How effectively did the Soviet Union control Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1968?

In 1945, it was very important that Stalin gained control over his sphere of influence; WW2 had come to an end, and the future of the Soviet Union was at an unstable point. From 1945-8 Stalin used a series of ‘salami' tactics to gain control over the Eastern European countries. This would involve setting up communist parties within a country, winning a coalition government, and ultimately, taking over to run a full communist regime. This was effective in the sense that Stalin, in the space of three years, was able to takeover seven different countries. However, out of these, only one country – Albania – allowed the takeover without any opposition, the other countries gave more of a struggle. There was obviously some backlash against Stalin's actions, as they did not run smoothly, and this is why he probably had to use more severe tactics when trying to take control over Eastern Europe. In Bulgaria (1945), Stalin had all opposing party members executed, and was only then able to take full control. After this, Stalin had no problems gaining power over such countries – without further opposition, as the same techniques were used in Poland and Czechoslovakia two to three years later. This shows that Stalin did not want to give way to chance, seeing what would happen in each country gradually, by using the minimum force needed. He wanted to be sure of total control, and therefore used the necessary tactics to succeed – it appears that the most extreme were the most effective. Stalin was able to keep such a tight ‘following' due to the fear and propaganda that followed his infamous Red army. He had placed them within his sphere as a warning to the people. If they opposed, they would be dealt with by the Red Army through means of ‘re-education'. They kept an eye over the people, and crushed any sort of uprising. This would have been a deterrent enough for anybody looking to rebel against communism. This proved to be effective as there are no real incidences where the Red army have been called in to sort out a situation (apart from in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, but that was under different circumstances). When Stalin saw the lure of the Marshall Plan, he definitely felt under pressure to counteract this – coming up with Comecon 1949. This shows he was desperate, as firstly, this goes against communist views, as the idea was to send money to communist countries to aid them in their economic process. This was a bribe, nonetheless; but it worked. No countries already within the control of the Soviet Union left the sphere – if they were tempted by money, they could still have it, and Stalin would still have control. They only probably stayed with Stalin out of the fear of the consequences, and therefore this tactic was successful due to previous attempts of control, mainly because of the Red Army. Stalin finally dies in 1953, and Khrushchev takes over. He introduces a new relaxed policy, and looks to ‘de-Stalinise' Eastern Europe, hoping to promote better relations with the West. Subsequently, other countries within the sphere wanted a more liberal government, and started to rebel. This shows that Stalin himself, along with his attitude and thinking, was an effective way to keep control over Eastern Europe. he was not a liberal man, he insinuated fear and death throughout the people, who dared not oppose. Now that there is a more liberal leader in office, the people feel this is the opportunity they need to express their feelings. What Khrushchev may have done wrong, was to initiate an ‘instant' change, which could not be done on a large scale in regards to the whole of Eastern Europe at one given time. Stalin was effective in what he did, as he used gradual changes to implant his policy. 1953 also saw riots in Czechoslovakia, where people where burning Soviet flags and demolishing Stalin statues – this was an obvious attack on Soviet power. However, the riots were quickly put down by the Red army, but the consequences were not great ones, and therefore encouraged strikes in East Germany to occur. East Germans aired their grievances about wage cuts, but the Red army was called in to crush all uprising. 400 people were killed; Khrushchev was reverting back to Stalin's old methods, however people were not put off, as there are further problems in Hungary in 1956. Does this mean that the Red Army were no longer feared, or was there a change in attitude from the people? A level of both, most likely, but why? This leads back to Stalin and fear that he as an individual imposed on the countries. Khrushchev did not have that same effect, and from then on, people were more open to oppose him, knowing they could probably get away with a lot more. There was also a problem with East Germany, and how the collapse of it could have been crucial, in terms of ‘winning' the Cold War. Germany had been one of many significant factors in the Cold War, and a collapse in Germany would mean a collapse in Soviet power if the West were to reclaim it. This might have been a short term cause for the Warsaw Pact in 1955 – the Soviet's version of NATO – this not only gained support against the West, but also helped to unite a dividing sphere. This does not prove to be of any worth (at this time) as in the following year, Hungary has a revolution. There main aim was to get rid of Rakosi – a mini Stalin – through mass demonstrations, which later turned into street fighting. Oddly, Khrushchev introduces Nagy as the new leader of Hungary, instead of sending in the Red army. Was it now that he realised that the Red army did not have so much of an effect that it used to? This is the first time compromising had been used, but quickly backfired. Riots continued, and Nagy had declared Hungary would be leaving the Warsaw Pact. The S.U. was looking at losing control over one country, and sure enough, others would follow. The Soviets again, reverted back to trusted methods, calling in the Red Army to crush all uprising – killing Nagy in the process. The exact same happened with Czechoslovakia in 1968. It now seems that from 1945-68, there were times when the Soviet had complete control over Eastern Europe, and others, quite the opposite. Stalin had realised that in order to have control, he would have to use extreme tactics – the fear of the Red Army, propaganda etc. He also knew that with complete control, there was no edge way for choice or compromise with the people. This is where Khrushchev went wrong, expecting to have complete control when he gave individual countries more power. Knowing of such a relaxed attitude, the people then took advantage of this, and were no longer scared of the repercussions, as there is uprising after uprising under Khrushchev's rule. By the mid-50's effective control is on its way to becoming highly non-existent.

How does Shakespeare adapt the holinshed chronicles to create an entertaining piece of theatre? Essay

The Holinshed Chronicles, first published in 1577, contained factual accounts of the reign of Macbeth, and was used as the source material for Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’. During this essay, how Shakespeare used, edited and manipulated this information will be analysed. There are several reasons why Macbeth was a good choice for Shakespeare to base a play on. Firstly, Banquo, a character in ‘Macbeth’, was related to the current King of England and Scotland, James I, so if Shakespeare portrayed Banquo as a good person, his play would gain instant popularity with the royal family. Another reason Shakespeare was drawn to Macbeth was because the factual story of Macbeth included the predictions of three strange women, or witches, and as people in the early 17th century took witchcraft very seriously, it added extra tension for the audience, and once again suited the interests of James I, who had a well known interest in witchcraft. It was typical for Shakespeare’s plays to derive from other people’s work, for example, ‘Macbeth’ was taken from the Holinshed Chronicles. Another example of this is the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, which was taken from an Italian poem, and turned into a play by Shakespeare. When creating ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare’s main aims were for his play to be popular with the Royal Family, and therefore popular with the general public, which meant that he would make a lot of money from the production. It was also important that the play wasn’t too long, and was easy to perform on stage. Shakespeare included three witches from the beginning of ‘Macbeth’ to incorporate Macbeth into the central role of the play straight away. According to Holinshed, there were not only witches, but also â€Å"certeine wizzards† who prophesied about Macbeth. Rather than include too many ‘supernatural’ characters and complicate the performances on stage, Shakespeare created Hecate, a very powerful witch to make up for lack of witches and wizards from the Holinshed Chronicles. From their first appearance, the witches are in full control of what happens around them, â€Å"When shall we three meet again?† And where and how they appear. This is crucial to the play, as it gets the interest of the audience from the very first scene, because at the time when the play was first produced, there was a very strong belief about witches and the supernatural. Shakespeare is very creative with the way he uses the witches to incorporate the audience into the play. The witches often equivocate when talking to Macbeth, misleading and confusing him, â€Å"The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.† This technique is also effective when used to create dramatic irony, for example when it is used at the beginning of the play, â€Å"All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.† Shakespeare clearly highlighted the witches power throughout the play by using the various aforementioned techniques throughout the play. The witches language also helped for them to be taken seriously by the Shakespearean crowd, because they talked in iambic pentameter, and the people watching the play most probably wouldn’t speak like that, so it helped to give the witches an extra ‘edge’ in the performance. The inclusion of the witches in the play was of up most importance, and was most probably a factor in Shakespeare’s decision to use the story of Macbeth for his play. It must also be taken into account that the play wasn’t being performed with any effects, just a stage, so it was crucial that Shakespeare made the scenes possible to perform, (Shakespeare’s plays were never meant to be read) whilst still using some form of stagecraft. A good example of this is from the â€Å"witches dance† scene. This would have looked good on stage, but it was equally simple to perform, with no additional effects required. In ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare portrays Duncan as a good ruler, who is well respected and liked. This conflicts with the Holinshed Chronicles, which suggest that Duncan was a terrible leader with little support or respect. Even though Shakespeare uses the Chronicles as the main source for his play, he mixes factual information with fiction, to make the play more appealing and exciting. Duncan first appears in the play in battle, and seems like a commanding character in control of his actions, but is later revealed to make errors in judgement, â€Å"He [the traitor] was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.† His judgemental errors show again when he admires Macbeth’s castle, â€Å"This castle hath a pleasant seat† which will ultimately be the place of his murder. Despite this, Shakespeare again portrays him as a good king, as this is the main reason that Macbeth has doubts over his murder. One of the main reasons Shakespeare wanted to portray Duncan as a good king was to make the murder of him more dramatic. If he had portrayed Duncan as a bad monarch whom people disliked, his murder wouldn’t have been such a terrible act, and Macbeth would have faced little consequences. Instead, we are given an opportunity to see Macbeth rise to his zenith and quickly fall to his nadir shortly after in the play. Another reason for the murder of a ‘good’ Duncan was to grab the attention of an audience that were watching the play at a time when there was a great belief in the Divine Right of Kings. It is widely believed that Shakespeare changed Duncan’s character in a similar way to the other characters he portrayed differently than Holinshed – to cater to James I, the current King of England and Scotland. Throughout ‘Macbeth’, Banquo is seen as the opposite of Macbeth, where as in the Holinshed Chronicles, it’s written that Banquo was as eager as Macbeth, and willing to support him throughout his plots and kingship. We first see Banquo at the beginning of the play, with Macbeth when they meet the witches, who tell the prophecies about Macbeth. Whilst Macbeth is thinking about the prophecies and plotting his next move, Banquo shows doubts, â€Å"Are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?† This highlights the contrast between Macbeth and Banquo from the beginning of the play. As the play advances, we see the relationship between the two put under great strain, as Banquo is the only person who knows about Macbeth’s plots and murder of the king, â€Å"I fear thou played’st most foully for’t.† Despite this, Banquo still pledges his loyalty to the new king, but is however murdered anyway due to the paranoia of Macbeth, and the seriousness in which Macbeth takes the witches predictions of Banquo’s children becoming king. There were several reasons why Shakespeare would have wanted to do this to Banquo’s character in ‘Macbeth’. Firstly, it highlighted the contrast between Macbeth, and his once close friend. It also highlighted Macbeth’s paranoia over the predictions of the witches, so much so that he was driven to murder his close friend to keep his throne. It is also another adaptation of Shakespeare’s that emphasises how he tried to adapt the play to suit the current king of England and Scotland, James I. At the time of writing it was believed that the king was a descendent of Banquo, so Shakespeare would have wanted to portray him as a good character, therefore gaining the approval of the Royal Family and making the play instantly popular. Macduff, a crucial character in the plot of ‘Macbeth’, is only first seen in the middle of Act 2, and plays a rather scarce role in the play. However, this does not reduce the significance that he has on the plot of the play. Macduff is suspicious of Macbeth as soon as he takes the throne, and suspects that he killed Duncan. Macduff’s suspicions of Macbeth are key to the plot, as it is he who flees to England to build an army capable of challenging Macbeth when he hears that his family have been murdered by Macbeth, â€Å"Within my sword’s length set him. If he scape, heaven forgive him too.† This is another example of a character being the friend of Macbeth at the start of the play, and turning against him as the play progresses. â€Å"Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself†. In productions of ‘Macbeth’, Macduff’s main scene’s, such as his campaign in England and final battle with Macbeth, are hard to produce on stage. This has resulted in many productions cutting his scene in England, and Shakespeare changing the location of Macbeth’s final battle. According to Holinshed, when Macbeth finds out about Macduff being born by Caesarean section, â€Å"Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.† he flees, and is pursued by Macduff. However, in the play, Macbeth and Macduff fight at Dunsinane and Macbeth is ultimately slain. This is an example of how stagecraft was a major hurdle in Shakespeare’s productions, and how they were written. Shakespeare based Lady Macbeth on a person from Holinshed, Queen Gruoch of Scotland, however, he strongly exaggerates and changes the character to suit her role in the play. Lady Macbeth plays a key role in the plot of the play from the first time we see her, at the end of Act 1. Without Lady Macbeth, it is very probable that the play’s plot wouldn’t be able to exist, as it is Lady Macbeth who fuels Macbeth’s ambitions throughout the play. She is constantly twisting the thoughts of Macbeth and propelling him to do the awful things that he does throughout. In Lady Macbeth’s first appearance, when she hears of the witches predictions she calls on evil spirits to assist her in her plans for Duncan’s murder, â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty.† As the play progresses, we see Lady Macbeth overpower the will and thoughts of Macbeth, for example, when she proposes the murder of Duncan, Macbeth goes back on his word, saying that he wants nothing to do with the murder. At the end of that same scene, however, Lady Macbeth has managed to manipulate his thoughts, and get him to go through with the murder, â€Å"I have given suck and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.† Even though it’s Lady Macbeth who is in control of events in the play, she too suffers great anxiety after all the terrible things she does. By the end of Act 3, there are signs of her conscious taking over her, with her taking no part in the murder of Macduff’s family, a major plot in Act 4, an act in which she doesn’t feature at all. By the beginning of Act 5, Lady Macbeth starts to sleepwalk, and give away everything that her and Macbeth have plotted and done, â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean?† This adds dramatic effect to the end of a scene to keep the audience interested in the play, and offers a different perspective on a strong looking character. Macbeth is the main character of the play, and is probably the most interesting character to analyse. We first see Macbeth in the first half of Act 1, where he is a military hero, with no real ambition but to do the best he can for his country. Throughout ‘Macbeth’, we see him manipulated by his wife and murder his way to kingship, sometimes against his will, but other times, such as when Macduff’s family are murdered, there is no mention of outside influence. Although it seems like it is Lady Macbeth who is in command of what happens to potential threats and Macbeth, she never actually commits any of the murders herself. This could suggest that she knew what consequences could come from the beginning, and wanted it to be on Macbeth’s shoulders, not hers, however, she also suffers from mental illness due to the murders later on in the play. During his transition from hero to hated villain, we see how much Macbeth is plagued by his conscience and the knowledge that what he is doing is wrong, â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business, he hath honoured me of late.† There are two factors that prevent his conscience from taking command however, the witches and Lady Macbeth, both of whom he can’t ignore. As the play progresses, Macbeth struggles to trust anyone, even his wife, who he earlier said was his â€Å"dearest partner of greatness†. This leads to the murder of a lot of people that Macbeth doesn’t trust, including Banquo, who was his good friend, and ally for a short period of time. Although he is easily manipulated, he can also manipulate other people, depending on who he’s around, for example, when talking to royalty, or important people, Macbeth could talk in verse, or iambic pentameter. He also had the ability to talk well to â€Å"low-status characters†, such as the Porter or the Murderers, speaking in prose. We also see a different side to Macbeth during his soliloquies, as we see what he is thinking at crucial parts of the play. For example, in Act 5, Scene 5, when he performs his famous â€Å"Tomorrow† soliloquy, we see an insight into his emotions and feelings about how he feels he has lost his friends and family. Shakespeare’s use of the soliloquies of Macbeth throughout the play creates a unique opportunity for the audience to see a glimpse of what Macbeth is thinking and feeling, creating a better audience response throughout, and maybe giving the audience a chance to feel sorry for Macbeth, before he dies honourably in battle. There are many different techniques that are used throughout the play, and a lot of language in different styles and formats. It is crucial to remember that Shakespeare’s plays were written in the 16th Century for the 16th Century, not for us to read in a book 400 years later. Shakespeare uses lots of imagery in his plays, which was crucial for an audience of that time, as the play was only performed on stage with no special effects, (apart from the occasional trap door†¦) so the use of imagery in the play allowed the audience to get a better picture on what was happening in the play. Shakespeare’s ability to use both iambic pentameter and prose makes ‘Macbeth’ stand out, because you are given a chance to see the intelligence of characters such as Macbeth, who use both iambic pentameter, â€Å"To know my deed, ’twere best not know my self† and prose, â€Å"I did so, and went further, which is now the point of second meeting.† The language that Shakespeare chooses to use is also crucial to understanding the relationships between characters, such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the early scenes, the two use iambic pentameter when talking to eachother, which shows a trust and understanding between them. However, in the later scenes, this trust is broken, and the language used in the scenes containing these characters reflects that as their consciences start to eat away at them, â€Å"Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why then ’tis time to do’t?† Stagecraft was of up most importance when the play was performed in the 16th century (and now) as the play was never meant to be read, just performed. With limited equipment/effects, it was difficult to produce a play that was easy to perform on stage, however, Shakespeare wrote his plays in such a way that they grabbed the attention of the audience whilst being simple to perform at the same time. A particularly good example of stagecraft is the witches’ dance from the beginning of Act 4, â€Å"Double, double told and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.† This is particularly effective, as it can be performed easily on stage, but it also grabs the attention of the audience to keep them interested. Also, because it doesn’t require any spectacular effects, it could be performed fairly easily in 16th century Britain. Because the play is limited to a number of acts/scenes, it was necessary for Shakespeare to either miss out sections mentioned in Holinshed entirely or edit them to make them more performable. A good example of this is the final battle between Macbeth and Macduff. According to the Holinshed Chronicles, Macbeth tried to flee from his castle, but got caught by Macduff and killed. In ‘Macbeth’, the whole scene takes place at the castle. This allows the scene to be performed whole on stage, so there is no loss of tension between scenes, and it makes it easier and cheaper to perform, because less sets are required and it isn’t as broken up. In reality, Macbeth’s reign over Scotland lasted 17 years before he was killed, however, this would have been inappropriate for a play of this length, so Shakespeare had to narrow his reign down to only a few months. This helped the performance, because it made it much more dramatic, creating a better audience response. Settings of the play also had to be narrowed down, due to time, cost and convenience on stage. For example, in reality, there was lots more English involvement, and Shakespeare only covers a very small scene in England. This is because the play is explained well enough without the English scene, so it was un-necessary to add more scenes which weren’t needed. After having the chance to study the play from both the book and movie, it’s clearer what limitations Shakespeare had. For example, in a film, special effects can be added, and more scenes made available in the production. On stage however, there are more limitations, for example, when Birnam Wood ‘moves’ towards Dunsinane Castle, effects can be added in a film, but on stage you are limited to basic props and no additional technology. This changes how the audience interprets the story, because you get a better idea of how it was from a movie, with more advanced editing, compared to watching it how it was probably performed originally on stage, In conclusion, there are various ways in which the Holinshed Chronicles are adapted to make an entertaining piece of theatre, but in my opinion there are a few key points. Firstly, I think that ‘Macbeth’ has been so entertaining and successful, because there was already an interesting plot and opportunity to impress the current king. Secondly, Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter and prose makes the language of the play very interesting and it is clever how the information in Holinshed is twisted, manipulated and made more dramatic to create a very entertaining piece of theatre.

How White Mountain Apache people think about their lives and the Essay

How White Mountain Apache people think about their lives and the landscape in which they are located - Essay Example It also captures comparative elements between the Apache, Hopi and the Shoshone people. The understanding of the native practices and the shared norms of a community enables individuals to build strong units of engagements. Communities that seek to protect their identity are under obligation to understand their past practices to shape their decisions on various issues â€Å"Basso, 1†. This explains the need for the Apache people who had strong beliefs on social and cultural to know their place of origin, prehistoric events and the significance of their â€Å"cultural landscape†. The Apache people who are believed to have originated from India are located within a radius of twenty miles in the western part of the state. They are individuals with strong cultural and social practices that define their lifestyle â€Å"Simpson, 1†. Their historical background that is comparable to Shoshone and Hopi people depicts them as hard workers, determined and â€Å"place making,† individuals who successfully fought for their rights. They exhibit positive thoughts about their lives and the landscape in which they reside as â€Å"a place world† that means their territory. They stated, â€Å"We are part of the land, the rivers, the trees and all† â€Å"Simpson, 1†. The community members depict themselves as hard workers and good fighters for their rights. This is due to severe prehistoric atrocities that they were exposed to by the assimilation rulers in the US. Despite the hostilities that made them to â€Å"suffer severe economic and political disruptions†, they fought back as a cohesive unit until they claimed their present landscape that is rich in resources. Their lives to date have changed tremendously due to the economic benefits they receive from the landscape â€Å"Basso, 2†. They also hold positive thoughts about their landscape that is referred as â€Å"a cultural

Teamwork and Motivation Problem of Friendly Bank Coursework

Teamwork and Motivation Problem of Friendly Bank - Coursework Example Technology has changed the whole concept of traditional banking and the recession dragged most of the private banks on a verge of shut down (Robbins, Judge, Millett and Boyle, 2013). In this paper, the effect of such structural changes on Friendly Bank will be analyzed and the role of team leaders and supervisors will be evaluated to understand their level of efficiency to motivate the team members and drive them towards achieving newly formed organizational objectives, keeping at pace with changing organizational cultures (Tissington, Hasel and Matthiesen, 2009). Â  Friendly bank, online banking division of Parkers Plc, is one of the high street banks of Southampton, reputed for its excellence in customer services. The targeted customer segment of Parker Plc being white, middle class and wealthy, the bank enjoys a competitive advantage by ensuring security and stability for all its customers. According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank, Hector Brogan, Parker Plc is distinct from all other banks because, with Parker, the customers know where their money is. However, as a result of severe financial depression, especially in the European economy, in 2012 the bank was driven almost on a verge of bankruptcy. Though the bank had survived from a hostile takeover by a major competitor in 2013, more than 60% of the branch network of Parker Plc were closed and replaced by online banking operations to reduce operating cost. It restarted its operations under the head of Friendly Bank, established in the outskirts of Southampton, near the existing regional office of Parker Plc. Redundant employees of Parker Plc were shifted to the online and phone banking customer service operations of Friendly Bank at a less salary package. Emphasis was shifted from customer service to sale of wide range of financial products for generating additional income for the bank and accordingly Sales against Target (SAT) was introduced as a performance indicator.

In the Court of Appeals of the State of Illinois Melissa Porter vs Research Paper

In the Court of Appeals of the State of Illinois Melissa Porter vs John Straub - Research Paper Example On November 14, 2011, the District Court ruled in her favor. There was no Motion to Modify Child Support filed by either party. However, the District Court Judge made an Order of Child Support. Pursuant to that Order, the Judge allowed for a deviation from the child support guidelines to accommodate Mr. Straub’s new child, born of his current marriage. There is no Order of Support for that child. There was nothing in the Order addressing unpaid support. STATEMENT OF THE FACTS In October 2011, Melissa Porter sought to regain custody of her son, David, from the child’s father, John Straub. There was an order of Paternity, Custody and Support entered in a Florida court in 2008. Pursuant to that Order, Mr. Straub was ordered to pay $100 per month in child support. His payment history was poor and he was in arrears when Ms. Porter found it necessary to join the Army Reserves to supplement her income in order to properly care for the child. Ms. Porter and Mr. Straub had a ver bal agreement that he would care for his son while Ms. Porter completed Basic Training in the Army Reserves. Mr. Straub was ten months in arrears in his child support obligation at the time he began caring for his son in August 2010. Ms. Porter was injured in a training accident while on active duty and spent several months recovering. Upon her return home, she sought the return of the child and Mr. Straub refused. Mr. Straub filed for custody in the Illinois courts. That filing resulted in an Order granting custody to Mr. Straub. Ms. Porter filed for an Order to Vacate that finding and the District Court for Cook County found in her favor, returning her son to her. During the course of those proceedings, the District Court made a support order, allowing a 20% deduction from the Illinois child support guideline amount to accommodate Mr. Straub’s new child of his current marriage. There was no provision for paying the arrearage. There was no inclusion for the income of Mr. Str aub’s current spouse when calculating the total net income upon which the support amount should be based, nor was there a finding on the record of the guideline amount upon which the deduction would be based. When Ms. Porter objected, the judge instructed the parties to â€Å"take it up on appeal.† Appellant now appeals from the Order Modifying Support. ARGUMENT The facts of the case are not in dispute. All parties were present when the District Court judge modified the child support order to accommodate Mr. Straub’s parental obligation to his new child of his current marriage. The judge deducted 20% from the guideline amount without stating an initial child support guideline amount and the factors at law that allowed him to vary from the statutory guidelines. I. Standard of Review Of the issue presented here on appeal, the standard of review is de novo because there is no dispute as to the facts and the issue is a question of law. In re Marriage of Baumgartner, 393 Ill. App. 3d 297; 912 N.E.2d 783 (2009). See also Einstein v. Nijim, 358 Ill. App. 3d 263, 831 N.E.2d 50 (2005). A judgment is contrary to law â€Å"when an opposite conclusion is apparent or when findings appear to be unreasonable, arbitrary, or not based on evidence.†

Communication Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Communication Theories - Essay Example In professional practice, communication is a sensitive tool that defines the relationship between employers, employees and the customers and the attitude that they have for one another. Consequently, the professional environment requires effective communication mechanisms to build a conducive social environment for every person and ensure an effective flow of information. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which communication theories illuminate areas of professional communication practice. Communication theories have attempted to provide an abstract explanation of the various elements that define an effective communication process as one way of modelling competence in communication. Whether an individual intends to relay information, persuade, trigger a response, or explain a phenomenon, the choice of the mechanisms of information flow and communication techniques will determine the success of the intended purpose of communication. Most scholars have arrived at a concession that the choice of word, media and the channel will be determined by the kind of communication, either social or official, and the audience that receive the information (Emory, 2006, p. 22). These dimensions of communication are all vital if an individual has to pass their information and be understood by their target audience, and this can only be measured by evaluating the response of the audience after the information has been propagated. One of the popular communication theories is the medium Theory of Communications that perceives the communication process as a message oriented process. As opposed to the information theory that perceives communication as a bidirectional linear process, the rhetorical theory provides an abstract of the communication process as a complete messaging loop. According to Sharma (2009, p. 11), the key element in any communication process is the message that is intended to be transmitted over to the audience and the feedback that the audienc e will provide. Message, may it be in speech or textual form, refers to the information that a professional intends to provide to relay to their audience. Competence in communication has been associated with the formulation of the message in such a manner that it is concrete, precise, clear, free of distortion and well-articulated. The design of a speech or a text message will depend on the choice of words, the intonation, non-verbal expressions and presentation techniques. Optimization of the properties that affect a message is vital as a failure of any of them will have a consequential impact on the entire communication process. For instance, even after the choice of the right words, the speaker may mess up the entire process by presenting in a low tone that the audience may not grasp the intended message. In a nutshell, the message is the central attention of any communication process and hence its organization and presentation is the core of effective communication. Another vita l element of the medium theory is the mechanisms of information transmission especially in the journalistic professional practice. A proponent of the medium theory, McLuhan predicted the evolution of the communication process with the proliferation of new technology where messages would need to be transmitted across the entire world. The medium refers to the channel of communication through which message is

Human Resource Management in Innovation Term Paper

Human Resource Management in Innovation - Term Paper Example Few recommendations in favor of Advantage Recruitment Limited are provided below. Firstly, it is recommended to create a work environment and culture that encourages employees to think of having a long term career with the organization. Employees primarily quit organizations because of better job prospects in other organizations. Creating career development program could be one way of handling the crisis (Patton & McMahon, 2001, p.3). Redesigning compensation packages could be one way of retaining valuable talents. This is because employees leaving the organization have complained of low wages being a factor responsible for moving into other organizations. Working out a new pay structure is called for at this point of time (Armstrong & Brown, 2001, p.194). The formalizing of performance management and review systems is important at this stage to identify and recognize the performance of employees. Lack of performance review procedures could lead to loss of talented employees as they would be de-motivated to deliver good performance because of lack of recognition or insufficient appreciation of their works. Changing the quality of work life is important; which includes occupational health care, appropriate salaries and suitable work timing for employees. The overall idea is to improve the working conditions of employees and increasing organizational effectiveness. Lastly a transparent work culture would serve as an important factor for facilitating trust, communication, accountability and responsibility. Increased communication facilitates exchange of information, views and ideas, removes work politics and reduces chances of frustrations and stress in employees which often leads to high rates of attritions in organizations (Lotze, 2004, p.167). Implementation Creating a strong career development process necessarily requires building of strong leadership programs. Leaders would be responsible for coordinating and integrating the entire process of career developme nt of employees. A career development steering committee comprising of some of the key leaders in Advantage Recruitment would act as a guide throughout the career development process. This will be followed by creating an employee development proce