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STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
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Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc42342443 h 41.1 Analysis of the Current Environment PAGEREF _Toc42342444 h 41.2 A Detailed Brief of the Change PAGEREF _Toc42342445 h 41.3 Stakeholder Identification Analysis PAGEREF _Toc42342446 h 42.0 Stakeholder Engagement Strategy PAGEREF _Toc42342447 h 42.1 Partnership Strategy PAGEREF _Toc42342448 h 52.2 Participation Strategy PAGEREF _Toc42342449 h 52.3 Communication Strategy PAGEREF _Toc42342450 h 52.3.1 Communication Plan PAGEREF _Toc42342451 h 63.0 Challenges in Implementation of the Strategy and solutions PAGEREF _Toc42342452 h 73.1 Communication PAGEREF _Toc42342453 h 73.2 Resources PAGEREF _Toc42342454 h 74.0 The Change Impact Analysis PAGEREF _Toc42342455 h 75.0 Stakeholder relationship/risk analysis PAGEREF _Toc42342456 h 86.0 Proposed Governance Network PAGEREF _Toc42342457 h 87.0 Implementer Analysis PAGEREF _Toc42342458 h 88.0 Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc42342459 h 88.1 Recommendation PAGEREF _Toc42342460 h 98.2 Action Plan PAGEREF _Toc42342461 h 99.0 Reference List PAGEREF _Toc42342462 h 10
Executive Summary
The Woolworths Retailers organization wishes to implement the cloud provided software inventory management system called the Oracle Retail for the organization. The current system is the legacy system that was developed internally by the Woolworths IT personnel. The company is looking forward to implementing the new solution project while maintaining their old legacy system that is currently in use. Therefore, the stakeholder engagement strategy provides the strategies of stakeholder engagement in the implantation of the Oracle Retail. The stakeholder engagement strategy includes various approaches such as partnership, participation, consultation, and communication. The partnership strategy is vital to map out the responsibilities of each of the stakeholders in the Oracle Retail project. The participation among the different actors in a project is vital because they ensure success through solving challenges as they arise. The initial step in the communication strategy is defining the communication plan. The communication can take many forms such as email, formal status reports, written reports, meetings, conversations, project website, online schedules, and online databases. The implementation of the stakeholder engagement strategy is faced by challenges such as lack of communication and lack of resources. These challenges hinder the realization of the short-term and long-term goals of the project. Therefore, finding appropriate solutions to these problems is vital.
Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
1.0 IntroductionIn the business environment, a stakeholder is an individual, a group, or a party that has an interest in the organization and its outcome. Their expectations, requirements, concerns, and personal agendas influence the project, shape the success, and affect the outcomes that could be achieved (Sloan 2009). Stakeholder engagement represents the interaction with and influence on the project stakeholders for the benefit of the project and its advocates. An effective stakeholder engagement strategy is helpful to Woolworths because it allows the translation of the stakeholder needs into the company’s goals.
1.1 Analysis of the Current EnvironmentThe current system used by the Woolworth is the legacy system that was developed internally by the IT system. The legacy system has been reliable and heavily integrated with other systems in the organization. These systems include the Forecasting system, the warehousing and logistic systems, and managerial reporting systems. The forecasting system uses the mathematical models in determination of the number of the items that are required for the different regions. The warehousing and logistic system deals with the supplies and the managerial report provides the executive with real time information. The Oracle Retail that is a project at hand is a cloud provided software inventory management system for the organization.
1.2 A Detailed Brief of the ChangeThe shifting form the current legacy system to the Oracle retail, which is a software inventory management system, aimed at putting all the inventories together in a manner that is easily retrievable during inventory taking by the organization. The efficiency in the inventory taking will help the company identify any losses and profits made. The inventory management software is essential because it helps in the prevention of stock outs, ensure accurate record keeping, and manage multiple locations. Therefore, an inventory makes the functioning of the organization to be efficient and realize its shot-term and long-term goals within the stipulated time.
1.3 Stakeholder Identification AnalysisThe initial step in the stakeholder identification is listing all the potential stakeholders. The identification of the input of each of the randomized selected stakeholders is important in choosing the specific stakeholders who will participate in the project. The inputs should be in line with the project outcome as stipulated by the organization goals. In Woolworth Oracle retail project, the possible stakeholders include Directors, Government agencies, Employees, Shareholders, Suppliers, Unions, Creditors, and all the employees. It is important for the sponsors to be included in the list because they will provide the necessary assistance in the planning process and resource provisions. The stakeholders are identified randomly because of their possible interest in the project. The step of negotiation is important to form partnership where possible and ensure active participation by all the stakeholders.
2.0 Stakeholder Engagement StrategyThe stakeholder engagement is an affair that is not limited to the city halls and congresses. The communication and engagement of the stakeholders are crucial whether they are grantees, employees, or donors to the company (Leal Filho and Brandli 2016). These stakeholders can convey the message and create a platform for the formation of the company’s brand within the society. The stakeholder engagement strategy includes various approaches such as partnership, participation, consultation, and communication.
2.1 Partnership StrategyIt is vital to map out the responsibilities of each of the stakeholders in the Oracle Retail project with the decision-making being participated by all stakeholders (Herremans et al. 2016). The partnership of the stakeholders means sharing accountability and responsibility. The map should contain an outline of the entire process and essential milestones where the stakeholders are accountable (Cornelissen 2008). Furthermore, it should contain a series of interactive activities to include all the stakeholders in discussions about the project.
The partnership helps in building involvement and a sense of continuation of future events. Many projects have been determined to fail because the partnership of all the stakeholders was not recognized as an integral part of the project (Sloan 2009). The planning and time allocation to all the stakeholders is essential to allow discussion and a better understanding of the project. Therefore, the partnership ensures a sense of accountability by all the participating stakeholders.
2.2 Participation StrategyAll the stakeholders are required to participate fully in the project. The participation among the different actors in a project is vital because they ensure success through solving challenges as they arise. Studies have shown that about 84% of the CEOs accept that active participation among all the stakeholders is essential (Sloan 2009). The implementation of sustainable water management in the entire world requires collective participation of the various stakeholders such as the civil organization, communities, companies, and municipalities (Herremans et al. 2016). Furthermore, the exchange of the best practice across between the nations, regions, and the continents ensures the success of sustainable water management.
The motivation of the stakeholders by providing incentives and rewards is important for the motivation of stakeholders. To ensure participation of all the stakeholders signing of the documents to show active participation is important as in a partnership (Smith et al. 2011). Furthermore, the participation of all the stakeholders requires the personal commitment of the stakeholders. The motivation ensures that all the stakeholders feel appreciated, and their contribution is vital to the organization.
2.3 Communication StrategyThe initial step in the communication strategy is defining the communication plan (Sloan 2009). The plan should include the nature of communication with the stakeholders to ensure proper decisions are made. This initial process is called the communication requirement analysis (Crane and Ruebottom 2011). The Oracle Retail project will require a lot of communication because the project will produce a lot of information that require frequent sharing with the stakeholders. The communications do not mean that positive information is shared but also, negative news is shared to ensure proper decisions are made. The information should be regulated such that the stakeholders do not receive too much information but adequate to ensure they are always informed.
2.3.1 Communication PlanProject Name: Oracle Retail Beginning date: June 2020
Project Owner: Woolworth Completion date: April 2021
Project Manager: Executive Manager
Planning
Project Objective:
Implementation of a cloud provided software inventory management system (Oracle Retail) for Woolworth organization
Stakeholders:
Directors
Government agencies
Employees
Shareholders
Suppliers
Unions
Creditors
Time (Date) Communication personnel Target audience Tool for communication Message points
weekly Project manager Sponsors and Directors email Project status report and possible challenges
Daily Project manager Directors and employee representatives Meeting
Team standup Discussion on activities of the team members on the previous day, the present day, and the challenges faced
At milestone Project manager Sponsors and Directors Meeting
Project report Feedback report, present project deliverables, and discussion on the next steps
At the end of the project Project manager Sponsors and Directors Meeting
Post mortem meeting Explore on what worked and what did not work, identify actionable takeaway
Daily Project manager All stakeholders Written report Daily progress on daily tasks
Communication fosters positive relationship development among stakeholders (Leal Filho and Brandli 2016). The stakeholders need to be aware of what they are to achieve and at what time. Setting short-term goals is crucial in the project because it ensures that the problems that arise at every step are solved appropriately ensuring the long-term goals are achieved.
3.0 Challenges in Implementation of the Strategy and solutions3.1 CommunicationLack of communication is a challenge in the implementation of the strategy. Lack of communication can occur from the top officials to or from the employee representatives to the top (Cornelissen 2008). Lack of communication hinders the progress because the reports on the progress are not made known to all the stakeholders.
The stakeholders in the Oracle Retail project should devise the appropriate methods of communication among the various levels. The various tools of communication are appropriate for various groups of stakeholders (Cornelissen 2008). For example, in dealing with the communication between sponsors and directors, it is more suited to use electronic mails than using printed reports. However, for stakeholders such as employees using short-message-service or printed reports are appropriate. Therefore, based on the assessment by the person in charge of communications, it is recommended to devise the best method.
3.2 ResourcesLack of resources is another challenge in strategy implementation. Planning and execution process involves the utilization of resources (Katila and Shane 2005). Therefore, the entire Oracle Retail project involves the input of money and time from the stakeholders. The process requires proper planning to avoid inconveniences associated with overuse of resources at one stage and sparing of less for other stages. It is also crucial to note that other operations within Woolworth are still operational and require resources to run. Therefore, it is important to consider proper resource allocation.
The resource allocation requires proper planning. The planning should involve all the stakeholders before the project commencement. The planning involves division of events depending on the time of execution and resource allocation for each activity (Katila and Shane 2005). The allocation of the resources requires the definition of events in a logical way, and allocation of resources from initial stages.
4.0 The Change Impact AnalysisThe impact analysis is defined as the possible consequences of change based on the project. The impact can be assessed from the course of the project completion and after completion and implementation. In the course of the project, there will be a lot of resource and personnel allocation to facilitate completion of the project. The various categories of the employees will spend more time in the project, which might cause the need to hire more employees. The inventory management software completion will make inventory taking efficient leading to efficiency and customer satisfaction. The changes that are brought about could be negative from the challenges faced and how they were handled. The negative changes could result in relationship breakage between the stakeholders. Therefore, it is important to settle any challenges arising in a manner that all the stakeholders are satisfied.
5.0 Stakeholder relationship/risk analysisThe networking and stakeholder relationship depends on the ability to build and foster changes during the course of the project. The stakeholder relationship is essential in ensuring the success of the project. there are risks associated with the project such as communication breakdown. More so, there are challenges in the implementation of the strategies laid down by the organization. In such a case, the development of mistrust between the stakeholders could rise. Therefore, it is essential to ensure transparency in the events during the project execution.
The stakeholder relationship management is an important aspect in an organization because it involves various personalities. The communication is important to consider ensuring transparency. Timely and communications are vital to build good relationships. More so, approaches that ensure win-win outcomes between all the stakeholders are worth considering.
6.0 Proposed Governance NetworkThe project governance is obtaining the right balance between accountability and delegation establishing good stakeholder relationships among the project participants. There are many types affected by the laws and regulation, unions, size of the organization, and stakeholders among other factors. In the Oracle retail project, there are various authority levels within the stakeholders. Therefore, it is important to set terms for each of the levels present. The network includes the lower network represented by the sponsors made up of project sponsors and executive sponsors, project directors, project supervisors, and project team. On top network are the senior management and the IT management that networks directly with the executive sponsors.
7.0 Implementer AnalysisThe implementers are people who put a decision or an action into effect. There are many categories of implementers in Oracle project. The senior management and the IT are involved in the software design analysis to ensure accurate cost estimation. The IT management does the planning and implementation of the cost estimation process. The project directors and supervisors are involved in planning the project and ensuring its progress. They are involved in frequent follow up activities to ensure the set goals are met within the outlined time. The supplies personnel are responsible for purchase and availing of the materials required within the time outlined in the plan. Therefore, the implementers play an important role in ensuring that the targets are met in good time.
8.0 ConclusionIn conclusion, the stakeholder engagement strategy is important in ensuring the achievement of short-term and long-term goals in a project. The important aspects of the strategy are communication, partnership, and participation. These aspects ensure the stakeholders remains as a team with a common goal. However, challenges in the implementation of the strategies occur. These challenges need proper solutions to ensure the goals are met within the stipulated time in the project plan.
8.1 RecommendationThe Woolworth directors and employee supervisor should follow-up on the laid strategies. All the stakeholders should be disciplined to the measurements and strategy laid to ensure success of the process. The leaders of the various stakeholders should be kept on toes through frequent messages sent by the project manager as a reminder.
The internal stakeholders such as the employees should be issued a plan that outlines the overall outcome and the breakdown of the activities. The daily plan should be issued by the supervisor each day and the assessment taken at the end of working hours. The outline for the stakeholders should be provided by the project manager frequently to ensure all they stick to the schedule. The outline should include the projected outcome within each category of stakeholders.
8.2 Action PlanThe action plan contains Woolworth goals for the project and the actions that are needed to achieve the goals. The action plan should be posted to all the stakeholders to have a look at it regularly. These goals and actions should be in the mind of all the stakeholders for everyone to be involved in the project.
Action Completion date Person responsible
Project Planning 29th June, 2020 Sponsors and Directors
Agreement signing 10th July, 2020 Woolworth directors
Stakeholder training 15th of July, 2020 Project manager
Material purchase:
Phase one
Second phase
Third phase July, 2020
September, 2020
December, 2020 Project manager and supplies department
Rewards and incentives to the stakeholders:
1st quarter
2nd quarter
3rd quarter July, 2020
September, 2020
December, 2020
Sponsors and Directors
Final project meeting and thanks giving March, 2021 All stakeholders
9.0 Reference ListSloan, P., 2009, Redefining stakeholder engagement: From control to collaboration. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, (36), pp.25-40.
Smith, N.C., Ansett, S. and Erez, L., 2011, What’s at stake? Stakeholder engagement strategy as the key to sustainable growth.
Herremans, I.M., Nazari, J.A. and Mahmoudian, F., 2016, Stakeholder relationships, engagement, and sustainability reporting, Journal of Business Ethics, 138(3), pp.417-435.
Leal Filho, W. and Brandli, L., 2016, Engaging stakeholders for sustainable development, In Engaging Stakeholders in Education for Sustainable Development at University Level (pp. 335-342). Springer, Cham.
Katila, R. and Shane, S., 2005, When does lack of resources make new firms innovative? Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), pp.814-829.
Cornelissen, J.P., 2008, Corporate communication, The International Encyclopedia of Communication.
Crane, A. and Ruebottom, T., 2011, Stakeholder theory and social identity: Rethinking stakeholder identification, Journal of business ethics, 102(1), pp.77-87.
Stakeholder And Stockholder Theories, Market Failure Model And CSR
Stakeholder And Stockholder Theories, Market Failure Model And CSR
The key issue on business ethics has to do with the nature of firms. The key question, therefore, inquires whether there are any moral obligations that corporate managers or executives possess other than to increase profits for the firm’s stakeholders. To answer this question, theorists have developed a number of theories with the most essential including the stakeholder theory and the stockholder theory (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 63). This essay, therefore, is a critical overview of the works of Freeman and Friedman critiquing the issue whether corporations have a corporate social responsibility or not. In doing this, the essay will make use if stakeholder, stockholder and market failures models of management of corporate, and argue for one of the three models, and how it rivals the other kinds of models.
Friedman famously pointed out that the key responsibility of any corporate executive is to do anything possible and permissible within the boundaries of local ethical customs and law to increase and maximize profits for the firm’s stockholders. The economist viewed this as the moral responsibility of corporations, in so far as one could talk of firms having moral responsibilities (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 63).
As a worker in a firm, it would be ethically and morally impermissible and wrong for an executive to make use of funds set aside for maximizing profits for activities deemed socially responsible like funding charities, building of local schools or cleaning of the environment. According to the economist, social responsibility is a function or an obligation of the government, the government has the responsibility to correct recognized social ills by setting aside funds and institutions to deal with such ills. Furthermore, he pointed out that individuals are responsible for voting for the political individuals and leaders with agendas that include the social ills they want to eliminate. On analysis of stakeholders of the moral responsibilities of corporations, executives are employed by the stockholders and, therefore, as employees are needed to work as per the board’s decisions. Friedman argues that corporations are concerned with making profits, and, therefore, since executives are the stockholders’ employees, their key obligation is to increase the profits as per the wishes of their employers (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 63).
There are numerous responses to the stockholder theory by Friedman, but among the best known and common critical response is the one by Freeman and it is summarised under the stakeholder theory. The theory argues that stockholders are but a single group among other groups that has an interest in a corporations’ dealings. This is to mean any individual who has a stake in the firm’s future is a stockholder. Freeman takes the stand that the stockholder theory is inadequate because it does not precisely capture the fact that firms are to be held responsible by groups of interest that do not act as stockholders, like environmental protection agencies and activist groups for animal rights (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 63).
The two arguments present themselves as different accounts of the understanding of a corporation and what its moral responsibilities are. As per the stockholder theory, it seems as if it could never be the case that an executive in a corporate permissibly chooses an action that is socially responsible over an act that purely increases and maximizes profits. For instance, a corporate executive could never choose to spend some money on cleaning up some environment in a community when the same funds could be useful in funding development and research for a project that has an increased chance for increasing profits for the firm’s stockholders. On the other hand, it seems as if the stakeholder theory only allows for the chance that a firm executive may permissibly choose to fund a community project because his obligation is not only to the firm’s stockholders, but also the surrounding community (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 64).
Although these two theories are clearly different, one should note the following things. Firstly, it is no stern part of the stockholder concept that an executive in a firm cannot use funds for social responsibility. The reason behind the main argument of the stockholder theory is that the sole responsibility of a firm’s executive is to the firm’s stockholders and not to any other individuals or group. However, for it to be the case that the firm’s executive cannot allocate money for use in community projects, it would also have to be true that a firm’s stakeholders always need their money spent on increasing and maximizing profits (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 64).
If the stockholders of a particular firm needed to use their funds on community projects and not use it for maximizing profits, then nothing in the stockholder concept would stop an executive from using funds for that purpose. Generally, what the stockholder theory argues is that executives are employed by the firm’s stockholders, and are, therefore at their mercies to the level to which they allow the law to govern them. The concept, therefore, does not speak directly to the matter of whether a firm may pursue the increase of socially responsible activities at the cost of maximizing profits (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 64).
Secondly, on the assumption that considering the interests of stakeholders is an excellent guide to increasing profits for the firm’s stockholders, one can see the stakeholder concept as a type of special case of stockholder concept. This is mostly because a firm that ignores the interests of stakeholders grows poorly with time. This means that attempting to and recognizing the interests of the different stakeholders may in itself be a way of increasing and maximizing the profits of a corporation in the long term (Vaidya, 2008, pp. 63).
So do businesses or corporations have social responsibilities? This paper will make us of the stockholder theory to answer this question, using concepts from the stakeholder theory and the market failures models to support the answer by showing the inadequacies of these two theories. Friedman argued that only individuals can have responsibilities and not businesses or firms. To him, a corporation is an artificial individual and in this sense might possess some artificial obligations, but a business or corporation as a whole can never have responsibilities even when viewed under this vague sense. Presumably, to Friedman, the people who are responsible are the business people, which mean corporate executives and individual proprietors. A corporate executive in this case is an employee employed by the business owners. He possesses a direct obligation to these employers. That obligation is to carry out business according to the desires of the employers, which in general terms is to make as much profit as possible while conforming to the basic laws and rules stipulated by the society, both those embodies by ethical customs and law. This is to mean that the manager or executive acts as the agent of the firm’s owners and his key responsibility is to them and no one else (Friedman, 2008, pp. 65).
This is not to mean that the rights of the executive as a person are wavered because he is a person, and he might have a number of obligations he might assume voluntarily. But in this case, he acts as a principal and not an agent, he spends his own funds, energy and time and not that of the firm. Therefore, if these are social obligations, they belong to the individuals and not the corporation. To say that a corporate manager or executive has a social obligation is to say that the manager has to operate in a way that does not represent the interests of the firm but his own. In this case, he cannot spend the money of the stockholders or of the customers of the firm’s employees to fulfil his social responsibilities. These individuals could, however, separately spend their funds on certain activities if they wanted to do so. The manager exercises a different social obligation rather than acting as an agent of his employers or of the employees or customers only if he uses the funds in a different manner than they would have. However, if he does this, he is imposing taxes and deciding how the proceeds from taxes will be spent. This, however, results to political questions on two dimensions: consequences and principle (Friedman, 2008, pp. 65).
On the matter of political principle, the imposing of taxes and the use of proceedings from tax are functions of the government. There are elaborate systems to control such functions. To make sure that taxes are imposed in accordance to the desires and preferences of the public. In this case, the business person is to act simultaneously as executive, legislature and jurist. He decides whom to tax for what purposes and by how much, and he spends the proceeds- all of this guided solely by general exhortations to control inflation, fight poverty, improve the environment, among others (Friedman, 2008, pp. 66).
The whole justification for allowing the executive to be selected by the firm’s stakeholders is that the executive acts as an agent who senses the desires of the firm’s principle. However, this justification disappears when the executive imposes taxes and uses the proceeds for social responsibilities. He becomes a civil servant, public employee even when he remains in name the employee of a private business. Something that contradicts what civil servants are in essence. This is the main reason why the social responsibility doctrine involves the acceptance of the view of socialists that mechanisms of politics, not of market, are the most excellent methods to decide the allotment of rare and scarce resources to alternative uses (Friedman, 2008, pp. 67).
As compared to the stockholder theory, the stakeholder theory has numerous weaknesses in the position it takes of corporate social responsibility. The fact that executives or managers have moral obligations in respect to employees, customers and other groups does not necessarily indicate that these responsibilities must take a fiduciary form as the stakeholder theory claims. There is some disadvantage being seduced by this illustration, leading to one to assume that the status of the stakeholders is closer to that of shareholders than it is. Freeman argues that the executive must be like King Solomon, adjudicating the rival claims of a number of stakeholder groups. However, giving executives the legal freedom and right to balance such claims as they see fit could lead to extraordinary risks (Heath, 2008, pp. 118).
Another weakness in associated with the stand of stakeholder theory on social responsibility has to do with the privilege it tends to give the interests of those who are organized well over those who are organized poorly because well- organized groups can present themselves as a coherent group with common interests, since it focuses more on the relationship between the executive and different groups in the community. To observe this bias, one only needs to see the difference in the way that different theorists of stakeholder theory conceive social responsibility and the way different governments have approached it (Heath, 2008, pp. 119).
A market failure is another model that explains social responsibilities of corporations. However, unlike the stockholder theory, when a firm adopts the market failure model, there is limited reason to assume that a conception of business ethics that keeps on placing key emphasis on the fiduciary responsibility to shareholders cannot deal with the moral and ethical implications that have since been described under the category of corporate social responsibility. This model, therefore, retains the intuitively familiar notion that executives have fiduciary duties to shareholders, and that the key objective of firms is to make profits. Yet, it avoids the charge of laxity in morals often levelled against the model of shareholder of business ethics, as it imposes stern moral limitations in the number of permissible strategies for maximizing profits (Heath, 2008, pp. 125).
Moral obligations of executives to different groups are never analogous. So while the word stakeholder might be useful, it is also misleading as it creates significant mischief in business ethics, while giving no real conceptual increment.
References
Friedman, E. (2008). The central debate. In Allhoff, F. & Vaidya, A.J. (Eds).Business in ethical focus. An anthology. Ireland, UK: Broadview Press.
Heath, J. (2008). The central debate. In Allhoff, F. & Vaidya, A.J. (Eds).Business in ethical focus. An anthology. Ireland, UK: Broadview Press.
Vaidya, A. J. (2008). The stakeholder theory. In Ed. Allhoff, F. & Vaidya, A.J. (Eds). Business in ethical focus. An anthology. Ireland, UK: Broadview Press.
Stained Glass Windows In Medieval Cathedrals
Stained Glass Windows In Medieval Cathedrals
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc377227941 h 1Stained Glass Windows PAGEREF _Toc377227942 h 1Preparation of the Glass Stained Windows PAGEREF _Toc377227943 h 3Importance of Glass Stained Windows to Individual Cathedrals PAGEREF _Toc377227944 h 4Stained Glass Windows and the Medieval Churches PAGEREF _Toc377227945 h 5Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc377227946 h 6
IntroductionThere are many uncertainties surrounding the issue of the fall of the Roman Empire with many believing that the cause of the fall was due to the rise of Christianity. Regardless of the reasons that led to the fall of the Roman Empire, one this is evident, that Christianity came thereafter. Not only did Christianity affect the operations of the empire but it also spread throughout the continent hence the reason claim that Europe became extremely religious (Cowen, 2011). Cathedrals grew all over the continent and they employed different styles to enhance sophistication. With the advent of the Cathedrals came the glass stained windows to enhance the beauty of the churches. However, as their usage progressed they found more significance other than appearances. In the following essay, there is discussion of the application of the stained glass windows and their relevance to different churches throughout the continent in the medieval era.
Stained Glass WindowsWhen Theophilus started making glass he did not know the level at which they would find application in the continent (Michelli, 2011). To him it was just an art of preparing the glass using sand, wood, and fire. Nonetheless, his invention not only found usage in homes but also at churches that rose during the medieval era. The reason given by many people for using the stained glasses is the beauty and utility it brings to art. In Europe, the period between 1100 and 1500 saw heightening of the usage of the art (Cowen, 2011). In churches, the application was rather different since they not only presented beauty but were also ways of conveying messages. Cathedrals included biblical stories in the windows to send different messages to the congregation of the churches and those not part of the churches. Accordingly, to churches the art was more that what people saw.
The windowpanes of the cathedral churches contained different stories. For instance, considering one of the windows at the Clermont Ferrand Cathedral, it has messages concerning Mary Magdalene and her relevance in the bible. Others contain the stories about the birth of Jesus. Hence, taking a walk in a cathedral and focusing on the messages contained in their windows individuals were able to have a crash program on the bible (Michelli, 2011). It is difficult to understand that an invention by a humble man out to make a living in the end finds such relevance in the churches. Not even one cathedral that is standing today that does not contain the stained glass window messages. They vary depending on the size of the church and the number of windows contained therein. According to reports, thousands still exist due to the endurance of the structures and their resistance to calamities.
The reason that many people offer for the extensive usage of the glass stained windows is that they are beautiful and brings utility with them. In the following parts of the essay, there will be emphasis on how this sophistication comes from so little. In other words, it will shift focus to the preparation of the glass stained windows. According to sources, the preparation is easy, as the ingredients required that is sand, wood, and fire. Moreover is the importance of the windows to individual churches in the medieval era. Evidently, architects had to do a lot in order to achieve such beauty and utility encompassed in one component that cathedrals found irresistible to use. The questions that it tries to answer are the procedures that the designers undertook in order to achieve the expertise and the level of training they went through for them to become eligible for the work.
Preparation of the Glass Stained WindowsThe church valued the glass stained windows to unprecedented levels. For the whole structure of the church to be complete, it had to contain the windows. Structures of the cathedral were strong and resilient because of perfect workmanship and dedication by the managers of the churches. It is for this reason that most structures stood the test of time and exist to date. Accordingly, windows needed to be perfect and the designers had to be highly trained and renowned in the region they work. Given the dedication of the church towards the usage of the glass, designers were extra careful when preparing the stained glass windows. Designers came from respected families on the aspect of making the glasses. This is because since there was no formal education most acquired the skill from their families. Overall, the designers had to be people that the church trusted.
After the church ensured that they had respected designers and the church could trust their work, they commenced work. Accordingly, there comes the question of preparation. It is in this process that the designer proved the cathedral right because of choosing them. Accordingly, care was the major procedure of preparation (Infoplease, 2011). The major ingredients required for the preparation of the components are sand, wood, and fire. Designers used fire to melt sand and the wood until in complete homogenous liquid and then cooled the fluid. The Purpose of cooling the components is to have glass, which the architects require. However, before they cooled the liquid, there was addition of powdered metal for adding color to the mixture. The color added depended on the final product desired by the cathedral or by the designers. Furthermore, the type of pictorial messages they had to incorporate in the glass dictated the color added to the liquid.
Artists had the mandate of designing the pictorial messages. To achieve this they first drew the design of the messages over the glass (Department of Medieval Art and the Cloisters, 2011). Accordingly, the artist does add special features into the glass in most cases, through painting. After the work of the artist terminates, it is time to assemble the window to have a complete whole. In assembling, designers lay on the design board the painted and colored pieces of glass. The pieces are either painted or colored depending on the previous work of the artist. Placing them on the design board requires a lot of care and expertise since they have to fit together in an H-shaped lead. Once, they fit into place perfectly designers secure them using solder to enable the holding together of the H-shape. Finally, is the work of reinforcing the window and to achieve these designers doing add putty to the windowpanes to ensure they are waterproof.
Importance of Glass Stained Windows to Individual CathedralsLooking at the Windows from the St. Johns Chapel in Bristol it is evident that churches valued their glasses. As seen from the picture in the power point presentations, there is illumination of the church by the presence of the windows. Mary Radcliffe was at the time the neighborhood of the middle class who valued their class. Each neighborhood had to have a cathedral to signify their position in the social circles. Hence, this particular cathedral applies the windows to signify power and position. The manicure present in the church blends in well with the glass to bring put the intended sophistication. Wealth, power, and influence and the measurement of the levels of such aspects were through such social place. Accordingly, this church uses glass stained glass to book a place in a social gathering of the powerful. This would not be possible without the presence of glass stained windows (Stoddard, 2011).
Portraying power was not the only thing that Cathedrals of the medieval times applied the glass stained windows. Looking at window number E of the Saint Chappelle cathedral it is clear that churches used them to send messages (Department of Medieval Art and the Cloisters, 2011). This particular window tells the story of the fall of Jerusalem. The window is not the only one in the list of windows portraying messages nor is this cathedral the only one using this technique. Usage of windows to portray messages was a common mode of sending biblical messages throughout Europe in the medieval era. Another example of windows used to depict messages is the Kings College Chapel windows in Cambridge, England. In one of the windows, there is the story of agony in Gethsemane. Because of this, it would be appropriate to conclude that cathedrals used windows for beauty, power, and most important to send messages.
Stained Glass Windows and the Medieval ChurchesThere exists dispute on the importance of stained glass windows in the medieval era by individual cathedrals. Some indicate that it was for portraying wealth and power while others indicate that the reasons were to portray messages (Lewis, 2011). Moreover, others saw them as addition to the beauty of the churches. Nonetheless, there is an agreement of one thing throughout this divide, that stained glass windows were a tradition of the Cathedrals. It does not matter the initial intentions of using glass stained windows in the cathedral, it consequently became a tradition of the cathedrals. No cathedral was complete without having the glass stained windows. Any upcoming structure of the cathedral had considerations of the windows and their application was in no way an accident. People throughout Europe in the medieval era accepted that for a cathedral to be complete; it had to include the stained glass windows and without that then it was just a structure (Lewis, 2011).
ConclusionStained Glass windows were important to cathedrals in the medieval era due to their significance in the period. Consequently, they needed qualified and plentiful workmanship to complete the work of preparing the windows. The care taken during the preparation is because to the churches image was all about power, sophistication, and wealth. These were aspects that the church took seriously and hence, the importance given to the stained glass windows during this period. As a result, no cathedral could lack the kind of sophistication coming with the stained glass windows. However, it is worth noting that power and sophistication were not the only aspects that the church considered in their application of the stained glass windows. There was a more important aspect and that was sending messages to both the believers and non-believers. Overall, the glass-stained windows were a tradition of the cathedrals.
References
Cowen, P. (2011). “The medieval stained Glass photographic Archive” Web. therosewindow.com. December 3rd 2011.
Department of Medieval Art and the Cloisters (2011). “Stained Glass in Medieval Europe”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm
Michelli, P. E. (2011). “Glass stained Windows”. Web. Plinia.net. December 3 2011
Lewis, K. S. (2011). “Medieval Stained Glass science” web. Pbs.org. December 3rd 2011.
Infoplease. (2011). “Medieval Stained Glass”. Web.infoplease.com December 3 2011.
Stoddard, W. S. (1972). Art and architecture in medieval France. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.