Turnaround Strategies free essay sample

Emphasis is on speed of change and rapid cost reduction and/or revenue generation. Managers must prioritise things that give quick and significant improvements. Although used interchangeably, restructure is different from turnaround. ? ? Operational Turnaround The focus is on ways of improving the operation of the business and designed to halt the decline. Strategic Turnaround The focus is on adjusting the strategic focus of the business in terms of its Product/Market profile and halt the decline. ? Cost Reduction Strategies Asset Reduction Strategies Financial Restructuring Strategies Management and Cultural Change Strategies Revenue Increasing Strategies Product/Market Redefinition Strategies Turnaround †¢ Restructure †¢ Restructure is a course before failure to avoid failure An unsuccessful restructure may be followed by a turnaround. Turnaround is a course after failure †¢ 7 steps of Turnaround: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Crises Stabilization Management Changes Gaining stakeholder support Clarifying the target market Re-focusing Financial Restructuring Prioritization of critical improvement areas Aim: Regain control over the deteriorating position Focus: At this time focus remains ? Cost Reduction ? Revenue Increase Turnaround requires proper alignment of causes of decline and the solutions. We will write a custom essay sample on Turnaround Strategies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Changes at top level management is required Reasons: ? Old management may be seen as the cause of the problem by the stakeholder ? Management with experience in turnaround is required ? Different approaches and fresh perspectives may be brought by outsiders ? In a situation of turnaround it is vital that key stakeholders are kept well informed and a clear picture is sent. The main stakeholders involve employees, bank of the organisation, shareholder group Assessment of power of different stakeholder groups is of vital importance. ? ? While turnaround it is very important to clearly segment the target market. This step gains importance due to the following reasons: ? Not identifying targeting the right target market may itself be the reason for turnaround. ? Leads to revenue generation A more focused approach from the management would lead to discontinue of products and services not suitable for the target market. This will lead to discontinue of products returning lower revenues. This will lead to utilizing opportunities more profitable. It is the reorganizing of a business assets and liabilities. Although companies can restructure for any reason, in most cases it is done when there are serious problems with the business, and to avoid bankruptcy liquidation. Financial restructuring would typically involve:? Changing existing capital structure ? Raising additional finance Renegotiating agreements with creditors ? Managers need to identify critical improvement areas prioritize them. They need to prioritize things that give immediate and effective improvement. TURNAROUND OF INDIAN BANK IN 2000 Known as the queen of turnaround management, Ms Ranajana Kumar, Chairman Managing director took a bleeding public bank out of successive losses. Situation prior of Ms Kumar:

Eating Less for a Longer Life essays

Eating Less for a Longer Life essays Within the article, "Eating Less May Extend Human Life," there are three main studies discussed. Those studies have a population of rodents, rhesus monkeys, and male humans respectively. The three groups the study specifics, are all slightly different in both population and scientific characteristics. Though each study is different they all reflect similarities of findings and suggest that further research will yield promising results. In the rodent tests, the article suggests that there have been several tests conducted on both mice and rats with predictable results, include a test and a control group. The test group consists of a population of rodents with a reduced dietary intake of about 30 percent. In addition to this those rodents within the test group also share three biomarkers, thought to be as a result of the reduced caloric intake, lower body temperature, lower blood sugar and high levels of the hormone DHEAS. The control group of this particular study is a group of rodents with both normal caloric intake and lower life span. The results for the Rhesus monkey study are still preliminary, the test started 15 years ago must reflect the normal lifespan of the Rhesus monkey, about 25 years in order to contend scientific results. "Statistically, at least half of the monkeys will have to complete their normal lifespan before the data is considered significant, said Roth" (AP 2003, pp. 3). Regardless of this fact indicators suggest that the control group is consistently living shorter lives on a normal caloric diet and lacking the three biomarkers present in the super aged rodent population. The human test also preliminary is also slightly different than the other two studies. The human male study, occurring in Baltimore, MD, does not include a test group being denied caloric intake. Instead the studies test group includes a group of men who consistently possess the three biomarkers found in both the test rodent and monkey p...

Discover Trompe lOeil Art in Painting and Architecture

Discover Trompe l'Oeil Art in Painting and Architecture French for fool the eye,  trompe loeil art creates the illusion of reality. Through skillful use of color, shading, and perspective, painted objects appear three-dimensional.  Faux finishes like marbling and wood graining add to the trompe loeil effect. Applied to furniture, paintings, walls, ceilings, decorative items, set designs, or building facades, trompe l’oeil art inspires a gasp of surprise and wonder. Although tromper means to deceive, viewers are often willing participants, delighting in the visual trickery. Trompe l'Oeil Art Shading and perspectiveFaux finishes3-D effects Pronounced tromp loi, trompe-l’oeil may be spelled with or without a hyphen. In French, the  Ã…“  ligature is used:  trompe l’œil. Realistic artworks were not described as trompe-loeil until the late 1800s, but the desire to capture reality dates back to ancient times. Early Frescoes Fresco from the House of Meleagro, Pompeii,1st Century.   Photo  ©DEA / G. NIMATALLAH/ Getty   In ancient Greece and Rome, artisans applied pigments to wet plaster to create life-like details. Flat surfaces appeared three dimensional when painters added false columns, corbels, and other architectural ornaments. The Greek artist Zeuxis (5th century B.C.) is said to have painted grapes so convincing, even birds were deceived. Frescoes (plaster wall paintings) found in Pompeii and other archaeological sites contain trompe loeil elements. For many centuries, artists continued to use the wet plaster method to transform interior spaces. In villas, palaces, churches, and cathedrals, trompe loeil images gave the illusion of vast space and distant vistas. Through the magic of perspective and skillful use of light and shadow, domes became sky and windowless spaces opened to imaginary vistas. Renaissance artist Michelangelo (1475 -1564) used wet plaster when he filled the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with cascading angels, Biblical figures, and an enormous bearded God surrounded by trompe loeil columns and beams. Secret Formulas Dresden Triptych, Oil on Oak, 1437, by Jan van Eyck. Dresden State Art Collections, Gemldegalerie Alte Meisterm.   DEA / E. LESSING / Getty Images By painting with wet plaster, artists could give walls and ceilings rich color and a sense of depth. However, plaster dries quickly. Even the greatest fresco painters could not achieve subtle blending or precise details. For smaller paintings, European artists commonly used egg-based tempera applied to wood panels. This medium was easier to work with, but it also dried quickly. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, artists searched for new, more flexible paint formulas. The Northern European painter Jan Van Eyck (c.1395-c.1441) popularized the idea of adding boiled oil to pigments. Thin, nearly transparent glazes applied over wood panels gave objects a life-like gleam. Measuring less than thirteen inches long, Van Eycks Dresen Triptych is a tour de force with ultra real  images of Romanesque columns and arches. Viewers can imagine they are looking through a window into a Biblical scene. Faux carvings and tapestries enhance the illusion. Other Renaissance painters invented their own recipes, combining the traditional egg-based tempera formula with a variety of ingredients, from powdered bone to lead and walnut oil. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) used his own experimental oil and tempera formula when he painted his famous mural, The Last Supper. Tragically, da Vinci’s methods were flawed and the breathtakingly realistic details began to flake within a few years. Dutch Deceivers Tromp-loeil Still-Life, 1664, by Samuel Dirksz, vanHoogstraten. Dordrechts Museum Collection.   Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images During the 17th century, Flemish still life painters became known for optical illusions. Three-dimensional objects seemed to project from the frame. Open cabinets and archways suggested deep recesses. Stamps, letters, and news bulletins were depicted so convincingly, passersby might be tempted to pluck them from the painting. Sometimes images of brushes and palettes were included to call attention to the deception. There’s an air of delight in the artistic trickery, and it’s possible that the Dutch masters competed in their efforts to conjure reality. Many developed new oil-and wax-based formulas, each claiming that their own offered superior properties. Artists like Gerard Houckgeest (1600-1661), Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), Samuel Dirksz  Hoogstraten  (1627-1678), and Evert Collier (c.1640-1710) could not have painted their magical deceptions if not for the versatility of the new mediums. Eventually, advanced technologies and mass-production made the painting formulas of the Dutch masters obsolete. Popular tastes moved toward expressionist and abstract styles. Nevertheless, a fascination for trompe loeil realism persisted through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. American artists De Scott Evans (1847-1898),  William Harnett (1848–1892), John Peto (1854–1907), and John Haberle (1856-1933) painted meticulous still lifes in the tradition of the Dutch illusionists. French-born painter and scholar Jacques Maroger (1884-1962) analyzed the properties of early paint mediums. His classic text,The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters, included recipes he claimed to have rediscovered. His theories reawakened interest in classical styles, stirred controversy, and inspired writers. Modern Magic Artist Tjalf Sparnaay with one of his megarealistic paintings. cc Tjalf Sparnaay   Merogers return to classical techniques was one of many realistic styles that emerged during the second half of the 20th century. Realism gave modern-day artists a way to explore and reinterpret the world with scientific precision and ironic detachment. Photorealists painstakingly reproduced photographic images. Hyperrealists toyed with realistic elements, exaggerating details, distorting scale, or juxtaposing figures and objects in unexpected ways.  Dutch painter Tjalf Sparnaay (shown above) calls himself a â€Å"megarealist† because he paints â€Å"mega-sized† versions of commercial products. My intention is to give these objects a soul and a renewed presence,† Sparnaay explains on his website. 3-D Street Art Mural for Fontainebleau Hotel, Richard Haas, Designer, Created 1985-86, Demolished 2002. Corbis Documentary / Getty Images Trompe l’oeil by contemporary artists  can be whimsical, satirical, disturbing, or surreal. Incorporated into paintings, murals, advertising posters, and sculpture, the deceptive images often defy the laws of physics and toy with our perception of the world. Artist Richard Haas made deft use of trompe l’oeil magic when he designed a six-story mural for the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. False finishes transformed a blank wall into a triumphal arch made of mortared stone blocks (shown above). The enormous fluted column, the twin caryatids, and the bass relief flamingos were tricks of light, shadow, and perspective.The sky and waterfall were also optical illusions, teasing passersby into believing they might stroll through the arch to the beach. The Fontainebleau mural entertained Miami visitors from 1986 until 2002, when the wall was demolished to make way for real, rather than trompe l’oeil, views of the waterside resort. Commercial wall art like the Fontainebleau mural is often transitory. Weather takes a toll, tastes change, and new construction replaces the old. Nevertheless, 3-D street art plays an important role in reshaping our urban landscapes. Time-bending murals by French artist Pierre Delavie conjure historic vistas. German artist Edgar Mueller turns street pavement into heart-thumping views of cliffs and caves. American artist John Pugh opens walls with eye-deceiving images of impossible scenes. In cities around the world, trompe loeil mural artists force us to ask: What is real? What is artifice? What is important? Sources Deceptions and Illusions: Five Centuries of Trompe LOeil Painting, by Sybille Ebert-Schifferer with essays by Sybille Ebert-Schifferer ... [et al.]; Catalog of an exhibition held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2002-Mar. 2, 2003.Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice, by The J. Paul Getty Trust, 1995 [PDF, accessed April 22, 2017] ; https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/historical_paintings.pdfMusee du Trompe lOeil, museedutrompeloeil.com/en/trompe-loeil/The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters by Jacques Maroger (trans.  Eleanor Beckham), New York: Studio Publications, 1948.

Managing for Creativity and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing for Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example Robinson distinguishes the concepts of imagination, creativity and innovation which are all interrelated and often mistaken as one for another. Imagination was defined as the process of bringing to mind things that are not present to our senses. This is usually engaged in by children as they dream of whimsical things that they cannot concretize. Creativity is the process of developing original ideas that have value. It is called for every time a problem needs to be solved and ideas which make sense are summoned. Innovation is the process of putting new ideas into practice, as in the case of inventions or new strategies implemented that are bound to create a strong impact. From the first chapter, Robinson claims that creativity can be found anywhere – in schools, business establishments, etc. It is just a matter of looking into the details of what is being done to ignite the creative spark. He said that everyone has the ability to be creative, but it just needs to be tapped and developed. A culture of creativity is one wherein everyone collaborates to encourage creativity to thrive. Robinson explains the themes tackled in the book. The first theme is about us living in times of revolution. The speed of change that overwhelms us also affects governments and businesses, and these organizations point to education and training as the crucial factors that are needed for the future. Such education is expected to develop people’s creativity and innovation. The reasons why these two are highly anticipated are the following: In order to maintain a competitive edge, creativity and innovation are necessary to generate new ideas for products and services. Flexibility and adaptability to change must be developed by people in their education and training. The world is changing fast and survival will depend on one’s capacity to be creative and innovative. The second theme running through the book is the need to think differently about one’s abilitie s and how to use them. Nowadays, people need to learn to think out of the box, as old ways of thinking and doing things may no longer be relevant. Education has the responsibility of cultivating talents and sensibilities of children in order for them to live their best lives in the present and create bright futures. This then leads to the third theme, which claims that organizations, especially the educational system, should be transformed radically to meet the needs of the 21st century. People should have a paradigm shift in terms of viewing intelligence and creativity. The second chapter stresses the fact that digital technology is developing at an immensely fast rate that our brains need to keep up with it if we do not want it to overtake us. Digital culture is changing lifestyles as new innovations generate new patterns of behaviours affecting people’s time management, work, education and even relationships. Technology does make the world smaller. This gives more reason f or education to be transformed so that students will be able to cope with such changes. However, Chapter 3 explains that the current education system is not designed to meet the challenges of the future. The dominant forms available nowadays do not equip students with the necessary skills to help them thrive in the real world. A lopsided emphasis on academics over arts and the humanities neglects the development of creativity. Robinson cites three roles of education, namely

Generalized anxiety disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Generalized anxiety disorder - Essay Example Prior to the conclusion, the researcher will provide some recommendations on how a person could avoid experiencing GAD. A generalized anxiety disorder is normally characterized with chronic anxiety or exaggerated worry or tension. (Haines, 2005) In the process, people who are going through GAD are normally restless, easily fatigue and irritable. (Medscape Medical News, 2003) In fact, most of these patients often expect serious problems to happen with regards to their health, money, family life including their work or school activities and performance. The problem with GAD is that patients are unable to control the degree of their worrying. In most cases, extreme worrying, fear and anxiety significantly affect the normal functioning of their everyday life. months. (Robins and Regier, 1991) Several studies also reveal that GAD can be triggered by a person’s genes (Kendler et al., 1992) or the abnormal level of neurotransmitters in the brain. (Stephens, 2005) Environmental factors such as the death of a loved one, divorce cases, losing or changing jobs or schools and any other traumatic and stressful situations like physical, mental or emotional abuse could trigger the presence of GAD. People who are suspected to experience GAD are normally diagnosed through questioning of their medical history combined with physical examination. (Haines, 2005) Basically, there is not laboratory test that could diagnose GAD. Instead, physicians normally base their diagnosis by looking for any signs of physical illness and the causes, duration, and seriousness of these symptoms. Among the common symtoms of GAD includes stiff muscle, inability to relax, irritability, insomia and other physical symtoms like fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache and irritability. (Stephens, 2005) GAD is commonly treated either through proper medication particularly the benzodiazepines or tranquilizers such as Valium, Ativan, Librium and Xanax. Other pharmacological drugs

Effect of Social Capital on Democracy

Effect of Social Capital on Democracy Critically assess the concept of social capital? What advantages, if any, does it offer the study of democracy? Introduction Since the 2001 general election much academic debate has centred on voter apathy as the lowest turnout, especially among the young, led many to posit a ‘crises in democracy’ (Russell, 2005: 555). Various theories have attempted to explain the problem as either the result of a ‘life-cycle’ argument, whereby ‘the youngest sections of society are always less likely to vote [†¦] but as they age [†¦] own houses and mortgages, and pay taxes they become more concerned with politics and more likely to vote’ (Denver in Russell, 2005: 556) or a ‘generational effect’ whereby there is an overall decline in active citizenship (Park in Russell, 2005: 556). Against this background the work of Robert Putnam appeared to strike a chord. In his influential Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000)[1], and associated articles, Robert Putnam transferred the concept of social capital from sociology into the realm of p olitics, arguing that increasing individualism had resulted in the decline of community ties and political participation (Russell, 2005: 557), undermining good governance. In the first section I provide an outline of social capital as it was originally formulated by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, in the second I detail the concepts move from sociology to political science in the work of Putnam. My contention is that in the process of adapting ‘social capital’, Putnam changes the meaning of the term and thus undermines its usefulness to the study of democracy; that whereas for Bourdieu it was a property held by individuals, in Putnam’s account it is held by collectives. Also, that although Bourdieu believed that social capital was exchangeable with economic capital but not reducible to it, Putnam relies on a distinctly economic understanding of the term. Finally, that Putnam’s use of the term is essentially neo-liberal, whereas for Bourdieu social capital is ultimately about power relations. In the conclusion assess the usefulness of the term to political science and the study of democracy in light of this conceptual drift. Pierre Bourdieu and the Forms of Capital Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) originally developed his theory of cultural capital as part of an attempt to explain class-based differentials in educational achievement. His theory has five main features, the different forms of capital; cultural, social and economic, and the concepts of the field and habitus. For Bourdieu capital is best defined as accumulated labour and has the potential to reproduce (Bourdieu, 1986: 241): it is this ability of capital to reproduce that leads Bourdieu to conclude that it is part of the structure of society that shapes individual life chances: it is ‘the set of constraints, inscribed in the very reality of that world [†¦] determining the chances of success for practices’ (Bourdieu, 1986: 242). Social Capital, for Bourdieu, refers to the network of ‘connections’ that an individual enjoys which ‘produce and reproduce lasting, useful relationships that can secure material or symbolic profits’ (Bourdieu, 1986: 249 ): the amount of social capital that an individual can draw upon is thus dependant on the number of people in their social network and the amount of capital cultural, economic or social possessed by those so included. Both cultural and social capitals are therefore rooted in, without being determined by, the possession of economic capital: all three interact to hide the way that social hierarchies are reproduced. Finally, the three forms of capital combine to produce a persons habitus, or set of predispositions whilst the field refers to the arena in which a specific habitus is realised. Thus we can see that for Bourdieu not only was the concept of social capital embedded in relations of power (Burkett, 2004: 236), it was also part of a complex theory that sought to explain the social reproduction of inequality. Bourdieus’ theory has been criticized as being essentialist and deterministic; for John Frow (1995) it is essentialist in that Bourdieu posits ‘a single class â€Å"experience† common to the sociologically quite distinct groups [he] includes in the dominant class’ (Frow, 1995: 62): that an individuals’ class position makes them what they are, he ‘reads off’ both working and middle class culture from their class position, resulting in an essentialist reading of the aesthetic (Frow, 1995: 63). Bourdieus’ theory can also be viewed as deterministic, as individuals’ predispositions are posited as being the direct result of their class position, entailing a denial of individual agency. Further, such a class-based analysis can lead one to minimize the effects of other forms of differentiation, such as gender, ethnicity and age. However, Bourdieu’s use of the term ‘capital’ is both metaphoric and materialistic a nd can be viewed as similar to power: although convertible with economic capital, social capital is not reducible to it (Bourdieu, 1986: 243). Also, Bourdieu argued that the social capital possessed by an individual is a result of their ‘investment strategies’ via ‘a continuing series of exchanges in which recognition is endlessly affirmed and reaffirmed’ (Bourdieu, 1986: 250). Finally, Bourdieu argues that social inequalities become part of the very bodies and predispositions of the individual through his concept of habitus (McNay, 1999: 99), not as a ‘principle of determination’ but as a ‘generative structure’ (McNay, 1999: 100): returning autonomy to the individual his theory is able to transcend determinism; it is an open system which allows for social change (McNay, 1999:101). In summary, for Bourdieu social capital is ultimately about the way that power works through society, and is concerned with the life chances of individu als. Further, the wider theory, especially the concept of the habitus, is useful for theorists who seek to explain patterns of behaviour, including community participation and levels of voting. Robert Putnam: Social Capital and Democracy Robert Putnams’ argument may be summarised as being that the decrease in participation in voluntary organisations has undermined the effectiveness of good governance; ‘that successful and healthy democracies and economies are those possessing dense webs of community participation’ (Walters, 2002: 377). In so arguing, Putnam transferred the concept of social capital from sociology into the realm of political science, arguing that increasing individualism, the anonymity of urban living (Russell, 2002: 557), and the negative effects of television (Putnam, 1995: 75; Walters, 2002: 380), have resulted in the decline of community ties and political participation (Russell, 2002: 557) and thus a decline in social capital. Similar debates were found within the British context, as were calls for a revival of participation and stakeholder values (Walters, 2002: 377). Arguing that a range of issues including ‘drugs, crime, unemployment, development, education and politi cal performance’ (Walters, 2002: 379), and the effectiveness of democracy itself (Putnam, 1995: 66) would benefit from a resurgence of voluntary associations, Putnam therefore calls for a reinvigoration of community participation (Walters, 2002: 377) as ‘members of associations are much more likely than non-members to participate in politics, to spend time with neighbours, to express social trust’ (Putnam, 1995: 73). Defining social capital as ‘features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit (Putnam, 1995: 67), Putnam argued that not only has the post-war period witnessed a decline in participation in voluntary associations, but that such membership is now increasingly ‘tertiary’: that ‘the only act of membership consists in writing a check for dues or perhaps occasionally reading a newsletter’ (Ibid. p. 71). Putnam argues that this declining membership, and the increasingly tertiary nature of remaining membership, represents a significant erosion of American social capital (Ibid. p. 73) and, as such, undermines democracy. However, Putnams’ use of the term is markedly different from that of Bourdieu; whereas in Bourdieus’ conception social capital was held by the individual (Walters, 2002: 387), for Putnam social capital is held by collectives (Ibid. p. 379), further, it is difficult to see how there can be a reduction in social capital, rather than a qualitative change in its composition. William Walters (2002) argues that Putnam’s use of the concept differs from Bourdieu’s in another key respect; whereas for Bourdieu social capital, although transferable with economic capital, is not reducible to it (Bourdieu, 1986: 243), Putnam assumes ‘a self-maximising individual for whom associative activity can, under certain circumstances, be an investment’ (Walters, 2002: 379, my emphasis). Rather that discussing the social capital of individuals embedded within relations of power, for Putnam social capital ‘implies a learning mechanism that is more economic that socio-psychological’ (Ibid. p. 387), and as such represents an extension of the economic metaphor in order to convince us that society is ‘self-governing’ (Ibid. p. 391): by using social capital in this way, individuals are made responsible for good governance – now conceived as a ‘horizontal space of multiple communities’ (Ibid. p. 388) – adding the discourse of the ‘civic and uncivic’ to the list of divisions by which normative judgements are naturalised (Ibid. p. 392). Thus for Putnam ‘social capital is simultaneously cause and effect’ (Ibid. p. 380). Further, rather than situating the individual within a web of power relations, Putnam relies on the atomised individual of neo-liberalism (Burkett, 2004: 236). Finally, whilst this author agrees that society benefits when individuals participate in voluntary organisations, Putnam assumes a link between such involvement and an improved performance for democracy, yet this link remains to be clearly, empirically, demonstrated (Freitag, 2006: 124). Such an argument also undermines the role of government in shaping civil society (Walters, 2002: 380) and in shaping social capital (Freitag, 2006:128), and as such can only provide a skewed picture of the link between community participation and the functioning of democracy. In Conclusion In conclusion, we can see that in the process of adapting ‘social capital’ to the realm of political science, Putnam changes the meaning of the term; that whereas for Bourdieu it was a property held by individuals, in Putnam’s account it is held by collectives. Also, that although Bourdieu believed that social capital was exchangeable with economic capital he believed it was not reducible to it, whilst Putnam relies on a distinctly neo-liberal, economic understanding of the term: that whereas for Bourdieu the individual and therefore their social capital resources are ultimately concerned with relations of power, Putnam utilises an atomistic and self-maximising conception of the individual (Walter, 2002: 386) involved in building networks of self-governance (Walters, 2002: 388) and one wonders if such an argument may, in part, justify the ‘rolling back’ of the state. Finally, that the use of the term in political science rests on the assumption of a l ink between membership of voluntary organisations and political participation, but this link remains to be empirically proven. Indeed, Markus Frietag argues that it is political institutions that ‘matter’, that there are in fact three ‘political prerequisites’ for collective social capital: institutional provision for direct democracy, respect for minorities and outsiders as part of consensus building, and a degree of local autonomy (Frietag, 2006: 145). Ben Fine argues that academia has become subject to a ‘social capital fetish’ (in Burkett, 2004: 234); that it’s now weak conceptualisation ‘means that social capital can be virtually anything’ (Burkett, 2004: 238). He is also concerned that, too often, social capital is in fact ‘primarily participation from below imposed from above’ (in Burkett, 2004: 243): perhaps we should be wary that calls for increased social capital are not simply calls for a withdrawal o f state responsibility. Bibliography Bourdieu, Pierre (1986) ‘The forms of Capital’ in Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, London: Greenwood Press, pp. 241-258. Burkett, Paul (2004) ‘Book Review: Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium’ by Fine, Ben (London: Routledge) in Historical Materialism, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 233-246. Freitag, Markus (2006) ‘Bowling the State Back In: Political Institutions and the Creation of Social Capital’ in European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 45, pp. 123-152. Frow, John (1995) ‘Accounting for Tastes: Some Problems in Bourdieus’ Sociology of Culture’ in Cultural Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 59-73. McNay, L (1999) ‘Gender, habitus and the Field: Pierre Bourdieu and the Limits of Reflexivity’ in Theory, Culture Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 95-117. Putnam, Robert (1995) ‘Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, An Interview with Robert Putnam’ in Journal of Democracy, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 65-78. Russell, Andrew (2005) ‘Political Parties as Vehicles of Political Engagement’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 555-569. Walters, William (2002) ‘Social Capital and Political Sociology: Re-imagining Politics?’ Sociology, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 377-397. 1 Footnotes [1] New York, N.Y.: Simon Schuster.

Ap Euro Review Packet

Ap Packet page 6 D. English Civil War 1. Political- One of the causes was Charles’s I unsuccessful attempt to arrest five members of Parliament, known as the Grand Remonstrance, on January 4, 1642. Another cause was who should have the power in the country and inflation forced up prices in all parts of Europe. An effect would be that England became a Commonwealth and a Protectorate. Parliamentary supremacy was another effect. 2. Religious-One of the causes was that the Puritans, sought to do away with bishops and revise the Prayer book; Charles fought against them. The main cause was over religion in which the puritans accused Charles and Laud of leaning towards Roman Catholicism. Effects are the protestant church established and religious toleration. E. Glorious Revolution 1. Social- The Glorious Revolution changed England socially because Mary and William allow the people to have a say in politics and religious toleration with the Toleration Act. 2. Political- It changed England by having William and Mary sign the Bill of Rights. This made England a Constitutional Monarchy. A constitutional monarchy acknowledges the monarch as the official head of state but the real power is in the hands of the parliament. F. 1. Stuarts The House of Stuart is a European royal house. It was founded by Robert II of Scotland, and the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland. Their patrilineal ancestors had held the title High Steward of Scotland since the 12th century, after arriving by way of Norman England. The dynasty inherited further territory by the 17th century which covered the entire British Isles, including the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Ireland, also upholding a claim to the Kingdom of France. The significance of the Stuarts is that they were the first kings of the United Kingdom and that they brought disaster to England. 2. Whigs The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule. Both parties began as loose groupings or tendencies, but became quite formal by 1784, with the ascension of Charles James Fox as the leader of a reconstituted â€Å"Whig† party ranged against the governing party of the new â€Å"Tories† under William Pitt the Younger. Both parties were founded on rich politicians, more than on popular votes; there were elections to the House of Commons, but a small number of men controlled most of the voters. The significance of the Whigs is that the Whigs political program came to encompass not only the supremacy of parliament over the monarch and support for free trade, but Catholic emancipation, the abolition of slavery and expansion of the franchise. 3. Tories In the 17th century it had become a term applied to monarchists in the House of Commons. By the 18th century the Tories were politicians who favored royal authority, the established church and who sought to preserve the traditional political structure and opposed parliamentary reform. After 1834 this political group in the House of Commons preferred to use the term Conservative. The significance of the Tories was that they emerged to uphold the legitimist rights of James, Duke of York to succeed his brother Charles II to the British throne. G. 1. Politique is a term that was used during the sixteenth and seventeenth century Wars of Religion, to describe moderates of both religious faiths (Huguenots and Catholics) who held that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could save France from total collapse. It frequently included a pejorative connotation of moral or religious indifference. The term gained great currency after 1568 with the appearance of radical Catholic Leagues calling for the eradication of Protestantism in France, and by 1588 the politique were seen by detractors as an organized group, and treated as worse than heretics. 2. Henry IV was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France. As a Huguenot, Henry was involved in the Wars of Religion before ascending the throne in 1589. Before his coronation as King of France at Chartres, he changed his faith from Calvinism to Catholicism and, in 1598, he enacted the Edict of Nantes, which guaranteed religious liberties to the Protestants, thereby effectively ending the civil war. One of the most popular French kings, both during and after his reign, Henry showed great care for the welfare of his subjects and displayed an unusual religious tolerance for the time. By him granting religious liberties to the Protestants he was helping establishing a modern state in France. 3. Cardinal Richelieu was consecrated as a bishop in 1608, he later entered politics, becoming a Secretary of State in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Catholic Church and the French government, becoming a Cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. The Cardinal de Richelieu was often known by the title of the King's â€Å"Chief Minister† or â€Å"First Minister†. As a result, he is considered to be the world's first Prime Minister, in the modern sense of the term. He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. By restraining the power of the nobility, he transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty, and to ensure French dominance in the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe. Although he was a cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve his goals. By doing all of this he was helping establish a modern state. 4. Cardinal Mazarin was a French-Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician, who served as the chief minister of France from 1642 until his death. Mazarin succeeded his mentor, Cardinal Richelieu. He was a noted collector of art and jewels, particularly diamonds, and he bequeathed the â€Å"Mazarin diamonds† to Louis XIV in 1661, some of which remain in the collection of the Louvre museum in Paris. His personal library was the origin of the Bibliotheque Mazarine in Paris. He helps establish the basis for a modern state in France by following in Richelieu policies. . The Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The Fronde was divided into two campaigns, the Fronde of the parliaments and the Fronde of the nobles. The timing of the outbreak of the Fronde des parliaments, directly after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) that ended the Thirty Years War, was significant. The nuclei of armed bands under aristocratic leader s that terrorized parts of France had been hardened in a generation of war in Germany where troops still tended to operate autonomously. Louis XIV, impressed as a young ruler with the experience of the Fronde, came to reorganize French fighting forces under a stricter hierarchy whose leaders ultimately could be made or unmade by the King. Thus the Fronde finally resulted in the disempowerment of the territorial aristocracy and the emergence of absolute monarchy. They help establish the basis for a modern state in France by strength the crown since it made people realized that it was better to be ruled by a strong king then to be dominated by competing and contentious noblemen. . Louis XIV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. He ruled France as an absolute monarch by declaring that â€Å"I am the state†. The experience of the Fronde taught him to distrust the nobles. He believed in the divine right of king provided the justification for absolute monarchy. He was smart enough to create Versailles in order to keep a track of the nobles. He help establish the basis for a modern state by pr oviding a method on how to keep the nobles content and thus make them not revolt against the king. 7. Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy. Historians note that, despite Colbert's efforts, France actually became increasingly impoverished because of the King's excessive spending on wars. Colbert worked to create a favorable balance of trade and increase France's colonial holdings. Colbert's plan was to build a general academy. Colbert's market reforms included the foundation of the Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs in 1665 to supplant the importation of Venetian glass and to encourage the technical expertise of Flemish cloth manufacturing in France. He also founded royal tapestry works at Gobelins and supported those at Beauvais. Colbert worked to develop the domestic economy by raising tariffs and by encouraging major public works projects. Colbert also worked to ensure that the French East India Company had access to foreign markets, so that they could always obtain coffee, cotton, dyewoods, fur, pepper, and sugar. In addition, Colbert founded the French merchant marine. Colbert issued more than 150 edicts to regulate the guilds. One such law had the intention of improving the quality of cloth. The edict declared that if the authorities found a merchant's cloth unsatisfactory on three separate occasions, they were to tie him to a post with the cloth attached to him. He establishes the basis for a way to improve economy so that the people can get jobs thus helping reducing the unemployment rate in France.