Confucian Philosophy Essay

2000 by Andre Levy All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in. writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39. 48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Levy, Andre, date [La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique. English] Chinese literature, ancient and classical / by Andre Levy ; translated by William H. Nienhauser, Jr. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-253-33656-2 (alk. paper) 1. Chinese literature—History and criticism. I. Nienhauser, William H. II. Title. PL2266. L48 2000 895. 1’09—dc21 99-34024 1 2 3 4 5 05 04 03 02 01 00. For my own early translators of French, Daniel and Susan Contents ix Preface 1 Introduction Chapter 1: Antiquity 5 I. Origins II. â€Å"Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! † 1. Mo zi and the Logicians 2. Legalism 3. The Fathers of Taoism III. The Confucian Classics 31 Chapter 2: Prose I. Narrative Art and Historical Records II. The Return of the â€Å"Ancient Style† III. The Golden Age of Trivial Literature IV. Literary Criticism Chapter 3: Poetry 61 I. The Two Sources of Ancient Poetry 1. The Songs of Chu 2. Poetry of the Han Court II. The Golden Age of Chinese Poetry 1. From Aesthetic Emotion to Metaphysical Flights 2. The Age of Maturity 3. The Late Tang III. The Triumph of Genres in Song Chapter 4: Literature of Entertainment: The Novel and Theater 105 I. Narrative Literature Written in Classical Chinese II. The Theater 1. The Opera-theater of the North 2. The Opera-theater of the South III. The Novel 1. Oral Literature 2. Stories and Novellas 3. The â€Å"Long Novel† or Saga Index 151 Translator’s Preface. I first became- interested in translating Andre Levy’s history of Chinese literature, La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1991), in 1996, after finding it in a bookshop in Paris. I read sections and was intrigued by Professor Levy’s approach, which was modeled on literary genres rather than political eras. I immediately thought about translating parts of the book for my graduate History of Chinese Literature class at the University of Wisconsin, a class in which the importance of dynastic change was also downplayed. Like many plans, this one was set aside. Last spring, however, when the panel on our field’s desiderata headed by David Rolston at the 1998 Association for Asian Studies Meeting pronounced that one of the major needs was for a concise history of Chinese literature in about 125 pages (the exact length of Professor Levy’s original text), I revived my interest in this translation. I proposed the book to John Gallman, Director of Indiana University Press, and John approved it almost immediately-but, not before warning me that this kind of project can take much more time than the translator originally envisions. Although I respect John’s experience and knowledge in publishing, I was sure I would prove the exception. After all, what kind of trouble could a little book of 125 pages cause? I soon found out. Professor Levy had originally written a much longer manuscript, which was to be published as a supplementary volume to Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier’s La Litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948)’ in the Que sais-je? (What Do I Know? ) series. This concept, however, was soon abandoned, and it ‘Several decades ago Anne-Marie Geoghegan translated this volume as Chinese Literature (New York: Walker, 1964). x Translator’s Preface was decided to publish the Levy â€Å"appendix† as a separate volume-in 125 pages. Professor Levy was then asked to cut his manuscript by one-third. As a result, he was sometimes forced to presume in his audience certain knowledge that some readers of this book-for example, undergraduate students or interested parties with little background in Chinese literature-may not have. For this reason, working carefully with Professor Levy, I have added (or revived) a number of contextual sentences with these readers in mind. More information on many of the authors and works discussed in this history can be found in the entries in The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (volumes 1 and 2; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986 and 1998). Detailed references to these entries and other relevant studies can be found in the â€Å"Suggested Further Reading† sections at the end of each chapter (where the abbreviated reference Indiana Companion refers to these two volumes). I also discovered that re-translating Professor Levy’s French translations of Chinese texts sometimes resulted in renditions that were too far from the original, even in this age of â€Å"distance education. † So I have translated almost all of the more than 120 excerpts of original works directly from the original Chinese, using Professor Levy’s French versions as a guide wherever possible. All this was done with the blessing and cooperation of the author. Indeed, among the many people who helped with this translation, I would like to especially thank Professor Andre Levy for his unflinching interest in and support of this translation. Professor Levy has read much of the English version, including all passages that I knew were problematic (there are no doubt others! ), and offered comments in a long series of letters over the past few months. Without his assistance the translation would never have been completed. Here in Madison, a trio of graduate students have helped me with questions Translator’s Preface xi about the Chinese texts: Mr. Cao Weiguo riftlal, Ms. Huang Shu—yuang MV and Mr. Shang Cheng I*. They saved me E, from innumerable errors and did their work with interest and high spirits. Mr. Cao also helped by pointing out problems in my interpretation of the original French. Mr. Scott W. Galer of Ricks College read the entire manuscript and offered a number of invaluable comments. My wife, Judith, was unrelenting in her demands on behalf of the general reader. The most careful reader was, however, Jane Lyle of Indiana University Press, who painstakingly copy-edited the text. If there is a literary style to this translation, it is due to her efforts. My thanks, too, to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation which supported me in Berlin through the summer of 1997 when I first read Professor Levy’s text, and especially to John Gallman, who stood behind this project from the beginning. Madison, Wisconsin, 16 February 1999 (Lunar New Year’s Day) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical Introduction Could one still write, as Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier did in 1948 in the What Do I Know series Number 296, which preceded this book, that â€Å"the study of Chinese literature, long neglected by the Occident, is still in its  infancy? â€Å"‘ Yes and no. There has been some spectacular progress and some foundering. At any rate, beginning at the start of the twentieth century, it was Westerners who were the first-followed by the Japanese, before the Chinese themselves-to produce histories of Chinese literature. Not that the Chinese tradition had not taken note of an evolution in literary genres, but the prestige of wen 5 signifying both â€Å"literature† and â€Å"civilization,† placed it above history-anthologies, compilations, and catalogues were preferred. Moreover, the popular side of literature-fiction, drama, and oral verse-because of its lack of â€Å"seriousness† or its â€Å"vulgarity,† was not judged dignified enough to be considered wen. Our goal is not to add a new work to an already lengthy list of histories of Chinese literature, nor to supplant the excellent summary by Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier which had the impossible task of presenting a history of Chinese literature in about a hundred pages. Our desire would be rather to complement the list by presenting the reader with a different approach, one more concrete, less dependent on the dynastic chronology. Rather than a history, it is a picture-inevitably incompleteof Chinese literature of the past that this little book offers. Chinese â€Å"high† literature is based on a â€Å"hard core† of classical training consisting of the memorization of texts, nearly a half-million characters for every candidate who reaches the highest competitive examinations. We might see the classical art of writing as the arranging, in an appropriate and astute fashion, of lines recalled by memory, something ,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœOdile Kaltenmark-Ghequier, â€Å"Introduction,† La litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948), p. 5; â€Å"Que sais—je,† no. 296. 2 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical that came almost automatically to traditional Chinese intellectuals. The goal of these writers was not solely literary. They hoped through their writings to earn a reputation that would help them find support for their efforts to pass the imperial civil-service examinations and thereby eventually win a position at court. Although there were earlier tests leading to political advancement, the system that existed nearly until the end of the imperial period in 1911 was known as the jinshi A ± or â€Å"presented scholar† examination (because successful candidates were â€Å"presented† to the emperor), and was developed during the late seventh and early eighth centuries A. D. It required the writing of poetry and essays on themes set by the examiners. Successful candidates were then given minor positions in the bureaucracy. Thus the memorization of a huge corpus of earlier literature and the ability to compose on the spot became the major qualifications for political office through most of the period from the eighth until the early twentieth centuries. These examinations, and literature in general, were composed in a classical, standard language comparable to Latin in the West. This â€Å"classical† language persisted by opposing writing to speech through a sort of partial bilingualism. The strict proscription of vulgarisms, of elements of the spoken language, from the examinations has helped to maintain the purity of classical Chinese. The spoken language, also labeled â€Å"vulgar,† has produced some literary monuments of its own, which were recognized as such and qualified as â€Å"classics† only a few decades ago. The unity of the two languages, classical and vernacular, which share the same fundamental structure, is undermined by grammars that are appreciably different, and by the fact that these languages hold to diametrically opposed stylistic ideals: lapidary concision on the one hand, and eloquent vigor on the other. We conclude by pointing out that educated Chinese add to their surnames, which are always given first, a great variety of personal names, which can be disconcerting at times. The standard given name (ming Introduction 3 is often avoided out of decorum; thus Tao Qian Miff is often referred to En We will retain only the by his zi (stylename) as Tao Yuanming best known of these names, avoiding hao at (literary name or nickname), bie hao ZIJM (special or particular literary name), and shi ming (residential name) whenever possible: When other names are used, the standard ming will be  given in parentheses. The goal here is to enable the reader to form an idea of traditional Chinese literature, not to establish a history of it, which might result in a lengthy catalogue of works largely unknown today. We are compelled to sacrifice quantity to present a limited number of literary â€Å"stars,† and to reduce the listing of their works to allow the citation of a number of previously unpublished translations, inevitably abridged but sufficient, we hope, to evoke the content of the original. The chronological approach will be handled somewhat roughly because of the need to follow the development of the great literary genres: after the presentation of antiquity, the period in which the common culture of the educated elite was established, comes an examination of the prose genres of â€Å"high† classical literature, then the description of the art most esteemed by the literati, poetry. The final section treats the literature of diversion, the most discredited but nonetheless highly prized, which brings together the novel and the theater. Chapter 1. Antiquity Ancient literature, recorded by the scribes of a rapidly evolving warlike and aristocratic society, has been carefully preserved since earliest times and has become the basis of Chinese lettered culture. It is with this in mind that one must approach the evolution of literature and its role over the course of the two-thousand-year-old imperial government, which collapsed in 1911, and attempt to understand the importance (albeit increasingly limited) that ancient literature retains today. The term â€Å"antiquity† applied to China posed no problems until certain Marxist historians went so far as to suggest that it ended only in 1919. The indigenous tradition had placed the break around 211 B. C. , when political unification brought about the establishment of a centralized but â€Å"prefectural† government under the Legalists, as well as the famous burning of books opposed to the Legalist state ideology. Yet to suggest that antiquity ended so early is to minimize the contribution of Buddhism and the transformation of thought that took place between the third and seventh centuries. The hypothesis that modernity began early, in the eleventh or perhaps twelfth century in China, was developed by Naito Konan NAM 1 (1866-1934). This idea has no want of critics or of supporters. It is opposed to the accepted idea in the West, conveyed by Marxism, that China, a â€Å"living fossil,† has neither entered modern times nor participated in â€Å"the global civilization† that started with the Opium War of 1840. Nor is there unanimity concerning the periodization proposed in historical linguistics, a periodization which distinguishes Archaic Chinese of High Antiquity (from the origins of language to the third century) from Ancient Chinese of Mid-Antiquity (sixth to twelfth centuries), then Middle Chinese of the Middle Ages (thirteenth-sixteenth centuries) from Modern Chinese (seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), and Recent Chinese (18401919) from Contemporary Chinese (1920 to the present). 6 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical. In the area of literature, the beginning of the end of antiquity could perhaps be placed in the second century A. D. Archaeology has elevated our knowledge of more ancient writings toward the beginning of the second millennium B. C. , but this archaic period, discovered recently, cannot be considered part of literary patrimony in the strictest sense. Accounts of this archaic period are traditionally divided into six eras,2 but to honor them would be to fall into the servitude of a purely chronological approach. I. Origins Since the last year of the last century, when Wang Yirong . 1. 6M (1845-1900) compiled the first collection of inscriptions written on bones and shells, the increasing number of archaeological discoveries has allowed the establishment of a corpus of nearly 50,000 inscriptions extending over the period from the fourteenth to the tenth centuries before our era. Dong Zuobin (1895-1963) proposed a periodization for them and distinguished within them the styles of different schools of scribes. Scholars have managed to decipher a third of the total of some 6,000 distinct signs, which are clearly related to the system of writing used by the Chinese today-these were certainly not primitive forms of characters. The oracular inscriptions are necessarily short-the longest known text, of a hundred or so characters, covers the scapula of an ox and extends even over the supporting bones; the shell of a southern species of the great tortoise, also used to record divination, did not offer a more extensive surface. Whether a literature existed at this ancient time seems rather doubtful, but this scriptural evidence causes one to consider whether eras are the early Chou dynasty (eleventh century-722 B. C. ), the Spring and Autumn era (722-481 B. C. ), the Warring States (481-256 B. C. ), the Ch’in dynasty (256-206 B. C. ), the Western or Early Han dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 6), and the Eastern or Latter Han dynasty (25-A. D. 220). 2These Chapter 1. Antiquity 7 the Shu jing Efg (Classic of Documents), supposedly â€Å"revised† by Confucius but often criticized as a spurious text, was based in part on authentic texts. The presence of an early sign representing a bundle of slips of wood or bamboo confirms the existence of a primitive form of book in a very ancient era-texts were written on these slips, which were then bound together to form a â€Å"fascicle. † The purpose of these ancient archives, which record the motivation for the diviner’s speech, his identity, and sometimes the result, has been ignored. Of another nature are the inscriptions on bronze that appeared in about the eleventh century B. C. and went out of fashion in the second century B.C. They attracted the attention of amateur scholars from the eleventh century until modern times. Many collections of inscriptions on â€Å"stone and bronze† have been published in the intervening eras. The longest texts extend to as much as five-hundred signs, the forms of which often seem to be more archaic than those of the inscriptions on bones and shells. The most ancient inscriptions indicate nothing more than the person to whom the bronze was consecrated or a commemoration of the name of the sponsor. Toward the tenth century B. C. the texts evolved from several dozen to as many as a hundred signs and took on a commemorative character. The inspiration for these simple, solemn texts is not always easily discernible because of the obscurities of the archaisms in the language. An echo of certain pieces transmitted by the Confucian school can be seen in some texts, but their opacity has disheartened many generations of literati. II. â€Å"Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! † This statement by Mao Zedong, made to launch a liberalization movement that was cut short in 1957, was inspired by an exceptional period in Chinese cultural history (from the fifth to the third centuries 8 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical B. C. ) in which there was a proliferation of schools-the â€Å"hundred schools. † The various masters of these schools offered philosophical, often political, discussion. The growth of these schools paralleled the rise of rival states from the time of Confucius (the Latinized version of the Chinese original, Kong Fuzi TL-T- or Master Kong, ca. 551-479 B. C. ) to the end of the Warring States period (221 B. C. ). The â€Å"hundred schools† came to an end with the unification of China late in the third century B. C. under the Legalist rule of the Qin dynasty (221-206 B. C. ). This era of freedom of thought and intellectual exchange never completely ceased to offer a model, albeit an unattainable model, in the search for an alternative to the oppressive ideology imposed by the centralized state. Much of what has reached us from this lost world was saved in the wake of the reconstruction of Confucian writings (a subject to which we will turn shortly). The texts of the masters of the hundred schools, on the periphery of orthodox literati culture, are of uneven quality, regardless of the philosophy they offer. Even the best, however, have not come close to dethroning the â€Å"Chinese Socrates,† Confucius, the first of the great thinkers, in both chronology and importance. 1. Mo Zi and the Logicians. The work known as Mo Zi (Master Mo) is a collection of the writings of a sect founded by Mo Di g, an obscure personage whom scholars have wanted to make a contemporary of Confucius. It has been hypothesized that the name Mo, â€Å"ink,† referred to the tattooing of  a convict in antiquity, and the given name, Di, indicates the pheasant feathers that decorated the hats of the common people. Although we can only speculate about whether Mo Zi was a convict or a commoner, he argued for a kind of bellicose pacifism toward aggressors, doing his best to promote, through a utilitarian process of reasoning, the necessity of believing in the gods and of practicing universal love without discrimination. Condemning the extravagant expense of funerals as well as the uselessness of art and music, Mo Zi Chapter 1. Antiquity 9 wrote in a style of discouraging weight. The work that has come down to us under his name (which appears to be about two-thirds of the original text) represents a direction which Chinese civilization explored without ever prizing. Mo Zi’s mode of argument has influenced many generations of logicians and sophists, who are known to us only in fragments, the main contribution of which has been to demonstrate in their curious way of argumentation peculiar features of the Chinese language. Hui Shi Ea is known only by the thirty-some paradoxes which the incomparable Zhuang Zi cites, without attempting to solve, as in: There is nothing beyond the Great Infinity. . . and the Small Infinity is not inside. The antinomies of reason have nourished Taoist thought, if not the other way around, as Zhuang Zi attests after the death of his friend Hui Shi: Zhuang Zi was accompanying a funeral procession. When he passed by the grave of Master Hui he turned around to say to those who were following him: â€Å"A fellow from Ying had spattered the tip of his nose with a bit of plaster, like the wing of a fly. He had it removed by [his crony] the carpenter Shi, who took his ax and twirled it around. He cut it off, then heard a wind: the plaster was entirely removed without scratching his nose. The man from Ying had remained standing, impassive. When he learned of this, Yuan, the sovereign of the country of Song, summoned the carpenter Shih and said to him, â€Å"Try then to do it again for Us. † The carpenter responded, â€Å"Your servant is capable of doing it; however, the material that he made use of died long ago. † After the death of the Master, I too no longer can find the material: I no longer have anyone to talk to. (Zhuang Zi 24) Sons of the logicians and the sophists, the rhetoricians shared with the Taoists a taste for apologues. They opposed the Taoist solution of a 10 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical detached â€Å"non-action,† involved as they were in diplomatic combat. Held in contempt by the Confucians for their â€Å"Machiavellianism,† the Zhanguo ce Vg (Intrigues of the Warring States) remains the most representative work of the genre. It was reconstructed several centuries later by Liu Xiang gj 1-(4] (77-6 B. C. ), but the authenticity of these reassembled materials seems to have been confirmed by the discovery of parallel texts in a tomb at Mawang Dui gUttg in 1973. A great variety animates these accounts, both speeches and chronicles; they are rich in dialogue, which cannot be represented by this single, although characteristic, anecdote—it is inserted without commentary into the â€Å"intrigues† (or â€Å"slips†) of the state of Chu: The King of Wei offered the King of Chu a beautiful girl who gave him great satisfaction. Knowing how much the new woman pleased him, his wife, the queen, showed her the most intense affection. She chose clothes and baubles which would please her and gave them to her; it was the same for her with rooms in the palace and bed clothes. In short, she gratified her with more attention than the king himself accorded her. He congratulated her for it: a woman serves her husband through her carnal appeal, and jealousy is her nature. Now, understanding how I love the new woman, my wife shows her more love than I—it is thus that the filial son serves his parents, that the loyal servant fulfills his duties toward his prince. As she knew that the king did not consider her jealous, the queen suggested to her rival: â€Å"The king appreciates your beauty. However, he is not that fond of your nose. You would do better to hide it when he receives you. † Therefore, the new one did so when she saw His Majesty. The king asked his wife why his favorite hid her nose in his presence. She responded, â€Å"I know. † â€Å"Even if it is unpleasant, tell me! † insisted the king. â€Å"She does not like your odor. † â€Å"The brazen hussy! † cried the sovereign. â€Å"Her nose is to be cut off, and let no one question my order! † Chapter 1. Antiquity 11 The Yan Zi chunqiu *T-*V( (Springs and Autumns of Master Yen) is another reconstruction by Liu Xiang, a collection of anecdotes about Yan Ying RV, a man of small stature but great ability who was prime minister to Duke Jing of Qi (547-490 B.C. )-the state that occupies what is now Shandong. Without cynicism, but full of shrewdness, these anecdotes do not lack appeal; some have often been selected as anthology pieces, of which this one is representative: When Master Yan was sent as an ambassador to Chu, the people of the country constructed a little gate next to the great one and invited him to enter. Yan Zi refused, declaring that it was suitable for an envoy to a country of dogs, but that it was to Chu that he had come on assignment. The chamberlain had him enter by the great gate. The King of Chu received him and said to him: â€Å"Was there then no one in Qi, for them to have sent you? † â€Å"How can you say there is no one in Qi, when there would be darkness in our capital of Linzi if the people of the three hundred quarters spread out their sleeves, and it would rain if they shook off their perspiration-so dense is the population. † â€Å"But then why have you been sent? † â€Å"The practice in Qi is to dispatch a worthy envoy to a worthy sovereign; I am the most unworthy. . . .† 2. Legalism. The diplomatic manipulations and other little anecdotes we have seen in the Yan Zi chunqiu were of little interest to the Legalists, who took their name from the idea that the hegemonic power of the state is founded on a system of implacable laws supposing the abolition of hereditary privileges-indeed a tabula rasa that rejects morals and traditions. In fact, historians associate them with all thought that privileges efficacy. From this point of view, the most ancient â€Å"Legalist† would be the artisan of Qi’s hegemony in the seventh century B. C. , Guan Zi (Master Guan). The work that was handed down under his name is a composite text and in reality contains no material prior to the third century B. C. Whether or not he should be considered a Legalist, Guan Zi 12 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical embodies the idea that the power of the state lies in its prosperity, and this in turn depends on the circulation of goods. In sum, Guan Zi stands for a proto-mercantilism diametrically opposed to the primitive physiocraticism of Gongsun Yang (altV (also known as Shang Yang ), minister of Qin in the fourth century. Shang jun shu 1 (The 2 Book of Lord Shang), which is attributed to Gongsun Yang, gives the Legalist ideas a particularly brutal form: It is the nature of people to measure that which is advantageous to them, to seize the best, and to draw to themselves that which is profitable. The enlightened lord must take care if he wants to establish order in his country and to be able to turn the population to his advantage, for the population has at its disposal a great number of means to avoid the strictness that it fears. Within the country he must cause the people to consecrate themselves to farming; without he must cause them to be singly devoted to warfare. This is why the order of a sage sovereign consists of multiplying interdictions in order to prevent infractions and relying on force to put an end to fraud. (Shang jun shu, â€Å"Suan di†) Shang Yang’s prose is laden with archaisms, which hardly lighten the weight of his doctrine. It is in the work of Han Fei Zi 4-T- (ca. 280-233) that Legalism found its most accomplished formulation. The book Han Fei Zi contains a commentary on the Classic of the Way and of Power of Lao Zi in which the ideal of Taoist non-action is realized by the automatism of laws. The â€Å"artifice† of the latter may go back to the Confucianism of Xun Zi (Master Xun, also known as Xun Qing ,Ajja, ca. 300-230 B. C. ), a school rejected by orthodox Confucianism. Xun Zi, who happens to have been the teacher of Han Fei Zi, developed the brilliant theory that human nature inclines individuals to satisfy their egoistic appetites: it was therefore bad for advanced societies of the time. The â€Å"rites†-culture-are necessary for socialization. Xun Zi’s Chapter 1. Antiquity 13 argumentation was unprecedentedly elaborate, examining every facet of a question while avoiding repetition. In a scintillating style peppered with apologues, Han Fei Zi argues that the art of governing requires techniques other than the simple manipulation of rewards and punishments. The prince is the cornerstone of a system that is supposed to ensure him of a protective impenetrableness. The state must devote itself to eliminating the useless, noxious five â€Å"parasites† or â€Å"vermin:† the scholars, rhetoricians, knights-errant, deserters, and merchants (perhaps even artisans). 3. The Fathers of Taoism. A philosophy of evasion, this school was opposed to social and political engagement. From the outset Taoism was either a means to flee society and politics or a form of consolation for those who encountered reversals in politics and society. The poetic power of its writings, which denounced limits and aphorisms of reason, explains the fascination that it continues to hold for intellectuals educated through the rationalism of the Confucians. These works, like most of the others from antiquity that were attributed to a master, in fact seem to be rather disparate texts of a school. The Dao de jing ittitg (Classic of the Way and of Power) remains the most often translated Chinese work—and the first translated, if one counts the lost translation into Sanskrit by the monk Xuanzang WM in the seventh century A. D. This series of aphorisms is attributed to Lao Zi (Master. Lao or â€Å"The Old Master†), whom tradition considers a contemporary of Confucius. He is said to have left this â€Å"testament† as he departed the Chinese world via the Xian’gu Pass for the West. In their polemics against the Buddhists, the Taoists of the following millennium used this story as the basis on which to affirm that the Buddha was none other than their Chinese Lao Zi, who had been converting the barbarians of the West since his departure from China. Modern scholarship estimates that the Lao Zi could not date earlier than the third century B. C. The 1973 discoveries at Mawang Dui in Hunan confirmed what scholars had suspected for centuries: the primitive Lao Zi is reversed in respect to 14 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical  ours: a De dao jing â€Å"1,M1# § (Classic of Power and the Way). Its style, which is greatly admired for its obscure concision, seems to owe much to the repair work of the commentator Wang Bi . T3 (226-249). Thus it is tenable that the primitive Lao Zi was a work of military strategy. Whatever it was, the text that is preferred today runs a little over 5,000 characters and is divided into 81 sections (9 x 9). The Taoist attitude toward life is expressed here in admirably striking formulae, which lend themselves to many esoteric interpretations: He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know (#56). Govern a great state as you would fry small fish! (#60). Practice non-action, attend to the useless, taste the flavorless. (#63) The Zhuang Zi ate, written by Zhuang Zhou 4. -B1 or Zhuang Zi (Master Zhuang), was apparently abridged at about the same time as the Lao Zi, but at the hands of the commentator Guo Xiang # -IM (d. 312), who cut it from fifty-two to thirty-three sections. Scholars cannot agree whether the seven initial sections, called â€Å"the inner chapters,† are from the same hand of Zhuang Zhou as the sixteen following, called â€Å"the outer chapters,† and the final ten â€Å"miscellaneous chapters. † It is in the final ten that we find a characteristic arrangement of reconstructions from the first century, works of one school attributed to one master. In fact, it is the first part which gives the most lively impression of an encounter with an animated personality whose mind is strangely vigorous and disillusioned: Our life is limited, but knowledge is without limit. To follow the limitless with that which is limited will exhaust one. To go unrelentingly after knowledge is exhausting and c.

Beowulf: a Heroic-Elegiac Poem

Beowulf: A Heroic Elegiac Poem Beowulf is definitely a heroic-elegiac poem. Beowulf was a hero to many. He exhibited, the traits of a â€Å"good king†. He was a warrior with extraordinary abilities which made him seem superhuman. He was selfless choosing to protect the masses rather than himself. This was an act of generosity, as well as, great loyalty. There are many references in the poem to the ancestors of both Beowulf and Hrothgar. They are referred to with reverence regardless to whether they were good or bad. The references are made as lessons to the present and future kings and queens.As a heroic-elegiac poem, Beowulf begins with an example of a bad king to contrast him with a good king. Shield Sheafson who was not a good king because he demanded that clans far and wide pay homage to him. He destroyed mead halls and rampaged through the countryside. He was selfish and cruel. His heir, Beow, would be the antithesis of his father. He would be a blessing to the Danes. Beo w would be known for his generosity which garnered him loyal followers. Beow was the grandfather of Hrothgar. Hrothgar was loyal, courageous, generous and protective of his kingdom.Hrothgar was a good king like his father and grandfather before him. He would decide to build a mead hall where he could share his treasures and good fortune with his people, a place where they could feast and rejoice. These events described here prove that, in fact, Beowulf is a heroic poem. The mead hall, Heorot, would only be a safe haven for a short while. The hall would come under attack. Grendel, a monster, would be annoyed by the sounds of gaiety day in and day out. Grendel would begin to terrorize the hall murdering many before the would be abandoned due to fear. Hrothgar kingdom was gripped in terror.Beowulf heard of Hrothgar’s plight and decided he needed his help. Beowulf was known to have the strength of thirty men in each arm. He would travel to Hrothgar’s kingdom to volunteer t o be their defender against Grendel. He demonstrated selflessness, courage and generosity for the people of another land. All these are attributes of a good king and hero as shown in the poem. The transitory state of human relationships is shown in the repeated conquests of Beowulf. Beowulf killed Grendel and then he would have to kill Grendel’s mother who was seeking revenge for her child’s death.He was rewarded many times over by Hrothgar and he shared his good fortune with his men. Hrothgar offered him the throne. Beowulf declined in deference to the rightful heirs. Beowulf, eventually, becomes the king of the Geats. â€Å"He ruled (it) well for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land. † He is tested for a final time. His kingdom is threatened by a dragon. Beowulf challenges the dragon alone and he is mortally wounded. Wiglaf was the only warrior to remain by his side. Wiglaf stated, â€Å"Anyone ready to admit the truth will surely realize th at the lord of men who showered you with gifts and gave you he armor you are standing in—when he would distribute helmets and mail-shirts to men on the mead-benches, a prince treating his thanes in the hall to the best he could find, far or near—was throwing weapons uselessly away. It would be a sad waste when the war broke out. Beowulf had little cause to brag about his armed guard; yet God who ordains who wins or loses allowed him to strike with his own blade when bravery was needed. There was little I could do to protect his life in the heat of the fray, but I found new strength welling up when I went to help him.Then my sword connected and the deadly assaults of our foe grew weaker, the fire coursed less strongly from his head. But when the worst happened too few rallied around the prince. So it is good-bye now to all you know and love on your home ground, the open-handedness, the giving of war- swords. Every one of you with freehold of land, our whole nation, will be dispossessed, once princes from beyond get tidings of how you turned and fled and disgraced yourselves. A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame. † This excerpt from the poem shows the transitory state of human relationships proving Beowulf is an elegiac poem.

Economics _ Whither the Dollar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics _ Whither the Dollar - Essay Example Both see the necessity for international cooperation in determining currency exchange rates under appropriate circumstances and both provide the ability to alter exchange rates under certain circumstances. However, they also recognize the destructive aftermath of freely flexible exchanges on international trade and economic relations generally, and their chief purpose is to create and maintain a system of stable exchange rates. And yet, the Keynes’ system had some radical ideas that went completely contrary to White's conservative plan. Unlike White's theory, where member-countries would deposit their currencies, and together with the government fund then provide the currencies needed by each country for settling its international account, the Keynes’ plan provides an international clearing, where no funds are deposited. Instead, international payment would be effected by debiting the paying country and crediting the receiving country on the books of the union. (The Key nes’ and White Plans) Keynes proposed the establishment of: an International Clearing Union, based on international bank money, called (let us say) bancor , ?xed (but not unalterably) in terms of gold and accepted as the equivalent of gold by the British Commonwealth and the United States and all members of the Union for the purpose of settling international balances. (Keynes, 1980, p.121) The basic idea is simple. Countries would have accounts that would play the same role as reserves, (mainly gold in the early 20th century) and dollars or other foreign exchange currencies. With the account at the International Clearing Union countries do not have to shore up these reserves. They are free to take a loan from the International Clearing Union in times of need and lend if they export more than they import. The de?ation bias caused by trapped reserves, which cannot turn into meaningful demand, would disappear. To prevent accumulation credits or debits Keynes also suggested some measures so in the long run the system self-balance itself. The outcome of the negotiations was the new Bratton Woods system. This system incorporated points, where both plans agreed. Yet, because of the USA's greater negotiating strength, the final decisions of the new system were closer to the conservative plans of Harry Dexter White. According to US economist Brad DeLong, on almost every point where Keynes’ ideas were canceled by the Americans, he was later proved correct by events of history. The Primary Real Causes of the Financial Crisis of 2008 According to the article â€Å"Whither the Dollar† by Katherine Sciacchitano, there are a few reasons and events, which triggered the beginning stages of the financial crisis of 2008. The first is the elimination of capital control. This deepened economic stability in many ways: - It made it easier for capital to search for the lowest possible wages; - It increased the political power of capital by enabling it to â€Å"v ote with its feet† - It fed asset bubbles, increased financial speculation and exchange rate bounce. This increased unregulated capital mobility and speculation weakened the real economy, further exhausted global demand and increased economic instability. As we can see from history, from the eighties on up in countries all around the world an economic crises have occurred about every five years. Another reason of the 2008

The Rule of Law is not a Legal Rule, but a Political and Moral Research Paper

The Rule of Law is not a Legal Rule, but a Political and Moral Principle - Research Paper Example Law so conceived is a set of practical dealings for cooperative social life, using signals and authorizes to guide and conduct channels. British constitution most distinguishing features - federalism, a constitutionally well-established court, a states' upper house, the legislative sanction of treaties, and various other 'checks and balances' were significant innovations, and have over and over again been copied. It was simply in the nineteenth century that Europe began engendering institutional innovations of its own: conscientious parliamentary government, the welfare state, and accountability mechanisms such as the organizational tribunal and the ombudsman. If the rule of law is the rule of the good law then to explicate, its nature is to set out a complete social philosophy. But if so the term lacks several useful functions. We have no need to be rehabilitated to the rule of law just so as to discover that to believe in it is to believe that good must triumph. The rule of law is a political pastoral which a legal system might lack or might possess to a greater or lesser degree. That much is universal ground. It is also to be persisting that the rule of law is just one of the merits which a legal system may hold and by which it is to be judged. ... Rights, on extensive poverty, on racial isolation, sexual differences, and religious discrimination may, in principle, conform to the rations of the rule of law better than any of the legal systems of the more progressive Western democracies. This does not mean that it will be better than those Western democracies. It will be an infinitely worse legal system, but it will outshine in one respect: in its consistency to the rule of law (Dworkin 1986). 'The rule of law' means exactly what it says: the rule of the law. Taken in its broadest sense this means that people must obey the law and be ruled by it. But in political and legal theory of moral principle that has come to be read in a narrower sense, that the government will be ruled by the law and subject to it. The idyllic of the rule of law in this sense is frequently expressed by the phrase 'government by law and not by men'. No sooner does one use these formulas than their insignificance becomes evident. Surely the government should be both by law and by men. It is said that the rule of law means that all government action should have a foundation in law, should be authorized by law.  

Bible Exegetical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bible Exegetical - Essay Example For example NIV says, â€Å"Surely I will redeem them† on the other hand NKJV simply says, â€Å"For I will redeem them.† This shows a lot of emphasis by NIV than in NKJV. The use of the word declares the Lord is a strong affirmation of a direct statement from God as used in NIV while NKVJ uses the word says the Lord which does not seem very strong in expressing a statement from God, to declare is more absolute than to simply say. The two versions use different auxiliary verbs in referring to future events. NIV has frequently used the word will which is a much lighter word compared to the use of shall in NKJV which expresses something that must happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  yet in distant lands they will remember me† while NKJV says, â€Å"I will sow them among the peoples, And they shall remember Me in far countries† in order to clearly understand the meaning of the word, it is appropriate to consider other scriptures in which the word has been used in the bible.1 In Psalms 22: 27, the scripture says, â€Å"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,† (NIV) and NKJV says, â€Å"All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.† The emphasis on this text is to encourage the people of Israel to remember and reflect on the things that God has done to them (Carr 2010, 011). The movement of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan brought them into a close fellowship with Yahweh as well as becoming the paradigm of all redemptive work of God for all the generations of mankind. The book of Haggai2 also affirms what has been elaborated in the book of Zechariah chapter 10. He spoke of the restoration and remembrance of the people of Israel by their God. Prophet Zechariah also shared a well-established tradition when he

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Leadership - Essay Example Based on this particular aspect, graduate schools have become increasingly focused on developing the leadership qualities of the students who are to be the upcoming employee generation in the global workplace (Jackson, 2009). Nevertheless, as leadership is termed to be more of an art rather than a science, it is essential to identify the personal limitations and development needs which should be managed accordingly to exemplify superior leadership capabilities in the practical scenario (Goleman, 2012). Based on these aspects, the discussion henceforth will aim at describing four skills area which I need to develop to grow as an effective leader in future. The description will be followed by a development plan which I think might be beneficial in my overall development as a leader. Four Skill Areas to Work On It is quite necessary to understand the concept of leadership and obtain a generalised view regarding the qualities that should be possessed by a leader prior to the elaboration and justification of the skills areas which I need to develop in order to become an effective leader. ... It is also related with social and philosophical dimensions of management in accordance with various business and non-business environments. In the words of Lubitz (2008, p.63), â€Å"Leadership is, therefore, never a straightforward task: it involves a set of complex skills whose employment is contingent on the level at which leadership is practiced, its place within the chain of task execution, and the nature of the task at hand.† Thus, it can be affirmed that leadership is a situational phenomenon where individual skills play a major role in depicting the effectiveness of such practices (DeRue & Ashford, 2010). From a generalised point of view, leaders in the contemporary context are required to possess various skills which accumulatively intend to enhance the qualities of the professionals and thus reward increasing efficiency (Campbell, Hays, Core, Birch, Bosack, & Clark, 2011). As stated by Klingborg, Moore and Varea-Hammond (2006), leaders in today’s contemporary era should possess organisational skills, learning skills, motivating skills, creative skills, critical thinking abilities as well as forward thinking and problem-solving skills. These skills are expected to augment flexibility among leaders to adapt changes and steer the team towards improvement. Another most significant ability which should be possessed by a 21st century leader is regarded to be the communication skills. As indicated by Decker (2006), effective communication not only assists in developing the team in a consistent manner but also helps to develop a mutual relationship and a stronger influence as well as control over the team performances. After learning about the skills required to be established as an effective

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 4 CBT Essay - 1

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 4 CBT - Essay Example y aging of present qualified nursing faculty; ineffective and diluted role expectations of some nursing faculty due to tremendous role-related stress and high faculty workload; lack of salary competitiveness in the clinical setting; nursing faculty members are not motivated to prepare for doctoral programs and too few applicants are willing to teach clinical courses at the same time conduct research, which are both essential roles in academic arena (Starnes-Ott & Kremer, 2007). Are there any solutions to the above-mentioned problems? Are some of the solutions already implemented? Or are the implemented programs for it working? These are some of the questions which require honest evaluations and can be answered by the facts below. Hospitals and other related agencies have fortunately identified significant elements crucial to the health as well as well being in work environment of a nurse, at the same time, the security and safety of the health care delivery system. According to Buerhaus, Donelan, Ulrich, Norman, & Dittus (2008), the said elements were identified based on the 2002 and 2004 surveys conducted and further disclosed that there are several positive changes in the work environment of nurses that have occurred and resulted in decreased overtime and stress, heightened job and career satisfaction and has improved relationships among nurses. Moreover, to arrive at the optimum approach to attain a healthy work environment basically depend on the employment setting, available resources, size, and the commitment of administration. Lovell (2006) rationalized that â€Å"overworking† pushes nurses out of their workplace to other health care settings this do not address the continuing concerns on wages and working conditions of nurse workforce. Cited by Lovell (2006), research published in peer-reviewed journals, workforce analyses, and other professional publications have confirmed that the crucial role played by wages in additional nurse labor supply. The

Introduction to Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Business - Assignment Example While raising capital to start a small business, an individual can start by financing the businesses himself. Several benefits such as retaining all the profits are associated with this form of financing, but if a small business need to grow large then it needs to look for other options (Alterowitz, 2007. P.14). Next best alternative is to ask for assistance from family members and relatives for finance. For this purpose an entrepreneur has to make the effort of making his relatives realize that he/she has a great investment plan and will be quite successful. In very rare instances family and friends invest in a business; if an entrepreneur faces such a scenario, he/she can obtain assistance from the government (Great Britain, 2006, p.18). Government has various plans where they finance small businesses or provide money in shape of grants to entrepreneurs to start up their own business. If an entrepreneur is not eligible for such government support options, the business can obtain a loan from banks to start small businesses. Due to failure of large businesses and the risk of high amount of loss associated with large businesses, banks and governments are more willing to finance small businesses. One of the major decision made by a manger is to identify the cost of producing a product and then price the product according to make profit when they sell their goods and services. For this purpose they can use activity based costing method, by using this method they can calculate the cost of an activity.

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management Essay

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management in Improving Productivity in Retailing - Essay Example 5). Operations management brings in an element of efficiency in the business operations by looking to it that that business operations rely on an optimal exploitation of resources and tend to meet the consumer expectations in an efficient and satisfactory manner (Lowson 2002, p. 10). Operations management pertains to the management of all the processes associated with the conversion of inputs like finances, raw materials, energy and labour into the intended outputs like services and goods (Bassett 1992, p. 20). In an operational context, the efficiency in operations management has a lot to do with the policy decisions made by the senior management. It is usually the top management in the organizations that plans the strategy in operations management and tends to revise it as per the altering needs and requirements, while the line managers assure that the policy decisions get implemented in an accurate manner by taking the apt tactical decisions. Operations management in the area of r etail is pivotal to the influx of improving productivity. Operations management in retail requires an optimal management of varied associated operations like cost control, logistics and merchandizing associated with the movement of products from production facilities and stores to the hands of the consumers (Nersesian 2000, p. 153). Primarily retail is about curtailing costs so as to extend to the customers the required goods and services at most competitive prices. Operations management in retail has to do with managing and controlling the operating costs within the affiliated organizations (Nersesian 2000). It encompasses all the related and affiliated activities that have to do with the production, distribution and delivery of services of goods and services in a retail organization (Nersesian 2000). Current Characteristics of retail Industry Retail industry is an area of business that has quiet a wide spectrum. It involves small stores serving the select neighbourhoods to behemot h stores catering to the needs of large urban hubs. By its very nature, the retail industry tends to be immensely dependant on consumer spending. This is more so, considering the current economic meltdown, which has greatly compromised the spending ability of the consumers. The small retail stores are already a thing of the past because they failed to meet the customer aspirations in a cost effective and efficient manner. The internet, which has emerged as a ubiquitous medium for conducting retail transactions has added one new dimension to retail. The big departmental stores are also losing their appeal and they are trying hard to reposition themselves. The big departmental stores are under immense pressure to reposition their product lines to meet the fast changing consumer aspirations and preferences (Miron 2002). The emergence of discount stores in the retail scenario is one more salient trend that is poised to stay (Davies & Ward 2002). Discount stores offer varied incentives t o the consumers like competitive low prices, money back guarantees, etc. This is combined with varied other features like floor help and an easy access to the merchandise. The coming of Category Killer retail stores is one other major development. Category Killers concentrate their focus on a specific product category and try to outrun their competitors in that category by appropriating a lion’s share in that category (Davies & Ward 2002, p. 105). Category Killers have appropriated a major share of the retail segments in which they are operational and have drastically reduced the number of players in these segments (Davies & Ward 200

To Implement Primary Prevention Principles Designed to Address an Assignment

To Implement Primary Prevention Principles Designed to Address an Issue of Concern to the Entire School Community - Assignment Example   School psychologists, as well as school consultants help in the prevention program by providing school leaders a way to expose several procedures of how to deal with several problems of children, more particularly, student achievement, self-esteem enhancement, substance abuse, or crisis situations within school limits (Shaw, M. C., Goodyear, R. K., 1984). Nowadays, children are more demanding than in the previous era’s. Some children rather than others cannot make it normally. They need special and supportive training to get into the stream. (Stephen J. M., Astrid M. O’ M., March 2008). For the appraisal of these children which are usually left behind, prevention programs are being conducted by many school leaders. According to school psychologists, special training programs are required to be conducted in the premature level of their studies so as to make them build up their strong character. Prevention programs are one of them to help the students psychologically as well as mentally to enhance their behavior and get to know of dealing with certain critical situations which make them brave enough to start running again among the other normal children. Program to implement primary prevention principles: Primary schools have some funding collected to support pre- level children who are not making expected progress. The main aim of Prevention Programs is to raise the standard of all children. Strategies are to be made in order to give the children additional support in achievement as well as in dealing with another critical issue like substance abuse or crises management. Primary prevention program is a significant program that brings changes in the structural framework of each educational unit. This helps the children in memorizing common practices and consistent application of positive or negative reinforcement.  

How Would you physicalise a charcter from a play Essay Example for Free

How Would you physicalise a charcter from a play Essay Too physicalise a character from a play you need to have studied the specific character in a reasonable amount of detail, so you can portray them correctly. To do this effectively you need to do various exercises, all which will help you grasp the character the best you can. There are several methods which can help you to understand a character eg: Hot Seating, Spider Diagrams, and Workshops etc. In our lesson we explored the character by Hot Seating, Character Profiles and other exercises. Hot seating is an extremely effective method, as it puts you on the spot answering various questions in your characters persona. It helps lock in the information about the character you’re playing. You need to understand the questions being asked from your characters point of view so you can understand who your character is and why. We used this method in our lesson, and i found it was an effective way of physicalising a character. Another exercise we did in class which was effective was one where we were told to hold a pose in the form of our character then walk around the room in the characters style. This is a great exercise because although Hot Seating, Profiles are good they focus mainly on the psychological side, where as this focused on the physical aspect of the character. Character Profiles I believe are an essential tool in bringing a character to life. Because it allows you to go deep in to the information about the character, their background, family life, nationality etc. These aspects are what form how a character behaves and why they feel certain things. For example Stanley in Street Car Desire, has a particular hatred for being called a ‘polak’ as his family originates from Poland and deems the phrase derogatory towards them. Spider Diagrams are effective in showing your characters relations with other characters in the play. These are essential to know as it may influence why the act a certain way around someone. How did you explore the use of Verbal and Non=Verbal.

Films And Television Impact On Tourists Tourism Essay

Films And Television Impact On Tourists Tourism Essay Film induced tourism is a growing phenomenon worldwide. Films and television can have impact on tourists decision making upon their choices of travel and destination. Films make audience all over the world fall in love with them and attempt to travel to where the films were made, thus enabling the film locations to become tourist destinations. The power of the film and television in promoting destinations and stimulating tourism demand is an international phenomenon. So, film and television series usually have more long-term impacts in tourism. Today, throughout China, over hundreds of TV-Movie towns are built and have turned into theme park, which carries a certain brand name to appeal to potential tourists. It is clear that many cities have a major task to get their sites recognized globally as suitable and fashionable destinations for international and domestic tourism. China West film studio in Ningxia province, as one of the up-and-coming film theme park, is chosen as a case stu dy to explore its development, covering its paths of success and failure. The impact of film and television for a person, a place even a nation is not despised. Throughout domestic and overseas, a film studio which takes a whole process of making movies and relevant things for film and television as the attractions is becoming more and more popular in tourism industry. Chinas tourism industry is currently upgraded from sightseeing leading phase to the leisure and cultural experience leading stages. In this context, relying on filming and hitting the drama (and subsequent similar cultural theme film) to create the image and related cultural experience tourism products for the studio has gradually become much favorite of new leisure and experienced products in markets. It is also a tourism consumption hotspot. Only depend on filming income for a film studios development is an absolute losing proposition. Especially one movie left a city sights, the limitation of a scenery spot is even bigger. Therefore, many film studios finally forced to turn to tourism asp ect, to become a film theme park. China film and TV tourism industry was originated in 1980s. In this process, the film theme park as the inevitable outcome of the film industry development is gradually be known and become a kind of special tourism activity places along with the film tourism development. The development of film theme park to tourist attractions started in Beijing. In 1984, CCTV developed the famous Chinese Literature A Dream of Red Mansions into a TV series. It became the most popular television series of its time (A Dream of Red Mansions, CCTV 2008). In fact, it was the earliest popular series in China (A Dream of Red Mansions, CCTV 2008). Compared with abroad, Chinas film tourism was started late. Its development stage is relatively backward and the profitability is not pretty good. According to statistics, the film theme park which was through the approval has about more than 110 at present in China, but only 14 or 15 can do the normal business (http://www.lwcj.com). Among them, only CCTV WuXi Movie and TV Base, ZhuoZhou TV and Movie Town and China West Film Studio is running well. Most of the film theme park only has few crew and visitors entered. 1.1.2 The Film Studio situation in China The film studio in China is different with the most famous Americans film studio. Chinas film studio can largely called video production base, the main task is for film and TV production services. But, the Americans film studio can be really called film theme park. The visitors is god there, they enjoy the wonderful movie experience which doesnt exist in the reality but only exist in the movie. According to understand, relying on collection the sell rental and developing film tourism are the main profit model in Chinas film studio, and this single profit model has hidden huge risk. Chinas film studio always has been the role of movie producers. People build film studio for filming, but the builder often ignore the sustainable development of the film studio. Thus cause once the crew delisted, that film studio will face the waste situation. Data revealed that a film base covers an area of thousands of acres, but the profit is only 10% of crew cost (http://www.chinavalue.net). 1.1.3 General Information of China West Film Studio China West Film Studio is a hot location for tourists due to popular movie and television series. Its the national AAAAA class scenic area for tourism and best scenic area for tourism in China (China West Film Studio 2011). China West Film Studio is located in Yinchuan City, Ningxia Province, China. It has the convenient transportation. It is 38 kilometers from the downtown of Yinchuan city, 25 kilometers from railway station, and 48 kilometers from airport. It is the hot scenic spot for the tourists who visited Ningxia must pass through. (China West Film Studio 2011). QQà ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ .png Fig1.1.3 The location of China West Film Studio in Yinchuan city, Ningxia province, China The construction of the China West Film Studio was based on the military camps at the border region in Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1961, the well knows writer Zhang Xiang Liang discovered its special value of beauty. In the early 80s in 20 century, Mr. Zhang introduced this place to circle of movies, thereafter, this place began to join the movies and TV plays. Till now, there were near 100 movies and TV plays had been taken here (China West Film Studio 2011). The great directors from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan of China had their talent here. A lot of new stars marched onto the world just from here and they became the international stars thereafter. Still a lot of movies taken here had got different prizes on the prominent, international movies festivals, some of those movies had know as the typical ones in the history of Chinese movies. And the ruins of ancient military camps were changed into the famous movies and TV plays city in China. This place had got the fine reputation as Chinese movies march on the world from here (China West Film Studio 1993). But just at beginning of the construction of the studio city. Mr. Zhang Xian Liang predicted that the development of movies would make the production of using the techniques of the electronic computer more and more. The future movies will be produced rather than taken. Thus, the function of a studio to provide a place for taking movies will vanish bit by bit as time passes. Therefore, people always call this West Studio an image cite instead of a Movies and TV plays city, the name Movie and TV plays city was a popular speaking. Yet, the image city means an epitome of the ancient towns in the north China. In the course of Chinese modernization, urban-notation and the construction of new rural areas, a large number of Chinese traditional, material and non-material cultivation is doomed to be diminished gradually. The West Film Studio is doing his best to collect this Chi nese traditional, material and non-material cultivation, exhibit it on the desert and ruins in the vast north land, let the old aged filed be able to show some brilliant colors. During the tourists visiting, they will be just like passing through a time channel to return to the past long ancient time. Our ancestors Glamour was showed there, besides the valuable historical memory was reserved as well. Then, on the base of inheriting the historical culture, China West Film Studio developed their imagination and creation. Now, besides the stage properties used in the well known movies and great stars, traces of their activities, there are various antiques, furniture, utensils, tools, architecture parts etc. with rich content and Ming Qing dynasties special features. And the common facilities equipped in the normal tourism places such as restaurant, such as MaYinghua tourist recreation center, Sheqi tea Bar, Baihua tang hall, exhibition hall, supermarkets, tourist souvenirs, etc, all of them can be found here. There still are the movie bills exhibition, artistic photography exhibition, artistic figures, and the gallery of ruins which was built for sake of protecting the cultural relics specially. And there are the ancient costume photos, horse riding, arrow shooting and some unique, folk performance such entertainment items here. China West Film Studio also after MTV for the tourists to enjoy the scenes and stage properties with the tourist themselves in the MTV or short films, the tourists can perform in the mimic show as a great star or take a photo for your whole team. All above activities may make tourists feel a tourist while arrival, a famous star while departure. 1.2 Statement of Problems Film theme park (FTP) appears to be a new form of tourism in China, yet its business-together with popularity of Chinese movies country-wide and word wide, as well as growth in tourist activities-moves at a high speed in generating significant revenue for Chinas tourism. While researches on Chinese films and their impact upon tourism have been expensively produced, little has been done in relations with FTP. As FTP business grows larger, a study on its success and failure factors becomes more important, so that management direction of FTP can be mapped out more solidly to sustain its activity as a viable part of tourism in China. Like its predecessors-Universal Studio, Paramount Pictures, or Shaw Brothers, CWFS has striven to create another worlds destination of film tourism. However, the success models of the formers may not be blindly copied and be reproduced in China. FTPs in China show different levels of development around China, but some of them have the problems, as a result of short-life cycle, difficulty in operation and return on the investment. Coupled with study on the operation and management sides of FTP, this research also aims to explore the relationship between CWFS and their impact upon tourism of Ningxia Providence. Residents of Ningxia, as host of this up-and-coming destination, must show their interests and cooperation in promoting the business of CWFS, thus stabilizing the FTP of their province with concrete creation. Therefore, this research seeks the following questions: RQ1. What describes the tourist business of China West Film Studio? RQ2. What constitutes strength and weakness of the tourist business of CWFS? RQ3. What impact does CWFS has on Ningxia province tourism? 1.3 Research Objectives This research aims: To identify the tourist business being conduct in CWFS; To explore rooms of success of tourist business of CWFS; To explore rooms for improvement of tourist business of CWFS; and, To identify the impact from tourist business that CWFS has upon Ningxia province tourism 1.4 Scope of the Research China West Film Studio is an external window of Ning Xia civilization. It is Chinas ancient northern town and national intangible cultural heritage protection and development project integrated experimental base. There is a hot location for tourists due to popular movie and television series. It is very important to the tourism economy and environment of Ning Xia province. The primary goal of this research is through analyze the current management approaches of China West film studio so as to development in understanding film-induced tourism, assess the implications of the theme park sustainability and the significance in tourism destinations. This research will use a case study of China West Film Studio in Ningxia Province to investigate the important issues regarding the management vision of the studio, and to assess the existing polices of sustainable tourism development in Chinese theme parks. Using quantitative approach, a survey with questionnaire in the field at CWFS will be c onducted. Qualitative approach is also used by conducting in-depth interview with representatives of the China West Film Studios managers and visitors, including participant observation on the visitors. Reviews of official documents, statistics and printed materials will also be counted. 1.5 Limitations of the study The following were basic limitations of this study: 1.5.1 There is relatively few of research on the level of film theme park in China, especially for a successful or failure business model of film theme park management system is a question which has not been looked into adequately to date. 1.5.2 The research case study will limit the results of the study to other TV and Movie Town theme parks. 1.5.3 The in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey may have been compromised by subjective answers. 1.6 Significance of the Study Now, using movies as a theme to set up theme parks has become a trend. So, it is necessary for theme park operators to start planning strategically and organizing marketing and promotion activities in their film theme parks. The significance of this research is through analyze the current management approaches of China West film studio so as to development in understanding film-induced tourism, assess the implications of the theme park sustainability and the significance in tourism destinations. 1.7 Definition of Terms Theme park: theme park refers to a tract of land on which a developer has created a series of exhibits, rides, and other elements that tend to be designed around some unifying idea (Dittmer, 2002) China West Film Studio (CWFS): China West Film Studio is Chinas ancient northern town and national intangible cultural heritage protection and development project integrated experimental base. There is a hot location for tourists due to popular movie and television series. Its the national AAAA class scenic area for tourism and best scenic area for tourism in China. Film Theme Park (FTP): Usually adjacent to a studio, specifically built for tourism with no actual filming or production taking place. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is a detailed review of film tourism and theme park management and development in China. These will be conducted to provide a better understanding of the background study. The review will include a documentary research of journals and books on tourism and theme parks in China, including printed materials form the China West Film Studio Board. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the basic concepts being studied on the topic. 2.1 Theme park In the past 25 years, parks have increasingly appropriated historic themes as a medium for entertainment and communication with the travel markets. A theme park offers a controlled, clean environment. The theme itself is a critical factor determining the popularity of the park. (Gordon W. McClung, 1991). Wong Cheung (1999) pointed out that the movie theme, a popular theme found in the West with successful cases including Universal Studios and Warner Brothers Movie World, was the least preferred theme in Hong Kong. This pointed out the need for the consideration of cultural influence on theme preference (Wong Cheung 1999). In contrast to the abundance of previous research on theme park and tourism demand, relatively little has been done on the specific topic TV and Movie Town development in China. Scheurer (2003) defined that theme parks aim to create an atmosphere of another place and time and they usually concentrate on one dominant theme, around which architecture, landscaping, costumed personnel, and different facilities for entertainment, distraction, recreation, or physical activity, such as rides, shows, food service, and merchandise, are coordinated. Everything is coordinated to create an overall experience a special setting for the visitors. 2.2 Types of Theme Park From the chart below listed out the four major theme park types. The types are classified by the target tourists, theme, and facility provided. Types Tourist Theme Facility Example Super Park Global Market Combined by different theme Various travel experience with accommodation provided Disneyworld, Universal Studio Landmark Theme Park The whole city nearby city Specific Theme and Shows e.g. Ethnic themes Focus on the static travel experience, provide educational purpose Splendid China, The window of the world, Hong Kong Ocean Park Amusement Park Local market Single Theme Rides and Games Lotte Garden Local Scale Theme park Local market Single Theme Static View China West Film Studio Table2.1 Four Major types of Theme Park Sources: (CNTA 2007) According to the theme park can provide the type of travel experience (product form) to its classification, the current theme park in China, mainly in the following categories: Scenario simulation model: a variety of movie types of theme parks, such as the three movies (Wuxi). Pleasure type: for example, Suzhou park, Jinjiang Amusement park (East China), Dream Watertown (Zhuhai). Tourism type: Splendid China, Window of the world (Shenzhen) and so on. Theme type: Kiev aircraft carrier (Tianjin), Minsk aircraft carrier (Shenzhen), a variety of aquarium. Style experience type: all kinds of ethnic villages, folk village, such as China Folk Culture village (Shenzhen). The above classification is only a simple analysis, if the strict sense of the theme park classification, the theme parks theme in itself implies a proposition about the culture can be derived from many types of theme parks. (Management Theory Papers, 2008) 2.3 Chinas theme park development Since 1955, the United States since the birth of Walt Disney World, Theme parks has gone through half a century of development. The theme park industry is relatively new in China, with some of the early parks developed only in the mid-1980s (Ap, 2003). Thirty years, Chinas theme park industry is surging, in the dark out of the simple imitation of the past, and now the comprehensive development. Song (2011) mentioned that, in fact, the first Theme Park-Journey to the West Temple which appeared in the late 80s cannot be called the strict sense of the theme park in China. It is actually a props exhibition for the large series drama -Journey to the West. Because it is satisfied the domestic tourists curiosity of shooting and the demand of pursue new tourism product, it recouped the capital outlay soon after input market. Then, the United States, Netherlands, Japan and Hong Kongs theme park developers began to entry into the Chinese market in joint venture way with their rich experience and financial strength. Then China officially emerged a group of large scale theme park. Chinas first large-scale theme park in Shenzhen Splendid China gained sensational success through its national character. It presented Chinas famous mountains and rivers as well as cultural heritage through miniature models, hosting over three million visitors in the first year of establishment (Global times, 2009) Within the first three years after the opening of Splendid China, there were about sixteen large-scale theme parks and hundreds of small-scale parks built in mainland China (Oakes, 1998). Because of the technology monetization, the economy globalization, the culture diversification, and the different needs of market, the change of the forms of theme park is critical to the innovation and development of contemporary theme park. By 1998, there were an estimated two thousand amusement or theme park attractions in China. But many of them were not successful from a financial and operational perspective and most of them were in a deficit (Ap, 2003). 2.4 The profit model of Theme Park Generally speaking, the profit model of traveling scenic area (theme park) basically has the following kinds, and its profit model is a mixture of these types of revenue streams: To provide primary experience chance to sell ones own things, such as: selling tickets. To provide help to enrich experience and the corresponding service, such as: providing catering and accommodation services. To sell possible income opportunities around the consumption power of tourists and potential tourists, such as: commercial sponsorship of festival activities and investment promotion in scenic spot. To gain capital investment in tourism project site after earning premium to other commercial development, such as scenic area, the real estate development in tourism destinations. To sale or transfer the commodities with the intellectual property characteristics, such as: toys, tourism souvenirs, handicrafts and so on. To provide public service for guaranteeing market-oriented of residents in tourism scenic spot, such as: water and electricity supply. (Management theory papers, 2008) The profitability of this six major ways are building upon the basic fact about the arrival of tourists, even the profitable way which established on the base of local residents consumption power also needs to realize the relative economies of scale through the arrival of tourists. Using these six profitability methods to analyze the profitability of theme park model is not too hard to find the current domestic theme parks problem is single model profits. Most of the theme park only depends on ticket sales to structure their profit model. 2.5 General Problems in Chinas Theme Park Development Nowadays, the scales of domestic theme parks are extending, and the investment is rising. Many industry experts have identified, redundant construction and similar topics, in the inherent failure of the theme park has been foreshadowed. This leads to many problems in Chinas theme park development and cause many difficulties for theme park investors. A report released at the last China Tourism Resort and Attraction Summit said 2500 theme parks had sprung up in the country in the past two decades. But 70 percent of them are losing money-only 10 percent make some profit (China Daily, 2009). More than 2/3 of the theme parks cannot earn enough money to cover the investment, and are facing great difficulties. Table 2.2 showed the profit of theme park in China. Table 2.2 The profit of them park in China Ap John (1999) offered some observations about the general problems in Chinas theme park. They were supply-led; build the park and they will come. There is widespread copying of successful theme parks. There is an oversupply of theme parks. Little consideration is given to new or innovative facilities to give parks individuality and distinctiveness. Consideration of guest expectations is insufficient. A lack of value for money leads to one-time visits. 2.6 The significance of Theme Park Theme also creates a powerful visual and spatial reorganization of public space and shapes consumption spaces. Theme park visitors are able to see the world and recall their experience by purchasing souvenirs and merchandising, with thematic motifs continued throughout the entire experience, even into nearby hotels(TeoYeo,2001). Theme park plays an important role in the development process of world tourism. Song (2011) express theme park is an important supplement for resources and products in the tourism resources abundant region. In lack of tourism resources region, theme park can make up for lack of resources, break through the obstacles of tourism development. In the experience economy, the needs of tourists are increasingly sophisticated. Theme park itself is a specialized form of tourism destinations which constructed for meeting diversity of tourists and individual needs. Compared with natural tourist attractions and cultural tourism attractions, theme park can provide more pe rsonalized, user-friendly, and value-oriented products and services. Therefore, as a new form of tourism attractions, theme park has not only added to the tourism resources and products, but also provided a wealth of experience. It is reflecting a trend for the future of tourism development. 2.7 Film induced tourism The study of film tourism is relatively new in tourism research. Hudson and Ritchie (2006) define film tourism as tourist visits to a destination or attraction as a result of the destination being featured on television, video, DVD or the cinema screen. Tetley (1997) indicated that film-induced tourism a form related to films and television is widely known as a lucrative and rapidly growing sector of the tourism industry with increasing economic importance. Films do clearly have an important contribution in influencing peoples travel decisions. According to Grihault (2003), successful films have a direct and powerful role in creating and sustaining tourism to a location, be it a hotel or a continent. Filming not only provides short-term employment and publicity for the chosen location but also long-term tourism opportunities (Couldry, 1998). Film productions create significant economic benefits for host regions. Film production can also have a positive impact on tourism as viewers seek to visit locations they have seen on the big screen (Hudson and Ritchie, 2006). The media has become a major vehicle of awareness and style leadership, bringing the wonders of the world and the excitement of remote natural environments to millions of people (Tooke, N. 1996). There is no doubt that films and television programs have created an increase in visitor numbers at their respective locations (Riley, 1992). Throughout the development of domestic and foreign film tourism, we can divide the development of film tourism into 3 stages. The feature of each stage is as this table: ( Liu, 2004) Stage Time Tourist objects The content of tourism activities Tourism destination Tourism characters Budding stage 1896~ 1986 Studio Visit studio Sightseeing, Entertainment Mainly by static view Development stage 1987~ now Filming base, Film theme park Visit, Entertainment Comprehensive entertainment experience, Pleasurable mind and increase knowledge Pay attention to participate, interaction, and experience Mature stage Filming base, The whole process of film and TV production, Film related activity Experience, Rise Improve personal development, Enhance spiritual Fully exert subjectivity Table 2.3 Development of film tourism stage 2.8 The Film tourism constructed location-TV and film studio Universal Studios and Disneyworld-MGM have added to the extensive attraction of Orlando, Florida, by placing visitors within real movie scenes such as ET, Star Wars (Riley, 1998). Movie world of Queensland, Australia, cashes in on the allure of movies by advertising itself as the only movie theme park outside of the United States (Castaway Travel 1997). Those successful films and major motion pictures enhanced the awareness, appeal and profitability of locations and they were of limited duration in terms of viewing times and days at cinematic venues (Riley 1998). It aroused the interests for tourists to visit the real places. The artificial constructed location, China West Film Studio, has common characteristics in the development. It built up from the ruins of town, but now it covers an area of 1100 acres. The investment of China West Film Studio which is from more than 700,000 Yuan in the first place until now has more than 20 million Yuan (China West Film Studio, 2010). Those investments were fuelled to develop the sites and supporting facilities. On the other hand, the popularity of the films strongly has an influence on the tourists interest in visiting the TV and movie studio. The TV and Movie Studio is highly dependent on the success of the films. One of the factors which has caused the success of China West film Studio was the high popularity of the TV series and film shot and made in the Town. Because of these reasons, China West Film Studio is regarded as low input and high output example in Chinas tourism industry. Ningxia province has become an important cultural landscape and favorite tourism attractions. 2.9 Definition of Film Theme Park in China Guo Wang (2008) mentioned that foreign people generally believed the Hollywood and Kyoto movie village are the typical representative of the combination of film culture and tourism industry. Hollywood takes filming as the main task, but Kyoto movie village is focus on the culture of film. Both of them dont have independent filming base. Chinas film theme park is the classic work of the combination of tourism product and filming. Its specific characteristic is the complementary relationship between filming function and tourism development (Guo Wang, 2008). On account of this demarcation, Chinas film theme park has its specific features which are not only differing from aboard film base, but also different from domestic scenic spots. The specific features of Chinas theme park are as follows: The design for the theme is taking film culture as a feature. It has distinct theme and descendible culture connotation. The item design of theme park is taking imitate and reappear scene as a feature. It has reality carrier of film culture. Chinas theme park has double functions of film and TV outdoor scene base and tourism. Film and tourism can cooperate to each other. (Guo Wang, 2008) 3.0 Classification of Film Theme Park in China On the basis of different partition standard, Shao Yang (2010) divided Chinas Film Theme Park into the following form: According to the theme of Film Theme Park, Chinas Film Theme Park can be divided into three categories, namely natural scenery based Film Park, folk culture based Film Park, and historical theme based Film Park. Natural scenery based Film Park: This type of film theme park is crafted by the main advantage of local unique natural scenery, generally concentrated in the scenic, natural resource-rich region. Folk culture based Film Park: This type of film theme park is mainly to show up the local customs and culture. Typical of this type of film theme park is China West Film Studio. Historical theme based Film Park: This type of film theme park is based on the classics, to reproduce the historic buildings, ancient style and so on. Currently, most of Chinas film theme park is belong to this category. According to the Film Theme Parks formation of causal relationship, Chinas Film Theme Park can be divided into two categories, namely built for the filming needs of film and built for landscape. According to different investors of Film Theme Park, Chinas Film Park can be divided into three types, namely public capital investment, private capital investment and joint venture model. 2.9 The significance of China West Film Studio in Ningxia tourism development China West Film Studio is a cradle of the Chinas movie industry. It is the unique theme park, which combine the movie industry with the tourism. Chinese movie industry was encountered a serious challenge at the end of las

Ideologies of Management

Ideologies of Management The extent of complexity in the organisational management processes requires many questions to be raised in the pursuit of effective strategy for management HRM and employees relation. For managers, what important is the know-how, what, why and how to take the right decisions and how to release these decisions to employees. For them, the challenge is how to use the information gathered and also know how to ignore it. Also, their challenge focuses on how to mix being competitors and being evolver, how to face this complex and non-linear dynamics of the business environment and stay lean and agile. The dilemma is to keep the relation to employees in a good state such that motivation and satisfaction are the status quo, meanwhile the common good for the business is realised. This is why, tangible and intangible have been mixed, and this is why many call for human factor and conscious to play a role. This is difficult, but not impossible, the evidence is produced by Brown and Eisenhardt (1998) quoting companies such as Nike, Microsoft, Virgin and others. Industrial relations are very much connected to the trade and workers unions history. At the beginning of the last century there was a leaning towards mass labour and their unions. Trade Unions moved from strength to strength until it started to collapse due to many unworthy tactics and unwelcome strikes which brought many industries to standstill situations. Governments, including the British government, started to attack militancy in trade unions. Industrial relation started to take new forms. Nowadays, many changes have occurred in industrial relations. Silva (1998) stated changes in industrial relations practices (rather than in institutions and systems) such as increased collective bargaining at enterprise level, flexibility in relation to forms of employment as well as in relation to working time and job functions have occurred as a result of such factors as heightened competition, rapid changes in products and processes and the increasing importance of skills, quality and prod uctivity. Management of todays organisations have the conviction that taking unilateral decision is in their own rights, and that it should not be challenged by employees, or even stakeholders. They consider that this is their duty to manage. The conviction follows the ideology of Unitarism. In this work, this notion of management will be discussed in the light of three ideologies which are Unitarism, Pluralism, and Marxism. However, I will start by looking at the concept of job regulation, which some see as the core of industrial relation. Then, the other parts of the question will be discussed within this context. The concept of job regulations in some authors views represents the core of industrial relations. Flanders (1965) stipulated that study of industrial relations should be limited to the institutions of job regulation. In this approach, (Oram, 1984) indicated that the human relations variable was given a relatively insignificant role in the explanation of behaviour in industrial relations. Although personal, or unstructured, relationships were acknowledged as being important, they were considered by Flanders to be outside the scope of industrial relations. Flanders (1965) made a distinction between internal and external job regulations. Internal job regulations are those rules and regulation that can be changed internally by management and subordinates without any outside authorisation. This internal regulation could be achieved unilaterally by the management or bilaterally through negotiation with employees. On the other hand external job regulations are those being imposed on the org anisation from outside agencies where they could be any third parties, state regulation or any outside stakeholders. Hence, it can be said that job regulations as such may forge the industrial relations and external job regulation may allow different forms of unions. As mentioned previously there are three perspectives on employment relations and these are Unitarism, Pluralism, and Marxism. Unitarism by definition has a set of characteristics. In Unitarism, the organization is considered as one unit that is working towards a single goal. It represents the happy family picture. It also follows that all members of the family, i.e. the organisation, are loyal. Unitalirsts do not believe in conflicts or disputes and they do not expect or accept it. Trade unions have no role to play in unitarism, no negotiations and no collective bargaining. Any of these issues would be considered a disruptive influence to the path of the organisation towards its goal. Management in Unitarism considers making unilateral decisions is the norm and any opposition to this is illogic and irrational. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees. Atkinson and Curtis (2004, p. 492) stated paternalistic approach to employee relations in many small companies was found to be largely still intact. The governments intention of developing partnerships in the employment relationship in order to promote greater fairness in the workplace has, to a significant extent, failed. Small companies may not be granting their employees all their statutory rights. The statement quoted indicates that in this approach there is a sense of unfairness in such ideology of unitarism, at least in the view of the author. Other authors such as Rodriguez and Rios (2007) see that paternalism is counterproductive to productivity. Rodriguez and Rios (2007, p. 356) stated Given this historical account, paternalism has been closely related to the traditional personalized social bond between a boss and his employees. The association also implies that paternalism and productivity are not compatible. In this paper we argue that some of the new modern labour bonds that are being established rise from the paternalistic womb. New fully modern bonds non paternalistic are present as well. Both are related to productivity under the condition that organizations act consistently with the premises under which the contracts are made. By consistent we mean non hypocritical relationships that realistically and sincerely take into account those premises to decide upon Human Resources management policies and practices. On the other hand, authors such as Lewis (1989) see that unitarism approach is what is required in the midst of recession. Lewis (1989) referred to Cressey and Mclnnes (1985) argue that the effect of the recession has been to downgrade the role of consultation. In the companies in which they reviewed the process of consultation, it was trivial and bland. Any lifeboat democracy, as they term it, brought about by the desire to improve co-operation in order to cope with the recession, is extremely fragile and will come to grief on the rocks of managerial prerogative. Moreover, some authors consider that unitarism is normal and required, for example Wilkinson, et al (1991) stated unitarism is an underlying theme which remains unquestioned. Implementation is se en as a matter of motivation, with the correct attitudes being instilled by simple training programmes. Black and Ackers (1998) termed the context of unitarism as looked upon in this investigation as macho management or direct control as a management style. The authors then referred to what they termed as new unitarism and indicated that there is now a shift towards such ideology. Black and Ackers (1998) suggest that management is shifting its emphasis, within the strategy of responsible autonomy, away from the shop stewards organisation towards the shop-floor worker. This involves a shift of issues from collective bargaining to consultation and an attempt to supplement or replace the workplace corporatism of the post-war period, with a greater stress on direct communications with and involvement of the shop floor. The new unitarism attempts to circumvent unions and restrict their scope rather than smashing them. In support of this Gunnigle (1992) views neo-unitarism as a unitarist perspective involving a range of HRM policies designed to eliminate employee need for collective representation. In this sense neo-unitarism is a diluted version of the old unitarism that is investigated here. The second perspective that will be discussed within the context of unilateral managerial decisions is pluralism. Keenoy and Anthony (1992) indicated that the 1970s debate about pluralism was centred on the appropriateness of pluralistic methods to the achievement of social justice; an ethical controversy regarding how the business organizations should be managed. Chigara (1995) indicated that Pluralism holds that employers and employees interests are diametrically opposed to each other, and that they are held in the balance by the common need of keeping the enterprise alive. For pluralists, the trade union is a welcome vehicle for communication. Oram (1984, p. 23) added to the above that Pluralists see trade unionism as merely one more example of a competitive pressure group which Western democratic society accommodates as a matter of course. Pluralists also see that within legal limits, trade union aspirations can be fulfilled sometimes by imposing their wishes in ways which manage ment may see as arbitrary. Trade unions are seen as presenting legitimate challenges to managerial rule with one outcome being in the form of agreed rules, regulating terms and conditions of employment. Dobson (1982) indicated that in the pluralist approach, it is implicit to industrial relations a great belief in the virtues of collective bargaining since it is the method which is used to resolve conflicts. Dobson (1982) stated that other forms of job regulation-especially unilateral regulation by employer, trade union and workgroup-are usually condemned, since they over-ride the interests of other groups. The author then aired the views of the critics to pluralism as stipulating that the legitimacy of collective bargaining is based on certain assumptions, most notably the assumption that all interest groups possess approximate equality of power, so that the eventual compromise reflects equal concessions by all the parties. Even the commonly used definition of collective bargaining of joint job regulation, seems to suggest equality between the parties. Dobson (1982) added that Critics of pluralism have argued that power is very rarely distributed equally, and since in the long run the employer can move his production and investment elsewhere, power is predominantly concentrated in the hands of the employer. For the very same reasons other researchers such as Gunnigle (1992) pointed out to the rise of Neo-pluralism. Gunnigle (1992) stated that Neo-pluralism presented a second type of HRM which involves moves towards greater consensualism and commitment in unionized companies. It is characterized by what might be termed a dualist approach, involving the use of HRM techniques such as direct communications with employees and performance related pay systems alongside established collective bargaining procedures. Pluralism then seem to think that organisation conflicts does exist and that employers and employees interests may be different, however, having accepted this they also accepted that these conflicts are resolvable and that trade unions and the process of collective bargaining are more than capable of attaining a resolution. This assumes that power is equally distributed between employers, employees and unions. Hence, collective bargaining works efficiently. However, researchers also doubt this assumption. Dobson (1982) disputed this unrealistic balance of power and stated A more realistic view of collective bargaining, which takes account of the varying power balances between employers and workers, would see collective bargaining straddling the continuum between unilateral worker regulation on the one hand and unilateral employer regulation on the other. Such an approach would bring into question the pluralist assumption that collective bargaining is necessarily good per se, for at the extremes of the continuum the substantive content of a collective agreement may be identical to that of a unilateral decision. Dobson as such dismisse d the application of collective bargaining as equal to unilateral decision within the imbalance of power that exists in reality. Ackers (1994) agrees with Dobsons view and stated Today, the narrow, institutional version of pluralism is unsustainable. Any view of industrial relations as simply collective bargaining would confine it to a minority activity in a declining sector of the economy. The third perspective on employment relationship is that of Marxism. Hyman (1975) is considered as the authority on Marxism in relation to industrial relations, albeit that he was criticized for being too theoretical in his approach. Wood (1976) referred to Davis criticising the work of Hyman as so abstract and general as to be almost worthless, in either theoretical or practical terms. Still, Hyman explain that worker grievances could only be expressed through collective bargaining and industrial actions. Barbash (2005) indicated that the Marxist model assumes the existence of class conflicts and it is built on the assumption of coalition formation. Marxism stipulates that coalition formation is based on classes that form from out of groups that are in the same authority position in the organisation. Marxism also assumes that classes are able to regulate conflicts and can bring change through negotiations. Marxists acknowledge unions but see the faults in them when in the interest o f workers they seek economic improvement rather than embarking on a revolutionary change and they accuse some unions and their members are subject to false consciousness and that they need to work towards their Leninist destiny. Marxists believes that capitalism creates and endorses monopolies and that capitalism has a powerful luring to the workers when they acquire some powers. Therefore the Marxism approach is to make a goal of overthrowing capitalism. It supports the notion that industrial relations are made by those that are involve in the production and gives the first importance to workers and their affair. It holds true that workers for capitalism are considered a burden on profit making. Marxists also held the view that workers contracts are imposed upon them and they do not enter to it freely and that makes them weak as individual and their strength is therefore lies in their coalition. Marxism sees conflict of interest between capital and workers and employment relations are formed through this conflict. Marxism also uphold the view that trade unions presents optimal solution for such conflicts and ironically Marxists views that institutions of joint regulation would enhance rather than limit managements position as they presume the continuation of capitalism rather than challenge it. From the above a conclusion can be drawn regarding the conviction of management that they have the right to unilateral decision making over human resource issues and that this right is legitimate and rational. It is obvious to many that the trade unions power has been in the last two decades in a decline state. Also, the power of collective bargaining has been in decline, especially after the rise of capitalism in Eastern Europe. The pluralistic approach was seen to be restrictive to the flair and individualistic behaviour of entrepreneurial organisations. Pluralism, whilst acknowledging the conflicts in employers and employees interests, it upholds the idea that survival of the organisation is the derived force to keep it going. Pluralists see trade unions are as presenting legitimate challenges to managerial rule and that it leads to a satisfactory outcome. In fact, each one of the two perspective unitarism and pluralism has its critics. For example, in unitarism there is no obviou s reason as why managers have the only say, and whether this is sensible. It can be argued against unitarism that it gives organisation values to managers and not to groups. If it is a fact of life that conflicts exist in organisations, unitarism does not seem to appreciate this. The same also could be said about pluralism, where it is based on assuming a balance of power that seldom exists in organisations. It also assumes that all conflicts are resolvable and that all those involved have no hidden agendas apart from the common good. It also assumes the full trust in each party; therefore it is unreal and impractical. In regard to Marxism, it was found, in my view, as a mere attack on capitalism and rejection of all of its principles based on naive attempt to show its drawbacks. Marxism hence, relay on giving power to unionists leaders and support the use of extreme measures to resolve conflicts. The concept of job regulations seems to be taken by many researchers as the centre for employment relations and that this relation is formed by both internal and external means. As such this concept may encapsulate all three perspectives in one as it contain unilateral, bilateral and collective as well as state efforts in forming the employment relation. In regard to the subject in question which discusses the unilateral decisions by managements over human resource issues and whether it is legitimate or not. I am of the opinion that it is unrealistic to think that management would allow such decisions to be made collectively. Even if on the face of it, they pretend that it is so. I found myself entirely agree with Lewis (1989) who stated The industrial relations debate about the reasons why management promote employee participation in decision making has run for many years. Much of the literature emphasises the theory that participation in the U.K. is more imagined than real. It gives employees the illusion of a say in organisational decision making whereas the reality is that management use the illusion as a mechanism for control of employees. In fact, this illusion is carried out everywhere and seems ingrained in any organisation. REFERENCES Ackers, P. (1994) Back to Basics? Industrial Relations and the Enterprise Culture. 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