The Wonder Years Album Review free essay sample

An In-depth Analysis of The Wonder Years Suburbia Eve Given You All and Now Im Nothing as a Concept Album The Wonder Years have been raising eyebrows since they flirts came into the Pop Punk scene in 2007. This was apparent in their third full-length album Suburbia Ive Given You All and Now Im Nothing. The thing that intrigues fans most about this band is the front mans storytelling ability. Singer/songwriter Dan Soupy Campbell has developed his very own characteristic way of writing lyrics. He does so in a way that Is real and personal. In the album Suburbia, Campbell takes a concept approach o his songwriting. Campbell has stated In many Interviews and album reviews that the concept of the album is Allen Ginsberg poem America. (Boney) The Wonder Years is a pop punk band based out of Allendale, Pennsylvania. Their first album, Get Stoked on it! , was released in 2007 and was not very serious at all. We will write a custom essay sample on The Wonder Years Album Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Nearly every song off the album was either about cereal brand characters or other goofy Icons.Once the band realized how many people they were bringing in to shows, they decided to have a change of pace. Instead of singing about ninjas and dinosaurs, Soupy started singing about his life on the road and fighting his oppression. The 2010 release of The upsides defined the band. Members of the band found themselves feeling the familiar feeling of depression. After getting tired of beating themselves up everyday, they adopted the motto Im not sad anymore. This became a cult theme that all of their fans now follow. A lot of fans started going to Campbell after shows.They would talk to him about how the album literally saved their life or they would ask him for advice, leading Campbell to state In many Interviews that this motto was not a statement at all. Not that he truly does not feel ad anymore but that it is a battle cry for somewhere he wants to be. These were not the kind of songs where the singer goes on about drugs, partying, or how much money he has; these were songs about his life. They were stories where he used names and Instances of real friends and real people he knew.The upsides was written about Campbell stay In South Philadelphia along with other members who were at different colleges. Suburbia would be about The Wonder Years life after touring, about their life coming back home to Allendale, Pennsylvania. Dan Soups; Campbell attended Temple University in Philadelphia. His major was Secondary Education and English. Although, he dropped Secondary Education because he was touring, he still graduated in May of 2011 with an English degree. With English being a strong point in his past, it is apparent why his style of writing has caught the eye of so many.Campbell conceptualized the album Suburbia based on bands he grew up listening to, He loved the Idea of having a point of reference for an album: it makes the album a lot more fun to listen to and gives it more meaning. The theme for Suburbia came to Soupy while he was trying to figure out a hem. While attending the graduation of his band-mates girlfriend, he noticed the poem America by Allen Ginsberg. Soupy was already a big fan of Ginsberg work, since the poem was written thirty years prior to Campbell birthday, and after with what was going on throughout the band.The poem America is about all the problems that Allen Ginsberg faces while living in this country. Ginsberg starts off by writing America Eve given you all and now Im nothing (1). Ginsberg continues about how having a different background has greatly affected his life in America. Along tit being homosexual, he was raised as a communist and is a practicing Buddhist. America is personified as something Ginsberg once loved as a child. America promised so many positive things to be brought upon the people that lived there. Growing up made him realize the kind of oppression that was pushed onto him. America stop pushing I know what Im doing (24). Allen Ginsberg also faced depression throughout his life. A lot what he felt was brought upon him by Americas view on many things. America became extremely paranoid because of the wars. Ginsberg later states how peace in America was slowly becoming nonexistent and owe it was hardly okay to be Chinese, African American, or Native American. Because of his communism and Buddhist religion Ginsberg rejects Christianity; l wont say the Lords prayer (37). He says this in a way that means that he will not conform to what society thinks he should be like.He is a perfectly sane man; he does not call out America for its faults, therefore, he should not be called out for his. In the album Suburbia Eve Given You All and Now Im Nothing, Dan Soupy Campbell wanted to tie in the album with something he felt that not only he, but a lot of his listeners could relate to. He Jumped onto the idea by being influenced with bands he grew up with like The Hold Steady and Saves The Day. In an interview by Pat Haynes, Campbell confesses to being impressed by the songwriter for the band The Hold Steady. He wanted something like that for The Wonder Years.Suburbia combined elements of the previous album The Upsides along with America. The very title of the album is a spin on the first line of the poem, which is also based on how the band felt coming back to their hometown after everything they had been through. It is something that everybody could relate to, coming back home from allege after having put so much into something for so long, and then not feeling a part of it anymore, yet still cannot help but remain in love with it. The motto for the previous album, The Upsides, was Im not sad anymore which was repeated in a sung melody throughout the album.The first song off of Suburbia, Came Out Swinging, opens with a prerecorded narration of America repeating My mind is made up theres going to be trouble(34), later played by the lead guitar before the bridge. The song ends with the repeated line Came out swinging from a South Philly basement . This is a reference to the setting in which The Upsides was written. Since The Upsides was about him fighting his depression, this line symbolizes his continuing victory. The second track Woke Up Older was written for his friend Max.The line l stacked a Bouzoukis novel on a Blacklisted LOP and this time what it looked was Just what it proved to be is referring to The Upsides song Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack. The line reads l stacked Lonelier than God next to You Get So Alone Sometimes/ I know how this must look from the outside. The reference in this song is not necessarily about him. Though he still uses l but it shows how these little coincidences in life symbolize how he really is feeling, having dropped out of college and lying to everybody by saying he finished.The third track Local Man the fountain, which was rarely turned on, was flowing and sparked a realization for Soupy and the band. It was the kind of realization that made him feel like everything was not as bad as he thought. It was the kind of realization that was the basis for Im not sad anymore. The third track starts with the line the fountain was off/ this is the first time Eve been back to the city in months. This fountain, that had become the basis of his happiness, was now off; he was left alone again. This song is about how the band was left to confront their problems themselves.They are only as human as the rest of us. In America Ginsberg speaks of the way he is not perfect because he smokes marijuana, gets drunk, and reminisces on some negative aspect of his past by staring at roses in his closet. Campbell sings l dont have roses in my closet but I have pictures in a drawer. Campbell proves his innocence by adding, Im not a self help book, Im Just a bucked up kid. He isnt perfect, and unlike Ginsberg feeling the pressure of America, Campbell feels the pressure of his fans. The fourth track off Suburbia titled Suburbia is the first of the three tracks, which combined create the name of the album.This song shows how crooked the town is and how the owners of a favored bowling alley burnt it down Just to seek profit from its insurance company. The song states how every mom and pop store went under, resulting in the death of the town. The helpless feeling that Ginsberg feels for America is how Campbell feels about the town he had grown up in. Ginsberg felt like he was America. He could not blame anything that was wrong with it because he became a part of what was wrong with it. The fifth track My life as a pigeon explains The Wonder Years adopted the pigeon as their mascot.Campbell feels like that pigeon is never wanted anywhere, but it does not care if it is wanted or not. It will continue to flourish and that is how the band feels about itself. They have used this pigeon as their mascot since the release of their PEP in 2008. The song is referring to America in the sense that Ginsberg felt like Americans were always ridiculously paranoid about everything around them. The Wonder Years felt scared and paranoid about touring. A lot of the members had put college on hold and was leaving No Sleep Records to sign with Hopeless Records and was still trying to fit in to what felt like a dying genre. Summers in PA references the line in America America the plum blossoms are falling (26). In Eastern culture, the plum blossom symbolizes peace. In The Upsides Campbell mentions his friends Spiro and how he lied about his major, he makes a reference with Spiro lied about his major, then said buck the whole thing and came back to town. Campbell uses the plum blossoms to ay he does not mind falling with them in order to help his friend cope with what is going on through his life. Campbell did not mind becoming a part of the trouble that Ginsberg mentioned when he said My mind is made up there is going to be trouble (34). The seventh track l Wont Say The Lords Prayer is based on a line from America and how he should not feel guilty for not being a part of the norm of society. Coffee Eyes refers to the second line of America and is about the struggles of poverty and having grown up going to the same diner for years. This is one of the encore moments in the album. Like America, Campbell cannot help but feel at home in Allendale. Despite all the bad that has happened, there is still a lot of good that came out of it. Eve Given You All is the second installment of combination that never received Justice; the violence that Ginsberg mentioned in the poem. Dont Let Me Cave In is a song about not giving up. They mention making it big; they rated their success by touring through the Midwest, referring to the PEP recorded in 2008. The eleventh song muff Made Me Want To Be A Saint is the second song they have Ritter about their friend who had passed away. In America this line was used to describe how Ginsberg had first felt by the positive influence the country had on him. Hooded Weather uses the line Burroughs is in Tangier I dont think hell come back its sinister (21) describes a man that was banished from America due to drug trade but Ginsberg did not think this was wrong at all. Campbell uses the name Rocky and mentions how Suburbia drove him down south. The album ends with And Now Im Nothing where Campbell finally accepts this as his home and makes peace with it long with all of its flaws. The last line in America, America Im putting my queer shoulder to the wheel (93), is used by Campbell, excluding the word queer. This line is an expression to put work into something. Just like Ginsberg, Campbell feels if he wants to make this place better that has to work towards it. The song also ends with a repeated Suburbia stop pushing I know what I am doing. Representing Campbell hold on the situation. One of the most interesting things is how The Wonder Years tied the album together with the tracks Suburbia, Eve Given You All, ND And Now Im Nothing each using some variation of the Am, C, F, G progression. Dan Soupy Campbell used references from The Upsides along with the Allen Ginsberg poem America.Even if he had not intentionally created this as a concept album the result would have been inevitable. Each album The Wonder Years has made has followed their life. Each album is following them, telling a story in chronological order. Each track in Suburbia Eve Given You All and Now Im Nothing has the month and year written under the song title to show the reader exactly where they were in their life. Many of the other references such as the Hank the Pigeon as the mascot and the motto Im not sad anymore has been used solely for marketing purposes.

5 Tips For Aspiring Freelance Writers

5 Tips For Aspiring Freelance Writers 5 Tips For Aspiring Freelance Writers 5 Tips For Aspiring Freelance Writers By Guest Author This is a guest post by Ian Greaves. If you dream of working for yourself and being able to generate an income from your writing, you will need to learn how to make the most of the time and resources at your disposal. Achieving consistency in the quality and content of your writing will be your priority; however, there are a number of practical aspects, concerning the approach to writing and its positive impact on your productivity, that you shouldn’t overlook. 1. Write, don’t procrastinate! I know I’m stating the obvious here, but it had to be first on the list, and I speak from experience! Even the master storyteller, Stephen King, in his 2000 memoir â€Å"On Writing† admitted The scariest moment is always just before you start. This is not to say that you shouldn’t plan your piece, far from it, but despite ongoing technological advancements in almost every industry, writing still requires a writer, so write. Edit, re-write, discard, re-invent, even all of the above, but you need to have written something first. Whether you produce a single sentence or twenty pages, the feeling of achievement will be tangible, as Henry Ford once observed â€Å"There is no happiness except in the realisation that we have accomplished something†. 2. Recognise that all feedback is good feedback We all feel protective about our written output, and it’s our prerogative, because we’ve toiled and sweated over it. But being a freelance writer is about producing work that will meet the needs of a specific market or audience and any feedback that helps in achieving that goal can only be good, however hard it might be to read and digest. 3. Broaden your horizons Having an appetite to learn and undertake new experiences, not only keeps life interesting, but also ensures we maintain a healthy stock of subjects to write about . â€Å"Write what you know† is advice frequently given to writers, so expanding what you know can only broaden your writing horizons. 4. Believe in yourself Although an overused phrase, this really is sound advice. Writers will endure many knockbacks and rejections throughout their careers, and it takes a lot of self belief to persevere and keep submitting work. The self help author Dr. Robert Anthony’s view was â€Å"You can have anything you want if you will give up the belief that you cant have it.† 5. Have a Goal It doesn’t matter whether it is big or small, but by setting a goal and working towards it, statistics show that you will be one of only 3% of individuals who actually do this. Philanthropist Hannah More wrote â€Å"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals† A goal gives meaning to what you are doing, it adds perspective, and some days, it will be the prospect of achieving that goal that compels you to return to that project you’ve not been able to finish or even start. One final piece of advice, when you achieve that goal, win that commission or succeed in getting published, share your success. Whether it be on your favourite writers forum, with your family, friends or colleagues, or on your blog or website, not only will it feel good, you might even inspire others to try and emulate your success. About the Author: Ian Greaves is a freelance writer, on his blog, Write Away, he discusses self employment and looks at resources available to anyone interested in working for themselves. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 8 Types of Parenthetical Phrases30 Words Invented by Shakespeare

Project Procurement Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Procurement Management - Essay Example s or resources required for the execution of a particular project should clearly outline his or her requirements in order to ensure that they meet the standard expectations. According to Fleming (2003), the project manager has a responsibility to ensure that all project activities are coordinated according to schedule and are in compliance with the desired outcomes. In this particular case, it can be seen that Gus reneged his responsibility of ensuring that Bob develops software that is compatible with the in-house database which he developed. Whilst he is happy about the software, he assumed that Bob will guess the correct application that is compatible with the database, which is not the case. Therefore, Bob has no problem and he is entitled to all his payment for the development of the software. In this case, Gus should have acted responsibly for the betterment of the organization and the following measures could have been taken. According to Burke (2007), the success of the project is mainly determined by the commitment of the project manager to ensure that all steps involved in the project are carefully implemented. In order to avoid this situation, both the buyer and the seller must clearly understand the terms of the contract, which is legally binding. According to Gibson (1988), there should be the agreement based on mutual understanding in any given contract, and this principle should always be upheld so as to avoid a situation like the one presented in the case study given above. In brief, it can be noted that there is a need for the project manager to constantly monitor all the developments in a project. Another effective way of doing this is to ensure that there is constant feedback from all parties involved in order to create mutual understanding among

Hybrid Cars Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hybrid Cars Research Paper - Essay Example You never plug in these cars to recharge the battery -- you simply fill the gas tank. The Toyota Prius, a five passenger hybrid about the size of a Corolla, gets 52 miles per gallon around town and 45 on the highway. The smaller Honda Insight gets 70 miles per gallon overall, making it the highest-mileage car ever to hit the mass market -- ideal for today's soaring energy prices. Hybrid technology also works on a larger scale. In 1999, five hybrid busses ran up to 18 hours a day in New York City. The 40-foot busses used a diesel engine running at constant speed. The hefty batteries were used to accelerate and recover energy from braking. Hybrids combine the best of electricity and gasoline. Instead of recharging through a plug, the batteries get their juice from a small, light gasoline or diesel engine. When you hit the brakes, kinetic energy is converted into electricity, and then stored in the battery. At a stop light, the engine shuts down entirely. Hybrids sound good -- they are, for example, exempt from the range limitations of battery-powered cars. But even hybrids could seem passed by 2004, when major auto makers promise to start selling cars powered by fuel cells. Fuel cells make electricity without burning anything. They don't even have moving parts. In the effort to cut auto pollution, hybrids and battery cars are a step forward, assuming anybody will buy them. But they're far from perfect: Hybrids burn gasoline, making air pollution. Batteries run down, and even though battery cars are called "zero emissions" vehicles, they generally just move the pollution rather than eliminate it (Lovins 1995, pp.73). On the horizon, however, is a car where "zero emissions" meets truth-in-advertising. Bye-bye catalytic converters and associated pollution-control gadgetry. In fact, it will be so long to pollution entirely. In fuel-cell cars running on hydrogen, the waste products amount to water and heat. The fuel cell, furthermore, is a new kind of engine -- one without moving parts! Even if fuel cells burn alcohol or gasoline, they will be far more efficient than today's internal combustion engines, and will produce less carbon dioxide, the primary culprit in global warming. Fuel cells have been producing power since the start of the space age. But bulky, expensive and relatively weak, the cells seemed unlikely to find a place under the hood of Detroit's finest. Then, in the 1980s, Canadian engineer Geoffrey Ballard began tinkering with fuel cells in search of a cleaner way to move people and goods. Among the several possible varieties, Ballard selected the proton-exchange membrane, a technology that operates at low temperature and starts up quickly; making it suitable for a machine that would replace the Buick Road Master (Polokovic 2000, p.A1). Like batteries, fuel cells make electricity from chemical reactions. But while batteries have a limited supply of chemical energy, fuel cells get chemical energy from the fuel, so they drive until the tank runs dry. Like a battery, a fuel cell has a cathode, with a positive charge, and an anode, with a negative charge. The cell uses a catalyst -- often platinum -- to dissociate some electrons from atoms. These liberated

UAE School Learning System Essay Example for Free

UAE School Learning System Essay The education structure of UAE was formalized in 1953, with establishment of government funded public school system. Since then, this structure has been implemented across all the seven Emirates. Today, there are 780 public schools with approximate strength of 3 hundred thousand students across the entire UAE. The pattern of school system is formulated on standard western approach that consists of primary and secondary schools (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008). Students start their educational journey by enrolling in primary schools, which takes five years complete. The second stage spans over four years followed by the secondary schools that take another three years to complete. During the same phase, the emphasis of education has also shifted underwent a profound change to reflect the advances made in recent years in fields of information technology, shared learning, collaborative participation and leadership development among students. This paper focuses on these changes experienced by UAE education system that have helped to keep it robust and synchronized with evolving concept of education and pedagogy world wide (Felner et al. 1997). Reasons for Change in UAE School System With the advent of information technology, the former isolated model of education faced challenges that have stimulated it to transform side by side with events of rapid globalization, information technology, knowledge-driven economy, international change towards sustainable social and community developments, increased level of international interaction, competition and collaboration (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008).. Under the immense impact of these changes the UAE educational system also felt the need to incorporate numerous educational reforms and to keep it up to date and upgrade. The efforts of UAE policy-makers and educators to reform education and prepare next generations for meeting challenges of the future must be seen and understood in this context. (Cheng, 2003a, b; Hirsch Weber, 1999; Kogan Hanney, 2000; Mingle, 2000). Consistent with this approach in change is also the understanding that in a fast hanging era that educational reforms can not limit themselves to mere incorporation of information technology in its static form, but that they must absorb the philosophy of continuous action learning, creativity enhancement, and multiple intelligence development as the key elements for continued development of entire student community in view of information technology and evolution of a knowledge-based economy ((Samaha and Shishakly, 2008). Therefore, the concepts of organizational learning, collaborative partnership, shared experience, knowledge management and institutional intelligence are being inculcated the institutional level to oversee their effective transformation from confines of board room to class room(Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). Another important facet of latest educational reforms is emphasis on creativity and lateral thinking, which are believed to be instrumental in setting up platform for lifelong accumulation of learning, action learning and continued development of intelligence. It is believed that through assimilation of these new approaches, students could be better equipped to meet with the challenges of globalization and technological changes. As a matter of fact, the major thrust of educators, both in policy and implementation, is towards action learning which is construed as fundamental in increasing the learner’s capacity to take a higher learning curve, both from intelligence and knowledge point of view (Felner et al. 1997). Schools as Learning Communities The concept of schools as learning communities has gained ground internationally where educators have come forward with idea of creating a system that would include a focus on academic achievements along with wholesome development of children, covering their emotional, analytical and personality development to help them attain a productive role in the society (Felner et al. 1997). These ideas have come forward from learning form former educational system, whose curriculum, educators felt, created a gap between intellectual, emotional and interpersonal needs of students and academic education. Thus, it impeded their learning and preparatory abilities for adulthood, along introducing a degree of vulnerability against rapid pace of global technical changes. Collaborative Learning: From the experience gained from various models of teachings practiced around the world, educators have learned that collaborative learning is among the most effective tool for imparting effective and lasting teaching to children. The premises behind collaborative learning is that students learn best when they learn together through active collaboration and participation (Felner et al. 1997). Class room research has shown that collaborative learning, which inspires students to learn in small groups is much more effective than any other form of instruction in helping them understand and retain the content. It also imparts greater degree of satisfaction to students. Adult Learning Theory: Understanding the encompassing role of education, educators have also focused on evolving new models of adult learning, in recognition of the fact that maturity and understanding level of adults sits in a completely different zone as compared to children. According to the rules set by Malcom Knowles, adult learning approaches takes in cognizance of that fact that adults are autonomous and self directed and hence the teachers need to create an expansive environment where adults are able to appreciate their own independent role in directing their course of study. Thus participation, leadership and delegation of responsibilities become effective strategies in course of adult learning models, all which aiming to provide maximum degree of self control and reliance (Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). Meanwhile, educators have also learned to take in the life experience and knowledge factor of adults to further the goals of learning. One of the great benefit with adult teaching is that each adult has, at one point or other, something relevant to share with others, drawn out by his/her own experience pool and knowledge. Thus, the learning gets more effective and comprehensive. Also, adults are very goal oriented and practical (Samaha and Shishakly, 2008).. The time they are investing in education is either their productive time or time away from their family and hence they want maximum utilization and returns for their efforts. Educators, who have learned to appreciate these facts, have truly provided a very meaningful angel to concept of adult learning philosophy (Felner et al. 1997). Community: The present educational model lays a heavy emphasis on concept of community and shared learning. Information technology and internet has played fundamental role in furthering the concept of community where people with similar interest areas, like thinking and shared concepts get together to felicitate each other’s learning in a collaborative approach. Community is a inclusive approach in educational field where one to one instructional approach is replaced by learning through group interaction and active participation and sharing of knowledge among the members of the community. Even the role of educator, at times is not more than a member of the community. Community is an extremely useful concept in field of adult learning, specially for young adults who have high degree of familiarity with informational technology tools. Leadership: Modern educators have shed the ideas of passive education and pedantic teaching. The dynamics of global change have impressed them with creating leadership potential in every student. While certainly, there are no definite copy-book rules to construct a leader (Langer, Colton, Goff, 2003). The difficulties, complexities, and challenges associated with a situation give impetus to leadership qualities in otherwise ordinary people who believe in themselves that they are capable of rising up to the difficulties as well as helping others out of it. Therefore although it might be difficult to ‘teach’ a person quality of good leader, yet one can expect to inculcate leadership qualities by observing styles and principles of successful leaders. Leadership is then about inspiration, motivation, encouragement and direction that pulls people to accomplishments that they would not had managed if left alone (Felner et al. 1997). However, effective leadership is a very challenging domain as it requires some impeccable personal and organizational traits that can be developed and realized through considerable experience, knowledge and self- discipline. There are no fixed guidelines, set of rules and laws that exactly prescribe the traits, qualities and attributes of a successful leader. Quite often the leadership is situational and the leader is required to act purely through intuition and circumstantial requirements. However there are certain essential skills and characteristics that are rather mandatory for effective leadership are (Day and Halpin, 2004)

Why Ireland is not Free Essay -- Essays Papers

Why Ireland is not Free Ireland has been in a civil war for hundreds of years with Northern Ireland because of Britain taking their independence. In the middle 19th Century the United States was also in a civil war. The Unites States civil war lasted for four years, 1861-1865, while Irelands has been going on for over a century. The United States civil war was quick and to the point, the United States knew what had to be done and they did it. While over in Ireland and Northern Ireland the civil war has been just an on going bickering for who deserves what and whether Britain should leave their land. When over in the United States they got an army, took their land, and didn’t have time to bicker. While in Ireland it’s just terrorist attacks they are dealing with. They won’t just settle the problem with Britain to make their land free again until they get back the money they think they deserve. This has all been going on because Britain was given Irelands land back in the 12th Century. Ireland has been struggling for freedom throughout history. Britain will not leave the nation of Ireland until it gets back what remains of British economical investments in the northeast of Ireland (Metress 149). Ireland had always been ruled by Britain but it wasn’t until Ireland voted to be a free nation, they were denied, and they started to fight back on Easter in 1916. According to Golway, James Connolly, the leader of the Irish labor movement, â€Å"demanded an end to mere talk of revolution† (224). This did not help the Irish like they attended it too. This only made the split of the two nations worse. Britain still thinks there are many things in the nation of Ireland that are still theirs, and believe ... ...en wrote and spoke out against Britain and thought it was not worth the time (Liam 242). Even with British troops siding with the Irish saying it is not a big deal, many Irish are wondering when they will take a stand and help them gain their independence. Throughout all history the motivation and inspiration has always been able to be seen in the Irish people. For one country to give so much dedication for their independence and to keep being overthrown time after time really shows how much one loves their country. This also shows how much Britain does not want to lose their land and shows the stubbornness by both sides of the continent by not just sacrificing a little to try to please both sides. But one thing is for certain throughout all of these conflicts; Ireland will not rest any time soon until they get the freedom they feel they deserve.

Management Robert Owen and Richard Branson

Intoduction It is said that management principles can be traced back as far as 5000 years, which has provided considerable amount of time to refine and develop these principles into efficient and successful ideologies. Throughout history, management practise has evolved thanks to a number of pioneers who have veered away from the norm to revolutionise views on what it means to be a good and efficacious manager. Both Robert Owen and Richard Branson can be seen as frontrunners of their time, performing feats in the realm of management that nobody before them would have dared to have even considered.Robert_Owen? Robert Owen was born in Newtown in Wales, United Kingdom. During his life he managed to improve well-being, education and rights of the working class. His driving ambition to create a better society made him a successful manufacturer and an important pioneer of Modern Management. ?†The most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been institut ed in any part of the world†1 [Owen, 1801] started when Robert Owen bought the New Lanark Mills in 1801.Under his management the New Lanark became a model community which was driving towards prosperity and making progress through the new technology. He was considered a kind man, who treated his employees very well. Owen highlighted the importance of education; he believed that knowledge is a useful skill that could release working class children from hunger and poverty. Thus New Lanark was the first place in the world that had an Infant School. This allowed parents to keep on working and created the opportunity for wider education provision, including evening classes for workers.He also introduced better working conditions for children; children under ten were not allowed to work in the village and no children were allowed to work for longer than 10 hours a day. Moreover he raised the minimum wage for child labour, raised wages for adults, reduced working hours and provided al l the employees with free medical care. Robert Owen always kept proper business records; these included daily and weekly measurement of productivity, output and stocks. A novel technique was used to control the employees; multicolored pieces of wood hung beside every worker.Each color indicated the previous day's quality of work. Everyone around was able to see this measure of employees performance, this piece of wood works as a good motivator towards quality performance, as people did not want to be embarrassed by everyone being able to see that they had worked to a poor standard. ?Even though Robert Owen had no formal university education his progressive moral views and entrepreneurial skills made his contribution to the modern management theory inestimable. What ideas individuals may attach to the term â€Å"Millennium† I know not; but I know that society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold; and no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance to prevent such a state of society from becoming universal. †2[Owen, 1816] Sir Richard Branson Sir Richard Branson was born in Blackheath, London in 1950.He studied at Stowe school and throughout his childhood struggled with dyslexia, and failed to do well at school, but by the age of 16, after dropping out of school, and a few failed attempts at selling Christmas trees and budgerigars, he had already taken his first steps to becoming a successful pioneer when he launched a magazine called ‘Student’ 3[Ahmed, 2011], which ran articles about prominent politicians, famous rock stars and different celebrities of the time.This turned out to just be the start of a successful entrepreneurial career, and he has now founded ‘Virgin Group Ltd. ’ which consists of more than 400 companies, ranging from airlines to mobile phone networ ks, employing over 50,000 people. Having started as a teenager, struggling to find his way into the business world, he is now worth about three billion pounds sterling, and is one of the most outstanding innovators in the world. Despite being renowned for promoting an extremely tranquil working environment, Richard Branson is a follower of F.W. Taylor, who proposed the ‘Scientific Management Theory’, which attempts to increase economic efficiency and productivity in the workplace by applying a scientific element to management, and Sir Richard Branson is known to apply some of Taylors ‘Scientific Management’ theories to his own style. Taylor was also known to reward staff with higher payment based on results, as an attempt to boost motivation, which Branson has also exercised by paying and rewarding employees based on performance and their ability to show signs of creative thinking. [Anon] Sir Richard Branson implements a style of a Theory Y manger in Dougla s McGregor’s theory5 [McGregor, 1960] which states that there are two types of manager: Theory X styled manager- Believes that the average employee dislikes works and only works because they have to earn money, therefore they need to be threatened with punishments in order to be motivated, and directed strictly, without any room for delegated responsibility.A Theory X styled manager believes that money is most important to the employee. Theory Y styled manager (Sir Richard Branson)- Believes that employees are more motivated when they have more self-control and can apply their own skills and creativity in the workplace. States that most employees want to do well and self-actualisation what motivates them, as oppose to financial gain. [Taylor, 2013] Richard Branson believes that by creating a relaxed working environment, and by trusting his managers and employees with responsibility, that his staff will consequently be enjoy their work, work better as a team, and therefore be more motivated as they will be achieving the Self-Actualisation level and Social level on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and therefore enhance the performance of the workforce, and resultantly the performance of Virgin.In the advancement of his management thinking, Virgin Group Ltd created a centralised website which endeavoured to link up all of the Virgin Group companies, and created a central hub, as previously they worked separately, so he therefore attempting to promote teamwork and build human relationships within the firm, allowing employees to communicate and information to be pooled and collected. Comparison and Contrast between Owen and Branson Despite being from entirely different eras, Owen and Branson exude many similar qualities; most notably in that they both believe that the key to success lies in the treatment of their employees. Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them. †7[Branson, 2011] It is clear that both men care greatly for their employees; Branson gives all employees his personal phone number, so that should they have any problems they can contract him directly, rather than having to go through Human Resources. Many managers would not identify with this and would rather their employees suffer in silence. Branson also claims to attempt to respond to as any emails as he can every day, â€Å"Recalling a time when [he] was just starting out and needed advice, [he tries] to respond to as many reader emails as [he] can. †8 . [Branson, 2011] Branson claims: â€Å"People don’t leave their jobs through lack of pay – they leave because they aren’t valued. Many companies leave people in boxes; encourage them to be adaptable and innovative. †9 [Branson, 2011] Owen exhibited his consideration for his employees in a very different way, but with the same aim of achieving employee happiness.Having to work in a grocery shop himself from the age of 8, Owen realised the harm of child labour and seeked to stop it in his later life. In 1815 he persuaded supporters in parliament to put forward a bill on child labour. While this bill did not have as much success as Owen hoped, as many mill owners fought against the proposition, Owen was an instigator in improving the lives of child workers. He also improved welfare standards for older workers, shortening working hours and increasing wages. Eight hours' daily labour is enough for any human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep†. 10[Owen, 1833] Branson and Owen’s methods of achieving employee happiness were highly influenced by the times they were working in. In Owen’s time, most working conditions were poor and wages were low, so simply by improving these factors employees would instantly become happier.In the current day there is a huge range of jobs with all ranges of wages, and many regulations in place to ensure employee welfare. Therefore, to appeal to his employees, Branson realised that a more personal approach was necessary, hence allowing his employees to contact him directly. Companies are a lot larger these days than in the early 19th Century when Owen was working, so being able to have a personal relationship with the head of a company is much rarer in this day and age.Both pioneers identified the most effective way of attaining contentment from their employees in the environment they were living in. Both Branson and Owen were pioneers of their time, achieving what many believed impossible. Despite leaving school at the age of 16 and being diagnosed with Dyslexia, Branson has risen above the odds and is responsible for starting over 400 companies, most famous for establishing Virgin, which ranges from record shops to airlines.No other manager in history has been at the helm of such a large business empire, and before Branson, it is doubtable that anyone would have thought it possible. Owen, on the other hand, was more of a pioneer in the domain of welfare than the extensiveness of his company, providing above and beyond what would be expected of a manager of his time, from nurseries to children to evening classes for adults. While, at the time, most managers would see these initiatives as an unnecessary expense, Owen’s cotton mills became very successful businesses with healthy, content employees.Quite possibly, were it not for Owen identifying how much success can come to a manager who treats his employees well, Branson may not have realised the importance of having such good relationships with his employees which could be seen as the key to his success. One of the main contrasts between Richard Branson and Robert Owen are their view s on education. Owen believed that education was one of the most important factors in a company; the better the education of the employees, the better employees they are. To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate†. 11[Owen, 1826] Owen provided schooling for employees and their children, putting children’s education ahead of their contribution to his company. Branson, on the other hand left school himself at 16 and hasn’t looked back. ‘Richard Branson, founder and chairman of London-based Virgin Group, didn’t breeze through school. In fact, school was something of a nightmare for him. His scores on standardized tests were dismal, initially pointing to a similar future.Despite the difficulties and challenges posed by his acknowledged dyslexia, his gifted interpersonal and business talents drove him to succeed. ’12[Anon] In contrast to Owen’s belief s, Branson is proof that education is not necessarily an important factor in success. Furthermore, Richard Branson believes that â€Å"work should not be a chore and should be fun. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work†13[Branson, 2011]. Owen also considered leisure and recreation important. He arranged concerts and dancing evenings for the benefit of community.However, even though both pioneers think of fun as an important part of working life, Robert Owen used a stricter approach to management and was a strong believer in discipline, for example by keeping track of employees behaviour by the aforementioned multicolored pieces of wood and disciplining those who repeatedly showed low performance. To conclude, Branson and Owen are and were strong pioneers of their time, who shared many values. Managers could learn ample from both men, especially when it comes to employee relationships.In general, it is indispensable that modern day managers consider how successful pioneers such as Owen and Branson apply and practise management theory, as it shows the outcome of different particular methods and techniques, in this pairs case; high levels of success. For example, Douglas McGregor stated that he believed that a Theory Y manager would be more successful at motivating their employees than a Theory X, and Sir Richard Branson was almost certainly a Theory Y manager, so a modern manager can consider whether the method that pioneer practised was positively effective or not.President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: â€Å"It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who laboured so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries † [Ensign, 1984]. 14