Human rights in Iraq after the war Essay Example for Free

Human rights in Iraq after the war Essay The Americans are fairly blunt about promoting their corporate interests. A USAid spokeswoman was quoted recently pointing out that it should not come as a surprise that all of the companies short listed for work in Iraq are American. Her advice to non American companies is to pressurize their own governments. And this is driving the agenda of the European Union meeting in Brussels. President Chirac and others opposed to war have declared that while they condemn this war, they are willing to work with the UK and US on the reconstruction of Iraq. No doubt the popular sentiment in Europe favours providing support to the Iraqi people after a terrible devastation has been wrecked upon them. However, these governments are also under pressure to provide a role for their corporations in post war Iraq, a resource rich country. Thus, before the war has ended, the more divisive fight over the spoils of war has already started. In the now marginalized United Nations lies France and Germanys best hopes of making the division of the loot somewhat egalitarian. But the Americans are prepared, more than ever, to brush away the UN, and impose direct rule on iraq. The British are hoping to receive their fair share of the crumbs for their loyalty. However, this comes at the heavy cost of alienating Britain from the rest of Europe. It is likely that this battle to divide the spoils will lead to important decisions concerning the future of the United Nations as well as the future relationship between America, Britain and Europe. OREND’S THEORY ON RECONSTRUCTION ON THE BASIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS All human beings have human rights. However, human rights do not necessarily embrace anything and everything the anybody wants. Human rights are merely limited to those things which are both vitally needed and which can be provided at reasonable cost. A claim is at the core of any right, and that a claim is necessarily a claim on someone or something, in connection with some sought-after action or benefit, some good or policy. There is no such thing as a holder of a right without a correlative bearing any duty. The acts of the US and UK in Iraq after war can be considered as too much abuse to the basic human rights of the Iraqis. The Reconstruction being done to foster an economic advantage deprives the Iraqi of their basic economic benefits necessary to alleviate their lives. There is a plain disregard of a multi-aspect needs of the Iraqis for preservation, liberation, unification, democratization, and self-identity. The reconstruction projects are simply not directed towards the development and enhancement of the fundamentals of human existence and human rights. The excessive desire of the US government for profit and gains violates the basic principle of human rights, as according to Professor Orend, that is to love a â€Å"minimally decent lives†. Professor Orend holds a human right to be â€Å"a high-priority claim, or authoritative entitlement, justified by sufficient reasons, to a set of objects that are owed to each human person as a matter of minimally decent treatment†. He then asserts that to hold human rights â€Å"one must be biologically human, one must avoid violating another’s human rights, and one must have fundamental interests in, or vital needs for, living a life of minimal value. † Both formulations are valuable definitions and form a strong basis upon which to ground claims of rights. This requires a life that does not yearn for any excessive economic gains and benefits, unlike what the US Government and its cronies are manifesting. A life of simplicity within the level of a minimally decent lives requires only just enough resources to support the basic services and development of the State. It does not necessarily imply taking advantage of another’s ordeal just to promote one’s excessive economic needs. Orend shows who bears what duties in relation to human rights, questioning whether individuals or institutions are responsible for ensuring human rights. Orend concludes that both institutions and individuals bear responsibility for ensuring human rights on both a national and international level. This duty, he argues, directly correlates to one’s ability to affect human rights. So, while the duty of an individual is different from the duty of a multinational corporation, which in turn is different from the duty of a nation or international institution, all of these entities are responsible for ensuring that human rights are respected. Following on from this, Orend argues that post war reconstruction must occur via the established media of international law and governance but with the added insights of practices such as philosophy, human rights, history, public policy, and political science. It cannot be simply held and carried out purely for purposes of gains. There must be concerted and united efforts of all institutions and individuals of the word to perform their respective duty proceeding from the basic moral duty of respecting the basic dignity and rights of the Iraqis. All aspects must be duly considered in order to come up to a broader and complete plan of binging in reconstruction in Iraq. References: 1. 1. Fagan, Andrew. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Human Rights. Human Rights Center: University of Essex. 2006. http://www. iep. utm. edu/h/hum-rts. htm 2. Orend, Brian. Human Rights: Concept and Context. Petersburg, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2002. http://www. du. edu/gsis/hrhw/booknotes/2004/zwiebach-2004. html.

The Concept of New Media

The Concept of New Media THE CONCEPT OF NEW MEDIA New Media as a term cannot be described by a single, uniform definition. This is because the concept of New Media evolves along with the development of technology and as the modes of communication progress and become in many ways, more instant. The concept of New Media takes definite form when the comparison between the old and the new mediums of communication takes place. In the present age, the mediums of television, recorders, radio and paper books have taken a back stage and the electronic mediums of communication have emerged triumphant. Today, the most popular and most instantaneous means of communication is the Internet which is the core element distinguishing new media from other forms. The popular definition of New Media is recognized with the use of a computer for the means of distribution and exhibition, by way of the internet, rather than with production. Thus, texts distributed via a computer are considered as New Media whereas those printed on paper, without the use of the computer and the internet are not. This Lev Monovich has labeled as the ‘culture of computerization.’[1] According to Monovich, the computer encompasses all mediums/methods of communication and affects all types of media, text, still images, moving images, sound and special constructions.[2] However, Monovich himself states that limiting the advent of New Media to the device of a computer is too limiting. Monovich lays down the following principles that determine new Media[3] – Numerical Representation Monovich states that all types and forms of New Media can be described mathematically, that is in terms of the binary code and so are numerical representations. Therefore, by applying appropriate algorithms, New Media can be manipulated. A cinematograph film for example is a sequence of images/frames, each of which has its own numerical representation.[4] Modularity This is also known as the ‘fractal structure of New Media’. Media elements consist of pixels, bites, characters, scripts, voxels etc, each of which combine to create the larger image, that is, what we see. However, each one retains its independent identity separate from the whole. Going back to the example of the cinematograph film, each frame would be independently created and would thereafter be combined together to create the whole cinematograph work. However, a single frame can thereafter be removed, altered or deleted without having an effect on the whole ‘work’. Automation The above two principles, that is Numerical representation and Modularity allow the work to be automated in many operations. For example, in cinematograph films software is programmed to automatically produce artificial life such as crowds of people as required in the film. Another more common example is when a computer automatically generates web pages when the user reaches the site. Variability An object of New Media is parallel to the idea of liquid. New media is not fixed in one definite format but can exist in a myriad of versions. New Media frequently changes as it is stored digitally with a numerical code. Thus, variability is a consequence of principle 1 – numerical representation and principle 2 – modularity. In order to get clarity, one can compare old media with new media. Old Media is created by a human creator who manually assembles the test, the images, and the video and audio elements in one particular format which then becomes fixed for perpetuity. Copies of the work can be made, but only identical copies can be made. In contrast, New Media, which constitutes numerous codes, changes each time it is generated. This is because, after it is created by the human creator, New Media then begins to be generated automatically which is what results in different versions. As New Media is stored digitally, in contrast to a fixed medium, each element retains its separate identity which can then be assembled into numerous sequences under the program’s control. Variability of New Media is created due to the following factors [5]– Media elements are stored on a media database Each time Media is created, different elements are used along with different numerical coding New Media can be displayed using a number of different interfaces The information about the user can be used by a computer program to automatically generate and customize the media composition New Media is through branching/menu based interactivity thus allowing the user to choose. This is when a user enters a programme; the user is given a number of options to choose from. The branch next advanced to in the program would depend upon the choice made by the user which for each user would not necessarily be the same. New Media contains objects that are periodically updated. Transcoding The fifth principle is the most significant, the cultural transcoding of media. This means that all data is turned into computerized data. While on the one hand computerized media still displays structural organization which is comprehensive to the users such as images, texts etc. on the other hand media follows the conventional structure of a computer’s organization of data. Therefore, New Media can be seen as two distinct layers, the ‘culture layer’ and the ‘computer layer’. The layer that can be viewed as a representation is the culture layer and the operating functions are the computer layer. Lev Manovich, in his introduction toThe New Media Reader, defined New Media by using eight propositions: Today, the increasingly rapid change in technological development is leading to rapidly changing forms of new media thus leading to new and unexpected methods of distributing and exhibiting copyrighted work. Methods of distribution or exhibition are constantly evolving and are modernizing hence giving old content new form and value. For example, the exhibition of performing arts has evolved from theater to pictures, television, videocassettes, LDs, DVDS, streamed videos and then to cell phone formats and tablet formats. A similar scenario has been witnessed in the music industry where the method of storing the data recorded has changed. Copyright Law, including the Copyright Act, 1957 grants authors an exclusive right over their creations.[6] Copyright in a work lasts for long durations. Section 22 of the Act states that â€Å"Copyright shall subsist in any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work published within the lifetime of the author until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies.† During this time, the value of the work and the circumstances surrounding its distribution would be liable to change considerably. To get a full understanding of the concept imagine that a newspaper publisher wants to release a compilation of articles on a CD-ROM and simultaneously wants to create an online database. There would be a possibility that a number of the authors would not be alive to give their consent to such distribution of their work. Finding the right holders to all articles to get them to agree to re-release the works would be prohibitively diff icult. Copyright laws across the globe have not enunciated on the copyright protection of ever-changing New Media. Thus, New Media will prove to be a highly contentious issue due to the gaping loophole in the law. As India has not expressly dealt with the issue of New Media as a challenge to copyright law this chapter will look at legislative reasoning in other countries before drawing a conclusion as to what India’s legislative development shall be in this respect. The legal landscape with respect to new use rights is bifurcated into two. While USA and the UK recognize new use rights and generally allow the free transfer of rights to unknown uses of copyrighted works, copyright grants are restricted in Germany, Spain, Belgium. CHAPTER___ COPYRIGHT PROTECTION OF TWEETS AND FACEBOOK POSTS Twitter along with Facebook epitomizes the term ‘social networking sites’ which allows a user to create a profile and regularly interact with other users. While Facebook allows posts and images to be uploaded on a user’s profile, Twitter is a real time application that allows public contact amongst the users. Thus, in the Internet age, Twitter and Facebook are the most commonly used social networking sites. Copyright issues with respect to one site will apply equally to the other site. Therefore, for discussion sake, the example of Twitter is chosen. ‘Tweets’, the posts by users on the site, are relatively simple as a mechanism. They are short in length as they cannot exceed 140 characters and on a general basis answer only one question.[7] Users on Twitter share stories, facts, information, breaking news, updates on world events, entertainment, sports etc. Twitter users can follow other users or vice versa and updated tweets would appear as and when they are posted.[8] Twitter, via its terms of service, declares that the user retains his/her rights to any content posted[9], therefore Twitter states that the user is entitled to the Intellectual Property Rights that get vested with the user as a result of any post. Alternatively, by signing up as a user on the Twitter website and making the content available to the public by posting tweets, the user grants a license to Twitter. The license includes Twitter’s right to make the content available to other organizations, companies etc.[10] Whether tweets on Twitter are copyrightable has, till date, not been a contentious issue in India. However, in the United States the copyrightability of tweets has been under debate. Therefore, to be able to culminate in a satisfactory answer, we first need to see whether a Tweet/post satisfies the requirements of the Federal Copyright Act. I will simultaneously transpose a similar argument in the Indian context. As per Section 102(a) of the Act, original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression, whether now known or later developed, are protected. Therefore, the pre-requisites for copyright protection under the Federal Act and the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 are – Originality The term ‘original’ has not been defined either under the Federal Act or under the Act of 1957. However, Section 13(1)(a) of the 1957 Act states that copyright shall subsist in ‘original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works;’ which is indicative that copyright shall only extend to works that are the fruits of a person’s labour and skill. In the United States, it was observed in Alfred Bell Co. v. Catalda Fine Arts[11] that the term â€Å"’Original in reference to a copyrighted work means that the particular work ‘owes its origin’ to the author†. Further, in the landmark judgment of Feist Publications Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.[12] it was observed that originality work that is directly attributable to the skill and labour of the author and that the work in question is independently created and is not a mere copy.[13] In order to be protected under the Copyright Act, 1957, a work must satisfy the criteria of ‘work’ as defined in Section 2(y) of the Act. In University of London Press v. University Tutorial Press[14] J. Peterson held that the word original does not imply that the work must be the expression of original or inventive thought. Originality as interpreted with respect to copyright protection relates to the expression of thought.[15] For a work to be considered original under the Copyright Act, it is sufficient if the contribution is minimal or poor. Work of Authorship The second pre-requisite for copyright protection to apply to any work is that the work must be a ‘work of authorship’. (continue) Fixation in a tangible medium The third element that is required for copyright protection is that a work is deemed created when it is first fixed, that is given a tangible form. This is parallel to the concept that an idea is not copyrightable but the expression of that idea is entitled to copyright protection.[16] Thus, if the idea is not made into a tangible medium, i.e. expressed, it cannot be protected by way of copyright. For example, in the field of literary work, the idea of the novel would not be copyrightable, but when the idea is expressed on paper in the particular manner of the author; fixation of the work would take place. For copyright protection, the medium, form and method of fixation of the work is not substantially consequential. Tweets create a challenge to the Copyright law and its application. However, the fact that Twitter’s Terms of Service include a Copyright Policy is indicative of the fact that the content on Twitter, including tweets, is copyrightable.[17] However, for a particular tweet to be entitled to copyright protection a tweet needs to satisfy the 3 basic requirements given above, a tweet must be an original work, it must be the work of the author and it must be in a fixed, tangible form. Whether a Tweet is entitled to Copyright Protection? To establish whether a tweet is entitled to Copyright Protection the following points are established – A tweet is an original work as the work is independently created. The users of Twitter post a tweet that is the result of their skill and labour. The Tweet meets the originality threshold stated in Alfred Bell Co.[18]however there is no specific reference to determine whether all Tweets are original. However, is it safe to say that some Tweets are original. As a corollary, it is seen that a tweet is a creative work. In Fiest it was held that the work must contain a modicum of creativity, â€Å"No matter how crude, humble or obvious ‘it might be.†[19]However, Phrases and words that have common, widespread usage cannot be copyrighted. A tweet is a literary work as stated under the Acts. As the term literary in the Federal Act connotes neither literary merit nor qualitative value, the term literary can have an expansive interpretation. Applying this standard, all tweets qualify as literary work. Further, to constitute a work of authorship, the work should be based on intellectual labour for which the content of the tweet must be examined. Generic, common phrases and questions cannot be works of authorship as they require no intellect in their expression. However, a poem, an expression, a joke is tweeted would be works of authorship because the work would be the result of intellectual labour as well as a literary work. A tweet is fixed in a tangible medium i.e., Twitter. Tweets cannot be viewed without the aid of a computer or any other device that can be connected to the internet.[20] Nevertheless, Twitter users face many challenges in meeting the three pre-requisites for copyright protection. This is due to the following reasons[21] – Size Tweets are very short in length, with a limit of 140 characters. Therefore, the word limit makes it impossible for the work to reach the level of creativity which is required for copyright protection. Content – It is well established that facts are not copyrightable. Tweets are mainly regarding notifications, events, gossip, and comments on political situations etc. Copyright law does not extend protection to facts and so tweets, despite their varying expressions, cannot be copyrighted. Scenes a faire – Tweets describe events, affairs, circumstances, scenes which cannot be expressed in more than a limited number of ways. For example, a tweet regarding the sunset will describe the sun as brilliant, or sunny, or bright. When an idea can be expressed in only a limited number of ways, such expression cannot be copyrighted as providing copyright protection to such an expression would be providing copyright protection to the idea itself.[22] Copyright in Quotes and Short Phrases Protection by way of Intellectual property rights over the most minimal of creative work has been regularly debated. Copyright protection of brand names, slogans, advertising mantras etc. have become a contentious issue. Courts are forever embroiled in the task of breaking down the exact meaning of the definitions provided in the statute. To get a better understanding of the boundaries of protection by the Act of 1957 some of the definitions provided are required to be repeated. Section 13 of the 1957 Act lays down that copyright protection is accorded on literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, cinematograph films and sound recordings. Rights as provided in the statute can be exercised only by the owner of the copyright.[23] Quotes and short phrases are of two types. One type is cutting a small part from a longer sentence, example a book whereas the other type is when the quote stands on its own in entirety. Tweets would be form of the second type of quote/short phrases. Copyright protection to short phrases and quotes has been refused in a number of cases by the Indian courts. To claim a copyright infringement, the de minimis standard must be satisfied. Courts have refused to grant protection to slogans in advertisements, newspaper headlines for there is no copyright in a mere collection of words that is not a compilation. In this matter the law of trademark infringement and passing off has proved to be more useful. The underlying reason is that although such short phrases may be considered ‘works’ but they are unable to satisfy the requirement of originality. Leading case laws by the English and Indian courts have expounded upon this matter. [1] Lex Monovich, â€Å"Language of New Media† MIT Press, 2001. Pg.43 [2] Id. [3] Id. Pg. 49 [4] Id. Pg. 50 [5] Id. Pg. 57 [6] Section 14 of the Copyright Act, 1957: â€Å". . â€Å"copyright† means the exclusive right subject to the provisions of this Act. .† [7] Rebecca Haas, Twitter: New Challenges to Copyright Law in the Internet Age, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L.231 (2010) , pg. 236 [8] Id [9] You retain your rights to any Content you submit, post or display on or through the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed) https://twitter.com/tos (Twitter Terms of Service) – Last Accessed – 8/04/2014 [10] Supra n. 3, pg. 237 (Rebecca Haas) [11] 191 F.2d 99, 103 (2nd Cir. 1951) [12] 499 U.S 340, 351-52 (1991) [13] Rebecca Haas, pg. 238 [14] 1916] 2 Ch 601. The case involved the copying of mathematic questions, which were held to be original for the purposes of copyright law [15] Tissya Mandal. â€Å"Copyright in quotes† available at – http://ssrn.com.abstract=1818985 [16] Id. [17] Supra n. 5 Twitter Copyright Policy states: Twitter respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users of the Services to do the same. We will respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with applicable law and are properly provided to us. If you believe that your Content has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide us with the following information: (i) a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf; (ii) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed; (iii) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material; (iv) your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and an email address; (v) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that use of the materia l in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (vi) a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner. – Last Accessed – 8/04/2014 [18] Supra n. (Alfred Bell) [19] Supra n.  ­__ at 345 [20] Rebecca Haas, Pg. 245 [21] Consuelo Reinberg. â€Å"Are Tweets Copyright- Protected?† WIPO Magazine, July 2009 [22] The concept of idea-expression being expressed in a limited number of ways is called the â€Å"Doctrine of Merger†, which will be discussed subsequently. [23] Section 14 of the Act lays down the rights that are exclusively granted to the owner of the copyright. Section 57 of the Act further defines two forms of ‘moral rights’ that are conferred on the author, right of paternity and integrity. The right of paternity is a right provided to the author which is the right to prevent others from claiming authorship of his work. Right of integrity enables the author to prevent mutilation or distortion of his work or any other act which would be prejudicial to his reputation and honor.

Social Justice in Education

Social Justice in Education This paper presents a critical evaluation on the issues which link the current educational system with social justice. The paper will provide a critical evaluation based on the development of an appropriate framework for finding how education is supposed to be constructed to reflect social justice around the world today. By examining the various research, that centers social justice and education, one finds evidence that educational social justice in the education context is based on the aspect of democracy; this may be seen as an example of the extreme individualism. This hyper-individualism has dominated the educational debate as it relates to social justice. In this situation, the whole society, and social cohesion are marginalized. This marginalization led to the development of a school curriculum which is based on providing education for specific individuals within the economic imperatives. The paper concludes with the recommendation that in the creation of a socially just socie ty, it is important for hyper-individualism to not overlook the importance of the whole social group. This means that there is a need for a shift of culture which would respect individual responsibilities and rights as part of the whole social setting. Development of a curriculum which addresses the needs of all in the educational setting is a product from addressing the middle of a society rather than all of a society. Introduction Social justice means ensuring equality in all aspects which affect people in the community, society, nation and the around the globe. Social justice is a concept which fights s for the right of every individual for the opportunities available in the society, no matter the class, age, gender, race or ethnic origin. Social justice in modern day education is aligned to the dominate ideology of democratic liberalism. This is about the examination of the hyper individualism emergence which results into the dominance of the educational system and social justice. American students comprise of those from rich and poor families, those from the urban and rural areas and those who are straight and gay. Each day they are taught on the importance of equality and in every pledging they make, they promise to be indivisible, ensuring there is justice and liberty to all. Students are also taught of the value of democratic equality which suggests on the need of all American to be treated and regarded as equal citizens with no biasness on the basis of ones background ,economic status, belief , background, religion, race, or sex. The students are also taught on the fundamental on the main democratic value of justice which is a core belief that America provides the same opportunities and benefits to all the citizens. Despite the teachings given to students on social justice the education system of America is characterized by inequalities which from year to year are being perpetuated. The education system of American the 21st century is characterized by increasing wide gap between those with and those without. This situation has been fostered by the trickle-down economic policies and deregulation. These policies are traced back to the administration of President Reagan and Clintons administration which enacted the anti-worker legislation. President Bush administration further supported the major businesses and offering tax free breaks for the rich as compared to the lower and middle class people these polices have hindered the ability of America to move towards being an enlightened society because these policies have introduced a few Feudalism where as other already developed countries have had positive development in their education system. The implementation of policies which support social justice in the American education system will mean providing equal opportunities to students in their rights to education. The reality about the American system of education is that schools have distinct economic disparities. There are those schools considered for the rich and those schools seen as poor schools. The socio-economic condition of the families the students comes from determines the schools they attend to. The choices of their extracurricular activities, access to money to pay for advanced placement, yearbooks field trips and many other academic and non academic aspects. In most cases, the students of low SES provide special education classes and remedial schools while their counterparts attend schools which have college preparatory curriculum. Therefore the reality is that students in America are not provided with the same educational opportunity as it is often assumed. History of public education in the United States The public education of America is very distinct and unique compared to other countries mainly because of the roles and responsibilities played by the individual school district and the states. The formal public education of the United States was created I during the 19th century. The public school system was initially suggested by Jefferson the American leader whose ideas were well incorporated in the development of the countrys education system. Other continents and regions which had been colonists by New England such as New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts had already established the primary form of education of public education which had already been implemented during the 1600s the main reason why the colonizers took to educate the children was solely based on religious aspects of the Congregationalists and the Puritans who were dominating on those regions. Alter when the regions began to be populated by other people of different faiths. The initial concept of these publ ic schools became weakened through the opposition to learn both in the clergy imposition to the system and also in denial to learn in English. This led to the formation of private schooling which were already a norm by the mid of the 18th century. The Declaration of Independence brought about unique standards and specifications of the public education system. Jefferson suggestion was that all the public schools be under the control of the government with no discrimination based on religious biasness and to be made available to all people irrespective of ones social status. Other contributions on the issue of public education by then were made by George Washington, Robert Coram, Noah Webster and Benjamin Rush However the true concept of education system by then was not well defined due to the impact of economic transformation, political upheavals and wide scale immigration. Currently a lot of vast changes have taken place in both the education sector which comprises of public schools, religious, private and charitable institutions. Public education system in America began in the 1840s and was attended with the wealthy people within a given locality. Reformers came up to fight for the need of ensuring education benefits are provided to even students from the poor families. One commonly known reformer is Horace Mann who was for education reforms in Massachusetts and Henry Bernard based in Connecticut. Common schooling was for the benefit of uniting the society, prevention of poverty and crime by ensuring every citizen is well. These reforms calls led to the development of public schools to students at the elementary level towards the fall of the19th century. The Catholic Church was however not in support of these reforms but instead created its own schools to be attended by students privately. The first public school which came up in the United States came in 1635 called the Boston Latin School. And later Harvard University became the first university to enroll students from the various public schools who had done well. Students in these early colleges and schools got involved in the events of the time such as the World war 11, the Greater depressions and the Cold war. The passing of Morill Act in 1890 meant greater support to the universities of various states and land was also granted to construct these universities. Efforts were made to finance these public universities and even those at the lower level to ensure that each student in America gets high quality education. However, the education system was not up to the level required by the members of public that education should be made available to all the children irrespective of their gender, race or economic standards. This was not the case in reality. Schools became highly discriminative despite them being founded by the tax paid by all the members of the public. Discrimination of these schools was on the basis of gender and race. In many schools, girls were not admitted and if admitted, they were not provided with the same courses as those done by the boys. They were only taught subjects like tailoring, cooking and secretarial courses. Discrimination in the United States public education has also been enhanced by the unfair public policies passed especially in school districts. The cause of inequality in education system According to various researches done to establish the cause of inequality in the education system, it has become evident that the socioeconomic factors play a significant role in the education of a child. Jerome Brunner, a cultural psychologist in his book the Culture of education (1996) explains that the mental growth of a child is determined by the effect of alienation, racism and poverty (p xii). He goes on to say that effective education is as a result b of the constituencies and culture which is powerful in the maintenance of the social status quo than in flexibility fostering (p, 15). The social status quo is promoted by political motivation which aims at developing a body of the underclass people who support the industry. During the whole of the 20th century, the economy of America was depended on the manufacturing labor which was in need of workers who perform repetitive and simple jobs with no any required formal education. Therefore the aim of these manufacturing companies with the support of the government was not to cultivate a workforce which was educated. The 21st century saw a shift of the manufacturing company reliance into an economy based on information. This reliance required a workforce which is highly educated or literate; employees who are critical thinkers in solving problems have technological know-how. These are the goals which found not been achieved by every student because in the first place they are not been given the opportunity to attend to schools due to the inequality in funding, lack of school environment or the preparedness of teachers. That student who ahead attended the fully funded schools by the government had students who were attended to individually compare to the le ast successful schools which is a form of both geographical and economic segregation. In 2001 president Bush passed the policy of the No child Left behind Act as a law with the goal of meeting the high standards of education and as a solution to enabling schools around the United States to work and meet the standards provide by the Act. The Act has brought about heated debate on why it is not addressing the issue of racism and poverty which are the central problems that affect the education system in the United States. On the Contrary to the intentions of the Act as a way of maintaining high level of education in the United States the Act has instead fostered the racial segregation in the education system especially through its award system. It is only the schools which perform better that they are provided with funds but when critically examine these high performing schools are the schools attended by the whites students because they have been well equipped with the educational fac ilities and resources necessary for students success. Those schools which are attended by the Black students are mostly less equipped resulting to high rate of students with the least academic scores. Public policies Discrimination based on race In 1619, many Blacks arrived in the United States as slaves and by mid 19th century there were as many as 5.5 million Black people in the country. The early form of education the blacks were provided with was religious education and to make them be Christians. In many regions with slaves many missionary schools were created but in some parts mainly at the southern states were against the provision of any form of education to the black people m because they were not ready to do way with slavery use. All in all, the education provided to the blacks was of low standards until 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was passed by Lincoln. The backs literacy rate was pushed up to 70% by 1910 compared to 5% in the 1860s. Reaching 1950s, segregation was still a common phenomenon in America. For example in the southern states, there was a clear distinction of the black and white schools according to the Supreme Court rulings on the Plessey V. Ferguson case. Such laws were not in the North of America but still racial segregation in schools was still the common aspect and due to this unbalanced form education, the blacks were provided with inferior forms of education. The schools attended by the whites were also fully funded and had well equipped facilities and teachers were also well remunerated compared to the black schools. The passing of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 by the Supreme Court was meant to ban any form of racial segregation in the countrys schools. This law marked that racial segregation was unconstitutional and it went ahead in ensuring that schools to be diverse. This was especially in the South where federal courts had made great efforts of eliminating segregation in the schools which in fact had been legalized. Despite the efforts by the courts it was still not possible to totally eliminate the practice of discrimination in schools. The urban schools became a place where the Hispanic Americans who were on the rises and the poor blacks to attend the middle class blacks and majority of the white student were move to private schools. Poverty became a common aspect to many Native Americans who had already lost their lands to the whites making them not to even attend school all together. Discrimination based on gender Social inequality in the school system also involves discrimination along gender lines. What the reality was during the time is that girls were not encouraged to study but this was fought by the work of Mary Lyon, Jane Addams, Emma Willard , Mary McLeod . They came up with colleges of higher learning for women which enabled young girls to learn the courses also learned by boys which had been deemed as courses only for the boys. The first college for girls was the Oberlin College which was founded in 1833. Others which followed were Vassar College in 1861 and Bryn Mawr College. By 1960s many schools for girls and women had come up because of the rise of gender movements which was against sexual discrimination. This lead to the passing of the federal Education Amendment prohibiting against the discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1972. The girls schools and school for women began to be funded by the federal government. Despite the equality of education to both boys and girls, women and men, discrimination on the basis of gender is further seen when in search of employment after graduation. Many employees would prefer to employ a man engineer than a lady engineer which also applies to the other professions which were only meant for men in the past. The current nature of the education system of America Education today is considered as a vital and lever in uplifting the modern society. But this perception according To Sacks is a myth he presents various insightful aspects which portrays the true nature of the education system in America in the current times. His books present factual statistics and information to show the segregation in schools especially in the higher education level of studies. For example in 1988 students from the lowest economic background results showed that for him to attain a university degree, he had to 6.9 % chances of gaining this chances. By currently this does not apply. Low economic background means no bachelors degree or even a masters. The only probability is that they can afford to join colleges by 50%. Also as student from high social economic background has 51 % chances of earning a degree and for a masters degree with probability of 8%. 9% and only 4. 4 percent to join a college (U.S Department of education 2002). In the early 1990s students selected to join the national universities were 3% who are from the lowest economic backgrounds while at the same time those from the highest economic families had 75% chances of joining the compass. These statistics indicate the widening gap of the education level among the rich and poor students. As years goes by those from low economic backgrounds have ended upon not having education and if so they attended poor schools which offer cheap schooling and low quality of education. Racial disparities are evident in the education system. Minorities like the Latinos and African Americans among others are suffering most because of this. These racial inequalities are an associate also of the class inequalities. The educationist also characterized by unequaled findings depending on the prosperity level of the school the quality of education and the social class of most parents in that School. Recommendation Addressing the issue of social justice in the education system portrays the negative consequences of injustices in the education sector. Failure of equipping all the students in a given country leads to a group of idol people who have the time to involve in various social crimes in the society as well as Bad habits like drug trafficking and alcohol abuse. For the general good of all the members of the public it is important for the government to look into ways which even students from extremely low economic background can manage to learn. Education to all also means empowering the nation economically because all people will be having the skills and knowledge of investing and earning a desirable living condition. Brunner points that, Education is risky, for it fuels the sense of possibility. But a failure to equip minds with the skills for understanding and feeling and acting in the cultural world à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ risks creating alienation, defiance, and practical incompetence (pp. 42- 43). Dewey also believes that the society can only be empowered through education because it brings forth a change in knowledge, behavior and intelligence (Fishman, 1998). This therefore is the crucial time when the nation has to critically think on ways of improving the society by ensuring there is justices and equality in the education system. The advancement in learning methods and technology has significantly contributed to major changes in the public education in a positive way but the modern day social life in Americans characterized by smoking, alcoholisms, drugs violence and issues related to sex. The public education I of America has been looked as a system of education which inculcates the ideas of individual freedom and equality but its current low standards has made any educators to find the ways of improving the system. The No Child Left Behind Act is one of the ways of improving the education standards in America but it requires critical examination to prevent the act from further contributing to the issue of bringing forth social injustice based or race and economic backgrounds of the students.

Significance of the Porch in Hurston’s Novels, Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching G :: Their Eyes Watching God Seraph Suwanee

Significance of the Porch in Hurston’s Novels, Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God â€Å"She took to inviting other women friends to drop in and they all expressed envy of her porch. It built Avray up and made her feel more inside of things. It was a kind of throne room, and out there, Avray felt that she could measure arms and cope. Just looking around gave her courage. Out there, Avray had the courage to visit the graveyard of years and dig up dates and examine them cheerfully.† (Seraph on the Suwanee 234) â€Å"It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. The became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths. They sat in judgment.† (Their Eyes Were Watching God 1) In Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the physical structure of the porch serves to both literally and figuratively elevate its sitters, and becomes an arena for exploring the theme of inside versus outside spaces. Avray’s porch in Seraph on the Suwanee is associated with a higher standard of living and is the envy of her visitors. At first, Avray is unsure about this new, â€Å"outside show of ownership.† (234) Avray is uncertain about her right to belong to this class of folk and as a result feels inner turmoil about whether or not she deserves such privilege. Her initial conflift with the porch mimics her desire to â€Å"[brace] herself to glory in her folks† despite her disgust with their old junk, cracked dishes, and shabby house. Over time, Avray found it easier to rejoice in the comforts of her new life. As she reclined further back into the chaise lounges and cushions of her class, her porch became a place of pride and courage. The use of the metaphor that describes the porch as a throne (and hence the porch-sitters as royalty) reinforces the idea of an elevated social status and its implied protection. Similar to Avray’s porch, Phoeby’s porch in Their Eyes Were Watching God is a social place. Those who sit out on the porch feel free reign to pass judgment on those who walk by.

America Under Siege :: essays research papers

America under Siege†¦ One the greatest bastions of freedom and democracy in our world is now under siege by cowardly forces. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon is not only an attack against the US, but an attack against the entire Western civilised world. There is nothing more despised and cowardly then a terrorist attack on innocent bystanders, but yet it is still one of the most effective weapons in the world today. It has been used before and will probably be used again, as we see from the attacks in the US. This is the warfare of the new Millennium. No country can be prepared for terrorist attacks and defend against them, especially not for one in such scale as the attack on the US. When seeing the pictures on CNN for the first time, I first believed that this was a hoax, a movie or something like that, but soon the fearful truth hit me ; this was for real! I have read things like this in books and seen them in the movies, but I for one, did not believe that this would happen. In 1996, Tom Clancy wrote a book called â€Å"Executive orders†, where he described a scenario which is not so far from what happened on Tuesday ; a plane crashes into Capitol Hill, killing the entire Congress and the president of the USA. You can say that Clancy almost predicted that something like this would happen, and so did the intelligence community. Already in 1993 a secret Pentagon report called â€Å"Terror2000† described possible terrorist scenarios against American interests, and in fact, several of those scenarios have come true indeed. America under siege. I remember reading Tom Clancy’s number one seller ; â€Å"Executive orders†, and thinking that it would be so cool if I could experience something like that. Well, I did, and the rest of the world did on the 11. of September 2001. And I realised how wrong I was when thinking that something like that would be cool to experience. Tom Clancy starts his book with a poem written by Colleen C. Hitchcock, called â€Å"the Ascension†, and I think that it is very appropriate for this occasion : Ascension And if I go, while you’re still here†¦ Know that I live on, vibrating to a different measure -- behind a thin veil you cannot see through. You will not see me, so you must have faith.

Commentary on Women Beware Women Essay

Beware Women is a Jacobean tragedy, which has a complex plot and deals with corrupted characters. This tragedy is about corruption in the court and life in general, love by money and how women can lead other women to destruction. As Tricomi states about the characters, they ‘are not wholly the product of their circumstances, but their circumstances condition their choices and propel them toward their destiny’. Middleton, as other Jacobean playwrights before him, has managed to point out that ‘aristocratic life is brutal and corrupt’. 2] The focus of this commentary will be concentrated on marriage and to what can lead one to fall apart. The first scene (Act I), deals with the characters of the play’s main plot: Leantio, Bianca and the Mother. In this scene, the readers come across with the insulting behaviour towards Bianca, where she is treated as an object. Leantio speaks of his wife with words of business, to him she is â€Å"the most unvalued’st purchase†.He describes her as if she was a dangerous object that must stay hidden and safe, away from the sight of men. When he talks about her, it is obvious that Bianca is for him a treasure and he is the thief that now has to hide his â€Å"best piece of theft† (I. ii) in a safe place so no one will steal it from him. Such words describing a human being are rather cruel, especially when Leantio is talking about a person for whom he is supposed to have true and pure feelings of love. Leantio is aware that Bianca’s family is rich, but he also knows that by marrying Bianca in secrecy and taking her away from them, Bianca will lose all of the property and money that belongs to her. He has also written over to her his house and put his mother in jeopardy. Although his act seems a romantic one and, even though he speaks of that relationship and feelings as being pure, his love is not mature; rather, it is one filled with jealousy. In the beginning of the play Bianca could be characterised as the victim because she has a mother-in-law who is not fond of her and does not approve their marriage and she is now imprisoned in poverty and in home. However, Bianca is ‘as much a victim as perpetrator, and she is to be judged as a tragic protagonist with a vexing mix of virtues and flaws’. [3] As seen in the plot, the Mother aids and abets in Bianca’s meeting with the Duke. The Mother and Livia hatched up a plan for Bianca’s rape and she falls into the trap, as Isabella did, but the rape was almost enticed on her part. ‘The attitude towards Bianca is one of dehumanizing possession and manipulation’. [4] But Bianca, after that, changes drastically and soon enough she becomes one of the most corrupted characters, who along with others, brings about the downfall and the final bloodshed in the play. Bianca chose money over her marriage, although, she blames the other women for her disaster. ‘Treachery and betrayal [†¦ ] are Bianca’s terms of explanation for her downfall’. [5] Bianca is seen by her mother-in-law as an added burden to her son’s finances. The Mother’s interest is focused only on money. For the Mother, Bianca as a wife has nothing to offer, she will only demand and receive. The Mother is sizing up the economics of their situation now that there are three members in the family. Leantio can barely support himself, and up until now he had to support his mother as well. The Mother doubts that her son is able to support a family of three. She claims that nothing can save him from this financial dead end by saying â€Å"My life can give you But little helps, and my death lesser hopes† (I. i). The Mother thinks of Bianca, as for every other wife, that she will require from Leantio â€Å"maintenance† (I. ii) fitting to her â€Å"birth and virtues† (I. ii), but also gratification of her desire for â€Å"affections, wills, and humours† (I. ii). [6] Leantio then expresses his intentions towards Bianca, by replying to his mother’s words, pleading with her not to â€Å"teach her to rebel† (I. ii) now that â€Å"she’s in a good way to obedience† (I. ii). Leantio’s â€Å"assurance† (I. ii), of keeping his â€Å"jewel† (I. ii) locked away â€Å"from all men’s eyes† (I. ii), is his mother. She is the one who holds the â€Å"key† (I. i) to his â€Å"treasure† (I. ii), and â€Å"old mothers† (I. ii) are â€Å"good to look to keys† (I. ii) when â€Å"sons lock chests† (I. ii). However, the irony here is that later on, it’s the Mother herself who pushes Bianca towards rape with the Duke, first to get rid of her, but then to accrue some of the benefits from the court life for herself and her son. Bianca is to Leantio nothing but an object of â€Å"great value† (I. ii), a â€Å"matchless jewel† (I. ii) that he has stolen. Because â€Å"temptation is a devil will not stick to fasten upon a saint† (I. ii), Leantio’s â€Å"gem† (I. ii) must stay hidden and locked. This is the â€Å"great policy† (I. i) for Leantio in order to never lose a treasure; never â€Å"show thieves our wealth† (I. ii). Bianca is the â€Å"treasure† (I. ii), Leantio is the â€Å"thief† (I. ii), and the â€Å"key† (I. ii) to his happiness holds his mother, thus, it could be said that the chest with the key is symbolic of Leantio and Bianca’s relationship. To conclude, this tragedy proves that women should beware women. Women lead other women to destruction, and are even responsible for another woman’s rape. Corruption and enemies are present everywhere but, as Bianca says in her dying breath, â€Å"Like our own sex, we have no enemy†.

Leadership Essay

The importance in developing greatness and achieving success lies within the ability to carry out Level 5 leadership. It is evident that companies who are Level 5 leaders have prospered greatly and attained â€Å"stock returns at least 3 times the market’s† (Collins, 2005). Taking this into consideration those companies who did not possess level 5 leaders were able to achieve success only for a period of time but failed to sustain it any longer than that. Humility and will are behaviours that make up the qualities of a level 5 leader and their importance lies in the fact that having this quality either can make or break a company. Over many years, out of a large number of companies that were researched, only a small number of them truly sustained their growth and this came down to whether or not the leaders of these Fortune 500 companies sat atop the hierarchy or whether they lacked the level 5 trait. There are also implications for today’s management and the issue of whether executives need to plan for the future and weigh the costs against the benefits of certain projects. Workplace branding is also an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration by Level 5 leaders as they have huge potential to influence their organization’s brand. Furthermore, level 5 leadership is an attribute that can be developed but is not for everyone. Analysis Leadership is a significant element in any business as without it, a business is doomed to fail right from the start. Having a strong leader can eliminate disputes and internal problems. A company must have internal strength before it can be strong enough to outperform the general market. Humility in a Level 5 Leader We can characterize a level 5 leader by many unique traits however, the two most important according to Jim Collins is humility and will. Collins depicts these leaders as â€Å"modest and willful, shy and fearless† (Collins, 2005). Jim Collins defines a level 5 leader as â€Å"an executive in whom genuine personal humility blends with intense professional will† (Collins, 2005). He describes a hierarchy where level 5 leaders sit on the top and exhibit these tendencies while working in professional frameworks supported by effective teamwork. Since a level 5 leader is said to have both humility and will, level 5 leaders exhibit a twofold quality, therefore, humility is positively acknowledged as a quality of successful leaders. Humility is a key aspect to level 5 leadership and those that emboss this quality often â€Å"credit others, external factors, and good luck for their companies’ success† (Collins, 2005). These types of leaders, when commenting on their company success will praise the employees for contributing their skills and efforts to its triumph and shy away from giving themselves attention. According to a report, â€Å"a leader who has humility is unlikely to impose their own personal vision on others and is more likely to admit any flaw in their own vision† (Lawrence, 2006). Instead of crediting themselves and their own efforts they exhibit a type of nature that allows them to recognize others. Leaders with humility â€Å"don’t seek success for their own glory–and they’re first to accept blame for mistakes† (Mind Tools Ltd. , 2013). Level 5 leaders possess â€Å"the seed† (Collins, 2005) which is a quality that allows them to â€Å"subjugate to something larger than themselves† (Collins, 2005). This is a powerful virtue and one that sets those company’s who succeed apart from those that fail. Those leaders that possess humility managed to transition their companies from good to great. We have seen in comparison companies that failed to do this, their downfall was their lack in humility. As a result, we can make the connection that humility is necessary to a company’s success. A company is a network of people who work as a team and leaders that display humbleness towards their employees, by taking responsibility when things go wrong and recognizing the team for their hard work, will reach eminent success. Companies that exhibited this kind of behaviour included Kroger Co, Kimberly-Clark, and Gillette to name a few, while others such as A&P, Scott Paper, and Bank of America were comprised of leaders that were self centered. It is evident that these types of leaders led their company to destruction especially during the 2007 to 2008 crisis. In this case and every other, â€Å"humility matters [because] chaos could have been averted if appointment committees had recruited Level 5 leaders† (Mind Tools Ltd. , 2013). Collins was able to change the worlds view about what makes a great leader which many thought was charisma and personality. The mistake most of these comparison companies made was believing that level 5 leaders’ gentle and shy nature would bring them down when in reality, those characteristics are what brought them to the top. Comparison company leaders felt that charisma and forwardness was the way to the top of the hierarchy however, they soon found out this was not the key to success. Other important characteristics that mold a level 5 leader is discipline, determination, and integrity. While most people believe that having an extreme personality is necessary, they fail to recognize that these traits are what makes up some peoples personalities, which is what makes them great leaders. Jim Collins emphasized Darwin Smith in this respect; a man with â€Å"iron will† (Collins, 2005) and one that never stopped having faith in the success of his company. There arises a compelling need for leadership in a business and this need stems from the â€Å"desire to grow and achieve higher goals [which] never develops,† (Martin, 1999) if there is no potent leader in place. Corporate Changes in Leadership As only 11 Fortune 500 companies flourished to greatness, the attributes each company possessed in similarities was Level 5 leadership. These 11 companies that made Collins list â€Å"averaged returns 6. 9 times greater than the market’s,† (Collins, 2001) doubling the returns of their rivals. There have been many attempts to change a corporate vision by changing leadership however, setting a new direction has not shown anticipated results nor has â€Å"articulating a fresh corporate vision† (Collins, 2001). The mistake most companies have made is focusing more on the direction of the business rather than the people implementing the strategy. World leaders have sought to take advantage of this unique approach by having the right people on the management team and then divulging into the â€Å"what† question many have asked. Having a company comprised of the right people is the most important step because these types of people can adapt to changing circumstances rather than having to adapt the company’s direction to match the teams vision. What leaders such as Darwin Smith did, was develop a hedgehog concept where they can â€Å"simplify a complex world into a single, organizing idea† (Collins, 2001) and take their company to new lengths. Kimberly-Clark Kimberly Clark, a paper company, was one of these that had remained successful after experiencing a change in leadership. With Darwin E. Smith in position to act as CEO, the company was transformed into the giant success that it is today. Initially, Kimberly-Clark was just like any other old paper company that was considered good but not great. All that changed when Darwin Smith became CEO in 1971. This man was credited with turning Kimberly-Clark into â€Å"an innovative consumer products powerhouse† (Anshuman, 2005). The first step to its transformation was the elimination of the Kimberly-Clark mills. Many people were skeptical about the move but Darwin’s determination allowed the company to overcome its rivals and beat the market. It was his strength and leadership that paved the way for its transformation. Anshuman mentions in his blog that Smith made sure his leadership team consisted of those people that met his standards and separated them from those who did not (2005, October 22). By building strength within the company first, Darwin was able to create strength externally as well, which gave the company an advantage and allowed it to expand geographically. Furthermore, Darwin pushed his efforts towards strengthening â€Å"the company’s position in the tissue segment of the paper industry† (Anshuman, 2005). It was evident that these newly implemented strategies were thriving since â€Å"stockholders experienced returns of 19. 6% annually† (Anshuman, 2005) and it was his qualities of crediting others for the company’s success that truly brought it to greatness. Before Darwin, Kimberly-Clark’s CEO was headed in the wrong direction as its â€Å"stock had fallen 36% behind the general market,† (Collins, 2005) and this was no small number. The reason for this fall was because the company’s leadership team was not focused on its main operations and the areas that would bring the company to greatness which in turn caused Kimberly-Clark to fall short. This downfall was brought by Kimberly-Clark’s failure â€Å"to keep up with early disposable diaper improvements and market innovations† (Funding Universe, n. d. ). Clearly Smith had the right idea when he took the initiative to merge with Scott Paper. After its transformation, Kimberly Clark was â€Å"generating stock returns 4. 1 times greater than the general markets† (Collins, 2005). Kimberly-Clark became â€Å"the leading consumer paper products company in the world,† (Collins, 2005) outperforming not only the market but even other giant, well known, companies such as Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and Coca-Cola. Kimberly-Clark was on Collins’ list because the company was able to sustain greatness after they had attained it for the first time. Smith succeeded in making Kimberly-Clark a great company and this was possible because he had the qualities of a level 5 leader. It is duly noted that transforming a company from good to great is not an easy task but those leaders holding â€Å"this paradoxical combination of traits,† (Collins, 2005) those of humility and professional will, have the ability to achieve this prominence. What Kimberly-Clark’s team and other great companies did was not starting something new but essentially taking the action to stop doing something they have done for many years. To discontinue a main part of their business is what led them to become great. For Kimberly-Clark, â€Å"that meant it would have to stop doing paper mills,† (Collins, 2001) for other companies it may mean eliminating unnecessary or time consuming strategies. This company did not achieve success over night or by some miracle but through â€Å"simplicity and diligence† (Collins, 2001). Kroger Co Kroger Co, a grocery store chain, was normally seen as an ‘average’ company or nothing out of the ordinary until it dramatically transformed and started racking up large returns. When it â€Å"broke free of its mediocrity to beat the stock market by 4. 16 times,† (Collins, 2001) it continued its rally and in a 15 year period â€Å"Kroger outperformed the market by 10 times† (Collins, 2001). Before this occurred however, Kroger was run by leaders that were less likely to succeed and turn the company around to sustainability. From the early years, Kroger was a successful company because its strategy emphasized customer wants and needs rather than the organizations’ itself, although for the first 80 years it was nothing more than average. However, a main reason for Kroger’s experienced growth lay in its acquisitions such as the one with Dillon Companies Inc. in 1983 which smoothed Kroger’s transition into â€Å"[becoming] a coast-to-coast operator of food, drug and convenience stores† (The Kroger Company, 2013). During the time of this acquisition, Lyle Everingham was CEO of Kroger and his leadership skills led the company â€Å"to utilize extensive consumer research to focus on meeting customer needs first, rather than on what suited Kroger best,† (Zwiebach, 2008) which is the vision Kroger initially set out in the beginning and proved to be successful. The acquisition with Dillon was not the most significant either but it was Kroger’s merger with Fred Meyer that developed the company’s geographic culture as well as created the â€Å"widest variety of formats in the foot retailing industry† (The Kroger Company, 2013). This merger under the direction of the next CEO, Joseph A. Pichler, created a major buzz and resulted from his outward looking perspective. All of these leaders possessed the skills that allowed them to sustain the growth in the business which was seen in the many years Kroger beat the stock market. Following the years of average performance, the leaders from there on in all had something in common; they were all level 5 leaders who contributed their own efforts to continuing Kroger’s growth and â€Å"from 1973 to 1998, Kroger outperform the market by 10 times† (Collins, 2001). 1973 was Kroger’s turning point and leaders realized that the current model was going to continue demonstrating average performance so they took the initiative and â€Å"began eliminating, changing or replacing every single one of its stores† (Thill, 2003) to fit new certainties. The common link between these companies was their approach: â€Å"a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process† (Collins, 2001). In other words, this framework kept successful companies on the right path and molded them into their strong counterparts that were able to uphold their greatness. The changes in leadership that these companies experienced resulted in momentum change where this increase in energy encouraged them to keep going and carrying it on with greater velocity until exceptional results were produced.