The Philosophies of Judge Dee Essay - 1715 Words

The translated novel Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee tells of a district magistrate of Chang-Ping in the T’ang Dynasty named Judge Dee Goong An, famous for his ability to solve mysterious cases. This is simple enough, except it is immediately evident to the reader that Judge Dee is not just a normal magistrate content with solving a case – it is easy to see that he always digs deeper. His success is unparalleled in the land, his actions laid out without a single corrupt thought or a lax view. What makes Judge Dee so effective? How is he able to look past the most obvious answers to find the one that is correct? It is obvious that he can only do this with the help of various different philosophies. These philosophies provided him†¦show more content†¦Hsu, of course, was the young man who committed adultery and was an accessory to the murder of Bee Hsun, the husband of Mrs. Djou. Instead of a severe punishment for Dr. Tang, Judge Dee orders otherwise, saying â€Å"But in deference to your great achievements in the field of scholarly researches, I shall free with this public reprimand, enjoining you henceforth to devote all your time to your own literary studies. You are strictly forbidden ever again to engage in the teaching of young students.† (Van Gulik, pg. 208). Judge Dee respected Dr. Tang’s higher learning status, whereas if it were a normal person the punishment would have been far more severe and painful. Respect for the actions of a person’s elders is evident as well. In the same scene, Judge Dee convicts the student Hsu Deh-tai, who is to be executed by strangulation – however, Judge Dee recognizes the â€Å"meritorious services rendered to the State by the said Hsu Deh-tai’s father and grandfather† (pg. 214). This is a subtle example of filial piety, albeit indirect filial piety. A social hierarchy is near-impossible to miss in this novel as well– from the very beginnin g the reader is notified of the position of Judge Dee and his consequent assistants under him, along with the fact that all of his subjects refer to themselves as â€Å"this insignificant person† (pg. 10). They all respect Judge Dee, which shows the Confucian idea of social order. Because of these facts,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee1409 Words   |  6 Pages The book Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee takes place in the Tang Dynasty in a region of China called Chang-ping. The time in which the book took place was a very Confucian society due to the resurrection of the Confucian Educational System. This society emphasized beliefs such as the importance of the government, education, filial piety, and the 5 relationships. It believed that the gentleman was the embodiment of all these characteristics and was held to the highest standards. Legalism was the practicedRead MoreThe Willow Pattern By Robert Van Gulik Essay928 Words   |  4 Pages I n his murder novel, The Willow Pattern, Robert Van Gulik chronicles the work of the semi-fictional historical figure Judge Dee: a statesman and detective of the Tang court. In the midst of a mysterious plague that had overtaken the capital city of Chang’an Judge Dee seeks answers to the murder of two wealthy aristocrats. Over the course of his endeavors, he encounters many attributes and acts characteristic to the Tang Dynasty. DESPITE THE FICTIONAL NATURE OF HIS NOVEL, GULIK PAINTS A HISTORICALLYRead MoreIncarceration Of Prison And Prisoners869 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual resibility. This philosophy, based on retribution, incapacitation, and deterrence, has become the operational principle that underlies many of today’s correctional initiatives. The Just Deserts Era represents a return to the original purpose of incarceration: imprisonment. The current era of prison philosophy has led to an overall increase in the number of prison facilities and a continued rise in the number of incarcerated individuals. Critics of this philosophy worry that the increase inRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas: Proving Gods Existence Essay1866 Words   |  8 Pagesthen produces lesser qualities in objects. That is, â€Å"there is something which is the truest and the best and most excellent of things, and hence the most fully in being.† In fact, we rate or grade objects according to this perfection, as when we judge the worth of a person’s life relative to a human ideal. â€Å"Now when many things possess a property in common, the one fully possessing it causes it in the other; fire, as Aristotle says, the hottest of all things, causes all other things to be hot.†Read MorePlatos Works Essay examples1881 Words   |  8 PagesP latos Works In his works, Plato writes about truth, justice, and reality in full detail. His ideas are greatly deep and persuasively argued. It is from him that all western philosophy is a footnote. He describes his view in a series of numerous dialogues. For my report, I have chosen four of his works to study, which I think were his most important. The Republic is a dialogue composed of 10 books. The theme in its entirety is justice. The characters of the dialogue are Socrates, who isRead More Censorship in Literature and Music Essay examples1860 Words   |  8 Pagesthe author of the novel Prometheus, said this about his experiences in post World War II Hungary: In post World War II Hungary there were public libraries, but the accessibility of certain materials was screened. Books on Western literature and philosophy were carefully censored and instead of widening, they narrowed our vision.6 In 1968, the Doors single Unknown Soldier was banned from airplay at many radio stations because of its anti-war theme. With the 1950’s came the birth of rock andRead MoreSpeech : Speech And Debilitate2810 Words   |  12 Pagesmetaphor used. It was a simple assignment something a fifth grader could do with ease. The only problem for me was that we had to do it in front of the entire class. At the time I was by no means shy, I considered myself a master of small talk (whop dee doo), easily able to strike up conversation with any of my peers. So you would think that public speaking would come just as naturally. I thought so, I really hadn’t experience the fear beforehand. So when it was my turn to present my ingenious findingsRead More Women in the Middle East and Greece Essay3931 Words   |  16 Pagesequal opportunities for education and employment which helped create a large number of women in highly prestigious occupations. Instead of working in occupations like nurses, maids, and primary school teachers women were taking up professions like judges, doctors, lawyers, professors, etc . I found that this new civil code mainly affected the middle to upper class women of Turkey and continues to do so today. There is a definite difference between a womans life in the city vs. a life in the countrysideRead MoreThe Censorship of Art Essay example14698 Words   |  59 PagesWaterman said she was pleased with the RIAA’s label, but wanted a more detailed rating system introduced, so that the potential buyer knows what is precisely on a record. The musicians’ standpoint was represented by Frank Zappa, John Denver, and Dee Snider. After Frank Zappa had read out the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, he argued forcefully against the PMRC’s demands which he considered equivalent to treating dandruff by decapitation,... whipped up like an instantRead MoreJimi Hendrix3785 Words   |  16 Pagesreceived his honorable discharge from service in the summer of 1962 (Murray 36). His background in RB, a type of music dominated by black artists at that time, led him to play with many RB singers from the time, such as Little Richard, King Curtis, Joey Dee and the Starliters, the Isley Brothers, and many others (Murray 38-42). The development of his own style of music, which would later be displayed at various stages of its evolution in his four completed studio albums, came from an amalgamation of his

The Beginning of the End for the Cold War - 1228 Words

Declining economy and diminishing legitimacy of the Soviet system at domestic level did play a crucial role, however, many realist believe that it was the US especially President Regan’s policies (Regan Doctrine) which concluded the Cold War contest with victory for the west. Kegley believes that by engaging Moscow in an arm race, the Soviet Union was dragged into a competition which exhausted their already fragile economy leading them initially into retrenchment and ultimately out of the contest. (13) Peterson notes the argument of Patrick Glynn that Gorbachev’s radical reforms of perestroika and glasnost which accelerated the demise of Cold War were actually in response to President Regan’s rhetorical and psychological attack on the Soviet Union. While perestroika was an effort to reduce the economic gap between the two countries, glasnost, the liberalization of politics was in response to Regan’s statement that democracy would be the future global polit ical system. Supporters of Regan see his personality and policy of â€Å"peace through strength† as a key factor in ending of Cold War. Through Regan Doctrine, the USA showed a resolve to confront Communist forces in the Third World. This commitment did show off in Afghanistan where, the US support to Mujahideens raised the cost of Soviet occupation and accelerated their defeat. Many scholars see the Regan’s era defence build-up as a single most important factor in bringing down Soviet Union. US official believed that by rapidShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War: From Beginning to End2055 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Allies that took down the Third Reich ended with an agreement to divide what is left of Germany after World War Two. The Western half to be under control by the United States of America, Great Britain and France while the East half, including half of Berlin, belonging to the Soviet Union. This separation between two super powers is now known as the precursor to the cold war, a war with no tanks, planes, or solders. This would be an atomic waiting game, a deadly gamble, and the two sides callingRead MoreShould the US Have Been in Vietnam?645 Words   |  3 Pageswhich conjures up visions of war, anarchy, and finally defeat and humiliation. It was a war that many felt the U.S. should never have gotten involved in, and was a waste of more than 50,00 0 American lives. And for many years after the war ended the prevailing wisdom remained that the U.S. had failed. But as years turn to decades, and Vietnam is fading into the recesses of history, one can begin to look at the war in an objective manner; as just one part of the larger Cold War. When viewing Vietnam asRead MoreWar and Death in the Twentieth Century 1046 Words   |  4 Pages The twentieth century was dominated by war and death. From the turn of the century, major powers fought against one another trying to fight against those that oppressed them and others fighting to keep oppressors from oppressing the people. World War I, World War II, and the Cold War were wars that dominated this century, though there were many other, smaller, battles that took place throughout these years. Powerful regimes that had been around for hundreds of years came crashing downRead MoreThe Great Purge Of The Cold War1658 Words   |  7 Pages Joseph Stalin’s determination greatly affected his leadership and led to the beginnings of the Cold War. His determination allowed him to rise to power and destroy all opposition against his reign. The Great Purge, one of the greatest terrors in history, was also done due to his determination to stay in power. This same determination led to, as well as shaped, a large quantity of the events of World War 2. 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In this paper, I will illustrate the Irony behind the birth and end of the Cold War, as wellRead MoreWorld War II : The Rise Of Communism1088 Words   |  5 PagesWorld War II was a tremendously impactful war which was fought during the forties. It had many turning points and great changes that turned not only the United States but the world. One of the first events that occurred was the rise of Communism. With the rise of communism it caused panic in the country of the United States. The panic was inevitable because anyone could be suspected of being a communist. Also, with communism rapidly spreading in Europe it was hard for the United States to stay in

Electric Barnyard free essay sample

I recently bought an album I had been meaning to buy all last year. It is by a country-music group of five men who call themselves The Kentucky Headhunters. They all live in the Kentucky area. Of the five members, there are two sets of brothers. The band consists of Greg Martin, Doug Phelps, Ricky Lee Phelps, Fred Young, and Richard Young. I was introduced to the band by hearing Cool Sounds on TNN (The Nashville Network) and later I saw them on the Country Music Awards and on the Grammys. They won one or two Grammys which led to a couple of weeks on the Top 50 Billboard Chart in Rolling Stone magazine. I enjoy listening to most types of music and this album, which has 13 songs, contains a little of everything. The Ballad of Davy Crockett and With Body and Soul are two of the Astrict-country songs. Diane and Spirit in the Sky both cross into the rock-music scene. We will write a custom essay sample on Electric Barnyard or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Theres even an Elvis Presley-type song, Love Bug Crawl, sung just like the King. The other songs also contribute to this second album. (Their first, which I dont have, was Pickin on Nashville.) Even if you dont want to buy this collection of interesting songs, the albums cover shows what the players faces look like. Check it out! Who knows? Maybe youll become a fellow Headhunter. n

Samuel Adams Radical Puritan

Political Views Over the Sugar act The Sugar act or simply American revenue act entails the derivation of a mechanism to raise tax. The act, passed by Great Britain parliament in 5 April 1764, states that, â€Å"it is expedient that new provisions and regulations should be established for improving the revenue of this Kingdom†¦and†¦It is just and necessary that revenue should be raised†¦for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same† (Countryman 51). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The 1733 tax rate that was agreed upon in the molasses act had been significantly reduced but since the tax had not been successfully collected due to colonial invasions, the American duties act attracted imposition of strict measures into place to ensure t tax collection. The action to impose the measures invited queries b y the colonialists regarding the British parliament’s intent. This facilitated the growth of movements opposed to the proponents of the act. Adams expressed his political discontent by writing inflammatory letters. On the other hand, Otis defended the colonies by resting his cases on â€Å"laws of nature and goodness of British constitution, both terms of sufficiency ambiguous for him to convince vast audiences that his arguments were unanswerable† (Countryman 92). Despite expressing their political discontent in different ways, they were both opposed to the act. Both Adams and Otis, according to Countryman, â€Å"The Sugar Act underscored a growing disconnect between Britain and the colonies† (44). The two opponents viewed imposition of the tax act as away to counter and recover the costs incurred in defending British colonies. Adams’ Role in the Stamp act Samuel Adams housed in an umbrella under the name, sons of liberty, rose up to in hard way to oppos e the act. Sons of liberty declared the tax illegal and not right. To put words into actions, according to Adams, â€Å"†¦they burned the stamps and drove out the stamp tax collectors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4.6). Adams plays a significant role in heading the Boston sons of liberty group, which is deemed one of the rowdiest patriotic groups in Boston. His role saw him elected in the general court of Massachusetts in 1765. He came up with strategies to spread immense brouhaha of the stamp act. The strategy made the Bostonians to reelect him despite his acts that threatened to corrupt the entire Boston city. Boston under the captainship of Adams made up its mind to drive away Oliver and city stamp tax master from the Boston city. Adams notes that, â€Å"They hung Oliver in effigy from the city’s Liberty Tree, and the Suffolk sheriff refused to cut it down out of fear for his life† (4.6). A mob gathered by Adams, burnt a building, which was set aside for housing the stamp offices headquarters, cut off Oliver’s head effigy and ransacked Oliver’s house under the full glare of the governor. Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These actions resulted to resignation of Oliver on realization that the city drummers were part of the mob, which had set the stamp headquarters building ablaze. Several custom offices were invaded with a climax of flattening of Tomas Hutchinson under authorization of Adams. Adams also united gangs from north and south Boston, which roamed in the Boston city. Before the onset of British troops to enforce the stamp laws made by the parliament, almost the entire of Boston group remained headed by sons of liberty with Adams as the head. A permit to conduct businesses with stamps was given by the rival group. The failure for the convection held in New York to unite all colonies to act against tax, give an amicable o pportunity for sons of liberty to forge alliances with military from clubs in other British colonies. Consequently, Britain withdrew the stamp act in 1766. Jon Hancock’s relation to Adams and his role in the Townsend Act crisis Townshend acts, established to raise taxes in British colonies formed part of the work of Charles Townshend- councilor of ‘the exchequer’. The acts established policies of levying tax on paint, glass, paper, lead and tea. The tax on these commodities was levied on arrivals into the colonies. This made â€Å"a departure from earlier taxation schemes that had been primarily for regulating trade† (Flower 75). The acts were popularly termed as Revenue acts of 1767. John Hancock was a long time friend to john Adams. The two friends had stalemate due to reluctance of Adams to back George Washington who acted as an army commander. In November 1772, Adams formed Boston committee of correspondence, which Hancock was reluctant to join. This had an impact of creating an agreement impasse between wings of power. However, Adams and Hancock united much later in 1773 to fight constitution adoption. John Hancock played a major role in Townshend crisis where he emerged as a hero. His ship, liberty was seized an act that invoked a myriad of riots in Boston. â€Å"Hancock joined other Bostonians in calling for a boycott of British imports until the Townshend duties were repealed† (Flower 173). Hancock seemed targeted by customs board on suspicion that he involved in smuggling of tea. Alternatively, they must have intended to harm his political ambitions due to his failure to avail himself before the presence of custom officials during their public forums. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More John Hancock also wrote a letter protesting for Townshend acts. In the letter he noted that â€Å"Ta xes equally detrimental to the commercial interests of the Parent country and the colonies are imposed upon the People, without their consent; Taxes designed for the Support of the Civil Government in the Colonies, in a Manner clearly unconstitutional† (Flower 200). The â€Å"Journal of the Times† and the paper’s role in the protest movement One of the themes in the Journal of the New Times was attraction of mass rejection of Adams opponents. Adam had attempted to publicly black list the Tories through publishing all names in the journal, which appeared in the Boston gazette. Adams â€Å"†¦demanded that votes in the Massachusetts House be recorded by name, and the Tories who opposed Adams’s men found their names publicly announced† (5.4). The second theme is political individualism. By publishing the journal, Adams was sure to obtain political star rise. Governor Bernard countered the Adams move but his efforts yielded no substantial fruits. Bernard had thrown out patriots appointed in posts of the government for instance militia posts. However, his strategies failed to work since â€Å"the effort backfired, and the opposition picked up nineteen seats in the House–exclusively at the cost of â€Å"black- listed† Tories† (Flower 231). Opposed to Bernard’s expectation Adams rose to the position of a clerk via his patriotic assembly. Otis, his friend on the other hand, became the assembly speaker. Furthermore, Laments that Adams that â€Å"Adams oversaw the removal from the Massachusetts Council of six supporters of Governor Francis Bernard, the colony’s highest governing body† (Countryman 108). Boston reacted to the Non-Importation Act by thinking outside the box to change their economies. According to Adams, â€Å"the non importation agreements marked a change in American economics, because it forced the development of local industries not previously viable in the colonies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (6.5). Adams together with other leaders thought of initiating clothe manufacturing industries: an effort that was laughed at by Britons. The manufacturing efforts facilitated to foster and encourage â€Å"inter colony unity and a sense of independence† (Flower 236). Economic independence was high on the horizon. Britons were also concerned about and felt that political independence was also paramount.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hutchinson’s views on politics and his role in the Boston Massacre Hutchison believed that the only way to put into place a mechanism to ensure compliance with politically instigated policies was through troop’s interventions. To him any political demands were to be responded to ardently to ensure Britain continues to reign in its colonies. The Boston massacre was one of the exemplifications of Hutchinson sternness. Adams had initiated the circumstances that lead to the massacre. â€Å"On March 4, 1770, Bostonians awoke to find the city plastered with convincing forgeries of orders laying out a massive attack on the townspeople of Boston â€Å"signed† by prominent British soldiers† (Flower 240). Adams strategy to deal with the colonial power, forced the public to react with overwhelming wrath. Armed with various weapons such clubs and firm tools, a mob confronted the British troops. It is Hutchinson, being the chief commander of all the naval and army fo rces within the colony, who sent troop backup to help confront the mob. When one of the solders recovered his gun upon the knockdown beats by the mob with garbage, rocks and snowballs opened fire to the mob and others took after their colleague. This is what resulted to Boston massacre in which â€Å"five civilians were killed- including Attucks, Gray, Caldwell and Carr† (Countryman 97). An on looking man also died though he took no pragmatic roles in the riots. The Hutchinson hasty reaction to solve any political impasse greatly contributed to the negative perception of the mob about the intents of the colonial forces. He thus contributed substantially towards idealization of propaganda spread by Adams and his boys about the decision arrived at by the Britain to deal mercilessly with the civilians who defied their laws. Furthermore, Hutchinson saw no threat imposition by his troops and therefore could nothing about them when Adams called for withdraw of regiment responsibl e for the Boston massacre though he latter give in to Adams demands. Hutchinson’s letters and Britain’s response to the Boston Tea Party In December 1773, a group of Bostonian organized by Sam Adams destroyed a consignment of tea onboard liberty ship. A controversy consequently ensued between the colonialists and the Americans. East Indiana Company which had the monopoly to sale tea to Britain at wholesale, which was later exported to the some colonies particularly Boston, had faced undying challenges emanating from Dutch tea smuggling business in Britain and to Americans. To secure the company operations in Britain and enable the company withstand the winds of competition due to smuggled tea, the British parliament passed an act, which encouraged reduction of tax on tea consumed in Britain. Britain also, according to Adams, â€Å"†¦gave the East India Company a refund of the 25% duty on tea that was re-exported to the colonies† (6.4). The impact was redu ction of revenues which were later to be recovered by enactment and passing of Townshend revenue act. The act required more levy of new taxes on colonies. Tea was one of the products that seemed targeted. Instead of â€Å"solving the smuggling problem, however, the Townshend duties renewed a controversy about Parliament’s right to tax the colonies† (Countryman 167). Hutchinson letter urged London to take a harsh response to Boston tea party following the sons of liberty actions to destroy tea that was on transit returning back to Britain following protests against breach of Bostonians constitutional rights. Lord Noth, the then Britain prime minister said ‘whatever may be the consequences, we must risk something; if not, all is over† (Countryman 190). In an attempt to punish the act, Britain responded by closing Boston port, engineered it, and put in to place coercive acts. Benjamin Franklin demanded the repayment for the tea that experienced destruction by the colonies. Achievements at the First and Second Continental Congresses Agreements for burning importation of goods from Britain formed part of the discussion between the various colonies. All colonies had to obey them until Britain lifted the burn on Boston port. Adams notes that, â€Å"The agreement went far beyond earlier no importation agreements, and the citizens of Massachusetts were sure that the British bankers would not let the British government throw the colonies away† (9.3) since they had extended considerable loan (more than four million pounds) to colonialists. When New York countered on the idea to convene continental congress, Adams moved in to the idea in hurry since he had urged for a similar meeting right from 1773. During the first congress, Adams, Christopher Gadsden and Richard hennery lee played hard to unveil the intentions of the meeting though behind the behind scenes. Galloway appreciated the significant power the parliament plays but also, out lined a plan for Britain and America to unite strongly. According to Galloway â€Å"the colonies would be governed by an American Grand Council, the equivalent of a local Parliament, and a Crown-appointed Resident General would oversee the Council† (Countryman 231). The congress agreed that any acts of atrocity extended to Boston would face reciprocations with military response garnered from all across the colonies. â€Å"The Congress also passed a less- sweeping version of the Solemn Covenant, but none doubted the measures would still have an effect† (Countryman 235). During the second continental congress Adams and john cornered the congress to demand independence from Britons but other delegates perceived such a move as way of depicting that the colonies were weak. Instead the congress resolved to â€Å"wait until the British attacks had grown to such a point where it was forced to declare independence† (Countryman 235). Adams and Hancock’s relations hip during writing of the Mass State Constitution The rivalry emerged when Adams rose to support George Washington as the commandant in favor of Hancock. The rivalry between the two friends existed for the rest of the warring time. Adams returned to Boston after the second convection was over in an attempt to go and restore order in Boston dominated by a myriad of chaos. Adams was opposed to the constitution, his state having rejected the first draft because the needs of the American were vast and thus not equally addressed. When the convection for the constitution was called, john Adams and Sam Adams were nominated for the noble task. Unfortunately, Sam Adams fell unwell and thus john Adams, apart from article III solely written by him, wrote the entire constitution. Attempts to move articles of confederation in to constitution concerned Adams. â€Å"He fully believed that the united States were too large and had too many different needs to be adequately represented under a sing le government† (Countryman 239). According to Adams, the capacity of the constitution to provide sufficient protection to civil liberties was questionable. He remained silent with his concerns until his appointment as Massachusetts delegate. On recognition of Adams opposition to the constitution, other delegates â€Å"cultivated and organized a vote among Boston workingmen and artisans–Adams’s core supporters–to rebuke Adams for his anti-Constitution outbursts† (Countryman 239). Adams seemed to lose his supporters. Adams opposition to the constitution had invited remedy to the spoilt relationship with Hancock so as that could drum up fight against the constitution together. Role of Adams during the Ratification process and political role afterwards Adams played pragmatic roles in the ratification process. In the ratification process, he was the catalyst for san souci club to loudly voice through their grievances. He notes that, â€Å"Bostonâ€℠¢s nightlife began to rival that of New York’s. Rumors even swirled that the city might become home to a gambling club that allowed girls over the age of sixteen inside† (10.9). Adams also began to write editorials reminiscent to the sugar or stamps controversy. He advised that, â€Å"†¦the city could be corrupted so soon after it won its freedom and cleansed itself of the impurities of Britain† (Adams 10.9). In fact, he went to an extent to attempt to have a travelling theatre group jailed. Adams reacted to the condemnations by Harvard student and termed his action as having hit ‘just right’. Adams began to rise politically again during the French revolution of 1793 and after the death of Hancock in the same year. Until his death, Hancock was the Massachusetts governor. According to Countryman, â€Å"†¦Adams became the leader of the Jacobin faction of Massachusetts government† (203). The roaming in streets of Jacobean faithful had alarmed onset of a revolution under captainship of Adams. â€Å"French tricolors began to appear around Boston and gangs of Jacobin supporters roamed the streets in a throwback to the days of the Sons of Liberty† (Countryman 240). His influence died in 1790s and climax reached in 1795 when Adams opponent managed to remove his supporters from incumbency. With regard to Flower, he â€Å"†¦failed to win the 1796 selection to as an elector opposed t o his cousin and announced he would step from governor† (10). The entire country went wholly in favor of the constitution making Adams much less popular only for him to die in 1803 as a politically disappointed man. Works Cited Adams, Samuel. Radical Puritan. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Countryman, Edward. The American Revolution: revised edition. New York: Hill Wang, 2003. Flower, Williams. Samuel Adams: Radical puritan. London: Longman, 1997. This essay on Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan was written and submitted by user Kason Holland 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.

Culture on performance Essay Example

Culture on performance Essay Example Culture on performance Essay Culture on performance Essay Gordon and DiTomaso (1992) also investigated culture strength as well as adaptability and stability and measured the growth of assets and premiums in eleven insurance companies over six years. This study suggests that culture strength and adaptability are positively related to profitability. Kotter and Heskett (1992) present various studies that support a link between culture and performance. In the first they examine the hypothesis that strong cultures are associated with performance and conclude that culture strength has a moderate positive relationship with long-term, economic performance. Their second study exploring the effect of a strategy-culture fit on performance suggests that culture contributes to performance on the condition that the culture fits the environment. Their third study compares twelve companies with performance enhancing cultures to twenty companies without such cultures. The results imply that companies with a performance-enhancing culture outperform companies lacking a performance enhancing culture by a wide margin. Marcoulides and Heck (1993) also provide convincing support for a link between culture and performance in their study of twenty-six American firms. Dimensions of organisational structure, values, task organisation, organisational climate and employee attitudes were measured along with gross revenue, product value ratios, market share, profit and investment returns. All the cultural dimensions were found to have an effect on performance. Denison and Mishra additionally report a link between organisational culture and performance and from their research conclude that profitability in large firms is best predicted by stability dimensions such as mission and consistency; that sales can be predicted by flexibility dimensions such as adaptability and involvement and that all cultural traits are positively related to return on assets, particularly mission. Despite the improvements in developing and testing the concept of the C-P link, the empirical studies presented in the 1990s nonetheless possess serious methodological and conceptual shortcomings. The major issues include the lack of agreed upon definition of culture; the questionable construct validity in operationalising the two variables in question, culture and performance; the relatively small number of organisations participating in each study; problems with respondents that are not representative of entire organisational cultures; and the direction of the relationship between culture and performance being ambiguous. Furthermore, the studies lack a relationship with each other and thus do not cumulatively build on one another. What is organisational culture? Ogbonna (1990 1996) suggests that there are as many definitions of culture as there are experts on the subject (see for example Jaques, 1952; Eldridge Crombie, 1974; Louis, 1980; Schwartz Davis, 1981; Gold, 1982; Pacanowsky ODonnell-Trujillo, 1982; Schein, 1985; Morgan, 1986; Lorrsch, 1986; Scholz, 1987; Denison, 1990; Kotter Heskott, 1992; Drennan, 1992; Williams, Dobson Walters, 1993; Brown, 1995- all of which provide varying definitions of culture) and that the definition adopted by each researcher is bound up in their view of the world and the methodology utilised. Ogbonna identifies two extreme arguments based in the conception of the subject. The two stances seem mutually exclusive- one viewing culture as something that an organisation is and the other as something an organisation has. If we view culture as something that an organisation has, culture can be seen as a powerful tool that can shape behaviour and establish premises for decision-making. When culture is viewed as something an organisation is, it cannot be controlled, as it is inseparable from organisation (Ogbonna, 1990 1996). Brown (1995) draws attention to the fundamental distinction between those who think of culture as a metaphor to be developed for understanding how organisations work and those who view culture as an objective entity. Most commentators on the subject of culture tend to regard culture as an objective entity, where an organisation including all systems and processes are elements of its cultural life. However if everything is considered part of the culture, it is impossible to use the concept to frame causal explanations of other aspects of organisational activity. Another approach to defining organisational culture views the concept as a set of basic assumptions (Schein, 1985). Members of an organisation possess these predispositions and are consequently led to work and think in certain manners. It is clear that there is a lack of agreed upon definition of organisational culture and since the manner in which we examine and research it is contingent upon the definition this has far-reaching implications. Definitions of concepts employed to help understand organisations are important in that they influence how we approach the phenomena they refer to, and determine operationalisation and measurement. Culture: cannot define it, how do we operationalise it? The operationalisation of organisational culture (the independent variable) is as problematic as its definition and considerably different in each study presented. Every quantitative study appears to operationalise culture in a different manner, questioning whether culture can be operationalised at all. The variety in the operationalisation of culture is evident in the empirical literature not only when considering characterisations of culture, but also when examining the plethora of questionnaire items utilised. The only dimension that repeatedly surfaces is adaptability and the variation in its opertationalisation and the lack of information in studies prevents an adequate comparison (Wilderum et al 2000). Clearly, the validity of a link between culture and performance is greatly undermined by the wide array of operationalisms of organisational culture and this in turn questions the constructs validity and prevents cumulation of a body of knowledge supporting the C-P link. Operationalising performance: The measurement of performance of organisations is also controversial and there is much academic discourse debating the issue (Christenson Gordon, 1999) In many cases publicly available performance data is not readily available and performance data are not consistent across industries. For instance Christenson and Gordon (1999) found in their exploration of industry moderated relationships between organizational culture that mutual insurance companies report no clear measure of profit and, therefore, no returns on equity and assets. Given the difficulties of equating variables across industries, and because they wished to include as many industries and firms as possible in the analyses, they focused on revenue growth as a single and narrow indicator of performance. Thus, some studies are forced to limit the relationship between culture and revenue growth and not to wider aspects of performance such as profitability, adaptability or efficiency Further issues also arise out of the operationalisation of performance. Many organisational performance researchers focus on the rational goal (profit maximisation) when studying profit-seeking firms. The performance is typically assessed using counting based indicators such as returns on assets, sales or equity. These measures are easily accessible and are generally considered comparable across industries. However, according to some commentators such measures are prone to manipulation, lack of consistency in accounting methods, and they have an orientation which is backward (Brown and Laverick, 1994; Kaplan Norton, 1992). Of the studies discussed in the C-P link section of this paper, most applied a pure financial performance approach (Calori Sarnin 1991; Denison, 1990; Gordon DiTomaso, 1992; Kotter Heskett, 1992; Marcoulides Heck, 1993). Rousseau (1990) utilised a unidimensional approach and four used multi-dimensional approach that Wilderom, Glunk and Maslowski (2000) suggest is good practice. However, the studies that did use multi-dimensional methods did not typically provide a sound theoretical basis for the decision on performance dimensions as required (Denison Mishra, 1995; Koene, 1996; Petty et al and Wilderom Van den Berg, 1998). Therefore of the empirical literature supporting a link between organisational culture and performance, the operationalisation of performance is inadequate and lacking in validity, once again questioning the C-P concept. What Theory? The concept of culture continues to be considered by managers and commentators as a key variable in the success or failure of organisational improvement. However several academics point out that although the concept is entering its third decade, debates about epistemology, manifestations of the concept and appropriate methodology persist, jeopardising the maturity of the concept (DiMaggio, 1997; Martin Frost, 1996; OReilly Chatman, 1996; Detert, Schroeder Mauriel, 2000). Detert, Schroeder and Mauriel (2000) claim there is a lack of consolidation followed by systematic empirical investigation concerning organisational culture and upon reviewing the literature it appears to me this is the case. It is even proposed that unless this hole in the research is addressed, the concept of culture as a driver of organisational performance will cease to exist (Firestone Lewis, 1998; Pettigrew, 1990; Reichers Schneider, 1990; Smart St. John, 1996). The literature provides several different approaches to theorising the link between culture and performance, although none appear to provide an adequate or valid explanation. Consequently, research investigating the link between culture and organisational performance lacks a clear theoretical conception of the phenomenon. One approach views that an organisations culture effects performance and success when culture is based on consensus or culture strength. This serves as a control system and leads to enhancement of the functioning of the organisation. The strong organisational culture is argued to facilitate goal alignment, lead to high levels of employee motivation and is able to learn from its past (Brown, 1995). However, the so-called strong culture theory is rife with flaws. For example, a strong culture may facilitate goal alignment, but this is not useful if the goals are not positive. It also cannot be assumed that all strong cultures are related to high levels of employee motivation. Brown (1995), for example points out that many UK public services have strong cultures, with less than motivated employees. Additionally, even though the literature presents examples of organisations with both strong cultures and superior performance, the evidence is circumstantial and not adequate to support the culture strength hypothesis. Furthermore, a relationship between two variables is not synonomous with causation or indicative of the direction of the realtionship. It is possible for example that performance effects culture. The strong culture theory also does not account for the fact that most organisations do not possess one single, unilateral culture. Another theoretical hypothesis postulated to explain the relationship between culture and performance suggests that high economic performance is associated with a strategically appropriate culture. In this case, varying cultures would be appropriate in different competitive environments and for different strategies. Unfortunately testing this theory objectively is difficult and Kotter and Hesketts attempt at doing so contains the methodological flaws discussed earlier. Additionally, there are conceptual issues such as accounting for changes in the environment, which would require organisations to also be culturally adaptive. The concept of adaptiveness relates to Denisons (1990) framework that includes an adaptability hypothesis, stating that a culture that allows an organisation to adapt to changing demands will promote effectiveness. Dennisons presents an explanatory framework encompassing involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. However Denisons theory like, Kotter and Heskotts general features of the culture of organisations associated with economic success, is a one best culture framework, which is problematic (see Brown, 1995 for further explanation). Other researchers have postulated that the culture-performance link may be moderated or contingent upon some other variable such as the industry of the organisation. For example Christenson Gordon, (1999), report the existence of cultural practices that are industry specific, suggesting that the C-P link is not universal. It is clear from a brief discussion of C-P theory that there is an absence of a solid conceptual framework. Lim (1995), based on an analysis examining organisational culture and performance via a discussion of models of culture and empirical research conducted to investigate causal relationships between them reiterates that the culture-performance link remains unclear. There is a desperate need to improve on the application of the concepts involved and focus of methodological issues. Cumulative empirical research, based on a theoretical framework is required to validate the culture- performance concept. Can all managers create and use an organisations culture to improve organisational performance? If subsequent research shows that culture does affect performance, it is likely that creating, changing or using culture will be a difficult task. Depending on the conceptual viewpoint adopted, it could be considered impossible. For example, Krefting and Frost (1985 In Ogbonna, 1996) argue that culture simply exists and cannot be managed or created, because by definition assumptions exist without the individual being aware. Even commentators who believe that culture can be managed point to the difficulties in doing so (for example Uttal, 1983 Fombrun, 1983. In Ogbonna, 1996). Morgan (1997) also argues that managers can never control culture, but can influence others by being aware of their actions and fostering desired values. It is also important to note that not all managers have the expertise or leadership qualities to exercise adequate influence on others to create change. In conclusion, the contention that an organisations culture is a powerful tool that all managers can create and use to improve organisational performance is not supported by the literature. Although empirical studies appear to support a link between organisational culture and performance there are several issues which question the validity of such research. There is a lack of solid definition of organisational culture, there is no clear operationalisation of culture, the operationalisation of performance has been typically questionable and there is a lack of a conceptually sound framework. It is only when these challenges are tackled, and studies are more methodologically sound that research investigating the culture performance link can more effectively establish the predictive effect of organisational culture on performance. Following this, the challenge will be to determine if culture can actually be managed and to make the tool available to all managers to utilise optimally.

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