Management accounting and healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management accounting and healthcare - Essay Example This paper talks about the interaction of research in management accounting and the healthcare sector. With the availability of a rich body of literature from various journal articles the paper focuses on a number of complex and important aspects of the topic in terms of accounting management risks, costs, regulations as well as existing opportunities in the dynamic environment of the healthcare sector. Furthermore the potential the health sector holds as far as management accounting research hold is discussed and facilitated with the description of the current developments in healthcare.Research in the management accounting of the health care sector primarily comprises of investigating the accounting and the control systems that are used by decision makers within the organization. A key component of the research in the accounting and healthcare sector is that which revolves around the cost associated with the everyday operations that are undertaken by these organizations. The rich b ody of literature available in this area has focused on a number of complex and important problems that arise in budgeting, contracting, cost accounting, management and reporting (Luft and Shields, 2003). Extant literature in the field of accounting published primarily approach the issue using an economics based theoretical framework, and focus on the study for-profit organizations. This paper discusses the distinct advantages and research opportunities offered by the healthcare industry that can be used by management accounting researchers. We look at the scope as well as the role played by the accounting practices mainly centered on cost management and risks in the healthcare sectors. Then we look at the implications of cost shifting and revenue constraints by hospitals operating in a changing regulatory environment and the impact that competition has on the need for accounting information. Next we view the advantages of using healthcare data for management accounting research. In the last section we look at the current development in the health care industry. Opportunities for Managerial Accounting Research in Health Care A setting that comprises of organizations with a large number of attributes as well as diversity provides researchers with considerable potential to study complex issues. The health care sector which consists of a multitude of hospitals in every country in the world has prevalent attributes such as multi dimensional objective functions, complex production functions and a huge number of diverse stakeholders. Furthermore major shifts in the regulation of this sector can be observed in the way it has moved from cost plus to fixed price reimbursement in many countries namely UK, Germany and Taiwan. Most notable is the move of the focus of competition from non price factors like quality to price-and-cost based competition, showing a major alteration to not only the revenue functions but also financial risk. Due to these changes the various aspe cts of hospital accounting, reporting and control systems are all impacted. This can simply be seen when you view the dilemma that surrounds health care contributing to both regulatory and normative pressures. It is required that hospitals provide patients with the best quality care regardless of their ability to pay while on the other hand it is imperative that they remain financially viable. This dilemma adds complexity to other aspects such as motivation, compensation, and evaluation of performance by hospital managers. If we view the aspect of compensation in isolation we will notice another critical element contributing to its complexity. This being ownership types such as non profit, for profit or public providing the same service and competing for the same customer base (Dranove, 1988; Hoerger, 1991; Pauly and Redisch, 1973). There are three distinct aspects of the healthcare sector which have a great influence on behavior as well as outcomes. These are regulation and competi tion, contracting and

What is america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What is america - Essay Example Sitting Bull, a leader of the Lakota Sioux says: "The life my people want is a life of freedom" (Foner 1999, p. 49). Ideas of freedom and liberty define America and its style of life influenced by historical events and struggle for independence. For a long time, freedom was at length granted the slaves, not as a measure of social justice, but as an act of war. Emancipation came as a more or less accidental by-product of a titanic conflict between two powerful classes, each seeking in its own self-interest to dominate the Federal government, and neither concerned with the moral aspects of slavery (Bigsby, 2006). Studies of ethnicity in the United States have tended to emphasize the significance of large-scale social, economic, and political processes to account for the demise or endurance of hyphenated-Americans. It has been shown that, after arriving as immigrants, such groups search out economic opportunities and employ ties of common origin to create or occupy economic niches. "The idea of wage slavery served to deconstruct, as it were, the sharp contrast between slavery and freedom, to expose the forms of coercion and hidden inequalities inherent in ostensibly free economic institutions" (Foner 1999, p. 58) Long struggle against oppression has created some stereotypic impressions of American as liberals and fighters. The stereotype of the American is used in a variety of ways in reference to a number of social traditions and values. It embodies all aspects of human activities reflecting historical and social development of the nation. Americans develop the specific system of standards or rules a person attributes to the membership of the group as a result of her experience. A person's cultural preferences may contain several cultures which he/she attributes to different sets of other persons. Again, "The long contest over slavery gave new meaning to personal liberty, political community, and the rights attached to American citizenship" (Foner 1999, p. 83). America means the land of immigrants who come to America looking for better life and unique destiny. The Old World background made in new social surroundings created the role of environmental factors, and finally, the relation between institutional forms (social classes and authorities) and cultural values. The settlers created new social order in order to meet specific local conditions. The new comers were involved in public policy and social life, religious and political affairs. Probably, since that time, the national idea of the land and equality has been central in American culture. The new comers brought to America a common set of values affected church, state, and social order. It was amazing how much they changed in the American land bringing new religious traditions and values. The land symbolized unity of the nation and its traditions, resistance to foreign influences and interactions (Bigsby, 2006). There is no question that this common set of ideas and beliefs, assumption s and customs shaped the character of the new World that the immigrants founded. The most part the colonists' notions about economics, politics, and society were indistinguishable from those of their countrymen who never contemplated moving to the New World. Catholicism and Protestantism influenced morality and goodness, human values and attitude towards the world (Foner, 1999). Church

Examining The True Definition Of What Globalization Means Cultural Studies Essay

Examining The True Definition Of What Globalization Means Cultural Studies Essay It seems that nowadays just anybody can say something about globalization, or at least they think they can. No matter if they are scholars, social scientists, activists, politicians or ordinary people. A lot of people use the term globalization to push their own political agendas, like far left/right wing politics or feminism (see as an example Ruether 2005), in scientific (or better, scientific) journals that dont respect the scientific rigor. Others think that globalization is bringing cultural uniformity, but it seems that this is not true, there is a change in diversity (see Schuerkens 2003). But, when we are looking out for a definition of globalization we find a great confusion, and the more we search the more the image of globalization gets blurred, and theres no agreement on a unified definition of globalization. So while there is no agreement about what globalization is, the entire discourse of globalization is founded on a quite solid agreement that globalization is (Bartel son, 2000:180). It seems that the word globalization was used for the first time in 1962 in an article entitled The US Eyes Greater Europe, in The Spectator (Cerami cited by Van Der Bly 2005:877)  [2]  . Now, 47 years later, the word globalization is used on the Internet much more than the older words socialism (first time mentioned in 1837) and communism (first time mentioned in 1840) together, and even more than capitalism (first time mentioned in 1854) (Van Der Bly 2005:878)  [3]  . Economists already have a more or less commonly accepted definition of globalization and that is an international economic integration that can be pursued through policies of openness, the liberalization of trade, investment and finance, leading to an open economy (Van Der Bly 2005:875). They are developing also indicators in order to measure the openness of an economy such as trade flows, amount of foreign direct investment, portfolio capital flows and investment. Sociologists, on the other hand, didnt succeed to build a common definition. As a matter of fact also the existing definitions have some problems, as we will see, with their scope, extension, field, etc. We can still dream about the sociological indicators of globalization  [4]  . Lets see first some of the most important definitions and features of globalization. For the dialectic Globalization-as-a-Condition vs. Globalization-as-a-Process Van Der Bly dissects Tomlinsons definition of globalization that is (as cited by Van Der Bly 2005:880) an empirical condition of the modern world, which I call complex connectivity. By this I mean that globalization refers to the rapidly developing and ever-densening network of interconnections and interdependencies that characterizes modern social life. Van Der Bly finds logical flaws in this definition because it defines globalization explicitly as a condition, but the rest seems talking about a process. So, is globalization a condition of the modern world or a process? If it isa condition in wht it is different from modernization or modernity? If it is a process the term leads to a neglect of the present, and that leads to the second dialectic. In the dialectic Globalization-as-Reality vs Globalization-as-Futurology, Van Der Bly explains that sociological studies of globalization can easily fall in the trap of futurology because it is not clear to what extent the reality relates to the concept of reality that is skatched (2005:882). When globalization is defined as a process it is implied that it refers to an outcome that is in the future which, by definition, cannot be measurable and definable. For this reason the possibilities to use the concept globalization as a research framework are restricted, so sociologists must turn to futurology and use its research methods such as scenarios, trend analysis, chaos theory, simulation games and mathematical modelling. So, because we must go in the future it is very unlikely that there will be reached a consensus over the definition of the concept. Another problem that rises with the concept of globalization as a process, and we fall in the realm of futurology, is that usually it is not presented to the public as futurology, so it creates fear (nightmare scenarios) or false hopes (utopias). In either way, as Van Der Bly says, it creates the iamge of a powerless individual, or evena powerless society, which has no free will to construct its, always unknown, future (2005:883). For the dialectic One-Dimensional Globalization vs. Multidimensional Globalization Van Der Bly says that even though a concept of a multidimensional globalization is more or less accepted by sociologists, it makes even more difficult to to clarify the term and give it a meaning because it reduces the possible significances. How could that happen? Well, lets think about globalization of economical flows, then about globalization of politics, then about the globalization of arts and culture, and so on What do these globalizations have in common? Not much, the least we can say. This multidimensional approach, as Van Der Bly says, surely fits the reality and its interconectedness among different fields of society and human behavior, but then it blurs the term with intrinsic contradictions and paradoxes that are absent in a more one-dimensional definition of globlization (as the economic one). So, we can conclude that multidimensionality leads to an underestimation of internal contradicti ons of globalization. (Van Der Bly 2005). Van Der Blys suggestions for the future of globalization are the following: sociologists should consider the idea of globalization as the idea of an open society, and discuss which empirical parameters indicate the level of openness of a society  [5]  , as economists have done with the openness of the markets. Sociologists should aim to strive for a commonly accepted definition that explicitly creates space for human agency and focuses on clarity (2005:891). Bartelson (2000) distinguishes three senses of the idea of globalization in the sociology of International Relations (macrosociology): Globalization as Transference Globalization as Transformation Globalization as Transcendence Globalization as transference means that globalization is an intensified transference or exchange of things between preconstitued units, be they political, economic or cultural. Thus conceived, globalization signifies a process of change that originates at the level of the unit, mainly in terms of the unintended consequences of the interaction between units. (Bartelson 2000:184). In this sense globalization is not very different from older concepts as internationalization and interdependence. Globalization as Transformation means that globalization is a process of transformation that occurs at the systems level, and it affects the system as much as it affects the identity of the units (Bartelson 2000:186). Globalization as transcendence means that globalization as a concept implies the transcendence of the distinctions that together condition unit [in the Interntional Relations sense], system and dimension identity (Bartelson 2000:189). It is a concept that dissolves the divide between inside and outside. It also despatializes and detemporalizes human practices as well as the conditions of human knowledge, and it projects them onto the global as a condition of its existance (ibid.). Bartelson thinks that globalization has a position that the concepts of civilization and revolution had before and during the French Revolution, since these concepts also lacked stable referents, but functioned as vehicles of social change by signifying change in its purest, most necessary and irreversible form: change as the condition of possible objects and possible identities in a possible future (Bartelson 2000:193). We can note the futurologist approach. For Sparks the various theories of globalization are not an accurate guide to the investigation of the world (Sparks 2007). Sparks distinguishes weak and strong theories of globalization. Weak theories are concerned with structures of domination, with the centrality of the economic in social explanation, with the destruction of less profitable forms of cultural production by the large capitalist corporations, and with the articulation between these capitalist corporations, and the political and military power of the state (Sparks 2005:135). These weak theories, according to Sparks, are better understood as a development of the imperialism paradigm. On the other hand, the strong theories, according to Sparks, have sufficient common underlying features to constitute a paradigm. From the point of view of media and culture Sparks finds five main elements for this new pardigm called globalization (2007:136-138): Understanding globalization requires a new methodology that is radically non-reductive, otherwise well be unable to find evidence of any direct relationship between, say, Backs autonomous logics of media products (culture), their international trade (economics) and the exercise of state power (politics). Symbolic exchanges, and international circulation of media products, are today central to the functioning of the global world in the way that the exchanges of raw materials and manufactured commodities were central to earlier epochs. The global epoch is characterized by the fact there is no dominating or controlling centre to the contemporary world In the global epoch, it is no longer viable to talk of isolated national units, either of economic life or culture. The global epoch is marked by the erosion of the power of the Westphalian state system, in economics, politics and in culture. [Sparks took this idea from Beck] Sparks concludes that none of the five elements mentioned above hold water. He takes one element after the other and deconstructs them (see Sparks 2007:138-150). In short, the USA is still the single greatest economic power in the world  [6]  , culture industries are not greater than other sectors, immigration is not a new phenomenon in the USA nor in EU countries, or anywhere else (and, after all, the majority of world migrations happen inside the various states), teh process of urbanization is not new, it has at least 200 years (Marx wrote about it more or less 200 years ago), the states are more interdependent but nevertheless they are still states, Internet may be global, but a quarter of the population of the planet dont have electricity (so, no Internet for them), etc The final conclusion is that [t]heories of globalization, as currently advanced by such writers as Giddens, Beck and Appadurai, are far from providing an accurate picture of the contemporary world that they ar e virtually useless (Sparks 2007:152). What can we say at the end? Well, it seems that current concepts of sociology are not necessarily obsolete and a paradigm shift is not systematically required (Martin et. al. 2006:513). Sociologists have discussed the concepts present in the Globalization Theory for at least 90 years. Many authors had the good idea to think a little bit more about the concept of globalization, and they found out that the concept is pretty empty. So, we can pose a question: Is globalization a concept that should be used in the social sciences? We can use plain mathematics too. If the term globalization hasnt a particular meaning, or various classical theories can easily digest various meanings and theories of globalization, in my humble opinion then, globalization is nothing, zero. And what do you get when you multiply zero by any number? Right, you get zero. Thats whats going on in the social sciences with the concept of globalization, we get a lot of theories built on sand, and eventually they will fall one day. Also Van Der Bly says (2005:879) that [t]he disadvantages [of the concept of globalization] arise exactly because confusion is caused by the combination of broad and yet undefined and implicit points of reference in the subject. If something means everything, eventually it becomes nothing []. We should bear in mind the bad fate of another unclear, blurry concept from the recent past, that of postmodernity that lost all its credibility, and makes laugh people from other scientific fields (for example, see Sokal 2008). Sociologists, in my humble opinion, should avoid another trap of that kind. My suggestion is to avoid the concept of globalization in any form, to use theories that hold water and that have shown a great endurance in the past time, and maybe to get along with analytical sociology, but thats another paper.

The Computer Industry Essay -- Technology, Apple Inc., Steve Jobs

Technology is the world’s leading industry today because of the fact that it has changed society in every field. Well, why has computer technology prospered through recent years? The answer is very simple, Apple Inc. Apple products have a significant impact on our society due to their stellar design and unique shape, their durability, and their many creative applications. Apple was started and 2established by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976. Since then the CEO of Apple has been Steve Jobs. Throughout his career in the computer industry, Steve Jobs has been called tyrannical, mercurial, brilliant, and a revolutionary man because he has brought the world a Mac, an IPhone, and a new way of living with technology (Collins 1). Apple made its biggest turning point on October 23, 2001 when the first generation IPod was released. This changed the industry of MP3 players and the way people listen to music. IPod has influenced people's lives because you can take it everywhere you go, download music on the go, and pick the perfect one that suits your personality. "The new IPod chromatic range brings some great new features to the IPods, with fantastic colors, and a design that makes other Mp3 players hang their heads in shame† (Harrison 3). People love iPods so much that they started writing poetry about them. A man named Phil Chapman, wrote the poem "Life with an IPOD", which describes all the features in an iPod, making it sound like a "l iving thing." The poem is narrated in the first-person point of view. The poem is directly related to my topic because my topic is about how the Apple industry changed the world of technology and the poem also explains how an Apple product has benefited society. The author of... ..., but let's face it for most users, a Mac cost more than a PC† (Pegoraro 1). Most users are not looking for a top of the line computer, but one that will work for their limited use for a reasonable price. None the less, the commercials are just a television advertising campaign created for Apple Inc. These commercials have many reasons why a Mac is better than a PC. There are many reasons why Apple has been prospering through the years, but the biggest reason is that the engineers at Apple build their computers and products with high quality. All of the different operating systems that their products use are very clean, smooth, and fast. People who want to stand out from the majority buy Apple gadgets because they are the newer technology on the market. They also have that great feeling walking around with that nice apple carved on the back of their iPhone and iPod.

Nationalism and the origins of The first world war Essay

When global war broke out in 1914 dreams of world peace and prosperity were shattered. Accordingly, the First World War was arguably one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of international affairs. Geopolitically speaking, the First World War (also described as WWI in this essay) was unprecedented in both scale and sheer loss of human life. Never before had the world witnessed such carnage and violence perpetuated through the use of modern technology. The First World War touched much of the world and the implications of this conflict reverberated across the globe. Seeking to understand the historical explanations as well as the role that nationalism played in the outbreak of the First World War, this essay will explore the multiple causes of the development of global hostilities in 1914. Using a three pronged analytical model, the causes of the WWI will be discusses with reference to the pre-conditions and precipitants for conflict and the triggers which sparked the war. Understanding that WWI was an international event with global repercussions, we will analyze the various antecedents for the emergence of armed conflict through a multi-causal approach. This essay will argue that a variety of factors led to the outbreak of the First World War and while there is not one single causal explanation for the emergence of global conflict in 1914, a proper explanation of the origins of this conflict takes into account the amalgamation of each of these factors. While nationalism was an important factor leading to the outbreak of international conflict between the warring parties, this essay will argue that in fact, nationalism was an important precursors to the emergence of conflict but the sole and deciding force in the violence which erupted on the shores of Europe and reverberated across the planet. Although the First World War has recently been overshadowed in the aftermath of the WWII, this conflict was the first in terms of scale and sheer destruction and thus continues to be worthy of scholarly analysis. Nationalism in International Affairs Nationalism is an important force in international relations and has been so for centuries. As a basic principle of the international order, concepts of state sovereignty are intrinsic to our understanding of the world system. Accordingly, the international system is predicated upon the existence of nation-states and nationalism is a belief or sense of identity within the nation. The Treaty of Westphalia established the principle of state sovereignty, another fundamental principle of the international order which established the nation-state as an autonomous political entity. Similar to tribalism or a sense of social kinship, nationalism as a potent political force began in Europe in the late eightieth century and was connected with a decline in overall religiosity, the development of industrialization, Enlightenment thoughts and a concerted effort by political elites to â€Å"build states†. By inculcating a sense of nationalist fervor in the citizens of their respective countries, elites have been able to manipulate nationalism for political purposes. Mass mobilization towards a variety of specific causes through an appeal to nationalist sentiment has been used as a political tool for centuries. Although not exclusively a negative force, nationalism remains an important ordering principle of the international system and a force to be reckoned with (Anderson 2006). Preconditions to the Outbreak of Conflict There were a variety of preconditions to the emergence of the conflict, which up until that date, had been the largest that the world had ever seen. The First World War represented the dueling alliances of the Triple Entente – composed of Britain, France and Russia – and the Triple Alliance – comprised of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Pre-conditions are best described as the precursors to conflict and there were many underlying long-term causes for the belligerent behaviour of the states of Europe in 1914. An arms race, underway for years, and growing at a rapid pace just prior to the emergence of the First World War set the stage for violent conflict between the major states of the region. Accordingly, the arms race occurring at the time exacerbated the global balance of power and led to an increased likelihood of aggressive behavior between the armies of Europe. As the European armies grew and competed with one another for size, manpower and prestige, the naval race between German and Britain contributed to a partition of the major states of the continent into two opposing camps. Competition was surely facilitated by nationalist tendencies and a desire to counterbalance the political, diplomatic and military ambitions of one’s rival. In addition to international arms races, domestic pressures and a willingness of the part of the citizens of some countries to engage in war helped precipitate the conflict. Accordingly, the diplomatic isolation of Germany, Austro-Hungary was another important contributor to the outbreak of global war in 1914. German nationalism, largely ignored in the settlement of the Congress of Vienna almost one hundred years before, did experience a resurgence particularly after the imposition of what was then conceived by many to be an unfair Treaty in Vienna and gained prominence in the middle to late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Accordingly, a German nationalism movement led a revolution to unify the country in 1871 – a similar movement in Italy served to unite that country in 1861 – and remained an important, although not solely important, force in attempting to explain the preconditions of conflict in 1914 (Joll and Martel 1992). In addition to the pre-conditions above, a series of crises from 1904-1914 also helped pave the way for the emergence of the First World War and were important pre-cursors to this conflict. The First Moroccan Crisis from 1905-1906 resulted in a German offensive which created the Entente. This was followed by the Bosnia-Herzegovina Crisis of 1908/1909 in which Austria-Hungary formally annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina. This important precursor to future conflict forced Russia to reevaluate its geopolitical situation and in turn view Germany and Austro-Hungary as a potential threat. The Second Moroccan Crisis (1911-1912) united Russia, Britain and France against Germany and was an important stabilizer for the Triple Entente informal alliance. The final conflicts which were important pre-conditions to the outbreak of violence in 1914 were the Balkan Wars 1912-13. These series of wars removed the Ottoman Empire from the equation and led to an impressive German arms build-up (Strachan 2001; Joll and Martel 1992). On the Cusp of War: Precipitants to Conflict Precipitants are short-term crises that made the war seem inevitable and a series of crises, beginning with the assassination in Sarajevo of Franz-Ferdinand, Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, made large-scale war in Europe seem like an inevitability. In fact, the months of late June/early July were replete with crises beginning with the violent assassination in Serbia of the Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Assassinated on Serbia’s national day by a violent terrorist organization, the Black Hand, this event alone is described by many observers of the First World War as perhaps the most monumental precipitant to the outbreak of hostilities between the major powers of Europe. Following his violent death at the hands of a Serbian nationalist, Germany unilaterally supported the right of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to respond as it saw fit. This led to successive increases in belligerence on both sides and an ultimatum by Austria-Hungary to Serbia (Strachan 2001; Joll and Martel 1992). Triggers and the Outbreak of War There are a variety of direct antecedents to the War of 1914 and the following will describe the important triggers for the world’s largest military mobilization to-date in the aftermath of the assassination of Franz-Ferdinand, Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While there is not one single event which explains the emergence of large-scale conflict, the following will chart the important triggers which led to the internationalization of conflict and the explosion of a truly global war. Serbia’s rejection of the ultimatum put forth by the Austro-Hungarian represented a desire on its part to safeguard its independence. By rejecting the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum and seeking Russian support, the Serbian republic unwittingly set the stage for the bloodiest war the world had ever known. Serbian intransigence and refusal to acquiesce to the demands of Austria-Hungary set the stage for Russian involvement which internationalized the conflict and significantly increased its scope. At the time, the Russian army was the largest army on the planet and the inclusion of Russia into the dispute significantly increased its scope and explosive potential. Following the introduction of Russia into the equation, the first four days of August 1914 proved to significantly expand the horizons of the conflict. During those first few days of the month, Germany declared war on Russia and its ally France, leading to the mobilization of Britain and the further internationalization of belligerence. Germany’s decision to declare war on Russia and the Entente powers represented an important expansion of the conflict on the side of the Triple Alliance and set the stage for the mobilization and later involvement of Britain in the brewing hostilities (Strachan 2001; Joll and Martel 1992). Origins of the â€Å"Mass War† and Nationalism At the outbreak of World War One, states mobilized what scholars have described as â€Å"mass wars†: the uniquely modern phenomenon of warfare developed in the twentieth century which required the wholesale diversion of economies, labour and national productivity towards the war effort (44). Accordingly, â€Å"from 1914 on, wars were unmistakably mass wars†¦such a level of mass mobilization cannot be maintained except by a modern high-productivity industrialized economy. † (Hobsbawm 1994). State apparatuses grew and â€Å"mass wars† required governments to mobilize people, resources, and armaments to serve the war effort. Citizens were conscripted to fight, industry was instructed to produce arms, and the government became intimately involved in the establishment of monopolistic war economies. Although nationalism did play a role in the establishment of war economies and the growth of military-industrial complexes built up to support the war effort, many factors account for call to arms and the descent into extreme bloodshed and violence during the First World War. Mass mobilization towards the war effort was certainly helped by nationalist fervor as the belligerent parties prepared for conflict which until then would have been on an unimaginable scale, but as has been shown above, nationalism is just one part of the equation in attempting to explain the origins of the First World War (Hobsbawm 1994). Concluding Remarks As one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of the world, the First World War represented geopolitical conflict on an unprecedented scale. Never before had the world witnessed such carnage, bloodshed and violence. Seeking to understand the historical explanations and discuss the role that nationalism has played in the outbreak of the First World War, this essay has explored the antecedents for conflict in 1914. Important preconditions, precipitants and triggers have accounted for the emergence of this conflict. Nationalism, although an important factor which can help explain the emergence of World War One, is actually only one aspect of the overall conditions which lay the groundwork for World War One. Nationalism may be a guiding principle of the international order but a focus which exclusively explores the role of nationalism in the causes of war gives an incomplete picture of this global conflict. While nationalism may have been a force in the establishment of alliances in Europe, there were a handful of other preconditions, precipitants and triggers which led to this conflict. As this essay has shown, many factors led to the violent episode now known as the Second World War and while each factor differed in substance, each contributed to the emergence of the â€Å"War to End All Wars†. REFERENCES Anderson, B. 2006. Imagined Communities. New York: Verso. Hobsbawm, E. 1994. Age of Extremes: The Short History of the Twentieth Century: 1914-1991. London: Abacus. James Joll, J. and G. Martel. 1992. The Origins of the First World War. New York: Longman. McEvedy, C. 2003. The New Penguin Atlas of History. New York: Penguin. Strachan, H. 2001. The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War. London: Oxford University Press.

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While elaborating the ideas provided in the chapter, the students may need to be familiarizes with a few fundamental concepts such as Gross Domestic Product, Employment etc. Since the students may find this difficult to understand, it is necessary to explain to them through examples. Several activities and exercises are suggested in the chapter to help the students understand how a person's activity could be placed -? whether in the primary, secondary or tertiary, organized or unrealized, and public or private sector.You may encourage the students to talk to various working people around them (such as hop owners, casual workers, vegetable vendors, workshop mechanics, domestic workers etc. ) to know more about how they live and work. Based on such information, the students can be encouraged to develop their own classification of economic activities. Another important issue to be highlighted is about the problems caused by the changes in the roles of sectors. The chapter has taken the example of unemployment and what the government can do to solve it.The declining importance 18 of agriculture and growing importance of industry and services should be related to the experience of the children by taking ore examples that they may observe in their day-to-day life. Information derived from the media could be used for this purpose. You may encourage the students to bring important cuttings and stories from newspapers, which could be prominently displayed in storyboards, and encourage the class to discuss these issues. While discussing the unrealized sector, the key issue of protecting the workers engaged in the sector should be highlighted.You may also encourage the students to visit persons and enterprises in the unrealized sector and get a first hand experience from real life situation. Sources for Information The GAP data used in this chapter pertaining to Gross Domestic Product at Factor Cost by Industry of Origin at 1993-94 prices is taken from Economic Survey. It is a valuable source of GAP and other information relating to the Indian economy. For evaluation purposes, particularly to develop the analytical ability of learners, teachers can refer to Economic Survey to get data for different years.You will find that people are engaged in various economic activities. Some of these are activities producing goods. Some others are producing services. These activities are happening around us every minute even as we speak. How do we understand these activities? One way of doing this is to group them (classify them) using some important criterion. These groups are also called sectors. There could be several ways of classification depending on the purpose and what one thinks is an important criterion. At different We begin by looking ties. Mind of economic active Primary (Agriculture) Sector produces natural goods Secondary (Industrial) manufactured 20 There are many activities that are undertaken by directly using natural resources. Take, for exampl e, the cultivation of cotton. It takes place within a crop season. For the growth of the cotton plant, we depend mainly, but not entirely, n natural factors like rainfall, sunshine and climate. The product of this activity, cotton, is a natural product. Similarly, in the case of an activity like dairy, we are dependent on the biological process of the animals and availability Tertiary (Service) of fodder etc.The product here, milk, also is a natural product. Similarly, minerals and ores are also natural products. When we produce a good by exploiting natural resources, it is an activity of the primary sector. Why primary? This is because it forms the base for all other products that we subsequently make. Since most of the natural helps develop products we get are from there sectors agriculture, dairy, fishing, forestry, this sector is also called agriculture and related sector. The secondary sector covers activities in which natural products are changed into other forms through ways of manufacturing that we associate with industrial activity.It is the next step after primary. The product is not produced by nature but has to be made and therefore some process of manufacturing is essential. This could be in a factory, a workshop or at home. For example, using cotton fiber from the plant, we spin yarn and weave cloth. Using sugarcane as a raw material, we make sugar or guru. We convert earth into bricks and use bricks to make houses and buildings. Since this sector gradually became associated with the different kinds of industries that came up, it is also called as industrial sector.After primary and secondary, there is a third category of activities that falls under tertiary sector and is different from the above two. These are activities that help in the development of the primary and secondary sectors. These activities, by themselves, do not produce a good but they are an aid or a support for the production process. For example, goods that are produced in the p rimary or secondary sector would need to be transported by trucks or trains and then sold in wholesale and retail shops.At times, it may be necessary to store these in godsons. We also may need to talk to others over telephone or send letters (communication) or borrow money from banks (banking) to help production and trade. Transport, storage, communication, banking, trade are some examples of tertiary activities. Since these activities generate services rather than goods, the tertiary sector is also called the service sector. Service sector also includes some essential services that may not directly help in the production of goods.