Women's and global leadership at bestfoods Case Study

Women's and global leadership at bestfoods - Case Study Example Ensuring that for each leadership position, a woman candidate must be present (Osland & Adler, 2007). Another method for promoting diversity include sending more women both of America and of non-American decent to senior management and development programs to shed a light on them on the possible leadership training offered to individuals. Understanding women and the barriers they face while at formal employment and support them. This is to be done by appreciating the effort that women contribute at work as well as the household needs they reach up to. At the same time, it is the look at work output in terms of delivery rather than time spent at work. Adding to that, many women at high levels to be selected for senior managerial positions at the company.Senior level management training offered to senior position holders promoted by companies could be beneficial to women if they had such positions(Osland & Adler, 2007). Brody is justified to hold the forum. This is because forums are an audience for all to be heard and the forum was to encompass women who are the sole victims in diversity at Bestfoods. The forum was to have 50% of women from outside the US, an enough indication of diversity. Possible alternatives that would generate the same agenda include holding seminars on gender diversity at work, pushing for bills that involve a certain limit in employment of women in each sector as well including women in the human resource departments of many companies (Osland & Adler, 2007). While pushing for the forum organization, Brody and Shoemate faced several challenges and programs. Brody and Shoemate’s ideas were not all met with a warm reception. Skeptical comments arose from some men and women who believed that the forum was not going to bear any results whatsoever. There was also the feeling of inferiority complex among some of the women selected to attend the forum. They felt that if in any case

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines Assignment

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines - Assignment Example Corporate Culture The case study clearly indicates that Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture greatly differs from that of other airlines. As Bermont (2004, p. 101) points out, when other airlines focus on profit maximization, the Southwest Airlines specifically tries to provide its customers with funny flight experiences at affordable rates. Since the company prioritizes customer satisfaction, it provides passengers with several financial benefits that other competing airlines hesitate to offer. To illustrate, when other airlines began to charge for customers’ checked baggage, Southwest Airlines stood firmly against those kinds of additional charges. Instead of charging customers’ baggage, the firm integrated taglines saying ‘We Love Your Bags’ into its advertising campaigns (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). These operational policies of the organization greatly impressed customers and, therefore, contributed to customer loyalty. The most distinguishin g feature of Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture is that it attaches specific importance to humor and energy from the time of its founder Herb Kelleher. The company management holds the view that if it can keep its employees happy, they, in turn, will ensure high quality services to their customers. According to the president Colleen Barrett, â€Å"Southwest likes to think of itself as a customer service organization that happens to fly airplanes†; and as per the company’s corporate culture, â€Å"servant’s heart† must be a necessary characteristic that every employee must possess (as cited in Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). The company management conducts group interviews to evaluate how their employees would interact with a customer. In contrast to other airlines, Southwest Airlines provides its employees with a common platform so as to express their opinions, attain education and training, and ultimately improve their performance. Thus the organ ization greatly fosters employee creativity. The Southwest management encourages its employees to be proactive and take decisions from the heart. As Southwest’s middle level managers, supervisors, and frontline employees are allowed to take decisions, passengers would not face any difficulty in obtaining timely and quality services. According to employees and passengers, a key factor that distinguishes Southwest’s corporate culture from others is that the organization holds a ‘heart’ (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 238). How the Southwest’s Culture has benefited its Growth? While analyzing the company’s extensive corporate history, it is clear that the firm’s unique culture has benefited the airlines and its employees. High level customer loyalty, low cost, and employee empowerment are the major three ways that aided the organization and its employees. Firstly, strong customer loyalty helped the company to survive market difficulties includin g global financial recession of 2008. The case study clearly reflects that the company offers only reasonable fares to its customers and refuses to charge for additional services such as baggage. As Lovelock, Wirtz, and Chatterjee (2004) point out, Southwest’s convenient flight schedules are really helpful for passengers, because most of other airlines do not provide such flexible time schedules. Furthermore, the organization always strives to maintain cheerful services and a genuine interest in its passengers. Such positive

Thomas Jefferson and Slavery in Virginia Essay Example for Free

Thomas Jefferson and Slavery in Virginia Essay At the bottom it was slavery that divided Virginia along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most members of the convention have agreed with the opinion of the distinguishing delegate, James Monroe, that â€Å"if no such thing as slavery existed.. the people of our Atlantic border, would meet their brethren of the west, upon the basis of a majority, of the free white population.† But slavery existed, largely as an eastern institution; and it demanded protection from mere numbers both in the state and in the federal government. By-passed in the convention, the dreaded issue, swollen by the hopes and fears of a terrible torrent, soon locked Virginia in another great debate that ripped wide the seams Jeffersonian heritage. In the year 1831, a fanatical slave preacher, Nat Turner, and his band massacred about sixty white people, where most of them were women and children. This was by far the bloodiest events in the annals of American history. Jefferson once said, â€Å"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only form basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gifts of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? In deed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.† Converting crisis to opportunity, many Virginians hoped for the realization of Jefferson’s cherished goal of gradual emancipation, trusting as well that Virginia’s lead would â€Å"impart a resistless impulse† to the whole South. Once again, Jefferson provided the moral justification for western interests, which coincided with emancipation. The House of Delegates referred the slavery question to a special committee dominated by the eastern conservatives. But before the committee could submit its report, debate erupted in the House on two resolutions which instructed the committee to contradictory courses of action. Thomas Jefferson Tandoph, for the liberals, asked the committee to report on the expediency of placing before the electorate a plan of gradual emancipation. Children of slaves born on or after July 4, 1840 would become the property of the state when they came of age, and would be colonized outside the United States when the return from their labor met the expenses of their removal. This was, in essence, â€Å"the plan of Mr. Jefferson,† as everyone recognized; the plan broached by him in the Notes of Virginia slavery debate was also a debate on Jefferson. Standing on the natural rights philosophy, the reformers argued that slavery was both an injustice to the Negroes land a curse to the whites. The principles of American liberty, they said, embraced the whole of humanity. Let the master debase the slave’s humanity, pervert his feelings, muffle his reason, still â€Å"the idea that he was born to be free will survive it all. It is.. a torch lit up in his soul by the hand of the Deity and never meant to be extinguished by the had of man.† The slave system weakened the moral restraints of Christianity. It made industry dishonorable. It retarded popular education and free inquiry. This was another example of how Jefferson’s striking language became â€Å"stereotyped in the public voice.† No other words from his pen, or perhaps from any pen, were more often quoted as gospel by anti-slavery men. Jefferson’s â€Å"false picture† of Virginia society, â€Å"has gone forth to the world as our true character as Benjamin W. Leigh complained in the press. The defender of slavery worked mainly with the ideas of their conservative predecessors in the convention of 1829; however, they introduced not important modification. They were forced to contend now not only for the supremacy of the master race. Defending racial inequality and slavery as laws of nature, attested by all history, the eastern delegates superimposed a still nebulous ideology of white supremacy upon the older conservative ideology of property. The slaves, they said, were happy with their lot, and the whites were more equal and more republican because of this labor system. Increasingly, throughout the South, racial inequalities would be substituted for economic ones, color would become the badge of aristocracy, and class issues would be smothered by the blanket appeal to racial solidarity. Pro-slavery ideology divided society not between the rich and the poor but between the whites and the black. Having assailed the natural rights premises of the reformers, the conservatives went on to argue that emancipation was impractical. What better proof was wanted that Jefferson’s own conduct – he never liberated his slaves, but â€Å"perpetuated their condition by the last solemn act of his life; which is sufficient.. to put to flight all the conclusions that have been drawn from the expressions of his abstract opinions.† His scheme of emancipation was only a day dream. He never went before the public as its advocate. Posterity could not venture what he dared not attempt: â€Å"The fragments of a great man’s thoughts are not only valueless but dangerous. The same genius which conceived them is necessary to fill up their details.. When Hercules died, there was no man left to left his club.† Many things foredoomed the Jeffersonian plan to failure; none, however, was as significant for Jefferson’s place in the southern imagination as the doctrine of state rights. Jefferson, as its champion, had often condemned federal intervention of any sort with slavery in the states. Finally realizing in 1824 that Virginia could never bear the financial burden of compensation and colonization, he put aside his constitutional scruples and proposed the diversion to the states of federal revenue from the public lands in order to effect emancipation. According to Thomas R. Dew wrote in his influential Review of the slavery debate the whole movement of emancipation, â€Å"is but too well calculated to furnish the political lever by which Virginia is to be prised out of her natural and honorable position in the Union..† The reformers hoped that the flood of light turned upon slavery in 1832 would result in its early extinction. But Carolina Nullification, not emancipation, was the absorbing issue of the succeeding session of the legislature, and from this state rights crisis the promising onto-slavery movement never recovered.

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay A rapidly changing economic environment, characterized by such phenomena as the globalization, and deregulation of markets, changing customer and investor demands, and ever increasing product market competition, has become the norm for most organization. To compete, they must continually improve their performance by reducing costs; innovating products and processes; improving quality, productivity, and speed to market; and more importantly by improving their individual performance within the organization. In order to do this, a set of distinctive human resource strategies, defined as internally consistent bundles of human resource practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995), is clearly essential. Sparrow and Marchington (1998) suggested that HR practices are the most advanced, the most sophisticated, and the most efficient basis for organizing and for obtaining high performance from employees since it seeks to strategically integrate the interests of an organization and its employees. In addition, a number of studies have also indicated that there is a positive relationship between effective HR strategies and organizational performance. Specifically, it is suggested that HR practices can improve organizational and operational performance when matched with quality manufacturing strategies (Stone, 2002). Nevertheless, despite the positive relationship found between HR practices and firm performance, there are a number of issues and questions surrounding them. One problem in relating HRM and performance is the lack of theoretical background; resulting in both terms remain ambiguous concepts. Other questions arise in relation with the link between HR strategies and performance are the inconsistent findings in regards to what constitutes a high performance HR strategy (Becker Gerhart, 1996; Cooke, 2001) and the problems with HRM and performance measurements (Guest et al. , 2003). The aim of this essay is to outline and explain the issues in developing human resource strategies that improve organizational performance. Specifically, the essay shall begin with presenting the issue of theoretical background of the concept of HRM and organizational performance. Subsequently, it shall discuss the issue about diversified strategies used to improve performance, and the problems in measuring HRM and performance. ?HRM and Organizational Performance: The Lack of Theoretical Background Guest (1997) pointed out that to improve our understanding of the impact of HRM on performance; we need a theory about HRM, a theory about performance, and a theory about how they are linked. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of debates amongst leading researchers and practitioners about the concept and contributions of HRM practice in managing employees in overall organizational objectives (Loosemore, Dainty Lingard, 2003; Analoui, 1998; Sparrow Marchington, 1998). McCarthy and Stone (1986) argued that the concept of HRM is ambiguous and that its contribution to organizational performance remains unclear and is not well understood. In addition, Sparrow and Marchington (1998) pointed out that rather than adding value to the business through its strategic integration with managerial objectives, HRM can remain a disappointingly mechanistic function. Similarly, there is no universal theory about performance (Guest, 1997). It was proposed that the meaning of performance involves two dimensions; the types of criteria and the weight of each. Organizations have different interpretations of performance according to the sector of their industries. Service providers, for example, might consider customer satisfaction as their top performance indicator, while manufacturers might view inventory level as an important criterion to measure their performance level. In addition, some organizations put financial results on top of their performance indicator list and employee’s job satisfaction at the bottom, but others may view this in the opposite position. As a result, it is hard, if not impossible, to define the concept of performance that applicable for all organizations. The impact of HR practices on firm performance is without a doubt an important topic in the fields of human resource management, industrial relations, and industrial and organizational psychology (Huselid, 1995; Jones Wright, 1992). This literature, although largely conceptual, concludes that HR practices can help to create a source of sustained competitive advantage, especially when they are aligned with a firm’s competitive strategy (Jackson Schuler, 1995; Wright McMahan, 1992, both as cited in Huselid, 1995). Specifically, a large majority of published studies found an association between HR practices and firm performance, regardless of whether they are cross-sectional or longitudinal, whether conducted at establishment or company level, whether based on strong performance data or subjective estimates, whatever sector they are based on, whatever operational definition of HRM is used, and wherever they are conducted (Guest et al. , 2003). Nevertheless, despite the positive thrust of most empirical findings, Wood and de Menezes (1998, as cited in Guest et al. 2003) failed to find consistent associations between HRM and performance. Furthermore, Wood (1999) has also argued that the relationship between HRM and performance is relatively weak. One possible explanation lies in the various contingency factors, other than HR activities, that might contribute to organizational performance such as organizational culture (Kotter Heskett, 1992; Van der Post et al. , 1998), business strategy (Richard Brown Johnson, 1999), and political considerations (Ferris et al. 1998). ?Improvement Strategies: Is There One Best Way? Much of the research on the link between HRM and firm performance has looked at single HR practice such as compensation or selection, while others attempted to look on the impact of combining different HR practices to improve firm performance (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Pfeffer (1998, as cited in Tyson, 1997), for instance, put forward a seven-principle best practice which he believed is universally applicable. The seven best practice HRM elements include; employment security, selective hiring, self managed teams, high compensation contingent on organizational performance, extensive training, reduction of status difference, and information sharing. Theoretically, bundling several HR practices should produce greater performance effects than any of the individual human practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995). However, in reality, there is no single standardized bundle of HR strategies that is universally applicable for all organizations. Each firm might require different bundles of HR strategies to improve its organizational performance.

Economic Problem of Scarcity and Resource Allocation

Economic Problem of Scarcity and Resource Allocation TASK 1 1(a)Explain the economic problem of scarcity and resource allocation, and evaluate the role of opportunity costs in determining how economics make decisions All the problems which are associated with money are known as economic problem. It is also known as central, basic or fundamental economic problem. It state that there is scarcity that is, the availability of limited resources are not enough to satisfy the need want and demand of the society. So the question is that how to control and what to be produced, and how the capital and labor are utilized to remove this type of problems. The problems of economics appear mostly with two problems: Unlimited human wants Limited resources Scarcity Scarcity is one of the most important and basic problem in which human wants are unlimited so it creates difficulties to fulfill the satisfaction of human wants because resources are limited. Thus we have selected one option. We have to make tradeoffs. We have to use our resources with efficiently and well-mannered way. We are bound to do so because resources are limited and demands of our own are unlimited. Without scarcity, the discipline of economics cannot be presents. Economic is a field of distribution, production and consumption of goods and services. If the society fails to produce the goods according to the required demand and fail to distribute the goods equally between the societies and didn’t fulfill the wants and demands of humans, then the study of the economic problems become boring. In case of scarcity not appears, and then the goods and services would be free. Therefore the decision about scarcity would be made. Allocation resources problems occur due to scarcity of resources and give the answer of the question that what would be satisfied and which should be left unsatisfied. In other words we can say that what to produce and where it is produce and how much it is going to produced? Because production of goods in maximum quantity required more resources and resources are scarce. These two factors are run together if the productions of some products increased then the resources are also being increased because more productions require more resources. The problem of distribution contracts with the question of whether to products capital goods or customer goods. When the demand of some products are increase then the society take decisions of producing capital goods and the resources withdrawn from the production of consumer goods. So in that case both the capital and customer goods are significance 1(b)Explain how market equilibrium is achieved It is the state of the market in which the demand and supply are equal in the market. When the prices of the goods and services are involved in the supply and demand equality state, equilibrium price is achieved. Whenever a market is in the state of equilibrium and the prices of goods and services are not changed unless any external factors changes effect on it, it results in a distraction of the equilibrium. Market equilibrium can be best define on the help of below example and graphical representation For Example: let’s suppose the weekly supply and demand program of soft drink in Students at various prices (between 30p and PKR 1.10p) is shown Price Quantity Demanded Quantity Supplied 1.10 0 1000 1.00 100 900 90 200 800 80 300 700 70 400 600 60 500 500 50 600 400 40 700 300 30 800 200 Equilibrium As it can be seen this market will be in the state of equilibrium at a price of 60p as per soft drink. At this point the demand and supply of soft drinks is to be equal and will be the clear market which means that 500 soft drinks will be presented for sale at the price of 60p and same 500 drinks will be bought that result is no change in demand and supply at price 60. Price Quantity Demanded Quantity Supplied 1.10 0 1000 1.00 100 900 90 200 800 80 300 700 70 400 600 60 500 500 50 600 400 40 700 300 30 800 200 When the price is higher than equilibrium, supply will be more than 500 but demand will be less than 500 so in the short run there will be an excess of supply. Graphically we can say that supply extends outwards along with the curve and demand contracts inwards. Such a changes are called movements along the demand or supply curve in reaction to a change in price. Demands of product contracts due to higher prices therefore the substitution effect and income effect make a chain to dispirit demand as well as when demand extends at lower prices, the substitution and income effect make a chain to boost demand. In term of supply the supplier’s belief of higher revenue and profits when increase in prices boost up supply therefore increase in price decreses the cost of opportunity for supplying more and vice versa. The cost of opportunity of supply narrates to the probable substitutes of the factors of production. Similarly in the case of a college or university canteen that supplies soft drinks or other products become more or less attractive to supply when the price of soft drinks changes.In response to changes in prices, changes in demand and supply stated to as the signaling and incentive effects of change in price. If the information passing rapidly between the buyer and seller in the market efficiently, the excess of demand and elimination of supply will be achieved and the markett growth will rapidly accommodate (in the case between students and a college canteen). Simliarly in the case of supply superfluous, the price will adjust downwards and supply will be reduced by the seller with holding excess stocks. Whereas in the case of surplus demand, the seller will speedily neglect their stock that will generate an increase in price and improved supply. So to create a stable equilibrium price it is necessary and depend on the efficiency of market working and closer to settle the market. 1(c)Assess the importance of elasticity in market interactions In the market interaction the elasticity is important dimension of how the approachable and economic variable is to a change in to another. Elasticity is one of the most significant concepts in neoclassical economic theory. It is the valuable and consideration in the occurrence of unplanned assessment, negligible conception as they communicate to the theory of the firm distribution of money and different categories of goods as they communicate to the theory of customer excellent. Elasticity is also significantly important in any argument of the money distribution and most important in customer benefit, producer benefit or government benefit. Elasticity could be calculated as the ratio of the proportion change in one variable to the proportion change in another variable, when the concluding variable has a fundamental influence on the former. Commonly used elasticity eliminates price elasticity; supply elasticity, income elasticity and replacement elasticity between issues of production and elasticity of inter progressive replacement. Following are some important points which show the importance of elasticity in the market interaction. International trade It is important to keep information about the elasticity of demand of goods while exporting of fix price of products. An organization may fix high prices for the goods with inelastic demand. Thus if the required demand in the importing country is elastic, then exporting country will fix low price. Decisions of Monopolist: A monopolist deliberates the environment of demand whereas fixing price of his manufactured goods. If demand on behalf of the manufactured goods is elastic, at that time he will fix low price. But, if demand is inelastic, at that time he is in a situation to fix a high price. Guideline to the producers The elasticity concept gives the idea to the manufacturers of advertising the amount to be spent on. In case of elastic in commodity demand, then the manufacturer will have to be consumed more amounts on advertising by increasing the sale. Help to trade unions The trade union has the power of increasing the wages of labor where product demand is inelastic. It the demand is relatively elastic then the trade union never force for higher wages. Importance in taxation policy As respects its applied benefits, the idea has huge significance in the scope of government finance. When a finance minister levies a tax on an assured product, he has to understand whether the demand for that product is elastic or inelastic. In case of inelastic in demand he can use his power of increasing the tax and can gather huge amount in the form of revenue. But if the demand is elastic then he is the situation of increasing the tax rate. By doing so the total revenue reduced and demand for commodity is calculated. 1(d)Compare how prices are set in different market structures An industry compares its products with every one of those by whom its products are identify by nature or match with it and a company’s market strategies and structure reliant of that company which they compete. An organization or a company is confidential into four market structure. These are: Perfect competition Monopolistic competition Oligopoly Monopoly Perfect competition A market structure in which the five following condition are encountered. All the organizations sell an indistinguishable product. All the organizations cannot control the price of product into the market. All the organizations have comparatively minor shares in market. Consumers know each and every thing about the product price of sale and purchase. The organizations are categorized by independence of free entry and exit. Monopolistic competition this situation is created when the manufacturer sell out those products who are totally different from one another. This is also called imperfect competition. In the monopolistic competition an organization ignore the impression of its own price and charge heavy price as compare to its competitors. Oligopoly Oligopoly has its own market structure in which market industry is controlled by small numbers of suppliers. Oligopoly reduce competition and from numerous competitors and make principal to higher prices from customers. Monopoly Monopoly creates in the situation when there is no any other company or any competitor. Actually there is only one company is providing the goods and services to the customers and there is no additional company is available to fulfill the requirements of the customer’s needs and demands. Comparison of prices sets in different market structures The pricing strategy is very important in the market structure. This is in a impeccable modest that market will be obvious by the market demand and supply curve of the product in question. The supply curve presents the company’s ability of producing the price. On the perfect competition pricing strategy is show that there is only going to sell products for the consumer on which he demand and pay for it. This is complementary in price and demand. In this situation the perfect competition of market prices would be strong minded by the equilibrium of products and services in the question meaning in that the existent market will establish the price of the product in question. The organization in this situation will be the price taker and fundamentally sole its products on going market strategies. So the producer produces the product at low cost for making high profit. In a monopolistic competition the market structure is categorized by the company to sell their products at the pricing strategy of a company. May be a product that a company produce it is similar with another but a slit different from another then select a price strategy which may not affected to the market. As such, the company will effort to advance a modification in their product by using consumer segments, branding, advertising, and personal sales to set their product separately from other similar but different products. Therefore, there are a variety of prices of the different products as an alternative of a single market price. Due to numerous numbers of competitors in the competition of monopolist they have control over the price they have to set for their individual products. A company’s price strategy that is an oligopoly competition market structure is resulted by their straight competitors as strong and complex by pricing for each other. The company collections of its product price founded on demand. The additional demand, the advanced they can alteration the price but they are thoughtful not to determination the price too in elevation so they won’t interest challengers who would hunger to come into hooked on the marketplace and ambition prices depressed. 1(e)Evaluate the importance of different market systems As compare to the manufacturing of any goods or providing any services, the marketing system is more important. From the producer point of view, the wholesaler and the consumers are changed. But everyone is interested in his profit. From the manufacturer point of view it is also essential to know that the price in the market allow him to make continue to produce or not. This is also important that what to produce and where it is produce and at what time he should sell it. Customer watches in the market form the point of viewing of his buying power as he is able to purchase the goods or services or not. Wholesaler definitely wants to increase their profit by satisfying different market functions to the customers. Marketing has larger reputation and significance for the society as a full than for any of the separate receivers complicated in marketing system. Marketing system brought new ideas and information about quality advantages of goods to customers. It provides relationship between production and consumption. This system also gives to the manufacturers the useful tools and equipment’s, for the easy use of machines and other implements for taking more benefits etc. An efficient marketing system outcomes in lower costs of spreading and lower prices to customers, actually transports around an increase in the National Income. A lower cost of marketing is a straight advantage to the general public. Marketing system supports in become stable the price level. If manufacturer products what customers demand and customers have a extensive optimal of merchandises around are no variation in price. Marketing system changes dormant incomes into authentic resources, of requirements into activities and growth of accountability financial privileged and knowledgeable economic countries. One third of society is involved in the marketing segment and it is expected that one fourth of national income is earned by the profession of marketing. TASK 2

The Landscape of History Essay -- Book Review, John Lewis Gaddis

In The Landscape of History, John Lewis Gaddis makes a cohesive argument concerning about the debate over the objectivity of truth by stating â€Å"objectivity as a consequence is hardly possible, and that there is, therefore, no such thing as truth (Gaddis 29). The question for objective history has long been debated by numerous historians, and the differing viewpoints of history have led to a transition in our ways of thinking in the modern world. Ultimately, the question that this paper focuses on is: to what extent is history objective? Along with this, the relation to historical consciousness and the challenges of living in modernity will also be assessed. This paper will analyze the texts of John Lewis Gaddis, Nietzsche and the Birth of Tragedy, Modernity and Historical Vision, Living in Modernity, and Hermeneutics. Finally, the paper will argue that history is not largely objective, and is fundamentally shaped through the historian’s subjectivity. John Lewis Gaddis, in his book, The Landscape of History, generates a strong argument for the historical method by bringing together the multiple standpoints in viewing history and the sciences. The issue of objective truth in history is addressed throughout Gaddis’s work. In general, historians learn to select the various events that they believe to be valid. Historians must face the fact that there is an â€Å"accurate† interpretation of the past ceases to exist because interpretation itself is based on the experience of the historian, in which people cannot observe directly (Gaddis 10). Historians can only view the past in a limited perspective, which generates subjectivity and bias, and claiming a piece of history to be â€Å"objective† is simplistic. Seeing the world in a multidimensiona... ... in history. There is no real objective aspect to history, but a multitude of attitudes towards history can make history a discipline that allows for multidimensionality. The debate regarding whether or not history could be objective has been discussed and interpreted by many historians. The ways we think about history has allowed for the divergence of various perspectives in the world we live in today. In sum, the question discussed in this paper pertains to the extent of which history can be objective. This question has left room for several interpretations in the field of historiography and challenged our experienced in the era of modernity. This paper’s argument went for the subjective side of the argument with evidence for my argumentation from John Gaddis, Friedrich Nietzsche, Postmodernity and Modernity, Living in Modernity, and Heidegger’s Hermeneutics.

The Unwritten History of Cave Paintings Essay -- Art History

Religious stories and scientific theories have tried for thousands of years to accurately date the formation of man. However, in the 1860s, a new art was discovered that changed the view of human creation forever. This new insight was cave painting. Cave painting is a form of prehistoric art that dates back hundreds of thousands of years. Analysts are unable to specify the reasoning behind these paintings of objects on cave walls, but many theories have been formulated to surmise the rational behind the art. Questions arise like, â€Å"why did man find a need to paint the walls of caves† and is this part of the foundation of the origin of human life as we know it? (Beacon) The ecumenical belief is rooted at history, cave paintings are man’s unwritten story of evolution. In the Upper Paleolithic period, from 40000 B.C. to 10000 B.C., paintings were created in over 300 caves across the globe. â€Å"There are two types of cave art: petroglyphs, which are pictures carved in stone and pictographs, which are pictures painted on stone† (Cave Painting). The art is usually found in hidden caves that are difficult to locate. For this reason, scientists have taken great interest in discovering why man wished to go to such extremes to produce the artistry. The graphics include mainly animals, geometric figures, and signs but rarely depict any relevance to humans. The visual communication gives valuable clues to the culture and beliefs of that era. The degree of preciseness of the images, being at such a high level, suggests that the art was not merely decorations that covered the bare surfaces of the caves, but were created for purpose. â€Å"The tonal qualities, and the ingenious use of surfaces in the rock, suggest depth and even a kin... ... However which way you interpret it, it still provides us with one thing: history. It has taught us the lives of our ancestry and the society in which they survived. The evolution from that era to today is astonishing. We see it simply in the development from our society daily. Their ideas combined with that overtime have created a new perspective for us about our own history. And before we can learn the history of other things, we must learn about ourselves first. Even through interpretation, we learned immensely from the simple paintings and carvings on a cave wall. It will continue to teach us generation after generation. But in the end, the controversies shouldn’t arise from the ambiguous paintings. If interpretation is all we have to go by, then that is what we do. And isn’t that what all history is? An interpretation of facts versus opinion.