace new ways of doing things. Employees were willing to work for longer hours if it meant better pay and they were less resistant to the fact that they might lose their jobs if the company performed poorly. They were also sent for learning and education programs to equip them with new skills sets so that they were better able to cope with changes in the working environment. All these efforts contributed to the change in corporate culture which is now more dynamic and flexible. A number of major changes were also made to the organizational structure. The formal chain of command was flattened to a certain extent and in doing so the company became more agile and responsive to changes in customer demand and taste. The regional management structure was simplified to delegate more responsibility to individual store managers to give them more autonomy. 3. CONTRIBUTIONS OF KEY BUSINESS FUNCTIONS TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES 3.1 Finance The finance function plays a critical role at Marks Spencer in cutting costs and eliminating unnecessary expenditure. The entire value chain was examined to determine where and how costs could be trimmed. As a result, the company was able to reduce costs, provide better prices to the customers and improve its overall profitability. Ultimately, it is the shareholders who stand to gain the most from the initiatives made in terms of maximization of shareholder wealth. 3.2 Marketing To attract new customers and retain existing customers at Marks Spencer, the marketing function critically examined the cause of declining sales. The main cause negative customer perception of its main customer base women aged between 35 and 55 that the clothes sold at Marks Spencer were unfashionable and even dowdy. Therefore, the marketing function decided to split up the long-cherished St Michaels brand into a number of categories to cater for different customer needs. Consequently, the company launched three new product categories for women (www.marksandspencer.com, 2011). The first, the Perfect and Classic ranges were for basic purposes, for example jeans, sweaters and plain shirts. The second range, Autograph is for the more fashionable woman of a larger demographic group. The final range, per una, is targeted at the younger woman of ages 25 to 35 and is of average dress size. By segmenting its products for different markets, the company was able to regain most of the sales it lost. Different marketing campaigns are held for each range and this makes the companys products appear more attractive to customers. 3.3 Operations A number of critical changes were made to the companys operations. For one, the supply chain was made leaner and in doing so, the company made substantial savings. Fewer suppliers were used and this facilitated transparency and response time. The lead time was reduced and the company placed a greater emphasis on timeliness and quality. These contribute to leaner operations which lead to higher profits. 3.4 Human Resource This function is critical to the successful implementation of a strategy. The HRM function at Marks Spencer played an important role in changing employee mindset and modifying the corporate culture to be more attuned to the changes that need to occur (Hitt et al, 2004). As a result, employees were more receptive to change and aware of the sacrifices they need to make. 4. KEY STAKEHOLDERS The key stakeholders of Marks Spencer are shareholders, management, employees and customers. The following diagram shows their relative importance and power: Power of Stakeholders Meet Their Needs Key Player B, C A D Least Important Show Consideration Interest Key: A Shareholders B Management C Customers D Employees 5. MANAGING KEY STAKEHOLDERS Shareholders would like to maximize their wealth. Share maximization is through share price appreciation and dividends (Aaker, 1996). Therefore, satisfying this group would require increasing profits and the company profile. Management is concerned about maintaining control over operations. Their goals are sometimes similar to that of shareholders but in some cases they differ (Daniels et al, 2007). Hence, there is the agency problem. The employees at Marks Spencer are most concerned about job security and work conditions. Ideally, they would like jobs that pay well and have good hours. However, this may be incompatible with the goal of wealth maximization of shareholders as employee benefits will erode profits. Similarly, if employees are unionized, they may cause problems to management and reduce its influence. Hence, management must strike a balance between making employees and shareholders happy. Customers are concerned about satisfying their needs and wants. Managing them effectively would require Marks Spencer to improve its product offering to make satisfied customers who make repeat purchases. 6. SWOT ANALYSIS 6.1 (S)trengths Excellent control system for suppliers, inventory and layout of stores. Very high quality products Efficient and modern production techniques Good understanding of its core customer base. 6.2 (W)eaknesses Generic clothing that is often perceived as unfashionable An image of being boring 6.3 (O)pportunities Global expansion Utilizing more overseas suppliers to achieve cost advantage Maximize use of existing technology to obtain competitive advantage 6.4 (T)hreats Competition with premium quality clothing manufacturers Competition with discount stores Economic downturn 7. FUTURE PROSPECTS Marks Spencer is facing a very difficult time. After its successful business turnaround, it is once again facing problems due to the recession. Indeed the next few years may be a very difficult time for the company. Not only is it facing competition from high end retailers but discount stores as well. Meanwhile, the middle class is shrinking and if the company does not take bold steps, it may collapse. To succeed, the company must grow its market share by penetrating new markets or new product lines. 8. CONCLUSION Marks Spencer is a company with a long history of success. To overcome its current difficulties, it must draw on its strengths, overcome its weaknesses and revamp its strategy to stay relevant and competitive.

Spread of Islam Between 632 750

Spread of Islam Between 632 750 How and why did the Muslims conquer so many lands in the relatively short period from 632 750? After Muhammad had died, his successors (the caliphs) had conquered most of the Persian and Roman world. In 640 the Muslims had attacked the Byzantine territory in the west and had moved on in the east where they had defeated the Persians at their capital Ctesiphonin 637. By 661 all of Persia had been on Muslim hands. During the 7th to 8thcentury Islamic ruled extended to Spain and India. The Islamic had conquered these capitals in a short period of time because they had attacked the weak empires first. The Byzantine and Sassanid states had been tired of fighting each other. The cities of the middle east had been taken back and forth from Persians and back to the Byzantines had been depopulated and their survivors had been burdened with heavy taxes. The Muslims had been welcomed into both territories by discontented groups.Byzantine empirewere glad to have new overlords. These were the rea sons for the Islamic success in a short period of time. Another reason for their success was there warfare and how they practiced their skills. Theyhad practiced their skills as warriors not fighting against each other but rather against unbelievers. They were a fully armed and on horseback military. How the Islam’s expanded so quickly The strategy of attacking and overtaking weak empires worked to their benefit because it gave them the option of placing an established military presence in new territories allowing them to have a firm grip on the new territories and eventually allowing them to invade and pursue surrounding regions. Also by relocating Arab tribes onto their new territory and implementing a great taxation system it gave the empire a consistent and necessary income to pay and keep happy the soldiers. Because these tribes faced persecution prior to the Islam’s taking over they welcomed them with open arms in exchange for protection and safety. I also believe by allowing religious tolerance rather than persecution it gave them a sense if unity which in turn would allow all religions to live peacefully in harmony Why the Muslims conquered so many lands in the short period of time Muhammad wanted to spread his new religion to others. Because of Muhammad’s insistence of abandoning polytheistic cults, it brought him conflict with other people. Therefore, he had to find a place where people would follow him. He found his supporters in Medina. The people there were ready to listen to his religious message and to regard him as their leader in the community. Even though Muslims were successful at Medina, they felt threatened by the Quraysh. Muhammad and his followers killed forty-nine of the Meccan enemy at the battle of Badr. Because of his great victory, Muhammad was able to gain new followers. After Muhammad’s death, the caliphs continued and followed Muhammad’s footsteps. They conquered more territories. The Byzantine and the Sassanid empires contributed to the quick expansion of the Muslims. Because of being already weakened empires due to fighting each other, the Muslims easily conquered both territories and extended the Islamic rule into more territories. Also, like you mentioned, the Muslims were already experts to warfare. They had no problem defeating the armies that the two empires had. They conquered so many lands because of their impeccable army attacking the weak empires and their expressed welcome by the oppressed people. Although Muhammad was dead by 632, you mentioned his successors, or the caliphs attacking and killing the weak empires of Byzantine and Sassanid, that was a great point. They set up the plans to conquer the other weak empires. Kaycee’s blog was also great because she summarized the events lead up to the capture of the Byzantine and Sassanid empires.Hansen, Your comments about the Muslim empire was, excellent and your blog Kaycee was a great summary of the events of 632-750. They had attacked the weak empires first. The Byzantine and the Sassanid had been tired of fighting each other that it left their capital to be depopulated and those people who had been left behind had to burden heavy taxes. When the Muslims had taken over they were glad to have new overlords. Another reason they had succeed was because of their strong army. They practice their skills as warriors to not fight each other but other people. After the death of Muhammad, the Caliphs or Muhammad’s successors conquered the western world of Rome and Persia. The Muslims attacked the Byzantine territory in Syria with ease and moved into Egypt in the 640’s. In 637, they invaded the Sassanid Empire to the east and defeated the Persians at their capital in Ctesiphon. By 661, they defeated all of Persia. The Islamic rule later extended from Spain to India in the 7th and 8th century. The Byzantine and Sassanid states were exhausted from fighting each other. The cities of the Middle East had been taken by the Persian Empire and retaken by the Byzantine Empire. They were depopulated and the few survivors were burdened with heavy taxes. The people welcomed the Muslims, in the hopes that their economy and life would be improved. For example, many Monophysite Christians were persecuted in their countries and they wanted to be free from discrimination. They were glad to have new Islamic overlords. There were also other reas ons for the Islamic success. The Islamic forces were now fighting together in groups called jihads. The jihads were against non-believers, especially non-Islamic peoples. They rode on horseback and camels and were a united front. The leaders or the Caliphs also played an important part in the relatively short takeover of other countries. The first two Caliphs ruled in conflict. The third Caliph, Uthman (r.644-656), a member of the Umayyad family and one of Muhammad’s sons-in-law, aroused discontentment among other clan member of the inner circle and soldiers. They were discontent because of his distribution of high offices and revenues. Under the Umayyad caliphate, the Muslim world became a state with its capital at Damascus. Borrowing from the instruction or laws of the civilizations that they had just conquered, the Muslims issued coins and hired former Byzantine and Persian officials. They made a functioning government, a centralization of a capital and made a common langu age. As the Islamic people became organized conquering lands was easier and faster. Works cited Hunt Lynn, Thomas R. Martin, R. Po-chia Hsia, Bonnie G. Smith, and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Second.Vol. I: to 1740. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Print. The Muslims conquered so much land in a short period of time because initially they attacked already vulnerable empires.For example the Byzantine and Sassanid states had been mangled from many years of war and over taking that territory was essentially easy. Also the acceptance of Muslims by discontented groups in Byzantine and Sassanid gave them a solid building foundation in the new territories.These groups were Monophysite Christians were persecuted so they welcomed in the new lords.The already powerful Muslim warriors who had been fighting civilly were now united and were fighting wars and killing non believers together.They would invade and take over territory and when doing so they would build cities where they would move captured Arab tribes to live, work and pay taxes to them.By doing so they had established a command post for their military to fight out of in each territory making it easier to move and expand into other parts of Syria and Egypt.By the beginning of the eighth century Islamic rule had power over territories reaching from Spain to India. I also believe that because the Islamic warriors maintained peace and gave freedom of religion to the cities they had control over gave them an easier way to establish a following.They allowed religious tolerance for a special tax and protected the cities from civil wars and invaders.It gave citizens a peace of mind.

Steven Spielberg :: Essays Papers

Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg is an American motion-picture director, producer and executive, who has achieved great commercial success and is among the most popular film-makers of the late 20th Century. Spielberg made his first film at the age of 12. In 1969, his short film â€Å"Amblin† came to the attention of Universal Pictures and he signed a seven-year contract with them. His earliest commercial efforts were television movies, which included the f m â€Å"Duel† made in 1971, and which gained him wider recognition. In 1975 Spielberg made the film â€Å"Jaws†, a thriller based on Peter Benchley’s novel about a great white shark. â€Å"Jaws† proved to be a tremendous success and quickly established Spielberg’s reputation and fame. After this, with only few exceptions, almost every motion picture that Spielberg has handled has become a box-office hit, and he has been increasingly regarded as a film-maker of genuine artistic ability. Subsequent films have included â€Å" Close Encounters of the Third Kind†(1977), â€Å"1941†(1979), â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Ark†(1981) and it’s sequels: â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom†(1984) and â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989), also â€Å"E.T.† (1982) which has been said to have been his greatest achievement, â€Å"The Color Purple† (1985), â€Å"Empire of the Sun†(1987), â€Å"Always†(1989) and â€Å"Hook†(1991). In 1993 Spielberg released two films that had tremendous commercial and artistic impact. â€Å"Jurassic Park† featuring computer-createad dinosaurs, which within four weeks of it’s release became the top-grossing motion picture up to that time. He als released â€Å"Schindlers List†, an epic of the Holocaust, this proved him to be a director of grear power and sensitivity, he received an academy award for best director and best picture. In 1987 he had received the Irving Thalberg Award. In 1994, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, Spielberg formed a new studio, Dreamworks SKG, they also annouced the formation of a creative partnership with Microsoft Corporation - Dreamworks Interactive - to produce interactive games, videos a teaching materials.

The Roots of Our Digital World Essay -- Technology Essays

The Roots of Our Digital World Today's world revolves around the storing, organization, and communication of information. While the world today may seem new and unique, this digital world arose out of a combination of many smaller steps that varied from innovations like a new discovery in science or a new philosophical outlook. In their writings Lev Manovich, a professor of New Media at San Diego University, and Dr. Simon Cook, an Economics professor at Duke University, have developed of a history of what lead to the development of the visual world. Manovich claims that the digital revolution came in a three-step process. The first took place in the time period between 1870 and 1920. Manovich believes that during this time period, called the late Victorian, a change occurred in the cultural attitude toward vision. This change was seen in the development of various forms of visual reasoning by scholars like Galton, Venn, and Einstein. The next step occurred after World War II. The world had seen large advances in t echnology and industry. Because of this change, the worker began to do less physical labor and a shift in focus from developing physical efficiency to mental efficiency occurred. The last step has occurred in the modern times. Here the shift focused on the development and dominance of the computer (Cook 2). Cook agrees with Manovich's three- step theory, but feels that Manovich has left out a few important aspects of this visual history. The basic structure of Manovich's claim seems correct, but aspects of the development of late-Victorian visual representations were neglected or incorrectly viewed as unimportant. Cook believes that the more emphasis should be placed on the influence of mathematics in Galton and ... ... Reasoning and a Modern History of Vision. Online Text. http://www.duke.edu/~sjc68/academic/montreal.doc. 8 March 2002. Dodgson, Charles (aka. Lewis Carroll), The Game of Logic. Online Text. 1886. http://www.lib.duke.edu/pdf/ll1513.pdf. 8 March 2002. Ferrell. Keith "Graphical user interface." World Book Online Americas Edition. http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/722716. 8 March 2002. -- "Internet." World Book Online Americas Edition. http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/279620. 8 March 2002. Perini, Lynda. "Fax machine." World Book Online Americas Edition. http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/192830. 8 March 2002. Venn, John, On the Diagrammatic and Mechanical Representation of Propositions and Reasonings, 1880. Online Text. http://www.lib.duke.edu/pdf/ll1512.pdf. 8 March 2002.

Evolution Of Management Essay -- Organization Management Industry

Evolution of Management In this paper I will be explaining the evolution of management from the beginning of the industrial revolution to present which includes Classical School of Management, the Human Relations/ Behavioral School of Management, Theory X and Y, the Scientific Approach, Contingency Approach, and Theory Z. I will also be comparing the classical style and the present style to each other and to my current work environment. The Classical school of thought began during the Industrial Revolution around 1900 and continued into the 1920s when new problems related to the factory system began to appear. Managers were unsure of how to train employees (many of them non-English speaking immigrants) or deal with increased labor dissatisfaction, so they began to test solutions. Traditional or classical management focuses on efficiency and includes scientific, bureaucratic and administrative management. Bureaucratic management needs a rational set of structuring guidelines, such as rules and procedures, hierarchy, and a clear division of labor. Scientific management focuses on the "one best way" to do the job. Administrative management emphasizes the flow of information in the operation of the organization. The first... ...g. Fayol believed that all managers performed these functions and that the functions distinguished management as a separate discipline of study apart from accounting, finance, and production." (Online - http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Log-Mar/Management Thought.html) [3] "McGregor recognized that some people may not have reached the level of maturity assumed by Theory Y and therefore may need tighter controls that can be relaxed as the employee develops." (Online - http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Theory_X.html) [4] "This approach arose out of the observation that the three earlier approaches to management - the Classical, the Behavioral, and the Operations Research - did not always lead to an acceptable solution" (Patrick J. Montana and Bruce H Charnov, Management, Third Edition, page 30)

India’s elderly face growing neglect Essay

Introduction Adobe Flash CS3 (Creative Suite 3) A commercial application used to produce interactive, animated movies Can be used to create web-based banner advertisements, interactive websites, games and web-based applications with stunning graphics and multimedia effects. Flash movies can be embedded in web pages, placed on CDs or DVDs as independent applications or converted into standalone, executable programs. Flash includes tools for coding in its scripting language, ActionScript 3.0. ActionScript, which is similar to JavaScript, enables interactive applications. To play Flash movies, the Flash Player plug-in must be installed in your web browser. This plug-in has several versions, the most recent of which is version 9. What is flash? Flash is the leading tool/technique for creating multimedia, applications, presentations, games on Internet – a platform for developing prototypes, desktop applications and mobile systems Examples of general usage for a designer: Presentations / online portfolio Video applications for design-projects Concept design (with basic interactivity/navigation) Interaction interfaces Prototype development (usability tests) Working in project-teams (communicate with/understand programmers) Physical/tangible computing: Sensors/Phidgets, webcam, Wii-remote etc Flash Movie Development Stage The white area in which you place graphic elements during movie development and only objects in this area will appear in the final movie Timeline Represents the time period over which a movie runs Frame Depicts a moment in the movie’s timeline, into which you can insert movie elements Playhead indicates the current frame Tools bar Divided into multiple sections, each containing tools and functions that help you create Flash movies Panels Organize frequently used movie options and Panel options modify the size, shape, color, alignment and effects associated with a movie’s graphic elements Context-sensitive Properties panel Displays information about the currently selected object and Useful tool for viewing and altering an object’s properties You can access different panels by selecting them from the Window menu Fig. 1 | Flash CS3 development environment. Fig. 2 | CS3 Tools bar. Learning Flash with Hands-On Examples The .fla file extension is a Flash-specific extension for editable movies Fig. 3 | New Document dialog 1. Creating a Shape with the Oval Tool Flash creates shapes using vectors a).mathematical equations that define the shape’s size, shape and color b).When vector graphics are saved, they are stored using equations Vector graphics can be resized without losing clarity Create shapes by clicking and dragging with the shape tools Every shape has a stroke color and a fill color a. The stroke color is the color of a shape’s outline b. The fill color is the color that fills the shape Clicking the black and white button resets the stroke color to black and the fill color to white Selecting the swap colors option switches the stroke and fill colors The Shift key constrains a shape’s proportions to have equal width and height A dot in a frame signifies a keyframe – A point of change in a timeline A shape’s size can be modified with the Properties panel when the shape is selected Fig. 7 | Keyframe added to the timeline Fig. 8 | Making multiple selections with the Selection tool. Fig. .9 | Modifying the size of a shape with the Properties window. 2. Adding Text to a Button Button titles communicate a button’s function to the user a. Create a title with the text tool Once text is selected, you can change the font, text size and font color with the Properties window To change the font color, click the text color swatch and select a color from the palette Fig. 11 | Setting the font face, size, weight and color with the Properties window Fig.12 | Adding text to the button. 3 Converting a Shape into a Symbol Scene contains graphics and symbols Parent movie may contain several symbols are Reusable movie elements, such as graphics, buttons and movie clips.Scene timeline can contain numerous symbols with their own timelines and properties. Scene may have several  instances of any given symbol Symbols Can be edited independently of the scene by using the symbol’s editing stageEditing stage is separate from the scene stage and contains only one symbol. Fig. 13 | Selecting an object with the selection tool. Selecting Convert to Symbol†¦ from the Modify menu or using the shortcut F8 on the keyboard opens the Convert to Symbol dialog, in which you can set the properties of a new symbol Fig. 14 | Creating a new symbol with the Convert to Symbol dialog. Every symbol in a Flash movie must have a unique name Three different types of symbols Movie clips Buttons Graphics Movie clip symbol Ideal for recurring animations Graphic symbol Ideal for static images and basic animations Button symbol Objects that perform button actions, such as rollovers and hyperlinking A rollover is an action that changes the appearance of a button when the mouse passes over it Library panel Stores every symbol in a movie Accessed through the Window menu or by the shortcuts L or F11 Multiple instances of a symbol can be placed in a movie by dragging and dropping the symbol from the Library panel onto the stage Fig. 15 | Library panel Fig. 16 | Movie Explorer for CeoAssistant.fla. 4 Editing Button Symbols Components of a button symbol, such as its fill and type, may be edited in the symbol’s editing stage. Access a symbol’s editing stage by double clicking the symbol in the Library or by pressing the Edit Symbols button and selecting the symbol name. The pieces that make up a button can all be changed in the editing stage. A button symbol’s timeline contains four frames. One for each of the button states (up, over and down) and one for the hit area Fig. 17 | Modifying button states with a button’s editing stage. Up state (indicated by the Up frame) Default state before the user presses the button or rolls over it with the mouse Over state (indicated by the Over frame) Plays when the mouse moves over the button Down state (indicated by the Down frame) Plays when a user presses a button Can create interactive, user-responsive buttons by customizing the appearance of a button in each state Graphic elements in the hit state (indicated by the Hit frame) Not visible when viewing the movie Exist simply to define the active area of the button (i.e., the area that can be clicked) By default, buttons only have the up state activated when they are created You may activate other states by adding keyframes to the other three frames 5 Adding Keyframes Keyframes a. Points of change in a Flash movie b. Appear in the timeline as gray with a black dot c. By adding keyframes to a button symbol’s timeline, you can control how the button reacts to user input Rollover d. Added by inserting a keyframe in the button’s Over frame, then changing the button’s appearance in that frame Fig. 18 | Inserting a keyframe. Changing the button color in the over state does not affect the button color in the up state. 6 Adding Sound to a Button Flash imports sounds in the WAV (Windows), AIFF (Macintosh) or MP3 formats Sounds can be imported into the Library by choosing Import to Library from the Import submenu of the File menu. You can add sound to a movie by placing the sound clip in a keyframe or over a series of frames. If a frame has a blue wave or line through it, a sound effect has been added to it. Fig. 19 | Adding sound to a button Fig. 20 | Optimizing sound with the Sound Properties dialog. 7 Verifying Changes with Test Movie Movies can be viewed in their published state with the Flash Player. The published state of a movie is how it would appear if viewed over the web or with the Flash Player Published Flash movies have the Shockwave Flash extension (.swf). SWF files can be viewed but not edited. Fig. 21 | GO button in its up and over states. 8 Adding Layers to a Movie A movie can be composed of many layers a. Each has its own attributes and effects Layers b. Organize different movie elements so that they can be animated and edited separately c. Make the composition of complex movies easier d. Graphics in higher layers appear over the graphics in lower layers Fig. 22 | Renaming a layer. Fig. 23 | Setting text alignment with the Properties window Text Can be broken apart or regrouped for color editing, shape modification or animation Once text has been broken apart, it may not be edited with the text tool 9 Animating Text with Tweening Animations in Flash are created by inserting keyframes into the timeline Tweening (morphing) a. An automated process in which Flash creates the intermediate steps of the animation between two keyframes Shape tweening b. Morphs an ungrouped object from one shape to another Motion tweening c. Moves symbols or grouped objects around the stage d. Keyframes must be designated in the timeline before adding the motion tween Fig. 25 | Adding a keyframe to create an animation. Fig. 26 | Creating a motion tween. Adding the stop function to the last frame in a movie stops the movie from looping Fig. 27 | Adding ActionScript to a frame with the Actions panel. The small letter a in a frame indicates that it contains an action. 10 Adding a Text Field Static Text Creates text that does not change Dynamic Text Creates can be changed or determined by outside variables through ActionScript Input Text Creates a text field into which the viewers of the movie can input their own text Fig. 28 | Creating a text field. Fig. 29 | Creating a dynamic text field with the Properties window. 11 Adding ActionScript goButton.addEventListener( MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, goFunction ); addEventListener function helps make an object respond to an event by registering a function to call when the event takes place MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN specifies that an action is performed when the user clicks the button. var randomNumber : int = Math.floor( ( Math.random() * 5 ) ); Math.random returns a random floating-point number from 0.0 up to, but not including, 1.0. Publishing Your Flash Movie Flash movies must be published for users to view them outside Flash CS3 and the Flash Player Flash movies may be published in a different Flash version to support older Flash Players Flash can automatically generate an XHMTL document that embeds your Flash movie Fig. 30 | Published Flash files. Importing and Manipulating Bitmaps Once an imported image is broken apart, it may be shape tweened or edited with editing tools such as the lasso, paint bucket, eraser and paintbrush The editing tools are found in the toolbox and apply changes to a shape Clicking and dragging to draw with the lasso tool selects areas of shapes The color of a selected area may be changed or the selected area may be moved Once an area is selected, its color may be changed by selecting a new fill color with the fill swatch or by clicking the selection with the paint bucket tool The eraser tool removes shape areas when you click and drag the  tool across an area You can change the eraser size using the tool options. Creating an Advertisement Banner with Masking Masking hides portions of layers A masking layer hides objects in the layers beneath it, revealing only the areas that can be seen through the shape of the mask Items drawn on a masking layer define the mask’s shape and cannot be seen in the final movie Fig. 31 | Resizing an image with the Free transform tool. Free transform tool Allows you to resize an image When an object is selected with this tool, anchors appear around its corners and sides Breaking text apart once converts each letter into its own text field Breaking text apart again converts the letters into shapes that cannot be edited with the text tool, but can be manipulated as regular graphics Fig. 32 | Creating the oval graphic Adding a mask to a layer masks only the items in the layer directly below it Fig. 33 | Creating a mask layer. Fig. 34 | Completed banner. Adding Online Help to Forms Use the selection tool to align objects with their corresponding captions. For more precise alignment, select the desired object with the selection tool and press the arrow key on the keyboard in the direction you want to move the object Fig. 35 | Adjusting the line spacing with the Format Options dialog. Fig. 36 | Creating a rectangle with rounded corners. Fig. 37 | Creating multiple instances of a symbol with the Library panel. An input text field is a text field into which the user can type text Fig. 38 | Input and password text-field creation. Fig. 39 | Adding Frame Labels using the Properties window. gotoAndStop(â€Å"name†); causes the movie to skip to the frame labeled â€Å"name† and stop playing Each movie clip should be created as a new symbol so that it can be edited without affecting the scene Fig. 40 | Centering an image on the stage with the Properties window. Fig. 41 | Creating a shape tween Symbols may be embedded in one another; however, they cannot be placed within themselves. Fig. 42 | Adding the field symbol to the nameWindow movie clip. Fig. 43 | Creating an animation with the form field symbol. The Transform panel can be used to change an object’s size The Constrain checkbox causes the scale factor to be equal in the height and width fields The scale factor measures the change in proportion Fig. 44 | Duplicating movie-clip symbols with the Library panel. Changing a symbol’s function or appearance in its editing stage updates the symbol in the scene Fig. 45 | Creating a frame-by-frame animation. Fig. 46 | Bug2Bug.com help form. Creating a Website Splash Screen Many organizations use Flash to create website splash screens (i.e., introductions), product demos and web applications Flash animations are ideal for amusing visitors while conveying information as the rest of a page downloads â€Å"behind the scenes† A preloader is a simple animation that plays while the rest of the web page is loading Fig. 47 | Creating a rotating object with the motion tween Rotate option. Fig. 48 | Inserted movie clips. Fig. 16.49 | Changing gradient colors with the Color panel. Alpha A value between 0 and 100% that corresponds to a color’s transparency or opacity An alpha value of 0% appears transparent, whereas a value of 100% appears completely opaque The rate of progression in a gradient can be changed by sliding the color boxes Any color box may be removed from a gradient by clicking and dragging it off the gradient range Fig. 50 | Adding an intermediate color to a gradient. Ease Controls the rate of change during tween animation Negative values cause the animated change to be gradual at the beginning and become increasingly drastic Positive values cause the animation to change quickly in the first frames and less drastically as the animation progresses When a button is created from a shape, the button’s hit area is, by default, the area of the shape It is important to change the hit state of a button created from text so that it includes the spaces between the letters; otherwise, the link will work only when the user hovers over a letter’s area Fig. 51 | Defining the hit area of a button. var url : URLRequest = new URLRequest( â€Å"http://www.deitel.com† ); Creates a new URLRequest object named url navigateToURL( url, â€Å"_blank† ); navigateToURL takes the URL contained in the URLRequest object and opens it in the frame specified by the second argument â€Å"_blank† signifies that a new browser window should open when the user presses the button. Flash movies load frame by frame Frames containing complex images take longer to load Flash will continue playing the current frame until the next frame has loaded Fig. 52 | Creating an animation to preload images.