Freud and Tillich Essay

S. Freud’s The Future Illusion and P. Tillich’s Religion as a Dimension in Man’s Spiritual Life carry on about an important question of what religion really is, what is its meaning in a cultural, psychological and scientific aspect and how it relates to a society and an individual. In this paper I will try to prove through an analysis and comparison of both texts that although their approach to the subject is different they both regard religion as an important aspect of human life. Freud in Illusion touches on things that to some may be an unquestionable truths; a meaning of life, a reason to be a good citizen – a good human being. Freud strips religion of its â€Å"holiness† but not of its power over a culture and a human life. He argues that religion in its essence is nothing more than an illusion – a wishful thinking based on a subconscious hope for a reward (the afterlife). According to Freud, religion is an aspect of culture – civilization, defending us against nature and each other. Civilization is a necessity that was socially constructed in order to explain and control the unknown and scary forces of the world but more importantly to cage our primal desires of: incest, murder, cannibalism which lay deeply in our unconscious. Therefore, to save humanity civilization created laws. At first the forces of nature were given human characteristics to make the assimilation easier and simpler to comprehend. The so called totemism was clear and understandable serving a purpose of control and protection from the environment and ourselves. But who would obey the laws if there was no fear of punishment for doing wrong and a reward for doing good. That is when religion came in handy. Now the gods have been replaced by science and a singular God (a father), who became more sophisticated than his predecessors, promising compensation for all the hard aches. Freud claims, that religion isn’t the essence of morality, that society didn’t adapt to the Ten Commandments but the other way around. It served as a tool supporting the reasonable laws of civilization, making living in society more bearable seen through perspective of fulfillment in the afterlife. Therefore, its function plays a crucial role in sustaining society and preventing civilization from destruction by individuals acting on their animalistic instincts. If a person is being left to his own devices without laws, regulations and fear of punishment he will act egocentrically causing chaos and destruction for the entire population. However, the more educated the society becomes, the more it expects from religion. Its promises are less reliable than scientific evidence and once the fruit of knowledge becomes accessible to masses the trust in religious explanation declines. This may cause danger and a cultural collapse if people’s belief in God fails, it threatens not only religion but the original source of common law – civilization. They realize there is no need to be afraid of punishment any longer, therefore, who or what would stop them? What may seem as a law of God is actually in the best interest of human social existence, otherwise civilization would not have survived. The creation of rational attitude of not killing got ascribed to God, despite rationalizing it as a purely human creation that relates to all rights and cultural institutions. Freud claims, that people will not need religion when they realize that those rules were not created to rule them but to serve in their best interest. Men act under the influence of impulses and desires, therefore, rational explanation is not powerful enough, nevertheless, Freud thinks that with the progress of science there will be less demand for the illusion and eventually no religion at all. Tillich on the other hand has a more romanticized view on the aspect of religion. He admits that the word itself gets misinterpreted and abused in many ways, therefore, decides to call it the ultimate concern. For Tillich religion is something much more personal, intimate, it is a sphere in human spiritual life (inner) that is being filled accordingly to ones needs. He doesn’t insist that the ultimate concern must relate directly to God, on the contrary it can be anything as long as it is: ultimate, infinite and unconditional. He says that there is more to a human being than flesh and blood, to be fully satisfied one must find and nurture his faith. The spiritual life, the inner needs are equally as important as satisfying human physiology. Tillich despises theologians who stay faithful to the approach that religion is a gift from God, something sacred and pure because it was not created by any mortal but God himself, that religion is not a matter of choice. He also disagrees with the scientific approach regarding religion as nothing more than a stage in human development, socially constructed based on rituals and tradition. According to Tillich, dimension of man’s spiritual life is something uniquely human that it is inherent, and we can not get rid off because it’s already within us, it is a part of who we are. Therefore, religion as an ultimate experience can not be ascribed to one particular realm of human life; knowledge, aesthetic, morality and most importantly emotion all express the ultimate concern. Therefore, the ultimate concern isn’t something one could grasp and reassemble to pieces in order to understand it better. The task of religion is to fulfill our inner needs in all four aspects, as any human can not survive without food, water and shelter. We can not be fulfilled as humans if our spiritual life isn’t satisfied, therefore, no man can be happy without religion. As easy as one may think that finding out what the ultimate concern is it is actually quite complicated. Because for those who truly believe and don’t deny the existence of God it is even harder to rich that fulfillment than for those who strive for answers. The ultimate concern is simply a human’s true nature, it is a part of you that can not be forgotten, diminished or simplified into an institutional religion and its doctrines, the ultimate concern fulfills your spirit making a man’s life meaningful. Both Freud and Tillich discuss the matter of religion as an important aspect of human life. Freud claims that religion is an illusion, nothing more than a fairytale for kids who long for a happy ending, a compensation for the crappy life we all have to deal with . Where Tillich approach differs from Freudian perspective like day to night. Nevertheless, both scholars claim the necessity for religious experience as long as according to Tillich an individual fulfills his inner spiritual needs and according to Freud if it guards societies from killing each other.

Business Entity Paper Essay

There are different forms of businesses and they al have their own purpose. Some are for individuals and others are for partners but they both have different forms. Depending on the size and type of business the owners decide how they are going to start it. Also the liability behind them and the type of ownership also depends on how they decide to go. A corporation is a juridical entity established under the corporation code and register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It has to have a minimum of five persons and up to fifteen. The liability is limited for the shareholders and are only countable for the amount of capital invested. It is more difficult to create, manage and organize. Depending on how many shares an individual has that’s how the participation of them is assign. If an individual has not that many shares they will be left out with out any participation or word in the company actions and next moves. An example would be Apple and Microsoft. Individuals ask, â€Å"What are the benefits to commerce of having shareholders and other entities that shield their members, protected from personal liability?† There are many benefits to having shareholders, one of the main reasons why individuals decide to incorporate is the personal liability protection it has on its members. The law protects the shareholder’s personal property and the shareholder is only responsible for the value of the equity they have in the company. It also has tax advantages, some incorporated business are able to lower their tax rate by reducing the salaries paid to their owners. The CEOs of these companies are able to carry out their management skills with the support of the shareholders. The ability to transfer ownership is a great benefit because in case of a death or simply selling their shares can be done without having to finish the organization and starting a new one with new owners. Another question frequently asked is â€Å"Would commerce be better served if personal liability would attach to those individuals for the misdeeds of their entity?† There are individuals that would say yes, have their personal belongings attached to the corporation. The logic behind an insurance  company is to protect individuals from mistakes, either caused by others or individual mistakes. Having a corporation gives the opportunity to a group of individuals to carry out a business idea and to have the ability to prosper or to fail without loosing all their life savings and personal belongings. Individuals make mistakes and it is not fair to loose everything on the first try.

Advanatges Disadvatages on Coeducation

Coeducation is an education system where girls and boys are taught together. Many parents have the same dilemma about placing their children in co-ed schools or on-sex schools. Truth to be told, there are many advantages and disadvantages of coeducation. One of the main advantages of coeducation is that a coeducational school enables boys and girls to exchange ideas. Many people have different opinions on different matters. For example, boys and girls many different point of views on education, entertainment, news and many more. There is an healthy exchange of ideas among the opposite sexes. The second advantage is that the spirit of competition is stronger among boys and girls when they study together. Boys and girls love to compete with each other in their academic studies and extracurricular activities. The boys want to prove to the girls that they are better than them by working harder and vice versa with the girls. Thus, their academic performance as well as their performance inn extracurricular activities improves. The desire to be respected and befriended by the opposite sex is the motivating force here. Thirdly, students in coeducational schools are better able to adapt to the society compare to one-sex schools. The boys and girls learn to mix with the opposite sex like studying and working together. This helps them overcome their shyness and fear in the company of the opposite sex. Furthermore, the students learn to respect and understand the different characteristics of the opposite sex. Students in coed-schools will have a better social etiquette with the society, resulting students not going through culture shock when they leave school for college, university and working life . Another advantage of coeducation is one-sex school students may lead to homosexual students. As we learn in science when an adolescent reaches puberty, they will go through physical, physiological and emotion changes-like being attracted to the opposite sex. Students in one-sex school, they have trouble with their emotional changes because everyone in their schools is of the same sex. In order for them to relax, they release their sexual frustration on the same sex. Thus, resulting in gays and lesbians. Many people and parents do not encourage it as this could jeopardize their future. On the other hand, there are many disadvantages of coeducation. Socializing among boys and girls is very common in this generation. Socializing too much with the opposite sex will lead to dating and sexual intercourse at an early age. Students will begin to neglect their studies and spend their time on unappriote events such as parties, disco-theques, picnics and many more. This, in turn, may lead to poor academic performance. This is certainty not to be encouraged. Morever, in the presence of girls. Boys tend to show off their looks, talent and cocky attitude which many girls find, including me, DISGUSTING. Boys show no fear in front of girls so the girls will look at them as ‘macho man’. Boys will be looked down by girls during classes if they keep continuing to show off. Thus, the boys would rather not ask the teachers to explain again even if they do not understand the lesson for the sake of their reputation in front of the girls. Lastly, The confidence of some girls can also be affected by the presence of boys. The most common characteristics of girls is that they are very sensitive, shy, quiet, petty and soft. Well most of them. Whenever they are teased by boys, their self-esteem goes down, they become very quiet and afraid to ask teachers questions about the subject. The girls will take a backseat in discussions in classes to protect themselves from the teasing from the boys. As I mention above, this will lead to poor confidence level and may effect their future. In conclusion, we can say that the advantages outweigh and ‘out numbered’ the disadvantages on coeducation. From my point of view, coeducation gives a better exposure to students that on-sex schools which will help them in their future life *PS : Please no offense to the boys if I criticize them in my essay above

CONSIDERING THE INTIAL ASSESSMENT , RELATIVE STABILITY IN THREE Essay

CONSIDERING THE INTIAL ASSESSMENT , RELATIVE STABILITY IN THREE DISASTER SITUATIONS - Essay Example But since the local administration was already triggered emotionally, there was absolute coordination lapse between the authorities and no strategic plan was there to cope up with such magnified disasters. International organizations, NGOs, UN agencies became active and responded to the call but the lack of proper coordination and affliction estimation proved the initial relief efforts were fruitless. This earth quake was a result of propulsion between the tectonic plates, it was the South American plate getting up over on the Nazca plate. According to geological and seismic specialists, such earth quakes in the region are generated after every 100 years in this region of Peru. As the earth quake smashed the country, the major danger was the tsunami threat to the adjoining areas. The earthquake relative stability was already stranded as all daily life activities appeared to seize in destroyed areas. In order to cope up with such magnified threats there should be master recovery plan for earth quake disaster. The plan should focus on militia training for rescuing people and dealing with such disasters, special rescue teams, department for master management of relief activities so that all governmental, local, NGOs, international efforts can be centralized with a genuine assessment so that efforts can be optimized for maximum relief. 1. Second Situation Assessment and Relative Stability 4rth March 2008 New York, an unoccupied 5 floor building partially damaged in Manhattan Upper region. As far as the building was vacant and it was not totally grounded therefore, no injuries or any other fatality had been reported. Moreover the assessment of engineers and architects claimed that two upper walls and some of the floors had been disturbed or damaged by the propulsion within the building itself. The analysts feared that the building was damaged due to the vibrations that were caused by the sub way railway system. The subway route could further influence on the buildin g, therefore, it was suspended at that time of the event, while passengers were later advised to travel through an alternative route. The building was already in the listings of complaints launched by the vicinity residents to the concerning Department of buildings but still till that time of event no preventive measures were properly made. If the building would had collapsed completely there could be increasing numbers of causalities, because nearby constructions would had been in grave danger. Furthermore as building was partially collapsed, and sub ways were suspended the passengers were facing extreme distress to wait until they were properly channelized. Therefore, relative stability was out of order due to the negligence of concerning authorities. Moreover, rail sub ways should be designed in a way that there should be proper mechanisms which can be vibration proof or vibrant resistant lamination surrounding sub-ways so that adjoining buildings on ground cannot get dismantled by continuous vibrations. Furthermore concern authorities for building must always work for preemptive approaches rather reactive approach that can result in harming relative stability. 2. Third Situation Assessment and Relative Stability Hurricane Katrina was initially formed in 23rd August 2005. This later afflicted Bahamas, Gulfport,

Introduction to Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Introduction to Networking - Essay Example Applications associated with Microsoft.Net do not have to be dependent for example Visual studio, as Microsoft.Net based applications execute within the Common Language Runtime (CLR) that is similar to J2EE based application executing within the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) (Miller, 2003). Likewise, the Microsoft.Net framework incorporates a rich archive of functionality to the CLR that is far greater than J2EE. Moreover, another advantage that the Microsoft.Net framework provides a rich environment for programming, as less coding is required as compared to other programming languages. This is a significant advantage, as less coding concludes to low cost and less time for project completion (Miller, 2003). Furthermore, Microsoft.NET applications are robust and provide features to connect and support many users comparatively. This concludes that the total cost of a solution incorporates the amount of money is required to develop and implement an application. Hence, Microsoft.Net provide s a significant advantage over other programming languages in this domain. (Cabral, Sacramento, & Marques, 2007) one of the researches illustrated the issues associated with Microsoft.NET framework documentation. The research highlighted the nonexistence of appropriate documentation and quality in several Microsoft.NET applications. However, the weightage of the research was on the documentation quality, as different issues were found associated with absence of proper documentation while gathering assemblies for the research. Likewise, the study demonstrated that 87% associated exceptions were not documented. The values were ranging from 80% to almost 98%. However, for the issues associated with inadequate quality in documentation, part of the data associated with inadequate accounts of exceptions that can possible emerge in the process of calling other methods (Cabral, Sacramento, & Marques, 2007). However, the remaining

The Legitimacy Question Surrounding the Death Penalty Research Paper - 1

The Legitimacy Question Surrounding the Death Penalty - Research Paper Example The literature on the topic of the death penalty reflects the polar nature of the debate, but oddly, both sides utilize statistics to support their respective positions. This is odd because the clichà © â€Å"statistics don’t lie† does not seem to apply. However, primarily, the problem is how both sides use their statistics. An argument such as â€Å"death penalty deters future murders†, after all, cannot both be true and be false at the same time. However, a quick glance at the literature shows it is indeed possible for both a claim and its negation to find statistical support. Additionally, research is often done into the statistics of death penalty with a specific argument in mind. For instance, two very important articles in the history of the debate try to give an answer to whether there is a racial bias against certain minorities in how the death penalty is handled.   The first article was written by Isaac Ehrlich and published in 1975 dealing primarily with the deterrent effect of the death penalty. In it, he remarks that the deterrent argument against the death penalty is one of many arguments put favor in support of the practice: namely, that the thought the death penalty will make a potential killer â€Å"think twice† about committing a violent crime. This is an â€Å"economic† approach and defense to murder, which justifies the incentive-based approach Ehrlich takes in analyzing the deterrence effect. The model he creates is designed to represent an economic model of murder to test against available data for validation. The model he creates is designed to represent an economic model of murder to test against available data for validation. The model he generates during the course of his article analyzes earning opportunities, employment, the probability of apprehension, the probability of conviction, and frequency of violent crim e against actual violent crime rates.  

Classroom Management Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Classroom Management Styles - Essay Example From this essay it is clear that the severity of the problems that some teachers face is different from others, but the basic issues are the same. The basic concern for every teacher is on how to handle student misbehaviors in their classrooms. Most teachers are aware of how to handle the extreme misbehaviors, like swearing, fighting, stealing, drug use, and so on. In regard to these issues, most schools have a clear protocol on how to handle them. Of greater concern are smaller issues such as sleeping in class, excessive talking, and students getting out of their desks without permission. These minor misbehaviors can be much more disruptive and stressful for a teacher than the extreme issues. This is because a majority of teachers do not have an effective plan in place ahead of time to handle them. As a result, teachers are forced to react on the spot without a prepared response. Such response may aggravate the issue and may pass a teacher as one who has lost control of the class. I t should always be stressed that the critical issue in classroom management is that the teacher must always ensure absolute control. This way student feel obliged to follow instructions and behave in a way that is not disruptive to the others. Classroom problems have their genesis early in the lives of children.  

The Homeless Just Need a Fighting Chance Article

The Homeless Just Need a Fighting Chance - Article Example This could further result in them being charged and fined for damaging the reputation of the hospital and shelters. The act of falsifying the home addresses for the homeless will result in the provision of wrong information thereby making their billing process insufficient. This will occur when accounting for and raising the funds incurred by the homeless when attaining medical care from both institutions. The fake addresses will also contribute to the obtaining of false figures concerning the number of people who are homeless within the city. This act will additionally bring problems to the health experts who have been bound by their ethical codes of conduct into abstaining from providing false information concerning their patients. On discovering that the information provided concerning the homeless is fake, the homeless people will most likely undergo greater scrutiny before being provided with healthcare services. In addition to the scrutiny being carried out on the patients, the re will be a lot of mistrust among the shelter managers and the management of Ridgefield hospital. This is because they will have previously been deceived by Mayer and Evans in the course of providing their healthcare services through their provision of false information. ... Eventually, the government might result into developing better strategies to take care of the homeless and improve on their living standards (Barrington 212). 2. Strategy For Securing Medical And Shelter Care For Homeless People With Health Problems The strategy to be applied will be guided by various principles at its inception, which will include the setting of targets, beginning work on the set objectives and ensuring accountability for the results that are obtained. It will also involve keeping the strategy alive while continuing with the task of seeking finances to support it. These activities will all be carried out in the course of planning on the new strategy to utilize (Hombs 323). A team of experts should first be sent out to evaluate other healthcare strategies for the homeless people that have been applied successfully. This team should then indulge in the monitoring of the health records for their homeless societies within the previous years. The information will be vita l in evaluating the treatments offered to them and its quality (Hombs 325). They will then be involved in gathering and evaluating the new knowledge along with the changes that should be considered when setting their priorities. These activities will then be followed by the act of seeking financial support for their new strategy. The adopted strategy will have three major development stages, which will include the provision of housing facilities and sufficient medical care, the process of reaching out to the homeless and engaging them in the activities of the approach adopted. Eventually, the prevention of other people becoming homeless through the provision of adequate housing facilities will then take place. The provision of adequate housing facilities for the homeless will be done

The Piazza of San Marco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Piazza of San Marco - Essay Example The essay "The Piazza of San Marco" explores The Piazza of San Marco, the heart of Venice. This is where the famous Grand Canal, the largest canal in Venice takes its beginning from and where the most popular sights are located. The square is very old and has its roots as far back as in the ninth century. It was created then as a small space in front of the Saint Mark’s Basilica, and later, in 1777, it was extended and preserved its size up to nowadays. As we are to compare the condition of the Piazza in the Renaissance (approximately in the year 1500) and nowadays we should mark that, according to the information above, the square remained in its original size at the time of making the map of Jacobo de Barbari and the painting by Gentile Bellini. Nevertheless, i should be mentioned that in the painting of another artist, Giovanni Antonio Canal, square has the same look as in the modern times. To add more, it is notable that the square isn’t actually a square, it is a t rapezoid (Imboden).Regarding the general composition, the location of the buildings haven’t changed over centuries, but the details have. The architectural dominant of the Piazza is the Doge’s Palace, a building that used to serve as a residence for Venetian Doges. The palace is built in Italian gothic style. The first building appeared at that place back in the ninth century and looked as a fortress. In 976 this building was burned as a result of the rebellion, and later rebuilt in 1106. The major part of the modern palace.

Education and Lifelong Learning Essay Example for Free

Education and Lifelong Learning Essay 1. Understand own role and responsibilities in the lifelong learning. (1.1) Having been requested to produce a brief on my roles in teaching and professional values whist teaching in this role. I have to deal with variety of personnel from different ability groups and cultures. I often have to deal with ever changing legislation such as the Joint Service Publications (JSP’s) regarding subjects taught at the training wing, as well as the JSP’s we have to work in line with the Royal logistic Corps Training and Development Team (TDT) which gives up to date changes regarding our codes of practice. some of my roles in teaching the CLM courses are teaching Military Discipline which gets updated regularly from the Army Act 2006, my other key area is Health Safety which is governed by not only the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 (HASWA) but has its own JSP for the Ministry of Defence (MOD). (1.2) As with any organisation the MOD must comply with the Equality Act 2006, as for my role in promoting Equality and valuing Diversity as mentioned earlier the Royal Logistic Corps has a very versatile group with personnel from all over the commonwealth and also having many different religions. We adapt our lessons and exercises in line with the needs of personnel who may require a different learning style than that being used with extra time given to anyone that may have dyslexia or any other learning difficulty, if a soldier requires time off for religious beliefs they will be given extra tuition for the teaching periods missed, concessions will also be made if a soldier wears headdress as part of their religion with time given before and after an event such as firing on a range where they must wear a helmet for safety reasons. Before all students arrive at the training wing they must be at a set standard as directed by the RLC which will include being at the right basic skills level for the course and at the right fitness level they are also required to carry out an initial assessment on the first day of the course to see what standard the students are at, if the student gets low marks on some of the subjects covered they might be placed as an at risk student which means they may require additional tuition during the course but this information is kept between the instructors and the student involved with constant updates being given throughout the course. Whilst the training sessions are laid down the instructors will adapt the lesson so the students understand the subject by involving them in group discussions and are encouraged to ask any questions throughout the lessons. (1.3) In my role as an instructor I am responsible for the day to day running of the training wing and am solely responsible for certain lessons such as Military Discipline, Health Safety and Tactics which involves keeping up to date with all the relevant legislation and the upkeep of the classrooms. I also coach and mentor the Junior Non Commissioned Officers in all the CLM lessons which involves evaluating them during lessons to ensure the subjects are being taught correctly and in line with the RLC’s policy. (1.4) In my role regarding identifying and meeting the needs of the learners I take great care in seeing what sort of standard they are at when they first arrive on the courses by interviewing each student after they have carried out their initial assessments and asking them if they require any additional support during the course and what expectations that they may have regarding me as there instructor. If I feel that the student is going to struggle as their assessments were not up to the standards required during the course they are informed that they are an at risk student but does not affect them in any way if there standard improves and will be given regular evaluations and updates on their performance. 2. Understanding the relationship between teachers and other professionals in lifelong learning. (2.1) Some of the boundaries I face as an instructor in the Military are maintaining a professional relationship due to other instructors having a different outlook on a subject or not doing enough research, at times the Military seem to want a subject taught even if the instructor is not qualified which puts more demands on them. (2.2)Some of the areas of referral we use for the learners are met by having all the correct equipment available during any period of teaching with no time restrictions placed, all learners are given clear guidelines and targets that will need to be met. (2.3)In my role I have certain responsibilities regarding the relationship with other members of the training team and also do all correspondence with other outside agencies that are with our evaluating area such as keeping all internal evaluations are kept up to date with the current policies and keep are lessons up to date and accurate. I am also responsible for maintaining and evaluating all learner feedback and amending lessons that the students feel need changing this is a long process as I need lessons checked by the Training and development team before I can use them. 3.Understand own responsibilities for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment. (3.1)When maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment this will ultimately depend on the type of lesson being taught but classroom layouts will change depending on the needs of the learners, all lessons are kept short or are broken down so the learners have regular breaks so not to lose concentration. We also do a lot of interacting within the groups to make the learner feel that are giving input to the lessons. In regards to the Health safety of the learners all classrooms are laid out as per the HSE’s guidelines with all lighting, seating and blackout blinds fitted all classrooms have fixed projectors and whiteboards for interaction with mobile whiteboards for learners when they are broken down into smaller groups. A brief is given at the start of each course to ensure the learner understands that the instructors are to help and should be approached if they feel something is wrong. (3.2)To promote appropriate behaviour and respect for others I impose certain ground rules at the start of each course so the learners understand what is expected of them during the course. They are brief on all Health Safety regulations what to do and were to go in case of a fire, that no anti-social behaviour or offensive language will be tolerated and they must be punctual so not to waste the teacher’s time or the other learner’s time and to ensure they don’t interrupt during the lesson if someone else is speaking. They are briefed on classroom etiquette by ensuring the classrooms are left clean and tidy at all times and all mobile phone are turned off our on silent unless a learned has an important call to make then they are asked to leave the room. All learners are briefed to have the upper most respect for all other learners and teachers throughout the course.

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA)

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA) British Airways plc provides air services operations both at international and domestic level. Its major business is commercial flight. It also caters to various services like cargo freight, mail services and other auxiliary services all over the world. Mainly it runs its business in United States and Europe. It is situated in Harmondsworth, Middlesex, employing 42,755 people all over. It is emerging to be competitive and sustain its integrity as the best airlines which stress superior customer service. It has 300 destinations throughout the world; this extent of operations offers customers with world-class services at various destinations. Its customers range from explorers to executive. The aim of this report is to enable readers to comprehend strategic review and analysis of British Airways by explaining: History of British Airways Current strategic situation Potential Strategic options Recommended strategic direction with rationale Identification of critical success factors Performance measurement criteria The procedure used to compile this report is mainly extensive reading of various text books on corporate strategy, online journal articles and company’s website. All the information, surveys and experimentations included are taken through proper referencing from standard sources. II. Main Body 1. History of British Airways British Airways which originated as Aircraft Transport and Travel started its maiden daily international scheduled air services between London and Paris after World War 1. In 1939, UK government merged British Airways and Imperial Airways to form British Overseas Airways, which became a state owned company. BOAC’s main operation was long haul services and British European Airways was established to serve continental European and domestic market. Both BOAC and BEA expanded their business geographically over a period of time and BOAC started its flights to New York (1946), Japan (1948), Chicago (1954) and west coast of the US (1957). At the same time BEA expanded its network to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. In 1970, BEA started its charter airline services, BEA air tours. BAOC and BEA were merged together in 1972 under British Airways Board and in 1974 British Airways was formed. In 1976, British Airways started its first supersonic passenger service jointly with Air France. British Airways was privatised in 1987 and was merged with British Caledonian. In 2002, British Airways CitiExpress was formed by merging British Regional Airlines and Brymon Airways which were wholly owned subsidiaries. Other two wholly owned subsidiaries of British Airways, British Airways Regional and Manx Airlines were also merged with British Airways CitiExpress making it a single entirely owned regional subsidiary airline. In 2003, British Airways sold Dba, its German subsidiary to a German based low cost airline Verwaltungsgesellschaft. Same year British Airways Holidays introduced its first program after re-integrating with British Airways. In 2004, to clear their debt, British Airways sold their 18.6% of stake in Australian airline Qantas for  £1.1billion and also sold their London Eye to Tussauds  £95 million. In 2006, British Airways CitiExpress was renamed as BA Connect and the same year, they sold 14.6% stake in an Indian based business services Provider VVNS Holdings. British Airways also sold its Travel Clinic business to MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad). Meanwhile British Airways came to an agreement with Maley Hungarian Airlines for code sharing on each other’s flights. They also started a flight from London to Calgary, Canada. At the same time they acquired American Airline’s Stake in Iberia Airlines. In 2007, British Airways started flights from London to New quay in UK and also they announced their intention of their investment in 777-200 ERs which were scheduled for delivery in 2009.In 2006 they also sold their regional operations of BA connect to an European regional airlines Flybe. At the same time, British Airways launched its new subsidiary, BA CityFlyer in Lodon city Airport. BA CityFlyer was expected to operate 250 flights a week from the Docklands airport to six UK and European destinations. In May 2007, British Airways placed an order for eight airbus A320 family aircraft which were scheduled to be delivered between 2008 and 2010. Same month they announced their decision to replace 14 oldest Boeing 737’s with Airbus A319 aircraft, but they were also de-listed from New York Stock Exchange in the same month. British Airways launched their services from Paris and Brussels to New York in January 2008 and in April, 2008 from London to New York. Each week British Airways operated 62 flights from Gatwick and 55 flights from Heathrow. To make best of EU-US Aviation agreement, that allowed carriers to fly between any destinations in the EU and US, British Airways started their first commercial flight inJune 2008 from Paris to New York under a new subsidiary airline â€Å"OpenSkies† In July 2008, British Airways bought L’Avion, a French airline, which expected to be integrated with OpenSkies by early 2009. In the same month British Airways and Iberia, a Spain based airline group held talks for the merger of two companies. 2. Current strategic situation 2.1 Internal analysis British Airways deals with the operations of domestic and international scheduled air services for freight and mail, carrying passengers and various supplementary services. The company mainly function in the America and Europe. Company’s operations are also spread across Australia, Middle East, East Asia, India and Africa. Its head office is located in Harmondsworth, Middlesex. As on March 31, 2008 it employed 42,377 people. British airways had 245 aircraft in service at the end of March 2008 in comparison to 242 in March 2007. During the financial year ended March 2008,  £8,753 million (approximately $17,572.3 million) revenue was recorded which was 3.1% increase over 2007,  £8,75 million (approximately $1,756.6 million) was the operating profit which was 57.4% increase over 2007,  £680 million (approximately $1,365.2 million) was the net profit in comparison to  £290 million (approximately $582 million) net profit in 2007. Airlines business and Non-Airlines business are the two segments in which the company has divided its business. Cargo operations, main scheduled passengers and revenue from ancillary services comprises airlines business. In addition to scheduled services, chartered services are also provided by company’s passenger transportation services at both domestic and international level. It’s among the largest scheduled international passenger airlines in the world with airline route network of 300 destinations. More than 33 million passengers travelled through British Airways in FY2008. BA Connect is a wholly owned subsidiary of British airways which operates on regional (UK) routes. Heathrow International Airport is the company’s principal base, where it carries 41% (approx) of airport passengers. Gatwick, London is its second base of operations. It maintains hangers, operates offices and other support services at Gatwick, Heathrow and other UK airports. Space and desks under lease or license is also occupied by the company throughout the UK including Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. During the financial year ended March 31, 2008, 805,000 tons of cargo was carried by its cargo transportation services to destinations in the America, Europe and other parts of the world. Passenger aircrafts carries the majority of cargo, while the remaining is carried on part-chartered freighter aircraft or leased. A range of services to other air lines is also provided by British Airways like airframe maintenance, consultancy services, cargo handling and computer and communication services. Non-airline businesses comprise mainly Airmiles Travel Promotions (the UKs famous travel loyalty scheme provider) and BA Holidays (company’s subsidiary which offers sightseeing, transfer options, hotels and cars across 250 destinations over the world). 2.2 External Analysis We will briefly analyse the external analysis of British Airways based on â€Å"Porters five forces analysis† and PESTEL analysis. 2.2.0 Porter’s five forces analysis :http://www.themanager.org/Models/p5f.htm Competitor’s rivalry within the industry High. Rivalry is high due to power of buyers and threats of substitutes. It’s the only force which determines industry attractiveness. They compete with other airlines on the same city-pair routes, from charter services, from other modes of transport and from charter services. Virgin Atlantic, easy jet and other European airlines are in tough competition with British Airways as there is a free market for domestic flights operating in the whole of Europe. These airlines are free to decide the fares and operate on any route. There is competition not only in the air but also on ground as well, for instance a 17% decrease in rail journey times between London and Manchester in 2004 and 2007 led to 20% growth in the train’s share in total market. British airways introduced a corporate responsibility centre stage that helps the company to stand out from the other competitors. Threats of new entrants Low. Competitor’s mergers and acquisitions also have the potential to effect their revenue and market position. Very high cost is required by new entrants to start. British Airways have invested a huge amount on infrastructure, computers and online services. Therefore initial investment required to start up this business is very high. Further, its brand name and strong market position reduces the threat of new entrants. Bargaining power of suppliers High. Main suppliers of airline industry are for fuel, in-flight services and aircraft. The cost of changing suppliers proves very high in airlines business. The suppliers generally have a powerful brand in Airlines industry. For instance, like British Airways have Boeing and Airbus aircrafts, therefore they need to avail the services and maintenance of aircrafts from them. Bargaining power of buyers High. British Airways customers do don’t have any control over the prices or they lack bargaining power. However, they are very powerful as very high competition prevails in the airlines market. Their top competitors include Ryanair Holdings plc, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa etc and many times these airlines provide competitive offers to the customers with very low prices. Threat of substitutes Medium. The airlines industry has suffered a high loss of customer confidence after September 11, 2001 disaster in New York. There is no direct replacement available for airlines for long/overseas journeys. Coaches, Trains or ship/ferries can be used for short journeys. Rapid development of technology can be an indirect substitute of air transportation. According to International AirTransport Authority, Corporate Air Travel Survey 2002, for last 12 months â€Å"no frills/low cost† airlines were used by 1/3 of all business travellers basically for cost benefit. Further, video conferencing was used by 37% to save money and travel time. PESTEL The beginning of the new millennium has made the airlines industry witness the most difficult time it has ever faced. Political instability and unprecedented crisis have resulted from terrorist attacks in September 11, 2001 in New York and July 7, 2005 in London together with wars in Iraq. These incidents resulted in new security regulations from the US and EU and customer travelling confidence have also reduced. Economic factors are of vital importance. Fourth quarter of 2008 showed a 2.0% lower GDP than fourth quarter of 2007. This is mainly due to the recent credit crises and thereby economic slowdown. Company showed an operating profit of  £89 million as on 31st December’2008, which is 88% down compared to 2007. Further,  £70 million was the loss before tax for the same period and fuel cost went up by 48.4% to  £2,244 million. It is mainly due to economic weakness and fall in the value of sterling. Impacts of social factors vary from country to country. Size of potential market and customer’s needs are affected by them. Demographic changes have led to the growth of â€Å"grey† market which is incurring more expenses on travelling and leisure. Tastes, fashions and lifestyle are also changing. So as to maximize its capability to operate and plan in a most effective scheduling and routes possible, British airways is using route planning software. Use of standard technology will minimize cost and provide quality service to freight customers and passengers. (Gomm, 2005). Technology also enables to reduce the personal costs like automated check-in processes and e-ticketing and thereby enables the airlines to offer standard services with less human resource. BA is the first airline to introduce a unique technological system called â€Å"Microwave Landing Technology†, which increases the rate of safe landing during low visibility by 20%. Power of Trade Union is an important legal factor affecting British Airways. British Airways is aware of the consequences caused by Trade Unions (August 2004 and August 2005 strike actions). Factors which British Airways must consider are legal regulations on customer rights, employee rights and rise in ecological and environmental issues. 2.3 SWOT British Airways which has strong international operations network with 300 destinations across the world has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here is the SWOT analysis which helps to understand their business scenario better. Positive Negative INTERNAl Strengths Weakness Strong geographical presence at international level High employee productivity High Service Quality Large Airport Presence Strong operating performance first-rate new fleet of aircrafts Use of High end technology Competitive and quality customer service Bad performance at key markets in terms of revenue growth High Debt of the company Highly Dependent on Fuel Lack of effective marketing strategyEXTERNAlOpportunityThreats Growing global tourism industry and an increase in international travellers Growing air cargo industry EU-US aviation agreement Buracratic systems and management poor decision making Drastic change in technology and customer behaviour Intense competition from low cost airlines Increase in fuel cost Economic slowdown due to credit crunch 2.4. Current strategy â€Å"One Destination seeks to ensure our customers fly confident that, together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in.† is the vision of British Airways. Their corporate responsibility vision is to become the world’s most responsible airline and they have developed guiding principles describing what they are doing to achieve this goal. Leading the industry towards finding innovative solution is their determination. They plan to continually review how they fly, what they fly and what they buy to become the most responsible and efficient airlines in the world. The British Airways has developed a strategy where their main concern is to establish themselves in Terminal 5 and also acquire new aircrafts depending upon their financial performance by March 2010. They have adopted an approach to truly deliver this vision, uniting all areas of the organisation, divided into 4 major pillars:EnvironmentThey aim to minimise their impact on the environment, including their contribution to air quality, waste, climate change and noise. British Airways was the first airline to report its environmental performance in 1992 since they recognise the impact they have on our planet while delivering socially and economically vital service of air transport. So as to become the world’s most responsible airline, their environment strategy aims to minimise and manage the environmental impacts. Main focus: How they fly Efficient operation to minimise their impact on environment. What they fly Adopting recent technology including alternative fuels, airframes andengines to minimise their impact. What they buy Using economic tools like emissions trading for fully reflecting the cost oftheir environmental impact. Goals across these areas are: By 2010 landfill by zero waste in the UK. By 2025 they aim to improve the carbon efficiency by 25% reducing the carbon dioxidefrom 111 to 83 grammes per passenger per kilometre. By 2015* average noise per flight to reduce by 15%†¢By 2050 their net CO2 emissions to reduce by 50%*measured as the network average quota count (QC) for combined landing and take-off cycle. Comprehensive plan developed to achieve the Goals†¢Climate change British Airways overall strategy is to ensure maximum contributionto their share of global carbon dioxide emission reductions by 2050†¢Waste Focus on recycling, reducing, reusing and responsible waste disposal. Noise Their impact on the local communities nearby airport to be reduced. Air quality Air quality for communities nearby airport to be improved. Community Providing support to local communities in the country where British Airways operate is the main belief of the company. Conservation projects, small individual programmes, 120 international communities and various charities were helped by BA’s support. London Benchmarking Group reported British Airways direct and in-kind donations of  £5.7m last year. British Airways offer variety of support like cargo space, funding, fund raising events, merchandise, free flights and excess baggage. Their main concerns for support are Sustainable Tourism and Heritage, Education and Youth Development, Environment and Supporting employees. Marketplace British Airways suppliers and customers are involved in one destination in their marketplace pillar, to facilitate building up more sustainable business and to persuade dedication to corporate responsibility. Issue covered by their marketplace pillar comprises: How they fly Reliable customer What they buy Responsible procurement What they fly Sustainable products and services Goals across these areas are: 10% of customers to be encouraged to counterbalance their carbon on ba.com by 2012. By 2012 100% of their strategic suppliers to be audited for ethical practices. Corporate responsibility to be used as a decision criteria by 75% of corporate customersby 2010. Workplace British Airways aim to provide a work environment that engages, develops, motivates and support their colleagues. Encouraging employees to be committed to Corporate Responsibility is the main aim of British Airways workplace As employees plays a vital role in making up the airline and they need them onboard One destination. This commitment is not only going to help them deliver a great place to work, rather it will also ensure quality customer service in the industry. Issues covered by their workplace pillar comprise: How they fly Responsible colleague What they buy Tools to do the job What they fly Invest in people Our goals across these areas are: Every year British Airways 50% employees donate money to charity through ‘Pay Roll Giving’. Every year British Airways 50% employees donate time to communities and charities. 75% of employees committed to delivering our corporate responsibility goals by 2010 British Airways have recognized performance objectives to evaluate their development in each of these four sections. British Airways aim to deliver its corporate responsibility strategy by a programme plan developed including over 80 programme level activities and hundreds individual projects. Business Plan BP10Bring Terminal 5 aliveIn order to improve the operational performance and enhance customer experience British Airways main concern is successful delivery of terminal 5 at Heathrow base. Terminal 5 denote their sole biggest challenge and change. British Airways â€Å"Fit for 5† programme was set to be accomplished in the 1st year, which involved essential agreement modification and implementation on highly superior work performance all over the Heathrow terminals. BA Basics and Brilliance The British Airways board aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† in its activities and deliver the â€Å"BA Basics† constantly. Business Plan 10 (BP10) primarily focuses on baggage performance and punctuality with additional plans to recover â€Å"BA Basics† in various areas for the long term. British Airways aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† to their customers in numerous vital areas such as their customer services, Terminal 5, ba.com, their premium customer experience and their network and schedule from London. Competitive cost base Main priority of BP 10 is cost control; they expect savings from various areas of business too. The need to decrease considerable deficit position and resolution of pension’s problem is predominantly acknowledged in BP10. It’s quite difficult for them to achieve a competitive cost base if they are to accomplish their growth and investment plans. Invest in growth In the first year of the plan they campaign to commence a competition for the new long haul aircraft, if the pension’s deficit satisfactorily resolves. In order to meet their explicit growth plans they intended to secure first of these aircrafts in 2009, whilst the replacement of fleet will be started by 2011 with the second batch. The strategic significance of the operations in London and Gatwick airport is recognized in BP10. The key to British Airways network development programme from London airport is the operations maintenance of BA Connect’s London city, as part of British Airways regional business sale to Flybe. BP10 enablers The vital aspect behind implementation of BP10 is constant engagement and participation of British Airways’ people. A major segment of British Airways broader communication strategy was local face-to-face communication as it was accepted to be the most effectual engagement. The second major possibility for change in the business remained IT. British Airways investment plans in this sector comprised constant advancements in the functionality and usability of ba.com, Terminal 5, encouraging a variety of departmental change programmes and automating corporate processes plus simplifying services by use of employee self service. 3. Potential Strategic options After going through BA’s vision, goal and their current strategy, we are of the opinion that BA’s current strategy is very competitive and will definitely help British Airways to achieve their goals. In addition to the above strategy, we also have identified few more potential strategic options which could be helpful for BA’s further growth. The accessibility to enormous products and services creates an opportunity to exploit them appropriately. Making the most of global variations and technological trends serves as a potential opportunity to work with. The potential strategic options which British Airways could utilize for further development of business could be Virtual reality, which may serve as an innovative simulation, share expertise and attaining network software. Some of the potential strategic options for British Airways are discussed below:Global tourismThere are many factors which have a very strong influence on the airline industry and one of them is trends in global tourism industry. As per the World Tourism Organization survey, approximately 898 million international tourists travelled globally in 2007 which is 6% higher than the previous year (846 million- 2006). As per the Tourism Satellite Account research which is done by World Travel and Tourism council, it is been predicted that world travel and tourism will grow at an average rate of 4.3% per annum for the period of 2008-2017 and will generate $13 trillion for that period. Rising Air Cargo Industry There is a tremendous growth in the Air Cargo market and the volume of the business is doubling in every 10 years time. As per the International Civil Aviation Organization, the cargo business is expected to grow at an average rate of 6.5% per annum in next 20 years. Approximately 22.17 million tons of freight was carried throughout the world and it is expected to grow up to 60million in 2017. In 2008, BA transported 805000 tons of goods and these numbers will increase tremendously in coming years due to its operations presence in most part of the world and will be benefited by the growing trend in cargo market. Open Skies Agreement Open Skies aviation agreement between EU and US is an air transport agreement, which allows airlines of both EU and US to fly between any points among EU, US and non EU countries like Switzerland. This is the replacement for the previous agreement made between US and each European country. To take advantage of this agreement, British Airways started new subsidiary airlines â€Å"OpenSkies† and for the first time it started to fly direct flights from continental Europe to the US. The first flight of open skies was on June 2008, from Paris to New York. The new agreement has enabled British Airways to increase its operations in the key regions. Several Strategic options can also be identified with the help of the Ansoff Matrix analysis discussed below. Ansoff Matrix Market Penetration Market penetration strategy involves consolidating and protecting/building the existing product/services in the existing market. It occurs when a company with its existing product penetrates a market. This strategy starts with the existing customers of the organization. This strategy can be used to increase sales without losing focus on their existing product/services. British Airways can penetrate in the market through their joint business agreement with Iberia and American airways thereby gaining competitors customers, by upgrading the quality of their services and also increasing the frequency of the flights in the existing market. It is comparatively cheaper to retain existing customers than finding new ones. Product Development Product development strategy emphasises on building a new product with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations in the existing market. In the present scenario of economic downturn, it is quite difficult to introduce new product considering the cost involved in developing new product and it is risky to predict customer reaction too. British airways have already invested a huge amount in setting up its infrastructure especially in Terminal 5. They should rather emphasise on maintaining and upgrading the quality of present services. Market Development Market development strategy focuses on finding new segments, territories, new uses of existing market with existing product/services. British Airways may go for new market development considering the current strategic situation of the market. However, as the company already operates in more than 300 destinations therefore we would recommend them to concentrate on maintaining the quality of services at the existing markets thereby further build up its position. Diversification Diversification concentrates on developing a new product in new market with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations. Since British Airways have numerous services operating almost all over the world, it would involve high degree of uncertainty and financial risk to go for diversification. Mergers and acquisitions could be an important alternative for further growth. However the current financial situation of British Airways does not allow the same as they have already invested a huge amount on its current projects and it might prove to be difficult and risky too. Although British Airways may consider this decision once the company’s position is strengthened and there is potential for growth and acquisition in the market. It may be a useful strategy in order to attain fast market growth. Thus the strategy which we would advise British Airways is to concentrate on existing market and existing services and accomplishing its ongoing investment project. So as to achieve further growth in the market British Airways should make the best possible use of its investment projects and strengthen its brand name by providing new offers to the current customers and appealing to new niche market. 4. Recommended strategic direction with rationale After discussing the current strategy and potential strategic options for British Airways, we would like to further recommend the following strategic directions:Develop opportunitiesBritish Airways should try to continue their business tie-ups in the new market once they regain their financial stability. Though BA’s talks on merger with Quantas Airways Limited failed, they need to strengthen their existing joint business with Quantas to have a good hold on the Australian market. They need to concentrate on Asian and Middle East market which has a high potential for growth. Distributing the risk British Airways should concentrate on their Cargo industry which has got a great potential. They should also try to reach more markets through code sharing with other airlines which is a cost effective option. Manipulating strengths British Airways have got a very strong base in Heathrow Airport, UK. BA’s Terminal 5 presence will help them to maintain high standard of service as it will enable them to handle increased volumes of customers and baggage. Upgrading Customer experience They should focus on providing better facilities like T5 lounge, which provides premium customers better comfort and luxury like a private members club. They should strengthen their customer base by constantly upgrading their flight schedules, offering better competitive packages for customers and being competitive with the facilities provided on board so as to attract more customers and thereby creating an opportunity for increasing revenue. Controlling cost of expansion plan British Airways has been moderately successful by following its effective strategies. Currently, we would advise BA to control its expenditure on buying new fleets and expanding to new destinations. They also need to reduce the cost of high aircraft utilization so as to minimize environmental risks. Services British Airways needs to concentrate on providing value for money to the customers. There is an intense competition in the market from Virgin Airlines, Singapore Air, KLM, Quantas and Emirates who also fly in the same route. They might lose their customers if they do not provide something unique from their competitors. These days the number of low cost airlines is increasing through out the world in both domestic and international market. Hence, cost effective and better services should be provided. Passenger friendly airports It is of extreme importance for passengers to feel that their purchasing needs are met. British Airways should aim to establish an image of a major international hub with standard facilities.

Accounting Theory Essay -- essays research papers

Accounting is in the current state of being an art. It is referred to as a social science, but the question that still remains in view today is should accounting be an art or should it actually be a science? Although the move to scientific based accounting would be desirable in today’s society it is not possible. When you consider the facts of this issue in a true debate style, the scientific based approach does not work and cannot do today what the current system does for its users. Accountants provide information that is reliable, verifiable and precise. As well it is crucial those accountants are considered trustworthy and that the information can be confirmed by another source. Without this there is no future of accounting and there would have never been a past. Accounting is left open to interpretation to those who need to view the information. Many different people look at accounting information, many different cultures, organizations and ethnic groups use this information for different reasons. To make accounting scientific based makes it one set or rules, a set of laws to follow by. If you held a gun to a scientist and said make the speed of light faster he could not change the speed of light, because it is a scientific based law. One set of properties defines that law. In accounting we need different information for different situations. Internal departments require different information then external and as such their needs to be different rules and gui delines. ...

Buddhism :: essays research papers

Everything is suffering. Humans define their existence by misery and suffering. The four Noble Truths are all about suffering. Suffering, the origin of suffering, Nibbana, and the Path. The word suffering is utilized throughout all the texts and teachings of Buddhism. Suffering is defined as; to feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment. Buddhist uses a deeper meaning of suffering, which is a change or ultimate unsatisfactory. Even if one is happy they can not be happy forever, so when they are no longer happy they are suffering. Birth, aging, sickness, death is suffering. General unsatisfaction of life. Suffering is an elemental fabric of life. Happiness doesn’t last; Buddhism provides ways of increasing it. Life is ever changing, and change is suffering. Spiritual ignorance causes suffering. An origination of all this suffering, a connection to ongoing desire, clinging to material possessions this is suffering. Cling to nothing because there is nothing anywhere solid enough to cling to. The Buddhist path aims not only to limit expression of craving, but ultimately to use calm and wisdom to completely uproot it from the psyche. A more than temporary undefiled state of mind is necessary for enlightenment. Freedom from suffering, the cessation of the unsatisfactory state which everyone is in. Nibbana means extinction of a fire. Nibbana is achieved through the cessation or craving, when there is total non-attachment and letting go. Nibbana is the end of the rebirth cycle, an awakening from suffering. The unconditioned cessation of all unsatisfactory, conditioned phenomena during life or beyond death. Even thought Nibbana is reached consciousness is not non-existent when it stops. Loss of self appears to be part of Nibbana. As well as the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path is eight steps to thinking and acting correct so that enlightenment can be achieved. These paths are as follows; right understanding, right directed thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The path to enlightenment is to overcome human characteristics. For instance, fear a basic human instinct that inhibits and protects us. If there is fear there can not be acceptance of the unknown and in not knowing there can be no learning. Temptation, a very powerful vice. Be it sexual, physical, mental or material temptation is all around. To be able to ignore is the ability to have a clear and pure mind.

Chivalry :: essays research papers

It is apparent in today’s society that the definition and application of chivalry has changed through history. During the Middle Ages, chivalry was a code of brave and courteous conduct for knights. According to this system of morals and manners, a knight was to remain faithful to God, loyal to his king, true to his lady-love, and helpful to their less fortunate kinsmen. Chivalry is still alive today but to a lesser extent than in the Middle Ages. I think chivalry will exist in the future, but only time will tell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table molded chivalrous conduct. The Knights of the Round Table possessed many aspects of chivalry, but each of them had flaws. Sir Lancelot, for example, wasn’t entirely loyal to King Arthur because of his desire for Guenevere. He remedied the situation by fighting for his king in the battle against Sir Modred. While the chivalry of the Middle Ages is thought by most to have been reserved for royalty, this was not the case. Common folk also exhibited chivalrous conduct, though in less glamorous ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chivalry has greatly diminished since the Middle Ages. Respect, courtesy, and honesty have little meaning to today’s youth. There are exceptions to this. Helping the elderly, family, and friends are just a few things young people can do to resurrect chivalry. I don’t think it’s possible to be as chivalrous as the knights in the Middle Ages were because our lifestyles have changed so drastically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of now, the future of chivalry looks bleak. If society doesn’t change its ways soon, the quality of life and chivalrous behavior will continue to decline.

A character study of Nick Bottom Essay

The play † Midsummer night’s Dream† was written by William Shakespeare in 1595 and is set in Athens, Greece. The play features four main groups of people, the court, the lovers, the rude mechanicals and the fairies, all of which are linked by love, marriage, the night and the natural world. The title is paradoxical as, when the compound word â€Å"midsummer† is used it conjures a picture of the play taking place during a joyful and enjoyable time, whereas the word â€Å"night† implies that the play occurs during a dark and frightening time. The oxymoronic title gives the impression that the play is unreal and magical. Nick Bottom is a lower class weaver who considers himself to be a very important and professional person, as he dresses very smartly in the modern film version of the play. This gives us the impression that he is very conceited about himself as well as his appearance. In Act I Scene (ii) Bottom is introduced to the play as the mechanicals gather to determine the roles of each character. Immediately Bottom tries to take control of the situation, as he says † First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on; then read the name of the actors; and so grow to a point†. This shows that Bottom is very bossy, and that he thinks that he is the leader, as he gives Quince precise orders to follow. This also shows that he is a very committed actor as he is very eager to know his role in the play. Bottom becomes full of himself and very pompous as he begins to beseech for various parts of the play, as he says, † let me play Thisbe too. I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice†. In my opinion this shows how ardent and desperate he is for glory, as he searches for more parts to play. Bottom then asks to act the part of the lion, but is refused by Quince, as he feels that Nick’s acting is of such a high quality that he may frighten the ladies. Bottom says â€Å"I will roar that I will make the duke say let him roar again, let him roar again†, which shows how self-centred and ambitious he is. Quince then replies by saying â€Å"And you should do it too, terribly, you would frighten the duchess and the ladies that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all†. This shows that Quince looks up to Bottom as a great actor and a leader, as he is very go-getting and Quince believes that he is so good he will actually scare the ladies. In the modern film of â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream†, Bottom is also very dramatic and emotional, as he appears to be very prestigious and egotistical. He is very dramatic as he suddenly feels an urge to act, and becomes inspired by himself, as he shouts phrases such as â€Å"The raging rocks and shivering shocks shall break the locks of prison gates, and Phibbus’ car shall shine from far, and make and mar the foolish fates†, which are out of his own inspiration and imagination. Bottom is also very prestigious and egotistical in the sense that he only cares about himself, as he wants to act all of the parts in the play. Bottom also appears to be very emotional, as during one point in the play he is very excited and joyous, whereas he suddenly becomes sad and unhappy. This occurs when Bottom tries to act various parts of the play and someone throws a bucket of water on him. This not only shows what other people think of him, but how foolish he is to actually think that hi is a good actor. As the mechanicals go to the woods to rehearse, Bottom makes himself seem even more foolish as he says, â€Å"First, Pyramus must draw a sword and kill himself, whom the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? â€Å". This implies that Bottom is so confident that their acting is good that they will scare the ladies. Shortly after Bottom suggests an idea of a prologue to inform the women that Pyramus is not really dead. He says â€Å"Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to say we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not killed indeed†. At this point Shakespeare is expressing how silly the mechanicals were becoming, as they were thinking that they were so good that they needed a prologue, so that they do not frighten the audience. Throughout the play Bottom really thinks he’s something really special for a number of the following reasons. Firstly, he comes up with ideas such as the prologue and thinks that he is such a good actor. Secondly, he actually deems that Titania is in love with him and that he is so handsome and good looking, but wakes up and wonders if it is all a dream. Thirdly, Bottom sees a statue that reminds him of his ‘dream’ and requests a ballad thinking that it was his destiny to perform his dream. He thinks that God has sent him a message to perform the dream and name it â€Å"Bottom’s Dream†. This tells us that Bottom is very imprudent, as he is silly enough to think that God has sent him a message just to perform his dream. Bottom seems more foolish and stupid, as the play continues as he makes continual malapropisms, by mistaking the words ‘devourer’ for ‘deflower’ and also ‘ninny’ instead of ‘ninus tonb’. Another way is when his head is turned into an ass’s head, which matches his behaviour and attitude and makes the play seem more and more surreal. Before the entrance to the wedding, the mechanicals were waiting for Bottom and when he arrived there was a big cheer, which shows that they really looked up to Bottom, as he was an inspiration to them. When the mechanicals are selected to perform, they are delighted, not knowing that they are only being chosen for the Duke’s and Duchess’s amusement. They begin to perform and are laughed at when the wall is seen, as there is a man standing with his arms spread out, covered with a sheet of paper with bricks painted on it but still continue to amuse the guests. Then poor vocabulary is used, which shows that they are uneducated when they say, â€Å"I see a voice† â€Å"hear his face†. At the end Bottom steps in and kills himself, which ends the play and pleases the crowd. Bottom thinks that he is the hero but does not know that everyone was clapping because they were amused. Overall I think that Bottom is a very self-absorbed and shameless person, as he only cares about himself and is very unabashed as seen when their play was acted. Nick Bottom is also a fool as he is always the last one to understand the joke, and he does not know when people are laughing at him. He is also very foolish and big-headed as he thinks that he is supposed to perform his dream, as a message from God. In synopsis I think that Shakespeare is trying to show how lower class people were treated, and how foolish, nai ve and over-ambitious people like Nick Bottom were. However, Shakespeare could have also meant that if you have a dream or an ambition that you should go for it and try to achieve something, like Bottom did.

Education †Morality Essay

Education is not only cognitive and intellectual learning, and learning of skills and work-related competences. It is much broader to include moral and ethical issues, values, attitudes, religion, spiritualism, art and more. It is, indeed, important to focus on this when education in schools and universities has become a large â€Å"industry† and when the world, instead of becoming more peaceful, seems to be more confrontational than before. The main reason behind this scenario, that I see, is that students are being taught and not trained and also the fact that teachers do not have any target for teaching instead they teach for the pay they get and sincerity with the profession is waning very fast. EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM The educational system that I see should be one that suits all the citizens of the country. It should consider the cultural, ethical, moral, religious and economical norms of the society and should produce respectable and responsible citizens for the society as a whole and a dignified and confident person. |This point arises due to the fact that every country consists of multi-cultural and multi ethical societies with different religious and economic backgrounds. Thus the system should have contents that may not hurt the morals and values of any person and also produce effective results that can be calculated as per the prosperity of that particular society or country as a whole. PURPOSE OF EDUCATION The foundation of our work as educators is moral and ethical education. We must teach the right values and the right ways of analyzing issues. We must seek what is true and act accordingly. Part of that is to learn that we are all responsible for our own attitudes, decisions and actions. We must use education to foster equality between sexes, classes, people of different geographic areas, creeds, colors, cultures and religions. We must learn to understand the importance of solidarity among groups at home and across the borders in order to create peace, development and prosperity. Besides this we are also imparted with the responsibility of teaching science, commerce and arts subjects to the students using latest techniques, information and research to enable our students to prepare themselves to be a productive part of the society and compete with the world in the respective fields of their study. Major areas that a teacher may address are as follows: 1. To help students gain literacy: This is supposed to be the top most priority as if a student is literate he or she may mold in any society and get adapted to its culture and norms without losing its own. 2. To enable students to use and enjoy their learning experiences: Here a student gets in hand expertise to use what it learned during the schooling period to better their social and personal life in a given environment. 3. To teach students to believe and respect others, to contribute to the well-being of their community: A learned person better knows whom to respect and whom not too, who deserves to be valued and who does not, and gets bold enough to express its feelings in a dignified and respectful way in the society. He is able to distinguish between duties bestowed upon him by the community and tries to serve the community within available resources. 4. To give students the opportunity to learn how to inquire and discover new information: When a student learns through experimentation and reasoning he tries to use the same technique throughout his life and does not accepts all and sundry information without analyzing it. 5. To help students develop broader understandings of new information: This enables a student understand and characterize given information and then apply it in his daily life. 6. To help students develop the skills and values they will need to function in a free and just society: Last but not the least it makes sure that a student is made aware of the morals and values of religion and society and to act accordingly not hurting any ones feelings and making progress accordingly in the society individually and as a community as a whole. In the process of enabling the students to get all the above qualities they are supposed to be taught different subjects but should be encompassed under the umbrella of a just religion and that is Islam not because we live in the Islamic Republic Of Pakistan but due to the fact that Islam is the only religion that addresses to all the matters discussed with command and covers all the topics amicably, may it be the moral, cultural, and or ethical values or upbringing, or the contemporary studies of science, commerce and arts. Reference: 1. http://www. intime. uni. edu 2. www. nation. com. pk †º Columns.

Two Found American Writers

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor were two deeply religious American writers of different backgrounds. They wrote with devotion to their Christian faith. These two Puritans showed dedication to their families and to their writing. An analysis of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor’s poetry revealed two noticeable differences: the audience and their views of death. Bradstreet and Taylor wrote with the same purpose. Both accepted God’s will even if it was not to their advantage. They praised God through sickness and in health. In â€Å"To My Dear Children† Bradstreet writes, â€Å"Not to set forth myself, but the glory of God† (235). She wants everyone to know that she is a good writer but that she writes to glorify God. In the same poem she writes how even through illness she, â€Å"communed with my heart and made my supplications to the most High who set me free from affliction† (235). She makes it clear that she did not blame God for her illness but continued to praise him through her affliction. Bradstreet was often sick through her lifetime and probably through child birth. In â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† she praises the heavens for her husband, â€Å"The heavens reward thee manifold† (226). She was thankful for everything God had given to her, especially for the love of her husband. Unlike Bradstreet, Taylor did not suffer from illness, but a few of his children died at infancy. He praised God for taking his children from the suffering they were experiencing. In â€Å"Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children,† Taylor wrote â€Å"In Prayer to Christ perfumed it did ascend† (303). He was not angry that his children had died and accepted it as God’s will. He wrote as personal worship. These two writers wrote to preserve the teachings of God but their audiences were different. Bradstreet wrote to her family and children, reaching out to them through her writings. She wanted her children to learn from her mistakes and to be grateful to God just as she was. In â€Å"Contemplations† she write how thankful she is for God’s creations, â€Å"Admired, adored for ever, be that Majesty† (216). In â€Å"Before the Birth of One of Her Children† Bradstreet writes, â€Å"No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet,† making it known to her children that they should be good to God and not worry about pleasing other people but themselves. Through her writing she writes to teach her children her own Christian faith and beliefs to guide them through their own personal developments. She empathizes the importance of understand the importance of doing God’s will. Edward’s writes to prepare himself for meditation. He writes for his own benefit and to better understand his purpose in life in the way it will please God. Taylor sees himself as an instrument of God. In â€Å"Upon a Wasp chilled with Cold† Taylor compares himself with a wasp saying, â€Å"Lord, clear my misted sight that I May hence view Thy Divinity† (305). In other words, Taylor asked that God clear his sight so that he can do God’s will. Taylor writes for his own benefit so that he can build a closer relationship with God. Bradstreet and Edward had different views when it came to the way they perceived death through their writings. When Bradstreet wrote about death it was about separation and it caused her a great deal of sorrow. Through her writing she tries to prepare her family for death. In â€Å"Contemplation† she writes about time being the enemy on earth and that, â€Å"Here’s neither honor, wealth, nor safety; Only above is found all with security† (222). In â€Å"Before the Birth of One of Her Children† she writes that death is part of life, â€Å"irrevocable† (225). Further she tells her unborn children to remember her and to protect her other children from a stepmother if she is to die. In â€Å"To My Dear Children† Bradstreet writes, â€Å"if I perish, I perish: but I know all the Powers of Hell shall never prevail against it† (238). Bradstreet prepares herself for death, she is not afraid, but wants to prepare her children for when the time comes. Taylor’s purpose is to build a closer bond with God. He wants to reach out to God and create a unity worthy of him. He doesn’t write to ask that his family follow his footsteps, but he writes to God directly. In â€Å"The Soul’s Groan to Christ for Succor† written by Taylor is a good example of him writing to God to forgive his soul because he has been inclined to sin. He writes to God to let him know that the dog or sin is causing him to, â€Å"from Thy Pasture stray† (299). He wants God to help him keep the sin away so that he can find Grace, preparing for the afterlife. In â€Å"upon Wedlock, and Death of Children† when Taylor loses one of his children he says, â€Å"At that unlooked for, dolesome, darksome hour. In Prayer to Christ. † Taylor knows that during a time of mourning most people would be angry, but he is not and instead he prays. Taylor takes the negativity of death and use is it to reach peace within him by praying to Christ. He saw death as a necessity to the order of life. Bradstreet and Taylor both show love for their spouses and families. They were truly devoted Puritans who through their writing expressed differently their righteousness and sovereignty of God. Although, both choose different audiences and had different views of death they had a common purpose to accept God’s will through any difficulties in their lives and praise God always through sickness and in health.

How Important Is English in Business

May 2012 ARTICLE PREVIEW  To read the full article:  Sign in  or  Register  for free. HBR Subscribers  activate your free archive access  » http://hbr. org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english/ar/1 Global Business Speaks English by Tsedal Neeley Ready  or not,  English is now the global language of business. More and more multinational companies are mandating English as the common corporate language—Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing, to name a few—in an attempt to facilitate communication and performance across geographically diverse functions and business endeavors.Adopting a common mode of speech isn’t just a good idea; it’s a must, even for an American company with operations overseas, for instance, or a French company focused on domestic customers. Imagine that a group of salespeople from a company’s Paris headquarters get together for a meeting. Why would you care whether they all could speak English? Now consider that the same group goes on a sales call to a company also based in Paris, not realizing that the potential customer would be bringing in employees from other locations who didn’t speak French.This happened at one company I worked with. Sitting together in Paris, employees of those two French companies couldn’t close a deal because the people in the room couldn’t communicate. It was a shocking wake-up call, and the company soon adopted an English corporate language strategy. Similar concerns drove Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten—Japan’s largest online marketplace—to mandate in March 2010 that English would be the company’s official language of business.The company’s goal was to become the number one internet services company in the world, and Mikitani believed that the new policy—which would affect some 7,100 Japanese employees—was vital to ach ieving that end, especially as expansion plans were concentrated outside Japan. He also felt responsible for contributing to an expanded worldview for his country, a conservative island nation. The multibillion-dollar company—a cross between Amazon. com and eBay—was on a growth spree: It had acquired PriceMinister. com in France, Buy. com and FreeCause in the U.S. , Play. com in the UK, Tradoria in Germany, Kobo eBooks in Canada, and established joint ventures with major companies in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Brazil. Serious about the language change, Mikitani announced the plan to employees not in Japanese but in English. Overnight, the Japanese language cafeteria menus were replaced, as were elevator directories. And he stated that employees would have to demonstrate competence on an international English scoring system within two years—or risk demotion or even dismissal.The media instantly picked up the story, and corporate Japan reacted with fa scination and disdain. Honda’s CEO, Takanobu Ito, publicly asserted, â€Å"It’s stupid for a Japanese company to only use English in Japan when the workforce is mainly Japanese. † But Mikitani was confident that it was the right move, and the policy is bearing fruit. The English mandate has allowed Mikitani to create a remarkably diverse and powerful organization. Today, three out of six senior executives in his engineering organization aren’t Japanese; they don’t even speak Japanese.The company continues to aggressively seek the best talent from around the globe. Half of Rakuten’s Japanese employees now can adequately engage in internal communication in English, and 25% communicate in English with partners and coworkers in foreign subsidiaries on a regular basis. Adopting a global language policy is not easy, and companies invariably stumble along the way. It’s radical, and it’s almost certain to meet with staunch resistance f rom employees. Many may feel at a disadvantage if their English isn’t as good as others’, team dynamics and performance can suffer, and national pride can get in the way.But to survive and thrive in a global economy, companies must overcome language barriers—and English will almost always be the common ground, at least for now. The fastest-spreading language in human history, English is spoken at a useful level by some 1. 75 billion people worldwide—that’s one in every four of us. There are close to 385 million native speakers in countries like the U. S. and Australia, about a billion fluent speakers in formerly colonized nations such as India and Nigeria, and millions of people around the world who’ve studied it as a second language.An e stimated 565 million people use it on the internet. The benefits of â€Å"Englishnization,† as Mikitani calls it, are significant; however, relatively few companies have systematically implemented an English-language policy with sustained results. Through my research and work over the past decade with companies, I’ve developed an adoption framework to guide companies in their language efforts. There’s still a lot to learn, but success stories do exist. Adopters will find significant advantages. The Straight Dope http://www. straightdope. om/columns/read/757/whats-the-international-language-of-business-french-or-english A STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC FROM CECIL'S STOREHOUSE OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE What's the international language of business, French or English? August 4, 1989 Dear Cecil: Our high school French teacher always insisted learning French was important because it was going to become the international language of business. Now I hear English is mandatory in international aviation, and the Chinese students in Beijing spoke English to the international media. Was our French teacher shucking us? Merde! — Les Petites, South BostonCecil replies: Now, now. He/she p robably just didn't know any better. French teachers lead such empty lives as it is that no one has the heart to tell them the awful truth, which is that French is a language on the way down, not up. Once the language of diplomacy, French was used in the royal courts of Germany, Russia, and Italy during the 19th century. Fifty years ago Somerset Maugham called it â€Å"the common language of educated men† (women too, one presumes). But it's been in a state of decline since World War II, having long ago been supplanted by — you guessed it — English.English is the primary language of more than 400 million people and is the second language of hundreds of millions more. It's essential in science, technology, economics, and finance. It's the official language of airport control towers, might as well be the official language of computer software, and of course is vital to a perfect comprehension of MTV, Madonna, and other pillars of modern culture. French is the prima ry language of maybe 114 million, including such outposts of world commerce as Haiti, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso, and is essential chiefly to reading menus at Le Cirque.The French have been desperately attempting to reverse this trend. In addition to hosting international conferences of â€Å"Francophone† (French-speaking) nations, France as of 1986 was spending $750 million per year to support 20,000 French teachers in 155 countries. It also employs language police to guard against un-Gallic intrusions such as  le compact-disc. But all in vain. Not that French doesn't have its uses. Au contraire. It remains the language of international pretension  par excellence, having a certain  je ne sais quoithat appeals irresistibly to the  nouveaux riches.Also, let's face it,  je t'aimesounds infinitely classier than â€Å"luv ya, babe. † But French is more likely to come in handy in the intimate hours after the business meeting than during. —  Cecil Adams Is English the Language of Business? http://www. businesstrainingcollege. com/business/is-english-the-language-of-business. htm   Current figures show that there are  350 million native speakers of English, spreading into at least 100 territories. English  has become the main language in the UK, Australia, the USA and South Africa.And, even in those countries where  English  is not the official language, it has become the adopted first language of governments, education and international communications. On top of the 350 million  native speakers of English, there are roughly the same amount who use  English  as a  second language  and even some who use it as a  third language. As  English  has grown and spread around the globe it has been adopted as the  languageused when two parties from differing countries, who do not speak each others language, want to conduct business.And, with access to computers and the Internet growing daily, the number of  English speakers  an individual can potentially reach is phenomenal. It’s clear, from the facts laid out above, that  English  is not only important for  businessand your  career  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it is essential. And, this is especially true for those wanting to participate in  international business. Business Training  can help you improve your  English. Request a prospectus for ourBusiness English with Spoken English course. Tea Leaf: English is increasingly the international language of business By  Jeff Thredgold,  For the Deseret News http://www. deseretnews. om/article/700091766/English-is-increasingly-the-inter national-language-of-business. html? pg=all Published: Wednesday, Dec. 15 2010 10:12 p. m. MST SALT LAKE CITY — It's the year 2012. Your employer, a major global firm, announces that within two years all meetings and written communication within the company will be based on or conducted in Mandarin, the primary language of China. SALT LAKE CITY â €” It's the year 2012. Your employer, a major global firm, announces that within two years all meetings and written communication within the company will be based on or conducted in Mandarin, the primary language of China.Imagine our shock — our anger — our displeasure — at the need to suddenly learn an extremely difficult language, all in the name of keeping our job. Welcome to the global community in 2011! English has increasingly become the international language of business. More and more nations are demanding that their business executives become fluent in English. English learning courses are popular around the globe. While perhaps one quarter of the world's population can now converse to an extent in English, that share could rise to one-half by 2015, according tobusinessreviewusa. com. Japanese EnglishA number of major Japanese companies have already mandated that English is, or soon will be, the primary language of internal communications. Rakuten I nc. , Japan's largest online retailer, has mandated that English will be the â€Å"standard language† by March 2012. Major employers such as Nissan Motor, Sony, Fast Retailing, Sumida and Nippon Sheet Glass have made similar mandates, or have already implemented such a reality, according to The Wall Street Journal. By 2012, Rakuten employees will be required to speak and correspond with each other in English. The risk of dismissal from the company if English is not mastered is clear.While we might think of Japan, now the world's third-largest economy behind China, as a manufacturing haven, roughly 70 percent of that nation's GDP is now in services. If you are aiming at be a player in the global marketplace, you must  communicate in English. Ironically, it is fiercely independent Japan where English skills lag other nations. Among the 34 nations designated as â€Å"advanced economies† by the International Monetary Fund, Japan had the lowest scores during 2009 on the T est of English as a Foreign Language, a proficiency test given to foreign students who want to study within the U.S. , according to The Wall Street Journal. European English Meetings within the European Union are routinely held in English; written documents the same. It is simply a reality that a much larger share of senior politicians within the European Community speak English as a second language rather than French, German, Italian, etc. It has long held true that the aspiration of thousands of gifted students around the world is to study and graduate from a major American university. The combination of gaining a degree in business, or finance, or engineering, or chemistry, etc. from what most still consider the world's best, most up-to-date universities, combined with perfecting verbal and written skills in English, is a ticket to prosperity for those students who return home. Student English As one might expect, many nations around the globe have required their youth to routine ly study English in the primary grades for years. What might have once been seen as a way to expand the horizon of younger people, such English language skills now provide people across Asia, across Europe, across South America, across Africa, across the Middle East, etc. with a vital tool to succeed in life in coming years. Unfortunately, the rise of English places less need for Americans to study other languages than ever before. More schools do offer Chinese languages than before, but other language courses have been trimmed in many schools because of budget pressures. What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Multilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? An American. Sad, but true. TradeThe U. S. trade deficit with the rest of the global community shrank in October to its lowest level in nine months, one more sign that the American economy is slowly picking up speed. The net difference between American exports and imports declined to $38. 7 billion in October, better than consensus expectations. The trade deficit was $44. 6 billion in September. U. S. exports to the world jumped 3. 2 percent to $158. 7 billion in October, the highest level since August 2008. Imports dipped 0. 5 percent to $197. billion. Perhaps contrary to common belief, the trade imbalance does not just measure the difference between â€Å"merchandise† or â€Å"goods† exported out of and imported into the U. S. It also includes a smaller component of â€Å"services,† including financial services, insurance, travel, professional services, etc. The U. S. typically runs a trade deficit in goods or merchandise and a surplus in services. A lofty goal The Obama administration has announced a goal to double U. S. exports to the world over the next five years.While this is a noble and desirable objective, you can take it to the bank that every other nation on the planet has identifie d a similar goal. The administration and the Federal Reserve have drawn criticism around the world that both institutions are following a â€Å"cheap dollar† policy to boost U. S. exports to the world. The theory is that a weaker U. S. dollar relative to other major currencies leads to lower global prices for American-made goods and services, while also making imports into the U. S. more expensive. As usual, the administration and the Federal Reserve each indicate support of a â€Å"strong dollar† policy.Chinese pressure China remains under enormous global political pressure to allow its currency to rise in value as a means of reducing its enormous trade surplus with the world. While the Chinese have allowed modest currency appreciation in recent years, many feel that their currency, the yuan (which does not float or trade openly in global foreign exchange markets), is still 20 percent to 40 percent undervalued. China, now the world's largest exporter, runs an enormous trade surplus with the U. S. Despite record American exports to China in October, the two nations ran a $226. billion trade surplus in favor of the Chinese during 2010's first 10 months, up more than 20 percent versus the same period a year ago. Additional U. S. and global political pressure on the Chinese to boost their currency's value will remain center stage for years to come. Jeff Thredgold is chief economist for Zions Bank and founder of Thredgold Economic Associates, a professional speaking and economic consulting firm. Visit  www. thredgold. com English as essential language of business By  Sun Joo Kim  | October 28, 2012, 8:58 PM PDT http://www. smartplanet. om/blog/bulletin/english-as-essential-language-of-business/4030 China may have the world’s second largest economy, but speaking Mandarin isn’t a required business skill yet. English, according to a study by  EF Education First, will remain the basic language of business. Dorie Clark for Forbes   outlines the study and writes that English will maintain and grow its dominance, moving from â€Å"a marker of the elite† in years past to â€Å"a basic skill needed for the entire workforce, in the same way that literacy has been transformed in the last two centuries from an elite privilege into a basic requirement for informed citizenship. (Indeed, the British Council reports that by 2020, two billion people will be studying English. ) The findings will be reassuring to native English speakers in the United States, of whom  only 10% speak a second language. However, speaking another language in addition to English (in the United States, I’d argue for Spanish) is vital to participating — and having a competitive edge — in business and finance on a global level. Read the entire study on the  EF website. Mandarin Chinese Most Useful Business Language After English By  John Lauerman  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  2011-08-30T19:34:57Z http://www. bloomberg. om/news/2 011-08-30/mandarin-chinese-most-useful-business-language-after-english-1-. html Mandarin,  China’s official tongue is also the top language worldwide for business other than English, according to Bloomberg Rankings. Mandarin, spoken by 845 million people, scored highest in a ranking of languages, excluding English, based on business usefulness. The ranking scored languages according to the number of speakers, number of countries where the language is official, along with those nations’ populations, financial power, educational and literacy rates, and related measures.French, spoken by 68 million people worldwide and the official language of 27 countries, was ranked second, followed by Arabic, which is spoken by 221 million people and is official in 23 nations. Mandarin is unlikely to supplant English soon as the primary language of business, said Leigh Hafrey, a senior lecturer in communications and ethics at the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s  S loan School of Management. â€Å"In much the same way that the dollar remains the preferred currency, English will remain the preferred language for the foreseeable future,† Hafrey said in a telephone interview.Mandarin speakers can gain an advantage in doing business in China, Hafrey said. â€Å"Speaking the language confers a huge advantage for anyone who wants to do business in a non-English-speaking country,† he said. â€Å"It gives you flexibility, knowledge that you need, and personal connections that can make a difference in the speed and effectiveness of your negotiations. † Spanish, the official language of 20 countries and spoken by 329 million people, came in fourth, the rankings showed. Spanish was the top foreign language studied in U. S. ollege classrooms in 2009, according to research from the  Modern Language Association  in  New York. Chinese tallied seventh by the number of U. S. students enrolled in classes that year, after Spanish, Fren ch, German, American Sign Language, Italian and Japanese, according to a December 2010  report  by the association. Arabic was eighth. English – The International Language of Business Better English-Better Future http://www. learn-english-online. co/News/April-2012/English–The-International-Language-of-Business. aspx Sunday 1 April 2012 9:41 AMThere are estimated to be over 360 million native English speakers across the globe. Whilst this compares to a massive 850 million native Mandarin speakers, a further billion people speak English as second or foreign language. With the dominance the British Empire at the turn of the 20th century and the emergence of the USA as a global superpower over the following two decades, English cemented its position as a global language. What is more, with the financial centers of London and New York located in English speaking countries, the language has become firmly established as the language of business across the world.There is talk of the USA declining as a global power and the rise of the China and other far eastern economies. So will English ever lose its place as the international language of business? Looking at the alternatives suggests that it probably will not. Mandarin is an extremely difficult language to grasp and English is already widely spoken as a second language in India and a lot of European countries. As a result, national and international companies in any country place particular emphasis on their employees being able to speak English.If you want to stand out from the crowd it is important to already have a firm grasp on the language when you turn up to job applications. On the other side of the coin, if you are a native English speaker but struggle with spelling or grammar your career prospects are drastically limited. It is, therefore, essential to learn English grammar to get on in your career. There is an emerging form of English, known as International English, that is somewhat sim pler and easier to understand than British or American English.The international form of English does not use colloquialisms and places less emphasis on the correct use of tense and other grammar. The trouble is it is often interpreted as poor English and will simple not suffice in many international companies. Failing to learn English grammar correctly will ultimately cost you in a large proportion of jobs. For native speakers, it is important, however, to be able to speak clearly and correctly. One of the things that make English such a fantastic language is its huge variety of accents and dialects.The downside to this is that non-native speakers or natives from different parts of the English speaking world can struggle to understand one another. It is imperative, therefore, to be able to soften your own accent and drop some of the dialect to ensure you are clearly understood at work. So if you want to improve your job prospects and take the next step in your career, learning to s peak or improving your English language skills is a great place to start. There are a number of quality courses available online as well as in night schools and colleges across the country that cater for all levels of English speakers.RELATED SITES: ALUMNI HOME CLUBS Learning to Speak the Language of Business Hiroshi Mikitani / Rakuten March 2012 http://www. alumni. hbs. edu/bulletin/2012/march/innovation-mikitani. html Mikitani Main article: Where Innovation Rules Case study: Englishnization at Rakuten From Pinterest to Kobo, how Japan's Rakuten is building a global internet giant  (Wired. co. uk) You might call  Hiroshi Mikitani  (MBA 1993) the Jeff Bezos of Japan. Both lead hugely successful Internet commerce companies with a commanding presence in their home markets. But to call Mikitani’s company, Rakuten, the Amazon. om of Japan would overlook fundamental differences for customers and merchants alike. â€Å"We created a real online marketplace where customers can interact with shop owners, and we empower our merchants to build relationships with their customers,† says Mikitani, Rakuten’s founder, chairman, and CEO. Amazon offers neither experience, he adds. Launched in 1997, Rakuten’s online shopping mall now hosts more than 37,000 merchants, and the company has expanded into other e-commerce businesses, including travel, banking, telecommunications, and credit card services.Not satisfied with dominating Japan’s e-commerce landscape, Mikitani believes the company’s future lies in taking its online expertise global. Since 2008, Rakuten has acquired or partnered with e-commerce firms in 10 countries—including Brazil, China, and the United States—and plans to add seven more this year. Success as a global player takes more than an aggressive acquisitions plan, says Mikitani. It requires that all 7,100 of the firm’s Japanese employees communicate in English, the global language of business.M ikitani announced the changeover, in English, in March 2010 and set a two-year deadline for everyone to demonstrate English proficiency or sacrifice chances for advancement. He dubbed the project â€Å"Englishnization,† which has attracted international media attention. The Japanese language, Mikitani reasons, poses a barrier to the firm’s global ambitions. â€Å"There was a huge language barrier between the Tokyo office and our subsidiaries outside Japan,† he observes in a 2011 HBS case study on Rakuten. One day the idea just struck me: ‘Why don’t we try communicating just in English? ’ It’s an entrepreneurial kind of thing: you come up with an idea one day, and suddenly you jump off the cliff with it. † As the proficiency deadline approaches in July, Mikitani says employees â€Å"are progressing better than expected. † He credits HBS assistant professor  Tsedal Neeley, who wrote the  Rakuten case study, with providin g advice for communicating more clearly why English proficiency is important for Rakuten’s future. This is not just a Japanese company issue,† Mikitani points out. â€Å"Other companies doing global business also have been segregated by language. If we succeed, we’ll be followed by others. † —RT Business English as International Language of Business Business English Training Courses,  English Language TrainingAdd comments http://languageblog. communicaid. com/english-language-training/business-english-as-international-language-of-business/ What are the reasons why so many professional people are currently attending  Business English courses?The answer to this question is simple. English is the language for doing International Business. As a consequence, companies need those employees who are in relation with foreign clients or suppliers to have the skills in English which enable them to do their work efficiently. Even if an employee has good kno wledge of the English language, he/she still needs to acquire the language to their professional area (logistics, human resources, etc. ) and therefore need to attend a Business English course.In this  post we will look at why English is in this position, what the implications of this are for the English language and Business English training courses and what future developments we can expect to witness. British colonialism spread the English language around the globe as it was administratively imposed on the non-English speakers in these colonies. English started to become increasingly influential on the world-scene at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The Versailles Treaty of 1919 was drawn up not only in French (the diplomatic language of the time) but also in English.The US’s powerful political, military and economic position in the second half of the Twentieth Century meant that English became the main language of communication in such organisations as NATO and t he IMF. The following facts from the  British Council  website reveal the current widespread use of English: English is spoken as a first language by around 375 million and as a second language by around 375 million speakers. Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language. Due to the fact that  Business English  is so important, companies require increasing numbers of their employees to have knowledge of this language.This knowledge is no longer the preserve of people in positions of responsibility; technicians who have to phone for support in another country and receptionists who receive foreign delegations also need to be able to do certain parts of their jobs in English. Companies therefore allocate a proportion of their training budgets to business English courses. This more diverse demand has led to the development of training courses which specialise in exactly what the delegate needs to know in order to be able to function correctly at w ork.As Business is done in English between people who are not necessarily native speakers of the language, a simplified version of English is now emerging. This version is sometimes called ’standard’ or ‘international’ English. This new type of English for Business purposes is trimmed of all the non-essential grammatical structures and has a reduced common vocabulary. Phrasal verbs such as ‘go on ‘ and ’set up’ are not as important as ‘continue ‘ and ‘create’, for example, and knowledge of the difference between the present perfect and the past simple is no longer a priority in the training room.The primordial objective of the business person using international business English is to communicate efficiently and effectively. Native speakers with their fast delivery, colloquial expressions and unclear pronunciation are feared in the business place as they have become the most difficult people to understand. The result of this is that native speakers may have to start learning how to speak a more communication-friendly form of their own language – i. e. international English According to a recent  BBC article, US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades.This change shows that the situation that made English into the international Business language is going to change in the future. Will this mean that another language will replace English as the new language of international business communication? It is improbable as Chinese, for example, is such a difficult language to learn and does not have the same world-wide spread as English. Another emerging economy, India, already uses English substantially in everyday life. It is also true to say that International English is easier to learn than other forms of English such as British English or American English.The result is that this standardised international version of English will become more and more prevalent in international business and training courses will have to reflect this reality.  © Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010 Exforsys Inc Importance of English in International Business http://www. exforsys. com/career-center/english-vocabulary/importance-of-english -in-international-business. html Author : Exforsys Inc. Published on: 13th May 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Last Updated on: 7th Feb 2011 Importance of English in  International BusinessWhile English is not the most widely spoken language in the world when you look at it in terms of the number of native speakers, it is the world's most prominent language. While a larger number of people speak Chinese, that language is largely confined to China. English on the other hand, is spoken around the world. It has been estimated that out of the roughly 6 billion people that are alive today about 350 million speak English. When you look at the importance of English for International  Business, you must lo ok at more than just the number of people who speak it. You must also look at what the language is used for.English is the ideal language for many governments around the world, and it is also prominent in business, education, world news, and communication. In addition to this, Western pop culture is also carried to foreign countries in the form of music or movies. If you wish to be successful in International business,  learning  English is incredibly important. In many places such as Asia, Africa, and  South America, the ability to learn English will determine who will increase their living standards, and who will remain in poverty. There are a number of powerful tools that have allowed more people to learn English than ever before.One of these tools is the Internet. The  Power  of the Internet in Spreading English Before the Internet, it was hard for you to learn English if you didn't attend a  college  or university. These were the only institutions where the langua ge was widely spoken. If you lived in a community so poor that it didn't have a college or university, your chances of ever learning English were remote. While many people still live in these circumstances today, the Internet has allowed the English language to spread around the word. Because the Internet was invented in the West, English was inherently built into it.Because Internet usage has expanded throughout the world, more people are being exposed to English. The advent of online universities has now made it possible for more people to learn English, people who may live in countries where access to standard education facilities is limited. While it may have been impossible for these people to learn English in the past, the Internet has opened up new  career  opportunities. These people are now able to learn English, and they can use their English skills to get better paying jobs at  home, or they can use them to find jobs overseas.In any event, the Internet has played a powerful role in allowing English to spread across the world, and the number of people learning it is likely to increase in the future. The Importance of English for Business Many companies have discovered early in the 21st century that they can cut their costs of production by sending their jobs overseas. The proper term for this is outsourcing, or offshoring. Some companies have also found that they can cut costs by bringing immigrants into the country on work visas. The employees will work for the  company  for a given period of time, and once their visa has expired, they can return home.For someone living in a country where English is not the native language, they will need to master this language if they wish to  travel to the United States  to find a high paying job. While many people in English speaking countries complain about the impact of outsourcing, it presents lucrative opportunities for people living in foreign countries. Learning how to speak English can allow you to travel to a Western country, work there for a few months, make more money than you would make at home, and then bring the money back home to your family.This is a practice that many people use, and it is factors such as outsourcing which have allowed them to do it. As you can see, learning how to speak English opened up a large number of doors, doors that would normally be closed. Ads Conclusion In many countries where English is not the native language, you are considered highly educated if you can speak the language properly. You will be presented with a number of career opportunities, and you will have the option of staying home to work, or you could travel abroad. When you learn how to speak English, the opportunities are limitless.It’s estimated that  up to 7,000 different languages  are spoken around the world. 90% of these languages are used by less than 100,000 people. Over a million people converse in 150-200 languages and 46 languages have just a single speaker! Languages are grouped into families that share a common ancestry. For example, English is related to German and Dutch, and they are all part of the  Indo-European family  of languages. These also include Romance languages, such as French, Spanish and Italian, which come from Latin. 2,200  of the world’s languages can be found in  Asia, while Europe has a mere 260.Nearly every language uses a similar grammatical structure, even though they may not be linked in vocabulary or origin. Communities which are usually isolated from each other because of mountainous geography may have developed multiple languages. Papua New Guinea  for instance, boasts no less than  832  different languages! http://www. bbc. co. uk/languages/guide/languages. shtml On the importance of English language education for students The Jakarta Post | Feature | Mon, October 29 2012, 12:22 PM http://www. thejakartapost. com/news/2012/10/29/on-importance-english-language-education-students . html Paper Edition | Page: 21The English-language curriculum in the national education system has been a bone of contention among parents and education experts for many years, with many lamenting its focus on grammar and structure at the expense of creating a fun learning experience for students. The Jakarta Post’s  Iman Mahditamatalked to the Education and Culture Ministry’s director general for secondary education,  Hamid Muhammad, about the importance of instilling students with excellent English communication skills and the significance of extracurricular activities such as the Youth Speak Fun Day in helping students to master the language.Below are excerpts of their conversation. Question: What is the significance of Youth Speak Fun Day (YSFD) for your directorate, given the bigger picture of the national education system? Answer: The secondary education directorate general has two main programs. The first is to ensure access to education for junior high sch ool graduates. Every year, there are 1. 2 million graduates who cannot be accommodated in senior high schools. We are working to solve this. We are currently creating a layout for a national 12-year compulsory education scheme. However, access to education alone is not enough.We also have to ensure the quality of education, which is our second program. It means nothing if we build more schools, but cannot develop students who are competent in their respective fields. In improving educational quality, the directorate general must be able to devise a scheme that will not only enhance the students’ intellectual ability, but also improve their character, as I believe that character is the basis of their future success. We have many smart kids who cannot do anything once they are out in the real world as they lack in communication skills. This is where extracurricular activities, such as the YSFD, can help.It can be a medium for students to do fun stuff, interact, communicate, and play with others. We have to develop these activities to prevent our kids from getting too bored with academic stuffs. In short, we really, really support YSFD. If children in various regions in Indonesia seem to be enthusiastic over the event, it’s because they really do love it -because it gives them a space to really show their talents and skills. Without undermining the significant role of Indonesian instruction, what are your hopes for such events as the YSFD in the campaign to learn English?In Indonesia, English is deemed as a foreign language instead of a second language. However, as our local communities are becoming more global, coupled with our country’s booming economy, learning and mastering English has become a must. So far, the local English curriculum is too focused on grammar and sentence structure at the expense of instilling excellent English communication skills, when, in fact, the latter was what we hope from our local schools. The YSFD can serve a s a place for our kids to self-actualize themselves in fun and challenging ways. I believe â€Å"fun and challenging† is the key.Some programs are just too challenging and too rigid that it can’t be fun. YSFD is different. I think that this is something good that needs to be spread to all regions in Indonesia. How do you think such activities as the YSFD can help stop students from the brawls that have broken out as of late? Brawls are a problem of metropolitan areas and large cities, many of which are lacking in facilities for teenagers to interact with each other in fun and positive ways. In the end, those kids are overflowing with energy, which they then release in negative, and sometimes destructive, behaviors.I sincerely hope that activities like YSFD can be held in large cities as a place for these kids to channel their energy in positive, productive, and competitive ways. I think the effect will be exceptionally tremendous. By having more activities, we can prev ent teenagers from forming gangs and involving themselves in negative activities. What is the role of partnerships with companies like The Jakarta Post Foundation and PT Chevron Indonesia for the directorate general in executing its programs? I sincerely thank both companies.At least, we have good news in promoting our students who have tremendous skills and talents, rather than telling the bad news of student brawls all the time, which is honestly exhausting. I truly welcome every company who wants to help us with our program. It will be beneficial for all, no doubt about that. There will always be those who see the country’s huge population and when they see what we’ve done, they’ll say that what we do won’t mean much. I don’t agree with that. At least, we’ve done something good. The thing that we do may only be on a small scale, but the ripple effect will be incredible.People will see that we’ve done something good and that the res ult on the kids is also good. The Education and Culture Ministry plans to streamline the national curriculum and erase English as a compulsory subject for elementary schools starting from next year. Will that affect the English curriculum for secondary education? I think not. The plan was not to entirely erase the English subject, but rather to make it as an optional school subject. Even now, when it is compulsory for students to learn English starting in the fourth grade, many elementary schools are not teaching the subject.There will be streamlining, but that does not mean that we will ban elementary schools that voluntarily wish to teach their students English from doing so. Elementary schools that have the capability to teach English well will be allowed to teach the language. We will keep providing attention to the teaching of English anywhere in this nation, but we don’t want to make the subject compulsory when most schools are incapable of carrying it out. It is better for the subject to be optional. The most important thing is that the schools don’t have too many core subjects, but we open more possibilities by giving them optional subjects.What plans and ideas do you have in mind for future campaigns of the use of English and prevention of student brawls? I think the most important is to change our English curriculum to focus on improving student communication skills. In fact, the current school-based curriculum [KTSP] has attempted to use that approach, but it fails because the teachers are so used to grammar and structure. It is impossible to tell our kids to learn to communicate in English when their teachers cannot do so. I believe that teachers of English at our schools must use English, instead of Indonesian, in class.That is what we are trying to reinforce in the new curriculum. Training for teachers, therefore, is a must. I think it’s a huge mistake if English teachers use Indonesian while in class. It’s fine in pri mary education levels. But in senior high schools, everyone must be brave enough to talk in English. I also encourage schools to have one day when everyone must speak English. In this aspect, the curriculum of Gontor Islamic Boarding School [in Ponorogo, East Java] is better than ours. They implemented a dual-language teaching system, using English and Arabic.Their graduates can speak English fluently because they use it every day. No one seems to protest that, whereas when we try to enforce our international standard project (RSBI) schools to use English, everyone protested. They say that enforcement ran against the spirit of nationalism. How can they be so narrow-minded? Mastering a foreign language does not mean your love for your country will fade away. Haji Agus Salim, a national hero, was widely known during his lifetime for having mastered more than five foreign languages. No one has ever questioned his nationalism.What is the importance of English in today's world? English L anguage Questions Best Answer http://EzineArticles. com/? expert=Raghu_Sundaram http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_the_importance_of_English_in_today's_world Frankly speaking, it is highly essential to know the language for communication. In general, the most popular language is English. In this  computer  age, English is the only language that any one can understand. So to say, it has become as an ideal language for expressing our feelings. First, we have to learn the language and then we have to gain fluency in the language.Unless we have the fluency in English language, it would not be possible to work with the computer. If you do not know English, then you would be in need of a translator to do the job. The first stage of learning this language would be very interesting. Once you are fluent with the alphabets, slowly you can learn many words. It would always be better to follow the method of reading first, then writing. You can use the picture books for this purpose. When y ou feel that you are familiar with the words, you can form sentences. This is the most interesting stage to learn.You just think of a sentence in your  mother  language, and try to write the same sentence in English. There could be some mistakes. But you should not bother about it. But, you have to write the same sentence using many different words till you are satisfied with your sentence. If you follow this way, very soon you can create sentences of your own. The next step is learning the grammar of the language. It is quite simple and very systematic compared with other languages. There are certain rules and regulations for each and every topic in grammar of this language.As long as you follow the rules and regulations, it would be a difficult task to make mistakes. You would gain that much guidance from the grammar. The presentation is the most important factor in communicating your feelings. So, naturally you must be sure while you are presenting. what you really wish to sa y. At any point, do not try to write or speak, beyond your capability. Even if it is a small and simple sentence, it would reach the receiver perfectly. This is our basic  idea. Slowly, you can improve the standard of your language by practice.If you know to form the sentences, it is more than enough to go deep into the subject. Though this only an article about the importance of the English Language, we have to learn some of the basic points in presenting the sentences. There are three different types of sentences: They are, 1. Statements. 2. Interrogative sentence. 3. Imperative sentence. 4. Exclamatory sentence. To begin with, you must know the difference between a phrase and a sentence. Phrase is a group of words, which gives meaning, but not complete meaning. A sentence is a group of words, which makes a complete sense. . Statement: The sentence starting with nouns or pronouns is known as statement. Example: Rome is a church city. 2. Interrogative sentence: There are two type s of interrogative sentences. a. â€Å"wh† type question. The sentences starting with the following fords are â€Å"wh† type question. What, When, Where, Who, How many, How long and etcetera. Example: Why did you come late? 2. What are you doing there? b. â€Å"yes or no† type question. For which sentences you get the reply either with yes or no they are called yes or no type question. Example: Is your father a doctor? The answer: No sir. 3.Imperative sentence: The sentence that gives command, request, and advice is known as Imperative sentence. Example: Walk on the pavement. 2. Eat regularly. 4. Exclamatory sentence: The sentence that expresses the sudden feelings or strong emotions is known as exclamatory sentence. Example: Alas! He is dead. 2. Oh! What a beautiful sight. When you are familiar with the above points, it would be very interesting to you to create many wonderful sentences. In general, the sentences are divided into three different kinds. They are ,   1. Simple sentence. 2. Compound sentence. 3. Complex sentence.Though it very essential to have knowledge in  handling  the above sentences, we have to study them separately. In this essay, we are talking about the importance of the language. Many people make mistakes even with the usage of articles. It is a pity that even scholars may make mistakes. So, you should not get dejected with your style of writing. There is a lot of difference between these two. 1. a few 2. few   When you want to say that you have friends, you have to say that,† I have a few friends. †Ã‚   When you want to say that you do not have friends, you have to say that, â€Å"I have few friends. This is the opposite meaning of the word, many. Apart from these, there are many points to be discussed later. When you feel that you are already strong on the above subjects, you can develop your knowledge for betterment of your knowledge. As long as you educate yourself, you will come across many new things. There is no end for learning. All the above points are used in the normal usage of English. The literature value of the English Language is entirely different and should be dealt separately. Article Source: http://EzineArticles. com/? expert=Raghu_Sundaram Importance of the English Language in today's world ttp://zeeshannaved. hubpages. com/hub/importanceofenglishlanguages This Hub was last updated on July 10, 2012 Language is the source of communication. Its the way through which we share our ideas and thoughts with others. There are uncountable languages in this world. Because every country has their own national language, then they have different local languages spoken and understood by their people in different regions. Let's talk about English. It is the language of England and has International Standard. Many people think English as American Language but it is not true.In fact, when Columbus discovered America, he saw the country in the Stone Age with high illitera cy rate. Those were the European and English people who brought education and knowledge even technology towards America. There are several factors that make us to learn English Language to go through in the current time. First of all, as I already mention, it has International Standard, that’s why everyone needs to learn English in order to get in touch on International Level. If we see Educational field, we will find much of the syllabus is written in English. Children are taught and encouraged to learn English on starting levels.And accordingly, as they promote to the next levels they study almost all the subjects in English. We see the Internet and finds more than 90% of websites written and created in English. And even when you see some sites in other languages, they also give you the option to translate in English. All the research and studies you find will be written and typed in English. All the information regarding each and everything contains English Language. There is another factor that make English very important in this world is it is the easiest language of the world to learn.Many people think that it is very difficult and confusing. But I suggest them to start and learn only for a week and they will feel easy with English. With good understanding and communication in English, we can travel around the globe. We get assistance and help in English in every part of world. You can test it by on line travel. Better you visit some offices, companies, governmental organizations, and other departments, and you will see the importance of English as they hire the professional staff after getting know that whether the people they are hiring are good at English or not.This is the company's will that their staff is not even well educated but also good English speaker, writer and Reader. Those who are still unaware about the importance of English. They should start learning English as a time will come when everything would be understood, spoken and wri tten in English. Better watch some media and get the scope of English. 15 KASIM 2008 CUMARTESI http://toeflgencligi. blogspot. com/2008/11/importance-of-english. html IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH: