Hamza Yusuf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamza Yusuf - Essay Example He schooled in California and the East Coast. Hamza spent the summer of his 12th year in Greece where he learnt the catechism within the advanced Christian studies. After returning from Greece, Hamza went to an experimental school in Marin County. He attended high school in the East Coast. In high school, Hamza started concentrating on God and religion. He came to the realisation that his Christianity was because his parents were Christians.1 In 1977, he was converted to a Christian. He believed that most people in the West failed in their realisation of oppression in Muslim states because of culture. He opted to live as a Muslim in the West than living in other Muslim countries. He believed that Muslims live well in the West. Thereafter, in 1996, he and his colleagues founded Zaytuna Institute. This prepared for the revival of traditional study methods and Islamic sciences. Yusuf took a stance against religious justifications for the terrorist attacks. Hamza has been an outspoken an d passionate critic of the foreign policy in America and an extremist for the responses towards the policies. He has managed to draw criticism for Muslim extremists in the East and West. His writings played a crucial part in his abandoning of extremism. Pre-9/11 Radical Before the bombing in September 11, Hamza had expressed some radical Islamist sentiments on various occasions. He praised the idea of Muslims being the threat to society. He argued that the threat was geared towards fighting against the inhumanity and injustice in the society. He argued that they were not to fight against the jihad. He depicted the American culture as spreading the diseases such as AIDS and cancer. In 1995, Hamza rallied against Judaism. They believed that God became biased in calling Jews in Mt. Sinai and that the rest of the people in the world are rubbish. He condemned the Jewish religion and regarded it as a racist one. He criticised Christians for associating themselves with Jews, yet they rejec ted God and crucified Him.2 In 1996, Hamza described US as a country with so little to be proud of, both in the present and past. He compared his reverence for Islam with the democracy in America. In his comparison, he said that he was an American citizen by birth and not by choice, and he resides in the country, not by choice but by the conviction of spreading Islamic messages in America. He argued that he became a Muslim since he never believed in false gods of the society. He believed that convention resolutions were meaningless Masonic exercises used by men to ensure that nothing changes. From Jamil al-Amin to George Bush In 2001, Hamza talked of fundraising for the legal defence of Jamil al-Amin in Irvine. He combined the praise for al-Amin with the harsh attacks on the United States. He portrayed US as a country plagued with anti-Muslim conspiracies. He praised the courage of al-Amin and condemned the acts of the government that aimed at silencing him. He also claimed of unjus t trial and life sentencing of Omar Abdel-Rahman, after he conspired to kill the former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, as well as plotting to bomb the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. He criticised US for institutionalised racism. He hinted on a catastrophe hitting US, and true to his words, the 9/11 terrorist attack happened. His tone dramatically shifted where he denounced jihadists by warning Muslims not to emulate them. He condemned the act saying that it was pure murder and not holy war. Closet Radical or Newborn Moderate: Hamza’

Morality in Copying CD’s Essay Example for Free

Morality in Copying CD’s Essay Morality is an issue that will forever encompass debates from thousands of sectors around the world. There are no definite set of rules of what is moral and what is not; as such, it will infinitely be hard to define. Judging someone’s morality is going to be difficult given this lack of definitive structure of the subject itself. This paper will be discussing piracy (which is what copying cd’s may lead to) in the context of morality. As difficult as the task may sound, this paper shall try to be as objective as it can be given the infinite boundary of the context. Piracy Piracy has been the thorn on the side of the music industry since the early 1990’s. Piracy is not even hard to do, given that one must simply stick a CD to a computer then transfer its entire contents to another and from there, numerous other copies can be made. The cycle does not and will not stop because most people prefer things for free. College students who must be the most frequent computer users will not be averse to copying CDs and distributing it to others. They sure enjoy their music and they normally are under strict budget due to their educational financial needs. The music industry is not the only field that piracy has wrecked. Almost anything that is being distributed on a CD or uploaded online has been endangered by piracy. Software is easily pirated, the newest Microsoft products are easily found on bootleg shops, finding its way easily in the third world black market. Aside from software, there are videogames and movies that can easily be copied and sold for much less than the producer originally retailed it, all illegally, of course. With piracy, the artists, software developers, producers, actors, programmers suffer as they are not paid the royalties they deserve for working hard on their respective projects but the consumers win, as they get the media they want/need for free or at a considerably lower price. The Utilitarian Approach According to Velasquez, et al. (1989), â€Å"utilitarianism is a moral principle that holds that the morally right course of action in any situation is the one that produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected.† The utilitarian approach can certainly be used by those who copy the CD’s and distribute it to a wider span of users. When a person purchases a CD and uploads its entire content online on a file sharing site, his reasoning is that, such upload can share the music to a wider variety of people. These people can get it for free thanks to that one person who uploaded it for sharing out of the goodness of his heart. When a person buys a CD, he has paid for rights to use the content of that music. No matter how he abuses the content of that CD by repeated usage is something he is entitled to do. However, copying the entire contents of the CD and giving the copy to another person is another story as herein, he has breached some legal boundaries of his usage. Morality may be a subject that is infinite but legality has very strict confines and stepping beyond its boundaries is punishable by a hefty sum, long hours of community service or jail time. The utilitarian reasoning is not a defense against illegal acts and as such, one cannot escape punishment by reiterating that he committed piracy for the benefit of the world, out of the goodness of his heart. In addition, the utilitarian approach does not consider the minority who will be affected by such act. For instance, the loss of income to those people who have labored to bring the media out on the market is not something utilitarianism will consider. Deontological Ethics According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.), â€Å"in deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because of some characteristic of the action itself, not because the product of the action is good.† Given this definition, copying CDs onto another computer, given today’s anti-piracy campaign, is not going to be considered moral even though the intentions maybe good and the act may be easy to do. Music, movie, software, videogame industries have lost billions of dollars because of piracy, they are trying to fight it as best they can and as such, there are piracy warnings/threats on almost every media distributed. Doing it anyway will certainly question one’s morality over it. To circumvent this, one does not usually copy CD’s. He goes to websites where he can share files. However, in the UK, such file sharing can now be considered illegal (Solanki 2010). Such is the campaign against piracy that in the US, every digital media sold in the market is protected by DRM, a software that limits the number of devices the content can be played in to typically, 5 machines (Grossman 2007). Exceeding this limit can raise questions on one’s morality via Deontological Ethics. Conclusion Copying the contents of a CD is piracy. Piracy nowadays is a criminal offense that is punishable by law. One can hardly find anything moral over something that is illegal. Even though piracy may be the most tolerated crime in the world, it will be best for the person to stay on the conservative side and not commit it, for his personal welfare. References: Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.) Deontological ethics. Retrieved 19 July 2010 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/158162/deontological-ethics Grossman, L. (2007). The Battle Over Music Piracy. Time.   Retrieved 19 July 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1625209,00.html Solanki, M. (2010). File sharing becomes illegal as Government pushes through Digital Economy Bill. SeekBroadband. Retrieved 19 July 2010 from http://seekbroadband.com/focus/2010/04/09/internet-technology-news/file-sharing-becomes-illegal-as-government-pushes-through-digital-economy-bill/ Velasquez, M. et al. (1989). Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics. Issues in Ethics V2 N1. Retrieved 19 July 2010 from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/calculating.html

John Proctor Was Never Defeated English Literature Essay

John Proctor Was Never Defeated English Literature Essay Ernest Hemingway says, Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated (http://www.englishforums.com). In Arthur Millers play The Crucible, the court cannot defeat John Proctor. Although they take his life, they cant take his pride. John Proctor is a well-respected husband and citizen, but everything takes a turn in Proctors life when he commits a secret sin with Abigail Williams. His hamartia, or affair with Abigail, leads to his downfall. Proctor is seen as a tragic hero because he is well respected in Salem, he possesses a flaw, and he finds a way to overcome his flaw. As the trials begin in Salem, Proctor realizes he can put a stop to them. In fear of ruining his name and reputation, he keeps his adultery with Abigail to himself. His tragic flaw, or pride in his name, underscores his inability to let go. He makes an effort to bring down Abigail, but when he fails, Proctor reveals the sin he committed with Abigail publicly. The storys peripeteia comes when Proc tor is arrested. Proctor changes, realizing that the witch trials are his fault. In the last act, Proctor has a chance to confess that he is a witch in order to live. Instead, Proctor chooses to refuse the confession in hopes of saving his name. This is Proctors biggest turning point of the play. His catharsis is achieved because he dies being freed from his earlier sins. A proud and respected man, John Proctor possesses a flaw that changes him throughout the course of the story, but it is Johns ability to overcome his flaw that distinguishes him as the tragic hero of The Crucible. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is viewed as a highly appreciated individual. Proctors high authority, influence in the town, and good deeds demonstrate his respected position in society. Arthur Miller describes John Proctor as a farmer in his middle thirties who is respected and feared in Salem(19). He is respected and feared because of his large amount of land. When Proctor speaks to Mr. Putnam and Giles Corey in the beginning of Act I, Proctor asks Giles to help him carry the lumber to his home. When Mr. Putnam asks what lumber he is speaking of, Proctor says, My lumber. From out my forest by the riversideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. I bought that tract from Good Nurses husband five months ago(30). Proctors wealth and position in society is proven when he describes his land to be a forest. It exemplifies his respect in the town, because, in the time of the Salem witch trials, a person with a large amount of land is regarded as a man with a high status in town. Proctors high opi nion is also shown through his influence on Salem. In Act IV Reverend Parris expresses his fear towards the riot that is occurring in Andover and heading towards Salem. In the midst of his terror, Parris realizes the influence that John Proctor has in the town. He says, John Proctor is not Isaac Ward that drank his family to ruin. I would to God it were not so, Excellency, but these people have great weight yet in town(118). Parris explains how Proctors influence in Salem is so immense that Proctors death would cause Salem to collapse. Parris suggests that if Proctor is hanged, people will start a rebellion in Salem. The people of high authority act as a basis in Salem, and their death would only cause more confusion. With this confusion the villagers will riot and overthrow the court. Proctors respect and influence is a result of his good deeds shown in Salem. As Hale is questioning Proctor, Proctor describes his kindness with a good deed he committed. He states, I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door-(62). This small deed shows that Proctor cares about the community, and not only himself. Proctor is respected by the townspeople because of his charitable actions in Salem. Although Proctor illustrates the characteristics of a well-rounded individual, his tragic flaw prevents him from forgetting his adultery with Abigail. Throughout The Crucible John Proctors flaw is portrayed when his reputation is jeopardized. Proctors flaw is first shown on page 52 when he is speaking to Elizabeth about the conversation he had alone with Abigail. Elizabeth believes that Proctors feelings for Abigail prevent him from going to the court and proving that the court is a fraud. Proctor then judges Elizabeth stating that she will not forget about the incident that happened with Abigail. Elizabeth responds by saying, The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man Johnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (52). Elizabeth introduces Johns flaw. His pride in his name is restricting him from entering the court and proclaiming that the court is corrupt. If it means he would have to confess about his adultery with Abigail and ruin his reputation, then he would not do it. As Reverend Hale is questioning the Proctors, he asks them if they believe in witches. When Hale asks if Elizabeth believes in the Gospel, Pro ctor says, She do not mean to doubt the Gospel, sir, you cannot think it. This be a Christian house, sir, a Christian house (66). Proctor tries to save his name by saying that Elizabeth believes in the Gospel. He is afraid that Hale will get the wrong impression from Elizabeth. This will put a mark on their familys name. Proctors pride in his name causes him to answer Hale and turn away any suspicion that Hale has against the Proctors. Reverend Hale shows another example of Proctors flaw. While Hale convinces Elizabeth to talk Proctor into confessing, he tells Elizabeth that Proctors life is worth more than his pride. He says, Life, woman, life is Gods most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Let him give his lieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. [F]or it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws away his life for pride (122). Hale explicitly points out Proctors flaw. He proves that Proctor is viewed as a prideful man, and Hale belie ves that Proctor is ruining his life for the goodness of his name. Hale believes that life is more important than ones reputation. Proctor, however, is more inclined towards his reputation than his life. On page 133 Proctor throws his life away to keep his name and save the lives of those that were accused. After signing the testimony that claims his witchery, Proctor asks that it remain private. When Danforth disagrees Proctor snatches the paper and says, Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name (133). Proctors flaw once again leads to his downfall. His pride in his name for both his family and people of Salem lead to his hanging; however, Proctor reaches a self-realization and discovers a way to overcome his flaw. As the play comes to an end, Proctor shows his ability to surpass his tragic flaw and distinguish himself as a tragic hero. Proctors first moment of self-realization appears on pages 72 to 73. When Elizabeth is being arrested, Proctor realizes that the witch trials are his fault. He understands that Abigail wants to destroy Elizabeth in hopes of getting back in bed with him. Proctor rips the warrant of Elizabeths arrest and says, Ill tell you whats walking Salem-vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom and common vengeance writes the lawà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Ill not give my wife to vengeance (73). John blames Abigail by saying that vengeance is walking Salem. Abigail is the vengeance. Proctor realizes that his pride has put others in danger. Because of the danger he has put on others, he decides to act against the court. Another moment of self-realization occurs when John publicly announces his adul tery with Abigail. He declares Abigail a whore and states that she must be stopped. He says, Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wifes grave! And well she might for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whores vengeance and you must see it (102). Proctor realizes that Abigail continues to gain power in the court. When all else fails, Proctor confesses to his adultery with Abigail. He destroys his reputation, not for his own sake, but for the sake of others. Proctors last lines show his final self-realization. Before his death, Proctor is able to overcome his flaw. He snatches the paper that includes his confession and crumples it. He says, You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs (133). Although Proctor has a chance of living, he understands that the rest of hi s life would continue as a lie. By denying that the confession be nailed to the church door, Proctor gives his life up in place of his name. He understands the importance of his name, but he sentences himself for the sake of others. By sacrificing himself, Proctor is able to achieve peace and to free himself of his past sins. Ultimately, John Proctor was never defeated. He died a man of strength and power to his name. Although his soul was taken, his legacy remained. Through all of Proctors struggles he was able to retain his name and die in peace. In the beginning of the play, Proctor is a dishonest character trying to rid himself of his past, but his self-pride makes it difficult for him to let things go. However, as the play comes to an end, Proctor realizes the evil in the witch trials, and he dies with a renewed goodness. John Proctor is seen as the protagonist of this tragedy because he demonstrates the characteristics of a typical tragic hero. Well respected in Salem, Proctor shows good traits of a common man. Eventually, Proctors hamartia and tragic flaw lead to his death. However, Proctor also undergoes a moment of self-realization. Proctor reaches his catharsis in the last few pages of the play when he realizes the goodness in what he has accomplished. Proctor decides to surrender himself to dea th, rather than live a life of lies. He realizes that a public confession will offend the accused that have risked their lives for their reputation. Although Proctors tragic flaw leads to his death, Arthur Miller ultimately concludes Proctor as a man who pertains to goodness rather than guilt.

Fight Club Compared To Siddhartha :: essays research papers

Since the beginning of time, man has been on a quest to find his inner self. This topic has been the theme of many books and researches. This is no exception, in the 1959 book, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. In this particular story the main character, Siddhartha, is trying to find his ‘inner self’. He tries to accomplish this in many ways, one being self denial or destruction. This is also the case in the 1996 book, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, in which the main theme promoted is that destruction leads to purity. These two works, written almost 40 years apart, which at first glance seem to be complete opposites, are actually spawns from the archetypal theme of man’s quest from self knowledge. Many issues in each of these stories give reason to believe that the authors had the same idea in mind. It could also be said that the author of Fight Club may have read Siddhartha. This is so because of the fact that many quotes in Fight Club relate to Hinduism, which is the religion of the heron in Siddhartha. For example, at a point in Fight Club, a character questions his safety. The reply from the character, Tyler Durden, is, â€Å"You’re as safe as a Hindu cow†, is a metaphor that since the cow is very respected in the Hindu religion and is not harmed. This may be mere coincidence, but other information gives reason to believe otherwise. Other than just saying that there is a connection with something that is said in the two books, there is also connections with the themes and styles of each book. In Siddhartha the charters often speak in ways the you may have to think about to understand the full meaning. This is also true in the case of Fight Club. At one point in Siddhartha, the character Govinda [Siddhartha’s friend] says, â€Å"He who in contemplation, with purified mind, immerses himself in Atman, Inexpressible in words is his heart’s bliss.† These quotes convey the idea of the actually enlightenment. In Fight Club, it is common to see quotes like, â€Å"You are not a beautiful and unique snow flake† which tells Tyler Durden’s followers that what they may think they are is completely false. This type of put down is a major ingredient in the stew of mayhem which leads to enlightenment. When you compare the actual meanings of Fight Club and Siddhartha, you will find that they are very much alike. Fight Club is a release for people. It helps you know yourself, know what you can do, and know your limits. In the book, it would often be used by people with

Brand Name

As stated in â€Å"Brand Durability Challenged† (201 1) people usually feel connected with and loyalty to the brands that have been in the market for many years. â€Å"Credibility, quality and consistency' (Moisakos, 201 1) of the old brand can build consumer loyalty. The connection between people and brands might be the reason why most people usually buy the same thing over and over. This idea can be related to Civilian(2007)g's idea that people usually buy things that they know about because they feel safe and comfortable with, and they think those products are good.According to Westbound (201 0), it has been discovered that more than half of the consumers who participated in the latest consumer survey decided what brands to buy at the store. If there are two products with same prices, they often choose the one with a brand because many people use it. To illustrate, Caviar (2007) reports that a study by Stanford University found that when the exact same food was given to ch ildren-the only difference being the container in which it was served-, most of the children said that the food that was in McDonald's packaging tasted better.In other words, people have a mind-set that products with brands have better quality than those without brands. On the other hand, according to the article â€Å"Are you wasting money on brand names† Consumer Reports has done a survey and seventeen percent Of participants thought that name brand food contained more nutritious than other products. However, it is discovered that there are no big differences between nutrition of the tested products which are both brand name products and store brand products. Many consumers are proud of themselves when they use brand names products.These products usually include cars, clothes, and electronic devices. People have good feelings when buying those products. They feel confident to go out of their house with Nikkei shoes, Levies t-shirt, and Gucci bag. Those are popular brands fo r clothing and they are very expensive. People go shopping for these brands because they want to show off and feel rich. A great example is about the t-shirts. Nikkei t-shirts are more expensive than other t-shirt without brand, but people still want to pay more for it. Martin (2003) reports that even though Nikkei is accused of labor abuse, Nikkei still succeeds in building image of its brand.A lot of people still feel good with it, and they still buy its products. This makes it obvious how much consumers treasure their identification with the image of Nikkei. On the other hand, it is obvious that if a product or a brand has a bad image, not many people will want to buy that product or that brand because they think that it might lower their look. The image Of the brand is an important factor Of consumer's purchasing decision. In the civilization, most people like to follow the majority because they like to be part of the group.In Caviar's article, Dan Goldstein, an assistant profes sor of marketing at London Business School, says that â€Å"People tend to believe, If I've heard of [a product] before, it's probably because it's popular, and popular things are good. † This quote shows that people in today's world like popular things. Brand names are usually popular and people purchase them because of their popularity. Advertising is one way to introduce a product to consumers. According to Marksman(2011), people were requested to see a line of BBS (BOBBY), but there was also a â€Å"b† in some lines(Bobby).They were asked to count the line with â€Å"b†. Before each line was shown, fifty' percent of the respondents saw the brand name of the ice tea. After the test was done, people, again, were asked to choose the drinks. The choices are the ice tea and water. People who were thirsty chose to drink the ice tea more than water. The example can demonstrate that advertising can also be a part of reasons why people choose a particular product. Re putation is not only the reason why people choose to buy a brand name product, but design of sound and logo of the brand name is also another important factor.

The Test Essay

The Test Essay The Test Essay Concept Development for Linear Media Narrative Structure | Storyboards | Animatics When was the last time you watched a movie on DVD? Did you ever watch any of the behind-the-scenes content on the disc? Ever wonder how the movie was filmed and put together? If you're fortunate enough, the DVD will probably even show you some storyboards (or animatics) and how close the final shots were to the original storyboard sketches. We'll be covering how valuable storyboards can be in your design process for linear media, especially when trying to tell a story that will captivate the targeted audience. | | Narrative Structure | | Before creating a storyboard, you have to be able to tell a proper story first, and that's exactly what narrative structure is. When coming up with a story, some things to remember are that it should be engaging, entertaining, and be able to stir up your audience's emotions! Think about some of your favorite movies and some scenes that really tugged at your heart or captured your imagination. If you're going to learn from the best, you'll need to have a critical eye for how those scenes were shot and edited and how that story unfolded. Don't be afraid to study some of your favorite movies for techniques that you could incorporate into your own skill set. If you look at any story, the basic narrative structure is comprised of an introduction, body, climax, and conclusion. Most stories you hear or see are probably told chronologically, which means the sequence of events were told in the order that they happened. But when you create a narrative, the order in which these events are told doesn't have to be in sequence! Remember the movie Memento by Christopher Nolan? There's an example of a narrative that didn't stick to the classic formula of storytelling. If you've never seen it, the story was basically told backward, which really altered the way the audience perceived the characters and events that occurred throughout the movie. There are numerous opportunities to craft effective stories that can communicate old or current problems, new features, and what makes a particular product stand out. With animation and video becoming increasingly popular and heavily utilized on websites, and broadband access being adopted by more of the population, the possibilities are endless. Narrative structure depends heavily on cinematic techniques involving camera placement, angle, and distance to and from the subject of interest or focal point. The easiest way to learn cinematic language is to create a reverse storyboard of existing commercials. This means that you can go to YouTube, find your favorite commercial and roughly sketch each shot. (A shot is from camera on to camera off, or when an angle or view changes.) In this way, you can teach yourself how to use extreme close-ups, close-ups, medium shots, and long shots (establishing shots) to tell a story to your audience. Cinematic language also utilizes metaphors. What is a metaphor? It is similar to a symbol, but it uses something familiar to explain something that might be more complex. For example, "Love is a rose" is a metaphor using a simple object like a rose to explain the complicated concept of love. Directors and cinematographers use metaphor to create mood and further a story. A good example is in The Shining when Jack is writing feverishly at the typewriter, but later we see through Wendy's eyes that he has been typing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" over and over again. The typewriter becomes a metaphor to describe Jack's deteriorating sanity. The most important thing to remember about the use of metaphors is that they seldom include the words "like" or "as." A metaphor ''is" something else. | | Storyboards | | Storyboards are typically made up of a series of quick sketches displayed in sequence to help visualize a wide variety of media such as films, cartoons, websites, and video games. A storyboard looks like a roughly

Probable changing role of trade union over the next ten years The WritePass Journal

Probable changing role of trade union over the next ten years Abstract Probable changing role of trade union over the next ten years ). Unions worldwide have been struggling to come to terms with these changes. Among the adversities facing unionism are unfavourable political and institutional conditions, structural changes in the economy, global competition, employer sponsored forms of employee participation, legal constraints and a growing trend in outsourcing among many others (Wright 2011). A combination of these challenges seems to have precipitated a significant fall in union membership. While there has been a decline in union membership, the challenge remains for the unions to find ways to prevent a further decline and weakening of trade unions’ position. The question then arises: what should unions do to prevent a further decline in membership and to consolidate on their current position? Incorporating cutting-edge research, this paper examines the probable changing role of trade union movement in the United Kingdom over the next ten years. As a starting point, the paper is going to define trade union, examine trade union responsibilities and practices, conduct a brief history of employee relations and analyze the basics of employees’ industrial relations. What is a trade union? Trade unions refer to organizations set up with the sole purpose of protecting and standing for the interest of its members in the workplace (Kelly 1998). Many activists view it as a movement for justice that is based on power emanating from workers’ solidarity (Kelly 1998). Their existence is mainly to voice concerns facing individual workers such as the work conditions, pay and conditions of employment. By bringing workers together, their power is magnified and they have a higher chance of exerting influence and voicing their opinions on matters regarding their work. Responsibilities of trade unions As noted above, the primary aim of trade unions is to protect and further the interests of its members. Trade unions are able to ensure this protection by: Obtaining satisfactory pay rates (Farnham 2000) Negotiating for their bonuses Ensuring satisfactory working conditions Negotiating for the renewal of their employment contracts and revision of their job descriptions where necessary (Farnham 2000). Negotiating for their promotion Securing adequate work facilities It is clear that the unions have the interests of workers at heart. It is also important to note that trade unions are part of the society and that they have played a central role in ensuring national integration. The other important responsibilities of trade unions include: Achieving industrial peace Ensuring national integration through minimizing the number of industrial disputes (Bach 2002). Inculcating discipline in the work environment Helping employees with social adjustments. That is, the unions help workers from different backgrounds adjust to the new rules, policies and working conditions. Incorporating a sense of corporate social responsibility in workers (Blanchflower 1996). The unions ability to effectively carry out these functions, however, depends on union density and membership. The smaller the number of union members, the lesser their power and influence in employment relationships. It is striking, however, to note that unions especially in the developed economies have in the past years lost membership. In the UK, for example, the union density stood at 30% during the year of 2000 but by 2010, union density had dropped to a figure of 27% (Wright 2011, p.2). This downward trend has been reported to be more pronounced in the private sector. Although membership in the private sector remained relatively stable, there still was a decline in union membership, albeit at a slower pace (Wright 2011, p.2). The explanations put forth for the decline in union membership have been manifold stressing certain political, social, economical, structural and institutional changes. These changes will be examined in detail in the sections below. Employee relations Undoubtedly many of us experience work as employees and as such managing the employment relationship with our employers is of critical importance. Given the relentless changes outlined above which have prompted the decline of union membership, the importance of employee and industrial relations cannot be sidelined. In this respect, employment relations concerns itself with the management and regulation of employment relationship. This term, which was traditionally conceived as industrial relations, is concerned with power distribution between management and employees (Bryson 2005). Traditionally, the term Industrial relations has been used in reference to the management of the relationship between trade unions and management, as well as management of associated processes such as industrial conflict, negotiation and consultation, and collective bargaining (Ebbinghaus 2002). The shift has largely been a result of a range of developments in the economic, political, social and legal context of employment relationship witnessed in the past few decades. The emergence of new techniques for managing employment relationship such as the HRM, combined with structural changes to a service dominated economy, changing social attitudes, employer sponsored forms of participation and a decline in union power have all resulted in a more diverse employment landscape. Changing nature of employment relations Explanations for the decline in union membership have been attributed to the changing nature of employment relations. Undeniably, employee relations in the past 10   years centered on trade unionism, industrial disputes and collective bargaining. Trade unions were viewed to a large extent as workplace adversaries that negotiated with employers on matters regarding employees work (Gennard 2005). The relationship between employer and individual employee was perceived as secondary. This is no longer the case in today’s employment relationship as the development of new techniques to managing employment relationships such as the HRM, have led to a steady decline in union power and influence (Wright 2011). Unlike in the past, tripartism, strikes and collective bargaining have lesser relevance in the current employment relationship and this has led to a decline in union membership. This is evident from the Workplace Employee Relations Survey conducted in 1998. According to the findings obtained from this survey, 47% of the workplaces in UK had no union members (Wrights 2011, p.5). Moreover, unlike in the past where arrangements could be made between an employer and trade union to recognize union membership as a prerequisite to employment; todays legislative changes have led to an end in this arrangement (Craden Hall-Jones 2012). Trade unions bargaining power has shrunk dramatically in the recent years given the changing societal attitude and the new forms of development   which have provided employers with the bargaining initiative and extended to them unilateral control over the workplace. According to Taylor (2012), currently only an estimate of around a third of employees in the UK have their pay and conditions determined through collective bargaining agreements. This is in sharp contrast with the preceding years where this number was significantly large. In 1984, for example, the percentage of British employees who had their pay determined through collective bargaining agreements was 70% (Taylor 2012). This indicates a decline in the union’s bargaining power over the years. This has further been compounded by the break-up of national bargaining structures, legal constraints imposed on industrial actions and the changing societal attitudes towards unionism; all of which have precipitated the downward trend. Moreover, instead of reacting to and accommodating unionism managers have also become innovative, developing new techniques to manage employment relations such as the HRM. Research has confirmed that this is one of the main reasons behind the decline in union membership.   Due to the development and implementation of new techniques of managing employment relations such as the HRM, the number of union members in the UK has continued to decline. This can be seen in a research conducted by CIPD in 2004 on the changing nature of employee relations work in organizations in the UK.   Interviews with HR executives from the leading organizations in the UK formed the basis of this study. From this study, it was found that the role of the trade unions and their collective bargaining power had significantly declined (CIPD 2012). Based on the analysis, the study was forced to conclude that a further decline in union was more likely to happen in the near future. Undeniably, the driving force for the downward trend has been the changing nature of employee relations. There has been a shift in focus of employee relations from working with trade unions to a more contemporary focus on improving employee participation and business performance without the need for unions. In order to explore on the probable changing role of trade unions in the UK over the next 10 years, we are going to conduct a PEST analysis of trade union in the present times. PEST Analysis Among the range of issues that will be taken into account are: Political factors Economic factors Technological factors And Social factors Political factors Political factors, in this context, include legislation and government policies as well as foreign influences especially from the EU. In the past, trade unions were protected from the law of conspiracy and they had a right to picket peacefully (Bach 2002). However, a series of strike actions in the 1970s culminated in the drive for ‘anti-union laws’ which have since undermined the position and the role of the unions (Bach 2002). Legal restrictions imposed on the unions against recruiting new members have thus contributed to the downward trend. In addition, unions have generally been cut out of the political loop. Furthermore, the integration of most European countries has changed the environment in which trade unions act (Blaschke 2000). Over the past two decades, this integration has moved beyond its narrow economic basis to impact on other key areas such as social policies, macroeconomic policies and industrial relations (Blaschke 2000). This expansion is anticipated to change the structure facing unions by creating challenges as well as opportunities. The integration is likely to undermine existing national trade union arrangements and at the same time create a new arena of policy that is open to influence from trade unions. Economic factors Fragmentations in the labour market, enterprise bargaining and a shift   to individual contracts as well as the growing trend of outsourcing to other firms have also been reported to have precipitated into the decline of union membership (Ebbinghaus 2002). Moreover, the growth in ‘atypical’ and indirect forms of employment including self-employment and agency labour has also been suggested to have contributed to the weakening of the bargaining power of trade unions (Wright 2011). These forms of atypical and indirect employment have been facilitated by an increase in migration and workforce participation. Representing such workers in atypical jobs has been quite challenging to trade unions. Such cases of atypical and indirect employment have not only been a challenge for the unions, but have also presented challenges to regulators and enforcement bodies mandated with the responsibility of upholding labour standards. The downward trend in unionism is also attributed to the structural changes in the economy. Over the past few years, the resolution of industrial conflict has been given less priority and the focus of government has shifted to the international performance of national economies (Craden Hall-Jones 2012). The threat of communism seems to be fading away. In addition global competition has made cost-reduction increasingly important for management (Craden Hall-Jones 2012). This has resulted in a change of focus of IR policy. This is expected to continue over the next ten years with the aim of Industrial Relation policy likely to change from being a mechanism of avoiding industrial conflicts to one that is more focused on enhancing competitiveness (Craden Hall-Jones 2012). Given that this change has received overwhelming support from the government, it is obvious that the management priorities will increasingly change and the unions will be expected to justify their existence, perhaps   in terms of added value in the workplace. Social changes When considering the reasons behind the decline in union membership, some aspects of social origin must be taken account of. Ideally, in this case, the attitude of employees and the general public towards unionism matter a lot. However, public opinion on the importance of trade unions in employee relations seems somewhat vague. Some have shown mild support for trade unions whereas others have remained on stout opposition. What is clear, however, is the changing management attitude towards trade unionism in the UK. The change in management attitude from negotiating with the union representatives towards negotiating with employees on an individual basis seems to have contributed to this downward trend (Gennard 2005). Attitudes to work and towards trade union recognition have changed over time. This is also anticipated to continue to impact on trade unionism in the UK over the next ten years. The focus of employee relations in the near future is expected to be more on individual employee rather than employees as a collective body. Technological factors The decline is also attributed to rapid development and implementation of easily transferable technologies. Rapid technological changes have created problems in the domain of industrial relations given their impact on employment and the nature of skills (Craden Hall-Jones 2012). Undeniably, this change has received an enormous amount of resistance from the trade unions due to fears of unemployment and redundancy of the workers. For example, the trend of outsourcing of non-core activities of a firm to other organizations has contributed to the decline in union’s collective bargaining power (Wright 2011). Outsourcing tends to affect the relationship between a firm and trade union as it provides the firm with the bargaining initiative, extending to the firm unilateral control over the workplace. The implementation of such transferrable technologies weakens the unions. Prospects of union revival Given the various legislative changes and restrictions imposed against industrial actions, one may ponder whether there is possibility for the government in the near future to restore good relations with trade unions and whether there is a possibility for union revival. Will unions still be perceived by the government as conspirators? Are trade unions going to be viewed forever as bodies to be tightly controlled by government regulation? How will the government restore good relations with trade unions?   And, are we likely to see prospects for union revival with the power that they once wielded? Most of the restrictions were however imposed on trade union activities back in the 1980s. But the fact that most of these complex restrictions still remain even after years of Labour governments indicate how far apart the government and unions have grown. Trade union activists also wonder why there has been little support from the media for the many attempts by trade unions to pressurize the government to repeal anti-union laws. For example, in 2006, though supported by over a hundred MPs, the Trade Union Freedom Bill disappeared in the face of government hostility without a trace (Moher 2012). Moreover, it is hard to find any journalistic or academic appreciation of the positives and contributions made by the unions on democracy (Moher 2012). The decline in union power and influence over the workplace raise serious doubts about the prospect for unions revival and their ability to recover their position as collective bargaining institutions. There are however a number of revitalizing strategies which may be adopted by trade unions in order for them to consolidate their position. Revitalization strategies Trade unions in the UK may respond to the membership losses in various ways. The remaining unions may, for example, merge in order to consolidate resources and improve on their economies of scale (amalgamation). Other strategies which may be adopted include: formation of partnership, commitment to the organizing agenda, and using the learning agenda among many others (Kelly Frege 2004). Amalgamation In order for the unions to revitalize in the near future, they have to merge with other unions. Union mergers will help them respond to the structural changes and member composition. Additionally, this will help them to reap greater benefits from economies of scale, increasing their influence in the workplace. Partnership In future, trade unions in the UK will in the next ten years be required to justify their existence. They can for example provide evidence on how they are going to bring an added value to employers. In this respect, the concept of partnership may play a vital role. Currently, research evidence on the success of partnership at work seems somewhat divided but it is still early to determine the significance of partnership agreements (Taylor 2012). However, it is clear that majority of unions are increasingly playing a part in such agreements and that most unions have began to formalize such agreements with companies. In future, the Unions will be expected to justify themselves in terms of ‘added value’ to the workplace (Taylor 2012). Organizing agenda Additionally, unions will in the next ten years be expected to commit themselves to the organizing agenda, a key strategy for their revival (Wright 2011). Beyond recruitment, the organizing agenda serves to empower workers by giving them skills to maintain organizational strength and instilling a culture of workplace activism (Alexander Gilmore 1999). Learning agenda There is also the need for the union to deliver learning opportunities to its members besides just representing them. This is an area with much promise as the learning agenda allows trade unions to position themselves around appealing themes such as inclusion, dignity and skills improvement, thereby broadening their bargaining dialogue with employers (Wright 2011). The union will in future be expected to use the learning agenda to ensure their revitalization. Conclusion One of the most significant findings in this analysis is the changing role of trade unions and the decline in unions membership and collective bargaining power. Union membership seems to be dwindling and their collective bargaining power weakening. The change has been attributed to a range of factors, most of which have resulted from the changing nature of employee relations. Among the adversities identified as facing unionism are unfavourable political and institutional conditions, structural changes in the economy, global competition, employer sponsored forms of employee participation, legal constraints, changing societal attitudes, labour market fragmentation, enterprise bargaining, a shift to individual contracts as well as the growing trend of outsourcing among many others. A combination of these challenges seems to have precipitated a significant fall in union membership and contributed to the decline in the union’s collective bargaining power. The challenge, however, is for the unions to prevent further decline in union membership and weakening of their position. Given the downward trend in union membership, there is need for trade unions to justify their existence by adopting distinctively different roles.   This requires profound re-thinking of the roles and practices of trade unions. Reference Alexander, R. and P. 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