Microeconomics Supply and Demand Concept

Introduction Microeconomics is a field in economics that studies the individual behavior of modern households and firms and how they make decisions to allocate resources (Arnold 303). Microeconomics seeks to examine how decisions made and behavior patterns affect demand and supply of goods and services.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Microeconomics: Supply and Demand Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Supply and demand concept Demand and supply are the fundamental concepts of microeconomics this is because firms determine what, how and how much to produce, while households decide what and how much to consume. Allocation of economic activities is dependent on supply and demand to meet market equilibrium which is the point where demand and supply meet (Colander 13). Demand is defined as the willingness of the customer to buy a product at a particular price and the law of demand states that the higher the pr ice, the lower the demand and the lower the price, the higher the demand (Arnold 303). Demand is an economic phenomenon that states demand reflects what households are willing and able to pay for and it is ready to buy different amounts of good at different prices (Samuelson and Nordhaus 13). There are two types of goods; the normal goods that obey the law of demand that states the higher the price the lower the demand and the lower the price the higher the demand. Secondly, is the giffen goods, and these are goods that do not obey the law of demand and whose demand curve flows on the opposite direction. The demand for giffen goods is higher when the price is higher and lower when the price of the good is lowered. Quantity demanded is defined as the amount of a good that will be bought in the market at a given price. The law of quantity demanded states that, if the price of a product rises then the quantity demanded falls and if the price of a product falls then quantity demanded ri ses (Baumol and Blinder 100; Colander 13). Supply on the other hand, is the cumulative willingness of all firms to produce various amounts of products at various prices. The law of supply states that the higher the price the higher the supply and the lower the price, the lower the supply. Firms produce goods depending on the market price they can get for the goods they produce (Colander 14). The firms produce and supply different products at different market prices. Market supply is defined as the aggregate quantity of a good that all the firms that produce it will make available at all possible prices.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The supply curve is always straight, and slopes upward from left to right, representing the law of supply. Quantity supplied is defined as the amount of good that firms will be willing to sell in the market at a given price. The law of quantit y supplied states that if the price of the market falls then quantity supplied will fall and if the price of the market rises, then the quantity supplied will rise (Baumol and Blinder 101). The market equilibrium is defined as the point where the demand curve and supply curve meet to at the one and only price at which quantity supplied and quantity demanded are equal. At equilibrium there are no market forces operating to influence quantity and price, and it is represented in graph form by the two curves intersecting. Supply and demand is an economic factor that influences the price determination of a market. The two in a competitive market will settle where the quantity demanded by customers and the quantity supplied by producers meet at the center, which determines the price and quality. If the demand increases and supply remains unchanged, it leads to higher price and quantity and if demand decreases and supply remains unchanged then it leads to lower price and quality (Arnold 30 6). If the supply decreases and demand remains unchanged it attracts a higher price and lower quality, and lastly if supply increases and demand remains unchanged it leads to lower prices and higher quantity. The shift in equilibrium is caused by factors that affect the quantity supplied and quantity demanded (Baumol and Blinder 105). Some of the factors that influence the quantity supplied include production costs, technology used in production, price of related goods, number of suppliers and firm’s expectation about future prices. On the other hand, the factors that influence demand include income, taste and preference, price of related goods and services, consumer expectations of future price and income, and lastly the number of potential customers (Colander 13). The concept of demand and supply faces the great economic problem of scarcity of resources in the aim of meeting desired ends. Supply and demand tries to solve the problem of shortage and surplus through raising o r reducing the resources, as they are required (Baumol and Blinder 108).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Microeconomics: Supply and Demand Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To address shortage and surplus economic challenges Colander (13) notes, the supply and demand concept needs to address factors of what goods and services should one produce and in different quantity. Secondly, the type and quantity of produce to deal with, that is the choice of production (14). Thirdly, who to produce for, where it is determined who gets how much to produce. Other factors to rise include utilization of resources, production efficiency and growing produce capacity and lastly the purchasing power of the consumers (15). Application of supply and demand concept The U.S department of agriculture stated the soaring growth of demand of organic products by giving the rising sales statistics of organic products (Faber 3). In terms of cash, the demand had grown from 3billion in 1997 to 10billion in 2003. The sales of organic food had grown by 20% annually and there was a forecast by experts that the industry share of the U.S food market was expected to grow from 2% to 3.5% (Faber 4). This according to Faber (4) indicated that the demand was growing so fast outstripping the quantity supplied, forcing the U.S food department to spend more than 1billion a year to import organic food and the ratio between import and export was 8:1. Most of these imports came from the European Union and specifically from farmers who had weaker organic standards in about 12.6million acres. The cost of importing the organic products was very costly on the U.S food department and it started encouraging American farmers to start producing organic products (6). This meant farmers in the U.S would stop using synthetic fertilizer and start applying natural fertilizer only. Before the farmers could start selling under the label of â €˜organic’ it would take them three years to ensure the farms are free from non-organic fertilizers. The practice of growth hormones and antibiotics was also to be abandoned. The government encouraged farmers to make the transition and though it would lower the yield in the long run, it was a cheap method of production, and yield was bound to double once the farm was fully organic. Organic food prices in the U.S is a little costly than the non-organic foods, this is because the supply of organic is limited and the quantity demanded is high (Faber 6). The demand and supply concept applies in this situation because of the economic problem of organic food shortage. The farmers, who are the organic food supplier, strive to increase quantity supplied in the market, because the price the consumer is willing to pay is high (Arnold 310). The law of quantity supplied states the supplier will supply more if the market price is high and vise verse.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During importation, there is market disequilibrium because the quantity and price do not seem to meet to determine a balance. To complete the balance the U.S government encourages farmers in the U.S to make a transition to produce organic products. The U.S department tries to bring harmony between price and quantity by motivating farmers and offering assistance to organic farmers (Faber 8). The U.S set standards to the organic food grown by its farmers and maintains the organic standards to keep supplying the product to the consumer in demand. The highly competitive market is significant in pricing of the organic products; this is because the European Union has a huge market advantage and has a pricing advantage (Arnold 311). Since the Americans spend less in transportation and costs of farming organic products is reduced, then the farmers will have a competitive advantage over the European Union. Conclusion The supply and demand concept in a liberalized market freely flows until th e market equilibrium is achieved. Price or quantity advantage does cause a disequilibrium causing shortages or surplus. This can be solved through increasing quantity supplied by increasing the price of the market level, or reducing quantity supplied by reducing the price of the market level. With the help of microeconomics, the market can be studied and stabilized accordingly. Works Cited Arnold, Roger. Microeconomics. New York, Cengage learning. 2010. P303-312 Baumol, William. J and Blinder, Alan. S. Microeconomics: principle and practice. Mason: Cengage learning.2009. P.100-112 Colander, David. Microeconomics. London: McGraw-Hill paperback. 2008. P.13-24 Faber, Scott. â€Å"Demand for organic food growing faster than domestic supply†. Bay journal 4.1(2006): 3-11.washington D. C, Chesapeake. 3 November, 2011https://www.bayjournal.com/ Samuelson, Paul. A and Nordhaus, William. A. Economics (19th edition), New York, Mc Graw Hill.1992. P.3-106 This report on Microeconomics: Supply and Demand Concept was written and submitted by user Jasmin R. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Frida Kahlo and Edvard Munch essays

Frida Kahlo and Edvard Munch essays How have the artists communicated meaning when reacting to events in their life and/or exploring private emotions? Frida Kahlos The Broken Column 1944 and Edvard Munchs Evening on Karl Johan 1982. Frida Kahlos The Broken Column is portraying an image of her life and her experiences. Even though Frida Kahlo was thought to be a surrealist, she solely painted her reality that portrayed her mental and physical pain. Andre Breton, a surrealist poet, once actually remarked that Kahlo was a surrealist, but Kahlo denied arguing that she only painted her reality and her experiences of life. Although Kahlo was aware of the surrealist movement, she did not necessarily get involved with it. Kahlos paints were actually highly personal self-portraits that revealed the most painful aspects of her life. The most significant event in Kahlos life was the most tragic one as well. At the age of eighteen, she was involved in a serious bus accident that not only changed her for the duration, but that also changed her life; her body was almost ruined. Both her spinal column and pelvis were broken in three places. Not capable of leaving her bed, and with out many options to pass her time, Kahlo began painting; this was her only way of revealing her thoughts and exploring her innermost painful feelings, memories, and experiences. Kahlo spent the next three years of her life, as she was unable to move, painting and portraying the reality of her life; how it had changed and how helpless and incomplete she felt. One of the paintings that represented her feelings was The Broken Column. Edvard Munchs Evening on Karl Johan is a strange piece. It represents a feeling of anxiety. A strange thing about Munch is that he uses private symbolism through his artworks. Munchs symbolic image, finally free from represent faithfully and ban ...

The Battle of the Bulge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Battle of the Bulge - Essay Example It had the aims of annexing and capturing France, Luxemburg and Belgium. The major front through which the encroachment was made included the Ardennes Forest. The aims were to take the enemy by surprise. Since the Germans had a knack of taking the rivals by surprise and gifted with the Blitzkrieg and other war instruments, the aims were to repeat the heroics that they had done so in the first phase of the Second World War when it overtook the minnows of the war in no time. Over two hundred and fifty thousand troops were engaged in this battle by the German high command and the point was clear, it had been done to break the sequence of frustration pouring events that had recently taken place in the course of Second World War. The battle had its repercussions upon the Western powers, United States of America and Germany. Each was deeply moved through the battle, it is therefore termed as one of the most critical points of war in those days of the entire episode of Second World War. The significance of this battle was the fact that the Western powers and their allies were caught completely off guard, they had little expected this and had no war insight of this one coming, as a result the impact fell upon the number of casualties suffered and other major losses incurred in the entire events that unfolded in this particular battle. United States also suffered damages in this particular battle. The battle had a direct impact on the German side as well. Having invested heavy in to this expedition, the Germans had to compromise on other fronts and in other battles in order to compensate for the manpower and the financial funds and armaments that were made for this particular endeavor undertaken. The main target was the American army’s 106 Division (Spiller, p 79). It did not enjoy great expertise or experience of such critical moments and it thereby failed to provide and deliver the heroics that were expected of

Rhetorical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rhetorical analysis - Essay Example The article is in response to the issue of globalization and the need to for a common language to facilitate it. This relates to the concept of culture and its influence, as well as difficulty in communication using non-standard native language. This is by revealing the need for the global society to communicate with ease whether it is in business or cross cultural as seen in the case of Sweden. This is also in terms of other languages having increased numbers of native speakers, as Chinese, but the need to communicate on a cross-cultural basis. Ergo necessitating a common language a position English has proven capable of filling as is demonstrated in the discourse. Concerning ethos, Seth creates credibility in his article by showing accurate command of the topic at hand and citing credible experts in the fields of linguistics and English. The experts include linguists and skeptics such as Nicholas Olster and David Crystal who give expert opinion on issues regarding English as a glob al language (Mydans). Nicholas Purports that while Latin might have appeared set to dominate the world in the 15th century, English is the language to watch in post-20th century times. Crystal on the other hand agrees that English is no doubt dominant in the world than any other language has ever been; nevertheless, he does not commit himself to predict its relevance as interminable. In addition, the author pays attention to other aspects of different language such as Hindi, Phoenician, and Chinese to show cultural differences and their impact on English as a global language these work towards building a strong base for making his claims and facts solid. This is because he presents them as languages that could have a claim to global dominance by virtue of the number of native speakers. He however explains that many parents teach their children English as a second language â€Å"to help them become citizens of an increasingly intertwined world.† Basic knowledge of linguistics is sufficient for one to understand that a language gains prominence not due to its intrinsic structural or lexical configuration but the number of people accepting and learning it as a second language. By conceding to this fact, and undertaking to provide a rational explanation as to why they are not global languages, he appeals to the reader’s sense of logic and hence earns himself credibility points by his objective explanations. Moreover, the writer’s objectivity portrays the writer’s attitude as neutral and unbiased since he evidently is supporting the dominant status of English because of empirical evidences. Based on the writer’s seemly skeptical point of view and the fact that the article appeared on one of America’s prominent newspapers and is available online, his primary audience was no doubt skeptics, and anyone looking for information on the future of English and its globalization. The article’s global outreach makes any global citizen with access to the paper online possibly accidentally (as they may not have been looking for the information), or in related linguistic research a conceivable secondary audience. The attitude or stand of the writer is that of a skeptic as it is based on plenty of speculation, especially on the issue of its

Global Culture And Cultural Imperialism Media Essay

Global Culture And Cultural Imperialism Media Essay Some scholars believe that globalization is a process that human race constantly across the spatial barriers, institutional, cultural and other social barriers so that we can achieve fully communication (material and informational) on a global scale and reach more consensus and joint-action. This process is a multi-dimensional, both unified and diverse and constantly conflictive. On this basis, the â€Å"cultural globalization† is considered as a process of looking for cultural integration and sharing within the conflict and the unity, which means all national cultures through the exchange, integration, infiltration and complementarity continually break their own cultural patterns and geographic limitations and move towards the world; continuously go beyond the boundaries of the national culture and get cultural identity under human judgments; constantly change the national cultural resources into human sharing resources. This kind of process is a formation and evolution of fo rce. In this way, â€Å"globalization† seems to be such a force, which is the source of capitalist countries in Europe and now mainly is the United States. They are in an attempt to maximally transform or digest the various differences or conflicts of the worlds national culture into the same. However we have to clarify that culture, which is the human-specific phenomenon, as the crystallization of human civilization and progress, permeates through all areas of social life. It plays an irreplaceable effect for the people to foster a correct world outlook, philosophy of life, conception of history and sense of worth. National culture is the soul of a nation and the spiritual symbol. It is the core of culture. Any nations culture, including mode of production, social structure, ideology, religion, ethics, customs etc, is the sign of the existence of this nation and the premise of continuation of development. In the context of globalization, the reason cultural diversity still can be maintained is because this closely linked by national independence maintaining. One of the basic characteristics of culture is ethnicity. This is the cornerstone for this nationality based on the worlds nations. If one nation completely denies their own cultural traditions, loses the national self-confidence, and is willing to accept the alien to assimilation, it is the beginning of this nations decline. Once any kind of culture losing their national identity, it does not exist as an independent culture any longer. Establishing of the so-called globalization which are dominated by one specific kind of culture, its essence is to implement a cultural hegemony. It is a typical cultural imperialism. The term of â€Å"cultural imperialism† is one of the numbers of terms emerging in the 1960s to criticize of society in a radical-spirit way. Since then this term is widely used by the intelligentsia. However its definition and connotation has always been fragmented and ambiguous. The referent is extremely broad and similar to one another in a high degree. This term came originally from the mixture of two words culture and imperialism, and these two words in itself is extremely complicated and prone to doubt. The objective for synthesis of this word is to provide a concept which is similar with a protective umbrella, meanwhile it accommodates a very a wide range of topics. In certain circumstances, it can be defined as: â€Å"The use of political and economic power to exalt and spread the values and habits of a foreign culture at the expense of a native culture† (Tomlinson, 1991). Such a definition itself tends to think that the essence of cultural imperialism is to pro mote and spread the values in the habit, and in this process, â€Å"political† and â€Å"economic† power only plays an instrumental role. However, many of the discussion about cultural imperialism, in fact, more emphasize on the significance of economic role. While all cultural factors, but is a tool, is one used to support political and economic domination. In other words, the process of the imperialist countries controls other countries is cultural advanced. The imperialist countries export to other countries cultural forms of supporting the imperialist relations, and then complete the state of the imperial domination. Just like American scholar Jameson pointed out in 1986 that the First World countries master the worlds cultural output initiative. They can mandatorily indoctrinate their own values and ideologies to the Second World through media. At the same time however, the disadvantaged and marginalized Third World countries can only passively accept. Their cultu ral heritage is at risk, and their cultural values and ideologies are under constant infiltration as well. The aggression and infiltration of the First World culture provoked opposition from Third World culture, and the struggle against cultural colonial and hegemony which resulting the cultural conflict is inevitable. For a curtain period, many countries from Europe to the Americas, from Africa to Asia, a lot of new content have been appearing for the popular culture and daily life. Jeans, McDonalds, rock and roll, Hollywood blockbusters, or even the Western middle-class lifestyle, taste and pursuit, etc., have been becoming the new kind of fashion. People enjoy the Western civilization through eating, drinking and being merry; accept unconsciously the edification and influence of Western culture. Such cultural infiltration is more effective than the wars using of aircraft and missiles. Some cultural infiltration could lead many countries lose not only their national identity, but themselves as well, and then accept the Western values and institutions involuntarily. The external violence, such as missiles, is not very terrible, but more frightening than the missile is the economic and cultural which is a sort of subtle and underhanded soft knife. If the old imperialism mainly used guns to conquer the world and enslave the weak peoples, the â€Å"cultural imperialism† in virtue of cultural infiltration, quietly conquers the hearts of people from other countries and allows them to consciously obey the superpower hegemony. In the context of economic globalization, any country with the independent cultural tradition must safeguard their own cultural tradition, cultural benefits and cultural security by taking positive measures. Many countries and even some western developed countries use â€Å"multi-polar cultural theory† to against American â€Å"unilateral cultural strategy†. For instance, in 1989, the European Parliament passed through the â€Å"Television without Frontiers Directive (TVWF)† to ensure the playing time for the European film and television works; At the same time EU determined the six standards of â€Å"cultural exception†; In 1993, France, Canada and other countries in the Uruguay Round negotiations put forward the â€Å"cultural exception† concept which states that cultural exports should be treated differently than other goods in trade negotiations because national cultures should be protected. In my point of view, economic globalization and economic integration is indeed a tide and trend which cannot be stopped. However in contrast, the culture probably cannot be fully integrated. Generally speaking, there are both globalization and integration factors for culture, but also exist factors that cannot be completely globalized and integrated. The anti-globalization demonstration in Seattle and the protest by German people when the U.S. president visiting to Germany demonstrated that even in the west itself, there are widespread anti-globalization voices. Culture is far beyond the simple material production. It is a more advanced and more complex human spirit activity. The cultural homogenization which right followed of globalization should not be prematurely optimistic estimated. However these issues are well worth pondering: what aspects of culture is the ability to globalize and integrate; what are not the factors? To answer these questions, a special study on â€Å"culture† should be necessary. First of all, there is a commonality side between human feelings and ideas. In the process of creating its own history, human beings also create their own spiritual and emotional world. Although for the different regions and different ethnic people, their display form for the emotional and other spiritual activities are varied, there are some common areas that are communicable and blended with each other. Only in this way, humans can be closely linked rather than gapped. In this sense, cultural globalization is feasible and should be. Secondly on the other hand, factors for culture which cannot be globalized and integrated still should not be ignored. These cultural factors constitute the core of the different national cultures. Language is one of such cultural factors. Language is the carrier of any culture; moreover also constitute the core of different cultures. We can see that the globalization of strong languages, such as English, is contributing to the demise of many minority languages. In nowadays, about 20 kinds of languages are disappearing around the world every year. With the disappearance of these languages, those related natural cultures of disadvantaged groups have been becoming extinct. What is more, discussing literature and art is inseparable with the language. For a nations culture, literature is the most distinctive and ethnic. If the language can be globalized, in addition to those nations who use strong languages, the literature works with other languages will also completely eliminate as the languages disappearing. Language for literature is not just a medium. Disappearance of the various and colorful national languages could lead the spirit of literature to be sameness and narrow. The demise of literature which is the most characteristic is a symbol of the demise of the national culture. Therefore linguistic, as the core element of culture is not possible to or should not be integrated. The idea of cultural globalization is not able to fully become a reality. On the one hand, it is a consequence of increasingly frequent cultural exchanges in the process of economic integration; it is a real-life activity within an era of communication and dialogue. On the other hand, different cultures must keep their own unique contents and large or small differences, so that it can be able to communicate and dialogue. Homogenization of culture, unlike the process of economic activities, is not straightforward. It has many extremely important and unintegrated factors. Moreover, cultural diversity is a basis for the harmoniously existence of human civilization world. In the same way, diversity of literature and arts make a healthy and vibrant future. However at the same time, we have to admit that a fact that cultural globalization is an irresistible historical trend. The reason is decided by the cultures own characteristics. The cultures all have their own roots and soil of survival and development. They inevitably have regional, local, special and relatively stationary characteristics. Once the national cultures abandon their traditional forms, thus it means giving up their history and losing the foundation and conditions for further development. Meanwhile, the cultures possess universal, dynamic, penetrative and expansive features as well. Although culture always manifested itself through the specific form of history, showing of human nature, strength and scale aspects during the activities of human beings changing the world also outlines the indispensable common elements of different nationalities and different cultural systems. Any culture, regardless how unique the form is or how varied the content is, is based on certain modes of production and a certain form of society. Any variety of large or small size of cultural system subordinates to the â€Å"mother system†. It has the most general feature of culture, which is the bi-directional convective. This characteristic determines any kind of national culture is the unity of the static and dynamic. It is both single and diverse; it belongs with both nation and the whole world. The â€Å"aboriginality† for any local culture, in fact, is only a relatively significance. At the present day, as the earth becoming a village, the trend of â€Å"one world one family† is increasingly obvious. Cultural globalization has become an unstoppable tide. Cultural globalization, in brief, is that while economic globalization, the local culture opening active dialogues to the exotic culture with an open posture, developing and replenishing itself during the mutual exchange. So that the global culture can present that both unity and diversity, univers ality and uniqueness can be accomplished without coming into conflict. In short, inexistence of the state of cultural isolation, interdependence and development of multi-culture, and co-existence of the particularity of local culture and the universality of the worlds culture constitute the organic content of the cultural globalization. It can be seen that cultural globalization must not be understood as an assimilation of different global cultures or â€Å"westernization†. On the other hand, it precisely shows a kind of scene that the world multi-cultural existing at the same time, interacting with each other and mutual constructing. Apart from this, with the trend of cultural globalization, there is an objective necessity for the various ethnic, regional and major cultural systems to occur â€Å"value conflicts† within the interaction. It is because different cultural patterns producing different culture bred factors, and they all have their own quality requirements and the specific scope of application. Therefore the â€Å"value confl icts† generated in the multi-cultural interaction is normal and inevitable. Undeniably, the entirely different cultural patterns formed under differentiation can create an advantage. On the other hand, occupying a higher position, including all of the cultural differences together could maintain an advantage as well. An Indian religion organization named â€Å"Baba† or can be said â€Å"Zaire† is a great example. The logo for â€Å"Baba† is a flower composed of two-layer petals and each layer contains 5 petals. Inside the 5 petals involves all kinds of the identity of the worlds major religions: Hinduism Europe Mother Fu, Christian Cross, Zoroastrianism fire, Islam Crescent and Buddhism The Wheel of Dharma. Each of the traditional logo is the product under the cross-culture, creation and new meaning. Such a strategy holds all the different religions that come from various cultures into one same faith: â€Å"Religion is only one, which is love; Language is only one, which is soul; Race is only one, which is human; God is only one, which is self†. This compatible spirit of the universe make â€Å"Baba† expand to the whole world, and its followers, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Mauritius, etc., have set up a total of more than 2,000 centers in 137 countries. In this case, it is no doubt that â€Å"Baba† is also a perfect successful example indicating the importance of creativity for cultural integration. Globalization has both advantages and disadvantages. Whether the globalization can benefit on national cultures development primarily depends on the definition of â€Å"globalization†. If the â€Å"globalization† aims to make a variety of culture develop and prosper jointly, that globalization is undoubtedly useful; if â€Å"globalization† is to make the western culture to dominate the development of entire world culture or advocate the â€Å"cultural imperialism†, this â€Å"globalization† is not acceptable from a cultural perspective. The impact of cultural globalization has big drawbacks on small nations. Under the powerful impact of globalization, the weak nations must give serious thoughts in order to avoid losing of autonomy for their local culture, and even assimilating by foreign cultures. Reference: Hamm, B. (2005). Cultural imperialism. Broadview Press. Jameson, F., (1986). Third-World Literature in an Era of Multinational Capitalism. Tomlinson, J., (1991). Cultural Imperialism. London: Printer. Yuanzi H., Xiaoyuan X.,(1998). Globalization and China. Beijing: CCTP.

Max webber

This is a study of the bureaucratic characteristics of Turkish elementary and secondary schools Little is known about the organization and foundation of these schools. This study Is d beginning In an effort to develop d body of literature In these schools. Max Weber's (in Gerth ; Mills, 1946) thinking and Hall's (1961) operationalization of bureaucracy form the theoretical foundation for the study.Because the construct of alienation is the main construct that has been studied with relation to bureaucracy, this study also examines the relationships between ureaucracy and sense of power as a measure of alienation. Context Organizations surround us. Bureaucracy Is d blueprint for organlzlng human activities for a desired end. It is a sociological phenomenon that has evolved throughout the history ot clvlllzauon. As a sociological tool It has been used to bulld pyramids, to invade nations, to cure illnesses, to keep criminals incarcerated, to land on Mars, to massacre millions, to educat e. nd so on. It Is the tool of power, an â€Å"effective† device to control and direct human effort and behavior. The bureaucratic theory of Max Weber has been a point of departure for the development and odification of organization structure to Influence the flow of Interrelationships within organizations (Hall, 1963). The degree of bureaucracy in an organization sets the boundaries tor human action. These boundaries that regulate people's treedom have a by-product known as alienation.The construct of alienation has been studied with relation to bureaucracy. It has been demonstrated that people who work in bureaucracies have a limited â€Å"say† In what they do. For good or for evil, bureaucracy is the machinery to control human behavior. What matters is how to use this device without alienating people. chools are one of the forms of bureaucracy where a large portion of our lives is spent Schools prepare youth for bureaucracies. If the schools are the places that prep are people tor bureaucratized lite. hen, the teachers in them are the agents of bureaucracies. If teachers are alienated, society may also be alienated It is possible that certain problems ascribed to bureaucracies can be related to d certain degree of bureaucracy In organizations. All organizations are bureaucratic toa degree. Human lite, even before It begins and after It ends, is in contact with bureaucratic organizations. Organizations will ontinue to dominate and alienate our lives It is worthwhile to understand what bureaucracy Is and what problems are associated with It. ureducracles surround The orlgln ot the Bureaucratic Theory Since translations of Max Weber's works into the English language during the second part of the 1940s, a vast literature on organizations, In general, and on bureaucracy, 1 Of6 In partlcular, nas Deen generated. Max weDer (Ge in favor of bureaucratic organization: argued as Tollows The decisive reason for the advantage of bureaucratic organization ha s always been its purely technical superiority over any form of organization. The fully developed bureaucratic mechanism compares with other organizations exactly as does the machine with the non-mechanical modes of production.Precision, speed, unambiguity, knowledge of files, continuity, discretion, unity, strict subordination, reduction of friction, and of material and personal costs– these are raised to the optimum point in the strictly bureaucratic administration, and especially in its monocratic form. As compared with the collegiate, honorific, and avocation forms of administration, trained bureaucracy is superior on all these points. (p. 214) Max Weber (Etzioni, 1961) listed organizational attributes that when present, constitute the bureaucratic form of organization. 1 A continuous organization of official functions bound by rules. A specific sphere of competence. 3 The organization of offices follows the principal of hierarchy; that is, each lower office is under the control and supervision of a higher one. 4 The rules which regulate the conduct of an office may be technical rules or norms. 5 It is a matter of principle that members of the administrative staff should be completely separated from ownership of the means of production or administration. In order to enhance the organizational freedom, the resources of the organization have to be free of any outside control and the positions cannot be monopolized by any incumbent. 7 Administrative acts, decisions, and any rules are formulated and recorded in writing. (pp. 53-54) Based on the theory developed by Max Weber, researchers used bureaucratic theory as an analytical tool to examine organizational structure. Until the 1960s, case studies were used to assess bureaucratic characteristics of organizations. These studies were called unidimensional approach to the study of organization. Researchers who used the unidimensional approach believed that all characteristics of bureaucracy must be presen t to a high degree in an organization before it can be called a bureaucracy.During the late 1950s this approach was questioned. Researchers started to think that all characteristics of bureaucracy might not be present in an organization at the same time. Some characteristics can be stronger than others. Characteristics could be independent of each other. Bureaucratic characteristics or dimensions could create different configurations of bureaucracies. Since the 1960s, imensional approaches to study bureaucracy have been used. Hall (1961) was among the first to measure bureaucratic dimensions in organizations empirically.Hall (1961) was the first to develop a survey instrument to measure the degree of bureaucratization in organizations. After an extensive literature review, he identified six dimensions of bureaucracy: hierarchy of authority, division of labor, rules and regulations, procedural speclTlcatlons, Impersonallty, ana tecnnlcal competence. HIS instrument (Organizational Inv entory) has 62 items. All dimensions have 10 items xcept for hierarchy of authority, which has 12 items. Modified versions of his instrument have been used in educational settings to assess school bureaucratization.Researchers have added more items to his instrument during modifications. Hall's instrument was first modified by the Canadian researcher, MacKay (1964), to measure six dimensions of bureaucracy in educational settings. In Canada, Robinson (1966), Kolesar (1967) and Punch (1967) continued to use and refine the Mackay's instrument. These Canadian researchers were followed by Anderson (1970), Isherwood ( 1971), and Sousa (1980) in the U. S. Researchers using modified versions of Hall's instrument have consistently found six dimensions of bureaucracy clustered around two overall higher-order dimensions.Hall (1961) warned that one of the six dimensions could be an abureaucratic dimension. He found that the technical 4 competence dimension was inversely correlated with three d imensions. Mackay (1964) and Robinson (1966) also found that the dimensions did not converge under a single overall dimension. Punch (1967) found that six dimensions formed two higher order dimensions. Hierarchy of authority, rules and regulations, procedural pecifications, and impersonality clustered together while division of labor and technical competence clustered together.The higher order dimension formed by the first set of dimensions is a measure of bureaucratization while the higher order dimension formed by the second set of dimensions is a partial measure of professionalism. Isherwood and Hoy (1973) confirmed that Hall's six dimensions cluster under two separate second order dimensions. Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the utility of Hall's conceptualization of bureaucracy in analyzing the organizational structure of Turkish elementary and econdary schools. Research on educational organizations in Turkey is not as advanced as it is in the western countries.T urkey adopted its centralized ministry system from European nations. No empirical studies were found on structural characteristics of Turkish public schools. Researchers do not have an empirical base to help them understand how organizations function. It is hoped that this study will start a literature base on the subject and provide a tool to assess the organizational structure of schools that is desperately needed in Turkey. Also an empirical llustration from Turkey might provide a useful addition to the literature because the literature on school organizations in developing countries is very limited.Researchers know little about how school bureaucracy functions in other cultures. Questions How are the bureaucratic dimensions of Turkish elementary and secondary schools related? What are the relationships between the bureaucratic dimensions of Turkish elementary schools and the demographic variables? wnat are tne relatlonsnlps Detween tne Dureaucratlc Olmenslons 0T lur s elementary and secondary schools and teachers' sense of power? 5 Definitions Major Variables A bureaucracy is an organizational form designed to accomplish large-scale administrative tasks by systematically coordinating the work of many individuals (Blau, 1956).Hierarchy of authority (HA) is â€Å"the extent to which the locus of decision making is prestructured by the organization†(Hall, 1968, p. 95). Division of labor or specialization (DL) is â€Å"the extent to which work tasks are subdivided by functional specialization within the organization† (Hall, 1968, p. 95). Rule enforcement or rules and regulations (RR) is â€Å"the degree to which the behaviors of organizational members re subject to organizational control† (Hall, 1968; p. 95).Procedural specification (PS) is â€Å"the extent to which organizational members must follow organizationally defined techniques in dealing with situations they encounter† (Hall, 1968, p. 95). Impersonality (IM) is â€Å"the e xtent to which both organizational members and outsiders are treated without regard to individual qualities†(Hall, 1968, p. 95). This dimension has two distinct factors. (1) Friendly climate (CLM) is the degree to which relations in the organization are friendly and warm. (2) Formality (FRM) is the degree to which nteractions among people are formal and free from emotions.The second factor was accepted as the measure of impersonality. The friendliness of the school climate is most likely to be an outcome variable rather than a structural variable. This variable was analyzed separately. Promotions based on technical competence (TC) is â€Å"the extent to which organizationally defined â€Å"universalistic† standards are utilized in the personnel selection and advancement (Hall, 1968, p. 95). Control is the degree to which bureaucratic authority is utilized to regulate teacher behaviors.Expertise is the degree to which professional authority is utilized to regulate teach er Sense of power (SP) is the extent to which a teacher believes he/she is able to influence the course of events in the school that holds significance for him/her (Moeller 1962). 6 Teacher's friendship with school administrators was measured by responses to the statement, † I have a friendship with school administrators outside the school,† on a five-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 = definitely inaccurate to 5 = definitely accurate . Demographic Variables Name of city is the school district where the teacher works.It is operationalized as the name of the township: Karabuk (1), Safranbolu (2), Eflani (3), Eskipazar (4), Yenice (5), and Ovacik (6). Number of sessions is a two-category variable. Teachers were grouped into two categories ( ) teacners wno work at scnools tnat run one sesslon a cay ana teachers who work at schools that run two sessions a day. Level of the school refers to grades in the teacher's school. Teachers in elementary school (K-5) were coded as one, teachers in middle schools (6-8) were coded as two, and teachers in high schools (9-11) were coded as three.Size variables are (1) the number of teachers who are on the payroll of the teacher's school, (2) number of students enrolled in the teacher's school, (3) student-teacher ratio in the teacher's school, (4) number of classrooms in the teacher's school, and (5) number of administrators in the teacher's school. Age of the teacher's school is the number of years passed since the foundation of the school. Urbanization is a three-level categorical variable: teachers who work in urban schools, teachers who work in suburban schools, and teachers who work in rural schools. Urban was coded as one, suburban was coded as two, and rural was coded s three.Occupation of principal's father was a five-level categorical variable: teachers who work under principals whose fathers were farmers (coded 1), teachers who work under principals whose fathers were blue collar workers (coded 2), tea chers who work under principals whose fathers were small business owners (coded 3), teachers who work under principals whose fathers were civil servants (coded 4), and teachers who work under principals whose fathers were professionals (code 5). 7 Sex is the gender of the teacher. Male teachers were coded as one while female teachers were coded two.Socio-economic status of teacher was measured by three variables (1) growing up location of teacher, (2) number of sisters and brothers of teacher, and (3) father's occupation of teacher. The grown-up location of teacher was operationalized as rural (1), town (2), city (3), big city (4), and all (5). Father's occupation was categorized as small business owner (1), civil servant (2), blue-collar worker (3), and farmer (4). Socio economic status of students (SES) is the teacher's principal's perception of students socioeconomic status measured on a five point likert type scale.Principals ere asked to rate students in their school on a five- point scale ranging from very poor (1) to very wealthy (5). Political ties of teachers were measured on a five-point Likert- type scale. Teachers were asked to respond to following statement: â€Å"l know influential people who can help me if I am in trouble in this school. † Response options ranged from definitely inaccurate (1) to definitely accurate (5). Experience of teacher was measured by four variables: (1) age of teacher, (2) total service years of teacher in teaching, (3) total years in administrative positions and (4) ork experience outside teaching.The last variable, the work experience outside teaching, was a categorical variable. Teachers who had work experience outside teaching were assigned one while teachers who did not have work experience outside teaching were assigned two. Overall alienation from work was utilized to cnec tne vallOl ty 0T sense 0T power scale. leacners were asKea to response to tne following question: â€Å"Do you wish your child to pursue a career in teaching? † Those who said â€Å"†yes† were assigned â€Å"two† and those who said â€Å"no† were assigned â€Å"one. † Teacher's birthplace had two possible responses. Those who were born in the province, Karabuk, were assigned a â€Å"two. Those who were born outside the province were assigned a â€Å"one. † Training had three potential responses. Teachers who were not graduated from teacher colleges were assigned a â€Å"one,† teachers who were not graduated from teacher colleges but 8 earned teaching certificate by attending extra training were assigned a â€Å"two,† and regular teachers who were graduated from teacher colleges were assigned a â€Å"three. † Experience of principals had three measures: (1) age of teacher's principal, (2) total ears in administrative positions, and (3) total service years in education sector.These measures were obtained during school visitations. Percentage of male is the percentage of male teachers in teacher's school. Organization of the Study The relevant literature is reviewed in the second chapter. The third chapter deals with instrumentation and methodology. The findings of the pilot study are reported in the fourth chapter. The findings of the research sample are in the fifth chapter. After discussions of findings, recommendations for further research are presented in the sixth chapter.

Corporate analysis research paper for Marvel Entertainment Essay

Research and Discussion Topic – Studio Entertainment & Media Networks Imagine time traveling within the last few decades – even present day and asking a young boy who he looks up to the most, or who he wants to be when he grows up. Unsurprisingly, he would blurt out, â€Å"Spiderman,† â€Å"Iron Man,† or â€Å"The Incredible Hulk!† These superheroes are only a few of the thousands of inspirational characters Marvel Studios has created in the last 70 years. Marvel World Wide Inc. is a media and entertainment-based company with an emphasis on consumer products, gaming, and film production. This company was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman who initially called Marvel, Timely Comics (Wright). In the 1940’s not only did Timely Comics (now Marvel) create superhero fantasies they also expanded into a wider variety of stories, including horror, westerns, funny animals, mysterious crimes, war comics, jungle tales, romance, and even Bible and sport stories. This trend for genre expansion started to decline when the company not iced a huge consumer interest in their superheroes. They started to focus on turning normal misfit people into super natural creatures. Giving hope and aspiration to children, they, too, can become â€Å"super.† Unlike rival comics that based their superheroes on perfection, glamour, and staying within national borders. Marvel’s stories dealt with political issues, diversifying their savior of choice, and educating their audiences. When it comes to technology Marvel has expanded its horizons exponentially since its first comic books in the late 1930s. For Marvel, technology in the creation of films has been the trigger for their upward mobility of success. From using flipbooks to bring movement into the characters we now have the innovation of Chroma Key Compositing (green screnes) to breathe life within our icons. With this revolution artist can now create the most elaborate worlds and unlimited high pace scenes. Thank goodness, or we wouldn’t have a planet after all the battles in today’s movies. Not only has Marvel made a complete turnaround on the way people view the clash of superheroes and villains through film they have globalized their characters through merchandise, games, and entertainment. A large expansion has recently been released at Hong Kong Disneyland announcing the addition of The Iron Man Experience in 2016. This Marvel themed ride will be the first of many to  come into the p arks. (Disney Parks Blog) Of course, in every superhero story there will always be a villain to face. In the corporate world, the villain company for Marvel is DC Comics owned by Time Warner, Inc. Time Warner Inc. is a multi-national media corporation headquartered in New York City. As of 2010, it is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate and it is second largest conglomerate as for revenue. Time Warner is compiled of Warner Communication Inc., Time Inc., and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. This corporation excels in film, television and publishing. Time Warner Inc. owns HBO, The CW Television Network, Warner Bros, CNN, Castle Rock Entertainment, DC Entertainment, etc. DC Comics is a publishing unit from DC Entertainment and does extremely well at operating the American comic book market share as well as relating media. It produces well known characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Justice League, Teen Titans and some villains incl uding the Joker, Catwoman, Lex Luthor, etc. The Walt Disney Company strives to excel in quite a variety of different segments. Of course, being a successful and global corporation, it generally comes with tough competition. It is the largest entertainment conglomerate as far as revenues (with Time Warner Inc. as a close second place). One of the five segments of The Walt Disney Company includes Studio Entertainment, which through Walt Disney Studios (formally known as The Disney Bros Cartoon Studios); the company does an excellent job by producing multiple award winning films throughout the decades. At the end of 2009, the Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. Both Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios are now working in conjunction for marketing and distributing matters. Marvel Studios produces characters such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Man, Spiderman, etc. Now, if you aren’t a â€Å"comic book su perhero geek†, then you’re perfectly okay! In certain ways, The Walt Disney Company and Time Warner Inc. are evidently similar. The Walt Disney Company focuses on 3 main priorities: technology, innovation, and global expansion. Time Warner Inc. also focuses on these same priorities as well, although portraying these qualities through a different aspect. Both technology and innovation are displayed through various levels and different types of creativity, from both of these competitive entertainment studios. For example, different plots make innovation opportunities for both types of  super heroes. The DC Comic superhero villains don’t tend to kill†¦whereas, the Marvel Comics do. Marvel characters are usually pretty simple coming from simple backgrounds. The DC characters on the other hand, usually are more detailed with different super powers and more fantasy characteristics. Technology comes into play when Marvel Studio’s tend to use more graphic a nd uses light science fiction when creating their films. DC Studios tends to obtain a higher sci-fi storyline and image. At the moment, because Marvel Studios is a part of Disney, it makes it easier as far as global expansion goes. Currently, there is a new Marvel’s Iron Man attraction said to be opening in 2016 at Disneyland Hong Kong. It will be an addition to the Stark Expo, which is in Tomorrowland. Because the Disney and Marvel Studios collaboration is still quite new, this is mostly likely just the beginning of the Marvel Entertainment expansion. DC Comics on the other hand, has an annually comic book fan convention (Comic-Con). Each year, it is based in a different hosting city. In 2012, it was based in New Jersey and Comic-Con 2013, was hosted in Utah, in Salt Lake City. The next one (in 2014) will be held in California, San Diego. Sometimes there will be more than one event. Usually, there will be one within the United States and in past years, there was also a conve ntion held in Canada and United Kingdom. As you can see, the 3 main priorities (technology, innovation, and global expansion) are lucidly very important to both Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment and their parent corporations (The Walt Disney Company and Time Warner Inc). Both competitors are changing the film and entertainment industry rapidly and it will be a mystery as to see what the future beholds. Refernces â€Å"Comic-Con International: San Diego.† Comic-Con International: San Diego. 2013 San Diego Comic Convention, 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. http://www.comic-con.org/ â€Å"DC Comics | Welcome to DC Comics.† DC Comics. Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. http://www.dccomics.com/ Staggs, Tom. â€Å"Disney Parks Blog.† Marvel’s Iron Man coming to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2016. Disney, 08 Oct 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. . â€Å"Superhero Nation: How to Write Superhero Novels, Comic Books and Superhero Books.† Superhero Nation: How to Write Superhero Novels, Comic Books and Superhero Books. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. http://www.superheronation.com/ Wright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8018-6514-5.