The Shark Net

What we, as individuals, perceive to be real; to actually exist, is both objective and subjective. Everyone’s perception of realism varies greatly; from friend to friend, neighbour to neighbour and even from parent to child. It is this perception of an individual’s reality that ultimately defines who they become. To define a person, it is often said that we should analyse their behaviour, as it is their behaviour that reflects their state of reality. A person’s behaviour may depend on their surroundings; the era in which they live, their social interactions or even their physical environment.The era in which they grew up, for instance, will adversely reflect on an individual by default as society forces their morals and beliefs of what is right – what is reality, onto them. There was once a time where it was the norm for women to take on and settle into their role as a housewife, and for men to go to work and be the sole provider of a family. Now, women ha ve just as many expectations placed onto them career wise as men, and as a result, in general, women come off as more confident and independent as compared to being submissive and unsure, as was the case back in the day.Their behaviour clearly shows that their sense of reality has changed as society has progressed. In Robert Drewe’s memoirs, The Shark Net, he retells of his being dragged along to the sermon of evangelical Billy Graham, by his mother. Despite the pressure placed on him by his family, to conform to a life free from religious sin, sex and adultery, he rebels. Quite often is Drewe home late after liaisons with various females. His behaviour reflects a reality quite different to that of his Christian mother, a woman who he has been brought up by since birth.In this case, it is his rebelious behaviour that defines his perception of reality as a result of his relationship with his mother. But why did Drewe desire so greatly to rebel? The move from Melbourne to Perth was a substantial one for Drewe. He went from the â€Å"frosty lawns and trimmed hedges† of an urban, cosmopolitan city to â€Å"the most isolated city in the world,† what was essentially, in comparison, a desert. As a result, just as the people of London vary from the people of New York, Drewe encountered a whole new type of people.To rebel against his mother meant to conform to the people of Perth, as he wished so desperately to fit in, whereas his mother wished to be in control. The controlling nature of his mother contrasts to that of Drewe in his wish to embrace the unknown. The unknown being what was now, in fact, the reality of living in Perth. Drewe’s mother, Dorothy, is unable to accept this new truth, as it nullifies her prior beliefs. However, for Drewe, the reality is clear, succinct and remarkably self-explanatory.This results in the way unto which the two respective individuals inevitably turn out, as it gives a clear indication of the ways in whi ch they behave. What is interesting to note is that memory and reality are interdependent of one another. A person’s reality can be based upon memories, but these memories can be selective depending on a current sense of reality. Memories also falter, and hence, the selectiveness and reliability of Drewe’s memory comes into question. Was he biased in his representation of himself in his youth in comparison to his mother, for instance? Was his mother really the control freak he made her out to be?In the same way, in the study of history, when analysing a primary or secondary source, the reliability of the author is always considered, noted and expanded upon, as it may give an inaccurate representation of depicted events – it may not portray the reality of the situation; what really went on. As Chuck Palahniuk writes in Fight Club, â€Å".. you're not how much money you've got in the bank. You're not your job. You're not your family, and you're not who you tell y ourself†¦. † but you are, who you behave to be. So one must ask what is responsible for their behaviour in order to fully understand the definition of their individual reality.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (O’Connor) vs. “The Death of Tommy Grimes” (Meaddough) Essay

â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is a more successful and compelling piece of literature than â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. Both stories focus on traditionalism, human nature in times of death and obligation. However, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is far more successful due to its efficient use of characterization, atmosphere and the grotesque. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is clearly the superior piece of art. Both â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† focus intently on tradition’s effects on society through the use of characterization, but â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is far more successful in delivering its message. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† uses the younger generations as well as the older generations of the family (from grandparents to children) to portray a decline in moral stability and Christian beliefs; an example of how tradition, meant to maintain these beliefs and morals, can be easily corrupted. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† communicates this same message through the strictly traditionalist character of the father, whose racism is shown to be extremely destructive to our society. Because of his unquestioning belief in racist traditions, he has influenced his own son to adhere to the racist tendencies prevalent in the South during their time. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is extr emely subtle in its anti-traditionalist message, its most effective example being a subtle allusion to a lurking evil in the highly traditional character of the grandmother, showing the fact that personal flaws are often disguised by a strong belief in the values of tradition. Her misuse of her Christian tradition is brought to attention through the words of the Misfit: â€Å"‘She would have been a good woman,’ the Misfit said, ‘if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.'(O’Connor 11)† â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is much more straightforward in its anti-traditionalist message, emphasizing its stance through the remarkably blunt words of the father: â€Å"‘Boys, I wanna tell you my boy became a man today. Yessir, killed his first n****r.’ (Meaddough 413)† The child then belongs to their ironically infantile world of men, and is taken as one of their own by the bar’s stereotypically racist Southerners. This message is condensed to fit the last page of the story, leaving the message short but also driving its point across in a way that is extremely hard to miss. For this reason, â€Å"The  Death of Tommy Grimes† is the better of the two stories in terms of accomplishing its task. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† uses the characters of the children to show its views on tradition’s dangerous effects as it is passed down and either mutilated or ignored throughout multiple generations. The children’s rudeness and apathy for the well-being of others is a hard-hitting example of the nature of immorality. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† not only uses the character of the father as an example in its pro-traditionalist message, it also maintains the father as a fully necessary and functional three-dimensional character throughout the story. Although â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† would function as a story without the inclusion of the children, it is easy to see that their primary purpose in the story is to show the damage inflicted by a lack of morals. However, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† uses its characters to their fullest potential, again alleviating its success in delivering its message of anti-traditionalism. For these reasons, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is superior to â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† in communicating its message on traditionalism through the use of characterization. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† both use their atmosphere to portray human nature during times of death; however, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is far more successful because it does so without taking away from other aspects of the story. Throughout â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes†, the son’s fear of killing and the father’s repeated use of the word â€Å"buck† without directly referring to a deer gives a strong aura that something is not as it seems on the surface. Although the foreshadowing is not direct, a sense of uneasiness and an aura of evil are given off, imbuing the story with a dark and foreboding atmosphere. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† gives multiple direct references to The Misfit and his evil ways throughout the story, and refers to him in such a way that there would be no logical explanation for his inclusion in the story were he not to interfere directly with the aff airs of the family. This use of foreshadowing is too direct, and although it certainly adds to the atmospheric uneasiness, it also reveals parts of the story too early on, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Both of these atmospheric devices lead to a climax in which death is very clearly present. Both stories also contain both metaphorical  and literal deaths; â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† containing the literal death of the sickeningly dehumanized prey and the metaphorical death of Tommy in his passage into â€Å"manhood†, and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† portraying the gruesome deaths of the members of the family as well as the internal death of the Misfit who has been metaphorically killed by the society that has mutilated his life. This change in both stories from seemingly normal events into situations where death is present in multiple ways adds to the atmosphere, which shifts from light to dark quite quickly. However, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† becomes slightly pretentious after its dark atmosphere has settled in, turning to a long and unrealistic dialogue between the grandmother and the Misfit, a device that is seemingly present only in order to allow O’Connor to communicate her views on the grandmother’s selfishness in death, a message which was mysteriously absent throughout the beginning of the story, without so much as an allusion or foreshadowing to indicate that this message is the true theme of the story. This dialogue actually detracts from the atmosphere of the story by being too obvious in its attempt to redeem the story as a social commentary: â€Å"I wasn’t there, so I can’t say (Christ) didn’t (raise the dead),† The Misfit said. â€Å"I wisht I had of been there,† he said, hitting the ground with his fist. â€Å"It ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now.† His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant†¦ â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!† (O’Connor 11) Although both â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† successfully show human nature during times of death through their use of atmosphere, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is clearly more effective because it finds a way to do so without detracting from other aspects of the story. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† both deal with the issue of obligation through the use of the grotesque, but â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† gives an example better suited to accomplishing its goal. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† shows the grandmother’s belief that both her children and grandchildren hold a strong obligation to her, as though the  mere fact that they belong to her lineage means they have inherited a debt of obedience. However, at the same time she shows no obligation whatsoever to her family during a time of extreme desperation, choosing merely to continue struggling for her own life rather than making any attempt to save those around her. Although she calls out the name of her son, she makes no attempt to discourage the Misfit from killing his wife or daughter, nor does she give any recognition to the fact that her grandson has also been killed. This shows a very confused and selfish sense of obligation, a willingness to receive but not to give. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† delves into what is arguably an even more grotesque example in order to demonstrate the potential flaws in obligation. The son’s strict devotion to his father leads a boy who could once not bring himself to take the life of a small animal to sufficiently alter his mind to a point at which he could bring himself to shoot a human being. His views of his father as being a role model in his life leads to his inevitable personal death, forcing him to abandon his morals in favor of his obligation to his father: And he though how it must be for Pa when the other man bragged about their boys, and him so scared to kill a weasel, and he knew what he had to do. â€Å"Pa,† he murmered, â€Å"think maybe I could go a time at that old buck?† (Meaddough 409) The son feels, as most sons do, a natural obligation to his father, and this obligation allows him to demoralize himself and to dehumanize another man, succumbing to racism and evil. Although both stories are very successful in using the grotesque to portray the perils of obligation, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† uses an example that is unveiled more suddenly and also more callously. Rather than showing any one character as having a truly difficult time coping with the horrible nature of the incident, it portrays the racist men as encouraging and applauding the activity, and the son as succumbing to the beliefs of these men and re-evaluating his actions as being almost acceptable. It demonstrates that the grotesque can be normalized through a strong enough feeling of obligation. Although â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† also demonstrates an apathy towards the grotesque in the character of the Misfit, it shows reasons for his apathy through his hard and troubled past.  On the other hand, Tommy Grimes has been raised in a relatively â€Å"normal† and â€Å"happy† upbringing (his father’s racism being the one downfall that is mentioned). It is because of this acceptance of such a terrible incident that â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is the more successful of the two stories in portraying its message on obligation through the use of the grotesque. Although â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† clearly share much in common, it is obvious that â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† is the far superior story. Throughout the stories’ common themes of traditionalism, human nature in times of death, and obligation, â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† maintains more well-supported, believable and well-communicated messages than â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. Its characterization, atmosphere and use of the grotesque are vital to its success, and Meaddough demonstrates a proficiency in the use of these literary techniques superior to O’Connor. â€Å"The Death of Tommy Grimes† prevails over a â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† in many ways, and is a far more efficient and successful piece of literature.

Drug Abuse and Prevention

Our society’s idea of prevention is to limit the availability of drugs (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 400), but this is not essentially the best way. Addiction affects everyone. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), substance abuse cost our nation â€Å"more than $484 billion dollars (The National Institute on Drug Abuse ). † So although you might not be directly impacted by drug abuse, as a whole your tax dollars are spent on fighting the war on drugs. Currently there are several different types of substance prevention; however are they really our best option?First is primary prevention, which is aimed at mostly young children who have never tried a substance or those who may have tried tobacco or alcohol (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). Benefits from this type of early intervention include encouraging abstinence, and teaching people the effects of potential drug use on their lives, emotions, and social relationships (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). There are progr ams that go to schools, and speak to children as young as 8 about drugs and the effects of drug use.Secondary prevention is for those who have tried the drug in question or other types of drugs. This is supposed to prevent the use of more dangerous drugs, and also to prevent the use of the substances in a more dangerous way (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). This prevention is aimed more towards college students, who have tried drugs but have not suffered seriously from their drug use. This is not aimed at people who need obvious treatment (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). Let us look back on primary prevention. Most students have experienced a program called D.A. R. E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Studies have shown that here is no proof that D. A. R. E. reduced the use of alcohol or drugs; it was found that it is actually 3 counterproductive (Hanson, 2007). The U. S. Department of Education prohibits schools from spending funding on the D. A. R. E. program, because they believe â€Å" it’s completely ineffective in reducing alcohol and drug use (Hanson, 2007). What D. A. R. E. oes is exposes young elementary school children to drugs they might not have know about before. There should be a better approach to primary prevention. Changing the age group to sixth graders is a start because they are the ones who are most likely to be exposed to drugs and alcohol. The programs should continuously follow up and collect data on the students to find out what approach is most effective. Every person is different, and if we combine selective and primary prevention we can cater programs to specific types of children.Secondary prevention is designed for people who have tried the drug in question or a variety of other substances (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). The ultimate goal of these programs is to prevent the person who is using a certain drug from opening up to other, more dangerous drugs. The purpose is to stop them from endangering themselves more than they already h ave. The clientele in this case are usually people who are more experienced and have not had an extreme reaction to the drugs that they have used.Therefore, they are not â€Å"in too deep. † Many of the people that fall into this category are college students and programs aimed at encouraging responsible use of alcohol among college students are good examples of this stage of prevention (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). In order to attempt to prevent the transition from use to abuse in college students, they should think about starting these prevention programs at an earlier age. Nowadays, kids get started very early and by high school they are already exposed to alcohol and drug use.It would be wise to open their eyes to what they are going to encounter in their college years and give them the proper advice so that they are prepared when they get to college. College students have a lot of free time on their hands and it is very easy to make a habit out of recreational drug use. I feel that if students knew what to expect, they won’t be as naive and vulnerable as they would be if they hadn’t been properly advised. Students at that age get involved in different things because they are making new friends and adjusting to a new lifestyle.I think it would be a good idea for campuses to have clubs or programs run by students for students who are struggling with drug abuse, that way students know that they have someone to talk to who will help them if they need it. A prevention program that takes place at later stages of drug abuse is Tertiary prevention. Tertiary preventing is relapse prevention, or follow-up programs (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). This prevention refers to actions that can be taken to prevent a relapse from occurring and to help the person maintain a healthy status after therapy has lready been administered. For alcohol- or heroin-dependent individuals, treatment programs are the first order of priority (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). I f a person has already been treated or are able to stop using without the help of anyone else, they enter another stage of prevention. This could be improved by having people who have already been through the program follow up with the clientele who are currently going through the same experience that they did. It is much easier for people to talk to someone who has been in the same position as them.Having people who they can relate to and continue to guide them through their journey to stay sober is very encouraging. The universal drug prevention program is another kind of intervention which targets the whole community; its intention is to reach a large audience. This program focuses on the entire 5 group rather than the individual. These programs are implemented within the community, classrooms, and focus on prevention and life skills (Little, 2010).A kind of Universal prevention program is the Caring Community Program which consists of a family- plus approach to reduce the risk of drug use by children (Little, 2010). These kinds of programs are quite beneficial in that they target the young. By the end of elementary a child has already been exposed to some form of drugs. By providing the sense of community it reduces drug abuse, street violence and psychological problems among children (Little, 2010). These types of programs promote motivation in school and academic achievement.Another great benefit is that Potential benefits are expected to outweigh costs for everyone (Schaps, 2003). The downside to a program like this would be that because it’s made to focus on the group as a whole, individuals that are at a higher risk and constantly surrounded by drugs are getting the same attention as those that may have never seen drugs, These individuals may need more intervention to be able to stay away from drugs since access to them is abundant. A great way to better this program would be to intensify it in communities that drugs run ramped and easily acce ssed.While still keeping the prevention program universal and targeting the whole community, it would be more impactful if altered in high risk communities to strengthen the program and make it more intensive. The Selective prevention program on the other hand targets subgroups of the general population that are determined to be at risk for substance abuse. Those who participate in this kind or program are recruited because they are known to have specific risk to substance abuse.The groups targeted by these programs are both adults and children. Age, gender, family history, place of residence and victimization, or physical and/or sexual abuse may define the targeted 6 subgroups (Doyle, 2006). A benefit of this program would be that the selective prevention program is presented to the entire subgroup because the subgroup as a whole is at higher risk for substance abuse than the general population.It targets those people that are being exposed to drugs more frequently or that are pro ne to abusing drugs rather than targeting all communities. Not all communities have the same drug exposure and accessibility to drugs. So it’s important to target specific communities. The weakness of this program is that the individual’s personal risk is not exclusively assessed or recognized and is based solely on a presumption given in his or her membership in the at-risk subgroup (Doyle, 2006).There may be individuals in the subgroup that are at no risk for drug abuse whereas there may be someone in the group that is already using. If this is not known the one that is already using may not benefit at all from this program. Great ways to strengthen the selective prevention program is to go deeper, not only select at risk subgroups but asses individuals within the group to increase intervention with certain individuals that may be already using.

THE IMPACT OF TEAM MAKE UP AND DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO MANAGEMENT Essay

THE IMPACT OF TEAM MAKE UP AND DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND RESULTS - Essay Example Since all operational activities of modern firms need to be planned, monitored and evaluated using relevant plans, it is made clear that without the development of such processes the operations of a firm can be set in risk (Daft 2009, p.6). However, not all organizational activities can equally affect the organizational performance; certain activities, like the team make up and development can have a significant impact on modern firms. The above view can be justified by referring to the following facts: a) by carefully choosing the members of a team, the manager can ensure the effectiveness of the team in regard to the allocated tasks (Kline 2003, p.15), b) the choice of the appropriate members of a team also results to the development of communication and cooperation among those persons, a fact that can increase their employee satisfaction resulting to the increase of their performance (Maddux 1994, p.32), c) the members of the team, if they have the necessary skills for their posit ion, could be promoted and support their organization more effectively (Saiyadain 2003, p.27); in all the above cases, the organization would be benefited since the increase of the employees’ productivity would lead to the increase of the organization’s profitability – either in the short or the long term. ... e clear to the employee/ member of the team (Pearn 2002, p.14); the arrangement of relevant training seminars and meetings would be the most appropriate tool for managers that have to develop relevant plans. In any case, the management processes required for the achievement of the best results from individuals and teams cannot be standardized, due to the following reasons: a) the management decisions on all organizational sectors – including HR – need to be aligned with the culture of each organization; b) from the same point of view, management decisions should focus on the achievement of the aims and objectives of the organization involved, c) the resources available in each organization – referring to humans, technology/ infrastructure and funds – cannot be identical or equal to organizations worldwide, d) the conditions in the internal environment of each organization are likely to be differentiated in accordance with the perceptions/ background of emp loyees, level of resistance in regard to the changes promoted across the organization, skills/ competencies of employees, level of communication/ cooperation and so on (Hamlin 2001, p.43). For the above reasons, the management processes regarding the achievement of specific targets through individuals and teams within modern organizations can vary – being influenced also from the performance of each firm’s similar processes in the past. 2. Assess the importance of leadership and performance in emergency management response and analyse key leadership traits for effective emergency and disaster management The role of leadership in the successful development of organizational activities is crucial; particular emphasis should be given on the ability of the leader to respond to cases of emergency (Martin 2006,

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Economics - Essay Example Because of rationality in making economic decisions people often consider the cost and the benefit of their decision. In most cases, people will make an economic decision anticipating a gain (Hirschey, 2009). When purchasing a house I will expect a gain of value, my decision will therefore be based on the difference between the cost incurred to obtain the house and its value. This essay will give a discussion on the economic implication on my decision to purchase a house. Several principals among the ten economics principals will directly influence my decision towards buying the house. Firstly, people face tradeoffs. This is the first principal that I will encounter in the process of making the purchase decision (Slembeck, 2007). This principal implies that one has to give up something in order to acquire something else. According to this principal, I will need to give up my money in exchange to the house. I will also need to give up the purchase of other items that I need most such as a new car in order to acquire the house. Lastly, after acquiring the new house I will have to give up living in my old house in order to occupy the new house. Rational people think at the margin, this is the second economic principal that I will encounter when analyzing my decision to purchase the house (Slembeck, 2007). This principal implies that a rational decision is based on the difference between marginal benefits and cost. ... When buying the house I need to evaluate how the cost of the house compares to the cost of missed opportunities. Finally, people respond to incentives, this principal will be major influence when making the decision (Slembeck, 2007). This means that my decision will tend to follow incentives offered by the different sellers in the market. According to the principal, I will consider purchasing the house from the seller who offers the best discount. Marginal benefits are the additional utility or satisfaction that a person derives from the consumption of an additional unit of a particular commodity. On the other hand, the marginal cost refers to the opportunity cost of acquiring an additional unit of a particular commodity. In the cases of purchasing the house, marginal benefits will refer to the satisfaction derived from a second and subsequent consumption of a commodity (Hirshleifer, Glazer, & Hirshleifer, 2005). The marginal benefit of a house diminishes steadily after acquiring the first unit this is because a person cannot live in two houses simultaneously. This implies that people will tend to spend their money to acquire other items after acquiring their first house. Similarly first time homebuyers will consider their first house as an additional unit. In this case, the house will have a higher marginal benefit that compares well with the missed opportunities. The marginal cost of an item refers to the opportunity cost incurred from acquiring an extra unit of a particular commodity. The opportunity cost of a house is therefore the cost of missed opportunities resulting from acquisition of a second and subsequent house. The marginal cost of a house increases steadily after acquiring the first house since a person can only live in one

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

Policing - Essay Example The agents who have the first contact with the caller should perform a basic risk assessment and find any vulnerability before verifying whether the matter is an incident or inquiry and attempt to resolve the caller’s needs. The staff should ask questions to the caller for an effective assessment of the risk (Deal 2010, p.18). Assessment, identification and prioritization of the risks are involved for effective risk management with the onus of the dispatcher in order to take the recommendable initial response. After taking the initial risk assessment, the incident is then graded on whether it requires emergency or non-emergency response (Deal 2010, p.23). An emergency response includes situations where the reported incident is taking place, and there is or likely to be a danger to life, instant threat of using violence, serious injuries to a person or solemn damage to property. The maximum time required for the police to arrive for the emergency response in urban areas is within 15 minutes while in rural areas is within 20 minutes. The police rely on the first hand information given by the call handler for the direction to the scene where the incident has occurred. For a non-emergency incident, the immediate police response is not required and encompasses many solutions for which officer’s attendance is not required.

Management theory and practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management theory and practice - Essay Example The process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling the work of organization members and of using all available organizational resources to reach stated organizational goals is called management. In fact, management is an attempt to create a desirable future, keeping the past and present in mind. It is not only practiced in a specific time frame but is also the reflection of a particular historical era. Therefore management specializes in dealing with matters of time. Management plays another significant part of making and sustaining relationships. Management specializes in the art of juggling multiple simultaneous relationships. Management is a process to emphasize that all managers, regardless of their specific aptitudes and skills, engage in certain interrelated activities to achieve their goals. It is the journey towards the fulfillment of these goals that requires planning and organizing as pre-requisites. Planning implies that managers think through their goals and actions in advance and that their actions are based on some method, plan or logic, rather than a hunch. However to execute these goal-reaching plans effectively, a proper organizing is required. Organizing is the process of arranging and allocating work, authority and resources among an organization’s members so that they can achieve the organization’s goals. Therefore organizational design becomes very significant. The dynamic engagement approach recognizes that an organization’s environment is not some set of fixed, impersonal forces. Rather, it is a complex and dynamic web of people interacting with each other. Consequently, every organization’s management operates according to certain systems to take care of all in-built and ever-emerging intricacies. There are numerous schools of thought that inspire various management processes. Bureaucracy is one. Bureaucracy has been a highly successful form of organization in the preceding century. Though it

Representative and Direct Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Representative and Direct Democracy - Essay Example These systems of governance have many things in common, but despite that, they also have varying differences. The work at hand includes the relevant points linked to the actual differences between representative democracy and direct democracy. In an organization, people are supposed to be encouraged to interact and take their role as integral components of everything that is taking place. In a democratic government, people in as much as possible will have to work out everything for their interest. Policy initiatives will have to be established by the people themselves. There is a form of democracy that allows every member of a group or a nation to take part of the actual decision-making process (Lewis, 2013, p.13). This is a relevant feature of a direct democracy. In this democracy, people, especially those who have right to suffrage are required to take part in the parliament and be part of the making of the law, for instance. This activity might be politically sound if only employed in a small organization, where there is only a considerable number of participating individuals. However, in the case of a country having thousands and millions of people in a population, it might take a longer period of time prior to achieving the actual decision, because everybody, especially those who have established their rights and privileges must be able to take part of the actual making of the law. In other words, it is hard to maintain direct democracy, especially if there is involvement of higher population (Breton, 1997, p.60). Direct democracy was evident in the ancient Athens where especially the free male Athenian citizens at the age of more than 20 had the right to be part of the Assembly (Hansen, 2005, p.45). It is clear that the good thing about direct democracy is its ability to give people the power to decide, especially in voting and choosing their leaders.

Gay Marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example It also questions various ethical, social, cultural, and in fact, physical or naturally-occurring norms. In the longer run, these problems and conceptual disagreement may pose great negative impacts on the generations to come. The cynical effects of allowing gay marriages are so diverse that it will not be appropriate to overlook them. This paper is an attempt to unveil those significant matters, conceptual deviations and complications that this issue entails. To derive a fair conclusion, the thesis will be evaluated on numerous notable aspects affiliated with homosexuality. Gay marriage is an unnatural union: Michael Levin, a renowned author and professor of psychology at City University of New York, stated that â€Å"Homosexual activists are partial to genetic explanations and hostile to Freudian environmentalism† (Levin 235). The point cannot be denied that the relationship shared by gays is unnatural and defies the laws of nature to procreate, which produces profound impac t on their family and a question mark on socially accepted gender roles. Gay Marriage refers to the union of two homosexual males who are unsure about their sexual orientation and decide to receive social acceptance for their relationship through a legal agreement. The unsettlement or uncertainty of their sexual orientation is caused by numerous factors such as biological, but societal interferences and early-childhood experiences greatly influence a person's sexual preferences afterwards. Hence, it can be stated that not all homosexuals are born with this sort of inclination, and it is not always genetic. (Barlow and Durand 351) Furthermore, even if it is genetic, it is curable through modern therapeutic techniques. â€Å"Clinicians evidently agree that it is possible for a person to be homosexual at one period of his life and heterosexual at another," revealed Levin (235). What makes the homosexual urge unnatural is that procreation is the main task God created mankind for, and o nly that process can be termed as natural which functions the way it has been designed for (McDowell 1201). If homosexuality prevails, encouraged and promoted in society, then the very essence of life gets betrayed, and the world will be exempt of life in no time. Moreover, homosexuality cannot be included in the natural category since it upholds personal pleasure, and homosexuals can be referred to as people caring less about society and only about their satisfaction. Patrick Buchanan rightly proclaims that â€Å"the poor homosexuals- they have declared war upon nature, and now nature is exacting an awful retribution† (Wells 259). Moreover, unlike lesbians, gays cannot even utilize artificial methods for the sake of procreation. Ryan Normandin, editor of The Tech, researched about this aspect and concluded that â€Å"Same-sex couples are unable to procreate, meaning that there is no compelling interest to subsidize their marriages† (5). There is an important point for governments to understand in this statement. That is, when supporters of homosexuality propagate that attainment of â€Å"enhanced happiness† should be the central focus of allowing gay marriage; it gives rise to the debate on subsidizing everything that promotes happiness. It can be anything, from a simple item like chocolate to human-pet marriage, incest, abortion or even brother-sister marriage. Homosexuality is a psychological

Are woman in the Arab world oppressed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Are woman in the Arab world oppressed - Essay Example Souheila (2006) is of the firm opinion that Arab women are breaking down barriers to gain greater freedom. They should not be judged by the veil that they adorn. The veil is merely a requirement of the Islamic religion to hide the contours of the body so as not to attract the opposite sex. The west considers the veil as a symbol of religious cruelty or oppression. Our Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan once said, â€Å"I am afraid we are seeing that trend today in the tensions between East and West, with each side encumbered by stereotypes of what the other must be like. To hear some in the West, all Arab women are backward and oppressed†¦.† While woman in the Arab world are seen to be oppressed, they do enjoy political and social rights, and the media should be showing the other side of the Arab woman in our world today. The role of woman varies from one country to the other. In Kuwait women have participated in the country’s elections for the first time ever (Souheila). As far back as 1979 cabinet, the first female minister was appointed in Jordan. In the field of education, about 55% of the college graduates in Saudi Arabia are women while 57% of the university-age women in Tunisia are enrolled for college education. In Syria, women make 15% of lawyers and 13% of judges apart from 20% of university professors. Women hold 34% of all private sector businesses in Riyadh and 25.6% in Jeddah (Ahmed, n.d.). Four thousand Saudi business women hold bank accounts worth $11.5 billion and Saudi women also hold 20% public company shares. A Saudi woman has also been appointed head of an UN agency. According to the Jordanian Constitution, all Jordanians are equal before the law, have the right to assume public office and the right to work. The government of Jordan signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in December 1980, which was

Hofstede Cultural Difference Critiques Essay Example for Free

Hofstede Cultural Difference Critiques Essay Arguably, Hofstede’s work (1980, 1997) represents a pioneering approach of culture as a way of comparing international management frameworks. First of all, prior to offering any evaluations in regards to McSweeney’s criticism (2002a/b), it is crucial to identify the nature of Hostede’s work within the entire sphere of the culture approach itself. In contrast to the guarantors of the emic approach , whose main concepts tend to discard the equalization and standardization of dimensions in national cultures’ comparisons, the pillars of Hofstede’s work, which belong to the etic approach , are based on 5 dimensions whereby national differences are then measured. In other words, from the emic standpoint it is also arguable that the etic research methodology, as aiming to identify equalities among national differences, would risk throwing out the baby with the bath water . On the other hand, from the emic perspective, dividing the culture into a set of defined scopes stands as the only way to actually enable researchers to compare cultures . Having briefly introduced the shortcomings related to both approaches, McSweeney’s critiques can now be narrowed down to a specific scope, which is mainly encompassed with Hofstede’s research methodology. Research Validity  In light of the importance for any researches to provide clear definitions on the specific research concepts and key words, the first part of this essay will evolve on contextualizing the meaning of culture within Hofstede’s work, thus, giving ground to McSweeney’s relevant sources of criticism. Geert (1980) has defined culture as the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another. McSweeney essentially critiques Hofstede’s adoption of nations as means of cultural comparisons, scorning the territoriality uniqueness of culture in primis. In regards to this issue, Hofstede in a second stage (2002: 1356) acknowledges that nations are not the ideal elements for studying cultures, yet this is the only way researchers could have access to comparable units. Predictably, thousands of other author’s contributions in regards to the definition of culture would make this argument even more complex. For the sake of this analysis, emphasis would be given to the arguments in regards to the research methodology. Research Reliability: Research Sample The first criticism which may arise is likely to involve the representativeness of Hofstede’s research sample. In more details, he argues that 117,000 questionnaires for two surveys, covering 66 countries would be enough to ensure the research reliability. From my point of view, McSweeney’s critiques result founded when analysing the sampling framework in more details. CountryNumber of Respondents for Each Country Belgium, France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan and Sweden (6 countries)More than 1000 Chile, Columbia, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey (15 countries)Less than 200 [Tab. 1] As it can be seen by the table (Tab. ), in 15 countries the sample size is composed by less than 200 respondents, which results to be extremely small compared to other countries with over 1000 respondents. To couple this argument, McSweeney discusses about the narrowness of the population surveyed as respondents were all IBM employees, mainly involved with the marketing and sales departments. Hofstede’s reply ( 2002), stating that this sample’s framework had only been used in order to isolate the national culture differences from both the organizational and occupational culture, seems however to give rise to other arguments. As McSweeney’s (2002a: 95-99) argues, respondents’ cultural framework is made up by three non-interacting and durable levels of culture (Tab. 2). At the first level, the assumptions which would free this model from any shortcomings would be that there is only one IBM culture and that there is also a common worldwide occupational culture for each job (Hofstede 1980a: 181). What are these assumptions based on? According to McSweeney (2002a: 96), these assumptions are â€Å"too crude and implausible to underpin Hofstede’s emphatic empirical claims† . Following the thread of his argument we come across a situation where assuming that an IBM employee, whether in a developed USA head office or a new opened branch office in Pakistan, will possess the same identical organizational and occupational culture does become hard to encompass. In response to this argument, Hofstede acknowledges that considerable differences exist at the â€Å"organizational level† (1991: 93), yet it redefines the entire organizational culture as a mere set of â€Å"shared perceptions of daily practices† (1991: 182-3), therefore distancing from the early-stage value-based definition. According to McSweeney (2002b), this is only a failed attempt to deliver a straightforward concept and definition of organizational culture. Back to Culture Hofstede’s vision of culture is often linked to two different concepts, unique national tendency and central tendency, respectively. In the first case, as pointed out by McSweeney, the national uniformity which Hofstede claims to have found, results to have no valid grounds as it derives from a very specific micro-level (IBM). Secondly, in regards to the claimed average tendency, the heterogeneity of questionnaires’ responses completely contradicts this conceptualization at the first place. As cited from Jacob (2005), â€Å"if exceptions to the rule are as numerous as the rule itself† to what extent could predictions based on that rule be reliable? In many countries, McSweeney argues, the typical IBM employee would at a high extent diverge from the general population. That is to say that an IBM employee in Taiwan would not necessarily reflect Taiwan’s population average individual, especially when we are talking about someone who holds a managerial position in a multinational firm. This concept brings us to another aspect of McSweeney’s criticism (2002a:92), â€Å"culture treated as a mere epiphenomenon, completely casual†, as conceptualized by Hofstede, it would look like something which moves along the history â€Å"enduring†, yet it is not subject to radical changes due to fluctuating social, economic and institutional trends (Tab. 3). Questionnaire and Dimensions Arguably, the questionnaire itself also presents some limitations. Firstly aimed to investigate the employees’ morale at IBM, it also resulted to reflect some values that, for Hofstede, could have been used to unveil the national cultural differences’ myth. Citing one of his research questions, â€Å"How long do you think you will continue working for this company? †(1980 Appendix 1) , it is obviously clear there would be differences in whether this question is being asked in a country, say, the USA, with plentiful employment vacancies, or in a country, say Thailand where at the time of the research the unemployment rate was comparatively high. Under these circumstances, it is extremely hard to assume that the respondents were not influenced by other social, political and institutional factors (See Tab. 3). Therefore, his research’s entire reliability could be easily questioned on this basis. Despite ensuring the confidentiality of respondents’ answers, employees’ foreknowledge of the end objective of the survey might have easily encouraged them to assume a more positive attitude in order to support their divisions’ reputation. Arguably, the responses analysed by Hofstede were situationally restricted (McSweeney, 2002a: 107). In more details, the questions only reflected values related to the workplace, furthermore the surveys were exclusively directed within the workplace and were not tested in non-work place locations for both same respondents and others. In light of the first purpose of the questionnaire, it is spontaneous to raise a question in regards to the validity of the dimensions found by Hofstede. Could it be possible that a specialized study in cultural differences would have delineated different dimensions? In his response, Hofstede acknowledged that, although there may be some other dimensions equally important for the structuring of a comparative cultural analysis, relative questions were simply not asked. McSweeney with reference to Triadis (1994) argues that bi-polar dimensions of national cultures should not be comprised of opposite poles (for example: Individualism – Collectivism), but depending on the situations they could coexist. Under these principles, the work of Schwartz (1992) appears to give a comparatively dynamic dimensions’ disposition. History and Research Validations In the last section of his book, Hofstede (1980: 326- 331) includes some historical and contemporary events which he states would validate his research findings. However, McSweeney (2002b) argues that these stories reveal nothing but justifications, leaving out the basics for an accurate confirmation. According to his analysis, Hosfstede’s assertion, â€Å"the more masculine a culture the more antagonistic are industrial relations, is flawed as the trends for working days lost in industrial disputes , in both Spain and the UK, result to vary enormously over time. In other words, we could argue that these fluctuations are highly influenced by political, economic and institutional changes. In the case of industrial relations’ disputes in Spain, after the death of Spanish dictator Franco in 1975, the level of working days was subject to a huge increase. Hofstede’s findings have also been validated by other studies, reflecting the same national cultural differences . This is one of the reasons why Hofstede’s work has so far been used in many disciplines as pioneer of the cultural approach in the sphere of comparative international management. Under these circumstances, as Hofstede states (2002 p. 1358), it is just not all about faith in his research, but it is the willingness of the society to accept his work as something which could be taken to a step further. In some cases, institutional factors, history, politics and economy do provide better explanations in this field, yet as Hofstede would argue, the cultural perspective does have his validity as it offers a complete different view on values embedded by people which do have an influence on their daily lives. Conclusion Arguably, some of Hofstede research framework’s features, especially the ones related to his research methodology, do present various shortcomings. However, the overall importance of cultural approach for national differences should be seen as undeniable (Koen, 2005). Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that after all, the main argument merely evolves on Hofstede’s claims to have â€Å"uncover[ed] the secrets of entire national cultures† (1980b: 44). Despite his book title narrowing the scope of its findings down to the work-place, â€Å"Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Place Values†, Hofstede, in many of his publications, seems to overestimate his findings. It is extremely important to acknowledge and appreciate the enormous contribution that Hofstede has made to the entire society’s understanding of international cultural differences. On the other hand, it is also crucial to stay away from the â€Å"taken for granted† approach when coming across such a complex topic. As mentioned in the preface, etic and emic approach despite having a different vision on how to measure and analyse culture, they could still be seen as two complementarities which could be extensively used for a more thorough research. In addition, although admitting that limitations in research methodology do hamper the objectivity of findings, the etic approach still stands as the unique way to allow researchers to obtain comparable quantitative data. I do also appreciate the contributions made by McSweeney, whose criticisms have enabled me to adopt a more critical line of thought in analysing this interesting topic. At some extent we could assume that Hofstede’s research is still a â€Å"work in progress†, eventually other advocates of the etic approach will take it to a more universal level, as some of other authors in this field have already done. I would like to conclude this essay with a quote from McSweeney (2002a: 90), when he states that Hofstede’s work could be dismissed as a misguided attempt to measure the unmeasurable .

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Example for Free

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Charles Perrault is a famous French poet and author recognized for writing the Mother Goose fairy tales. He was the seventh child from his father Pierre Perrault and mother Paquette Le Clerc, born on January 12 of 1628 in Paris, France and then died and indefinite death which means it is undefined that was on May 16, 1703. He was a Roman Catholic. He married Marie Guichon in 1672 when she was nineteen years old, with her he had three children and when delivering the third one Marie passed while giving birth in 1678, which left them to be married for only six years. After her death Perrault never remarried. Career wise Perrault didn’t start out as a poet; he was actually a lawyer who was in charge of royal buildings in 1660. Perrault also took a huge share in the making of the Academy of Sciences and the renewal of the Academy of Painting. But then later on he worked in the Academic Franà §aise where he played an important role of literacy disagreement as many know today had to do with the clash between the Ancients and the Moderns, to which Charles coincided with the Moderns. Perrault then decided he was going to spend the rest of his lifetime promoting the education of literature and the arts. Where then he started to become a well-known as a poet with stories such as â€Å"Red Riding Hood†, â€Å"Puss in Boots†, â€Å"Cinderella†, and â€Å"Donkeyskin†. â€Å"Donkeyskin† is a famous French literacy and was republished by Perrault in 1697 with a little help from Andrew Lang another popular poet. â€Å"Donkeyskin† was the French version of Cinderella. There are plenty of versions of â€Å"Donkeyskin† but Perrault’s is the most well-known and made him popular.

Project Report on Consumer Preference towards Cadbury

Project Report on Consumer Preference towards Cadbury Cadbury India is a fully owned subsidy of Kraft Foods Inc.Cadbury began its operations in Indiain the year 1948 by importing chocolates. And after 60 years of existence, it today has five company-owned manufacturing facilities at Thane, Induri (Pune) and Malanpur (Gwalior), Bangalore and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and 4 sales offices (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkota and Chennai). The corporate office is in Mumbai. Cadburys core purpose is to make today delicious that captures the spirit of what they are trying to achieve as a business. The company makes delicious foods that people can feel good about. Whether one is considering itsown weight or preparing to celebrate, grabbing a quick bite or sitting down to family night, the company poursits hearts into creating foods that are wholesome and delicious. Currently, Cadbury India operates in four categories viz. Chocolate Confectionery, Milk Food Drinks, Candy and Gum category. In the Chocolate Confectionery business, Cadbury has maintained its undisputed leadership over the years. Some of the key brands it offers in India are Cadbury Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Perk, Éclairs and Celebrations. Today, Cadbury enjoys a value market share of over 70% the highest Cadbury brand share in the world.The companys billion-dollar brand Cadbury Dairy Milk is considered the gold standard for chocolates in India. The pure taste of CDM defines the chocolate taste for the Indian consumer. Cadbury has annual revenue of approximately $50 billion; the combined company is the worlds second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries. It employs approximately 140,000 people and has operations in more than 70 countries. Corporate Social Responsibility Since 1965 Cadbury has also pioneered the development of cocoa cultivation in India. For over two decades, we have worked with the Kerala Agriculture University to undertake cocoa research and released clones, hybrids that improve the cocoa yield. Our Cocoa team visits farmers and advise them on the cultivation aspects from planting to harvesting. We also conduct farmers meetings seminars to educate them on Cocoa cultivation aspects. Our efforts have increased cocoa productivity and touched the lives of thousands of farmers. Hardly surprising then that the Cocoa tree is called the Cadbury tree. Today, as a combined company with an unmatched portfolio in confectionery, snacking and quick meals, Cadbury and Kraft are poised in their leap towards quantum growth. They are the worlds No.1 Confectionery Company that we will continue to make today delicious. The Research Research objective: To measure consumer preference towards Cadbury chocolate bars. Need for the study: To find out the consumer preferences towards Cadbury chocolate Research methodology: Research tool: Questionnaire. Sampling technique: Random sampling Sampling size: 150 Sample frame: Respondents who have experienced eating cadbury chocolate bars. Sample locations: Equal numbers of respondents (75 each) were surveyed from both the cities of Mapusa and Panjim. Data collection method: Primary data: Primary data was collected directly from the respondents through distribution of structured questionnaire. Secondary data: Secondary data was collected from sources like internet, advertisement and TV commercials. Limitations of the research: As the research is restricted only to the two cities of Mapusa and Panjim, the results may not hold true for other cities, villages and entire Goa as a whole. The survey was conducted in a limited time of six weeks. Graphical representation Tools for analysis: Tools such as pie charts and percentages are used for the analyzing the data and getting to the conclusion. Do you eat chocolate? From the above analysis of the given sample of 150 respondents it is concluded that out of150 people 100% that is all 150 people likes to eat chocolate. Which brand of chocolate bars do you prefer to eat? From the above chat it is clearly seen that out of 150 respondents 82 (55%) like Cadbury, 56(37%) like nestle 11(7)like Mars and 1(1%) like others. Which sub-brand of above mentioned chocolate bar do you prefer to eat? Tick mark the option that are applicable to you. What form of chocolates do you prefer? What pack size do you normally prefer? How frequently do you buy your preferred chocolate bars? Rate the importance you give to the following factors while purchasing a chocolate: Price Quantity. Flavour Shape Brand Packaging How much satisfied are you with your preferred brand with respect to the following factors: Price Quantity Flavour Shape Brand Packaging Do you feel that your preferred chocolate is worth the price? Which promotional offers attract you the most? Which of these factors affect your purchase? Do you unlike any of the chocolate bars? If your preferred brand is not available for repeat purchase in the market what are you likely to do? If a similar product of another brand appears in the market, will you prefer to stop buying this brand and buy the new one? Will you recommend your preferred Cadbury chocolate bar to others? Gender Age group Occupation FINDINGS Majority of the people surveyed prefer Cadbury chocolate than Nestle chocolate. In Cadbury people prefer dairy milk the most. Taste wise too they like Cadbury dairy milk better. Most of the consumer of Cadbury dairy milk are loyal to the chocolate as the dairy milk chocolate is not available they dont switch to some other brand or chocolate they either postpone their purchase or they go to some other shop for repeat purchase. Shape of the chocolate bar is important for the people surveyed. The brand of the chocolate to matter a lot for the people Price and packaging too is very important for the people where chocolate are concerned. Quantity and flavour is very important for the people. Favourable price makes people buy chocolates even more. Where promotional factors are taken into consideration, price offers attract more customers than other offers. Advertisement affects the sales of chocolate bars more than any other thing. RECOMMENDATIONS Cadbury should focus on more advertisements, so that they can increase their sales even more and publicise their products They should try to give importance to price related offers to attract more customers because according to the survey it is indicated that people mostly prefer price related offers rather than other kind of offers. They can even come up with unique shapes of the bar to create a buzz in the market and gain more customers. Advertisements too can be displayed in a new and altogether different manner to make the customers buy the products in more quantities. To target each segment and attract more customers, products can be shaped, priced and advertised differently. Where Nestle comes in the picture, they should ad CONCLUSION After conducting the survey on consumer preference towards Cadbury chocolate bars, it can be concluded that consumers have more preference towards the Cadbury chocolate bars. Also it was a great experience learning the customer preference towards the chocolate as I came to know what they feel about the chocolate and also learn about the cholotate. Learning Through conduct of this research, following learnings were generated: Customers sensitivity towards each of the factors that are involved while purchasing the product was learnt in detail. Practical exposure to various psychologies of chocolate bar consumers. This led me to understand various perspectives of people and the psychology behind it. Understandings of various factors that lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction in chocolate industry were learnt.

An Analysis of Uncle Toms Cabin Essay -- Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

An Analysis of Uncle Tom's Cabin "The book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, is thought of as a fantastic, even fanatic, representation of Southern life, most memorable for its emotional oversimplification of the complexities of the slave system," says Gossett (4). Harriet Beecher Stowe describes her own experiences or ones that she has witnessed in the past through the text in her novel. She grew up in Cincinnati where she had a very close look at slavery. Located on the Ohio River across from the slave state of Kentucky, the city was filled with former slaves and slaveholders. In conversation with black women who worked as servants in her home, Stowe heard many stories of slave life that found their way into the book. Some of the novel was based on her reading of abolitionist books and pamphlets, the rest came straight from her own observations of black Cincinnatians with personal experience of slavery. She uses the characters to represent popular ideas of her time, a time when slavery was the biggest issue that people were dealing with. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an unexpected factor in the dispute between the North and South. The book sold more than 300,000 copies during the first year of publication, taking thousands of people, even our nation's leaders, by surprise. Mr. Shelby is a Kentucky plantation owner who is forced by debt to sell two of his slaves to a trader named Haley. Uncle Tom, the manager of the plantation, understands why he must be sold. The other slave marked for sale is Harry, a four-year-old. His mother, Mrs. Shelby's servant, ... ...ies to wage her own battle. Eva serenely fades into death, but her presence and her dreams survive in her father and in the reader of the novel. It is doubtful if a book was ever written that attained such popularity in so short a time as did Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. "The thrilling story was eagerly read by rich and poor, by the educated and uneducated, eliciting from one and all heartfelt sympathy for the poor and abused negro of the south,"(Donovan 74). It was, indeed, a veritable bombshell to slaveholders, who felt that such a work should be dangerous to the existence of slavery. They had a good cause to fear it too, for its "timely appearance was undoubtedly the means of turning the tide of public feeling against the abominable curse of slavery"(Cass 35).

The Character of Rita in Educating Rita Essay -- Educating Rita Charac

The Character of Rita in Educating Rita In the play of Educating Rita, which is written by Willy Russell, there is a student aged twenty-six years old who is a hairdresser and also is a working class called Rita. Rita lives with her husband called Denny however Rita and Denny love each other so very much. Denny wants Rita to have a baby but Rita is on a pill to stop from having a baby, but Denny does not know about it, but then finds out later in the play. Rita wants to explore herself and learn, that is why she goes to University to find a tutor to help her learn. Willy Russell faced some problems when trying to introduce the play. He had to introduce 2 main characters, Rita and Frank. He introduced Rita as being really active and ambitious. It shows clearly when Rita enters Frank's room by saying "I'm comin' in, aren't I? It's that stupid bleedin' handle on the door?" this clearly shows the audience that Rita can be pushy and also bossy. I think that this gives the audience some thought of what Rita might be like in the rest of the play. Willy Russell also introduced Frank, his second main character. Frank is a teacher at a University and also a lecturer. In the first scene Willy Russell introduced to the audience that frank is not open and never gets something done when he wants it to be done on most occasions and it shows that he can be lazy. It shows clearly when Rita struggles to come into Frank's room because the door handle is stuck and she cannot get in, but then pushes harder and she finally gets in. Rita says, "You wanna get it fixed!" to frank but then Frank startles a bit and answers, "yes, I suppose I always mean toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦" This proves to the audience that franks is always stuck in his roo... ...door outside Frank's room. When Frank opens the door he is surprised at what Rita is doing and he did not expect it to be done. In conclusion I think Willy Russell made an effective way of starting the play because he had problems while trying to introduce the play, but for all the problems he had devices to support him and back up his ideas and also help him make his play. Willy Russell introduced the characters Rita and Frank by showing the audience what they are like and what they will be throughout the play. Willy Russell introduced the themes to the audience in an effective way too, he showed the audience that Rita wants Education and choices and that Frank wants relationship. Willy Russell makes the first scene dramatic and entertaining to the audience, which makes them stay to the very end and I also think that he made a good start to the play.

High School Football :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

I've never decided if I actually miss playing football. I played tight end and outside linebacker for one season, during my freshman year of high school. The previous winter I'd lifted weights often enough for a junior high kid, then I long jumped in track during the spring and kept in good condition all summer. I was no all-out beast, but for me it was decent dedication. Our coach, Mr. Noble, was horrible. I respected him at the time, and so did everyone else--he was six five and had some serious guns. He'd contrive a good practice with the assistant coaches for ten minutes every day while we ran the perimeter of the practice field, a workout monotonous as recopying history notes. We were in better shape than any other team in the county, but we couldn't play football worth a lick. I started in one or two games toward the end of the season after the first string tight end, Mitch, fractured his wrist, and before the second-string fullback, Eric, learned the position. Like all of the only-half-decent guys, I played special teams every game. Problem was, I sucked at blocking because I had no girth, and I couldn't catch very well because all we ever practiced was blocking. In games, we almost always ran the ball. Our tailback, Conor, kicked butt. He'd have been even better if our coach didn't make him run stupid plays all the time. We'd be fourth and eight at our own 35, and Coach Noble--he made us address him as "sir" all the time ("Yes, sir," "I don't understand, sir," "Sir, I have to leave practice early tomorrow, sir.")--would tell Hildebrand, the QB, to call a blast, an off-guard run right up the middle. Conor would've been better, too, if the linemen, such as myself, had skill as well as endurance. There's a picture in the yearbook from that season that makes me feel like a loser every time I see it--Conor's charging through the line, and I'm on my feet with my knees bent and no one to block, my guy diving for the tackle. Man, I really handled him. Maybe things will change after I graduate, but sometimes I feel like I never deserved to keep playing, that I never would have been good enough to have any real confidence in my ability. But then I go to a Friday night varsity game and the stands are on their feet as the team charges onto the field under lights blazing against a solid black sky and I think, that could be me out there jumping around, pulse racing, hollering.

Ib Theatre Ri Noh Costume Essay

Noh is known as the classical lyrics drama of Japan. Noh is a combination of serveral dance and drama forms that came before it. (Noh and Kyogen) It embraces the people’s love for the religious and cultral traditions that involve the mix of Japanese Dengaku and Sarugaku (which is a mix between a style of dance and mime). (Noh and Kyogen) Noh is fundamentally a symbolic theatre that focuses on the representation and appreciation of ritual traditions and the appreciation of culture. A tradtitional romantic play in Noh theater is Hanjo (Lady Han). The story of Hanjo is about a yujo named Hanago that works in an inn. A man named Yoshida no Shosho came into the inn for the night on his journey east. Hanago and Yoshida no Shosho fell in love and exchanged fans before he leaves for his journey. After Shosho is gone Hanago becomes nicknamed Hanjo becuase of her deranged and obsessive love for Shosho with the only memories of him being his fan. In this love story, the fans are a representation of the giving of their hearts to one another (connecting to the plot of which this story was derived from); in which the only memory that the women has of her lost lover is the fan. Throughout the play Hanjo constantly has Shosho’s fan in her posession and the more she waves the fan in the play, the more deranged she becomes thoughout the play. (Keene) One of the main aspects of Noh theater is the use of masks and to a Noh actor, the mask gives the actor behind the mask the responsibilty â€Å"to be the living embodiment of the qualities he is called upon to represent†. Toki) The masks in No theater that are commonly usedare the masks that were created between the fourteenth century and the seventeenth century and are prefered to be used in a performance rather than modern mask for the modern mask lacking in origionality compared to the classic. (Toki) In Noh theater, generally the Shite (main actor/ protagonist) actor is the only actor masked in the play, but in certain instances the Shitez-zure (assistant of the Shite) will also wear a mask but only when representing a female character. Toki) Even though the Shite is the only actor to be wearing a mask, the Shite will not wear a mask when representing a character in a earthly or a realistic piece of work and theatrical make-up is rerely and often not used during Noh performances. (Toki) The most common masks that are used are masks that represent female characters. The female mask are used to represent women of all ages and symbolize at times the beauty of the women or the ghost/ spirits of dead women. Toki) Different masks are used to represent the three main type of women, which are catagorized by age. (Toki) Young women are represented by ko-omote, magojiro, and waka-onna; the middle-Aged women are represented by Shakumi, Fukai, and Zoh; and finally the Old women are represented by uba and rojo. (Toki) Yet on occasion the Hannya mask is used in order to represent the vengeful women and conveys negative expressions and attitude. (Toki) When it comes to the costume design for Noh performances there are four different catagorities that the costumes can be organized into: costumes that are worn as undergarments, those worn over the under garments, costumes resembling skirts, and costumes that divide the actors upper section and the lower section of the body. (Toki) A Shite costume with five layers and outer garment of brocade creates an imposing figure on stage that can be even more imposing when a red or white wig is added. (Toki) A very typical gown style worn by women is the Karaori, which is woven with threads of gold, silver and other colors. Toki) Like most costumes in Noh theater, the use of color is major in determining the characters in the play. (Toki) Using red in the color scheme of any of the costume is best fit for a young character. (Toki) The most common costume for woman characters is the kinagashi (worn flowing), as well as the most common way of wearing kimono. (Toki) The outer robe over the under robe hanging from the shoulds to the ground and tied at the waist. (Toki) Another costume in Noh theater is the nuihaku (embroidery, foil) that can be used for both male and female characters. Komparu) A short-sleeved robed with a gold-â€Å"foil† or a silver- â€Å"foil† woven into the costume and â€Å"embroidery†, taking on the style of the satin-weave base. (Komparu) This costume is worn in the style of the koshimaki and includes the aslpects of being draped down from the waist, also resembling the nugi-sage. (Komparu) The nugi-sage (removed and draped) is a costume that will often symbolize a women that is mad. The right sleeve of the outer robe is removed and draped down the back, representing the decaying mind state of the women that is becoming mentally unfit. Komparu) Karaori (Chinese Weave), even though being influenced by the woven style of Chinese clothing is a good representation of Japanese Noh costumes. (Komparu) The robes can be manipulated in order to classify the different characters. It could either include the traditional color red in order to represent the young women characters or can be used without red in order to symbolise the middle-aged and older characters. In order to create the representation of a women’s skin, resort to the surihaku (foil applique). Komparu) Using the same style of the short-sleeved nuihaku with the gold-foil or silver-foil being woven into the costume with red indicates that the character is a woman. (Komparu) Another critical representation of women characters are the styles of katsura (wigs) supported by the katsura obi (wig bands). (Komparu) The narrow bands are long strands that are tied around the outside of the wig and are left hanging down the actors back. (Komparu) The bands still include the aspects of the gold-foil or silver-foil with the choice of red or not. The koshi obi (hip bands) can be used for both male and female characters. (Komparu) This resembles the mizu-goromo or is used with nuihaku in the style of koshimaki (draped from the waist). (Komparu) This costume is wrapped around the hips over a three quarter length. The tradtional styles of wigs that are used to indicate women character are the katsura, which is generally tied back or can be lengenthed to be the naga-katsura- (long wig) by attaching the long hair to a small square cloth and tied onto the actors head then rearranged for the performances. Other styles include the kasshiki-katsura (the religious wig), the midare-bin (untidy or disordered wig), and the uba-katsura (old woman’s wig). (Komparu) For the costume design for Hanjo there are certain aspects from each of the traditional costumes that could come together to create a beautiful costume along with conveying ,the character, Hanjo going mad without her lover, Shosho. The most fitting costume style would be the mugi-sage (removed and draped), which is generally known for symbolizing the concept of a mad woman with the disordanized and rugged look of the right sleeve of the outer robe slipped of and left to hang down the back of the character. The colors of the robe would include the same aspects of the nuihaku and the surihaku with the silver-foil woven into the fabric and the traditional red to indicate that the character is a young woman. The headress of Hanjo would include the idare-bin (disheveled tresses) style of wig in order to help convey the slow affect of Hanjo becoming mad without her lover; and the traditional katsura obi (wig band) with a red trim will support the headress itself and the concept of a female character. For props, Hanjo will hold bamboo grass in her hand which symbolizes a mad women. Along with the bamboo grass, Hanjo will hold a fan that will be a representation of Shosho’s fan that she recieved and will be used to be waved more rapidly to symbolize Hanjo’s madness.

The Development of Banking System in Vietnam

The development orientation of the banking system of Vietnam from 2005 to 2020 In 2005, State Bank submitted to the Politic Ministry and Government a development project of the banking system from 2005 to 2020 according to the Resolution of 9th National Party. It is to build up a banking system develop safety and fairly; have enough the competitive ability; and integrate stability in international finance market. Firstly, the State Bank needs to re-structure basically and comprehensively the organization and the action of State Bank for which has enough ability to build and realize the monetary policy with market principle and advanced technology. Role and function of State Bank perform with international routines and rules for do effectively the national management function in the banking and monetary. Besides, it will be the foundation of the development of State Bank become sa modern central bank. The main innovation of State Bank focuses on following problems: Ensuring State Bank is independent, autonomous in the set up, conduct the monetary policy, interest rate and exchange rate; performs the function of actually central bank; is the bank issue money; is the bank of banks; is the central payment of nation; regulate the monetary market. Re-structure the organization of state bank from the center to the branch towards streamlined and modern, ensure that state banks has the responsibility in creating an open operating environment and favorable conditions for financial institutions n the territory of Vietnam Creating and implementing the monetary policy follow the market principle to base on the monetary policy setting with suitable communication and quantified target. Reform the supervision of system banking comprehensively to meet the actual needs of developing Vietnamese banking system and suit to the international rules and standard of banking supervision. The safety supervision system of Vietnamese banking operations will strive to satisfy the basic international standards in 2010; firstly, it is the basic rules of effective banking supervision of Basel Committee and the Basel Capital Accord 1988(Basel I) and then, it will implement the Basel II after 2010. To further modernize the payment system to enhance the utility of providing banking services, to increase the proportion of non-cash payment and payment through banks, state bank can control the amount of money circulation and reduce financial risks. Secondly, Credit Institutions need to reform fundamental and thoroughly to develop systems of credit institutions in modern, multi-functional activities, diversified ownership, and types of credit institutions; for which have operating scale and financial potential strongly to make a foundation building a modern system of credit institution, attaining advanced level of development in Asia, applying sufficiently the international standards of banking operations. It is able to compete with banks in the region and the world. The reform of credit institutions focuses on some main point in following: Ensuring the state commercial banks and commercial banks have stakes in the control of state become the key leader in the banking system on the scale of operation, financial capability, technology, process level management and business efficiency. The other credit institutions have the responsibilities which is to ensure the comprehensive, safe and effective development of Vietnam's banking system The financial capacity of credit institutions is strengthened by increasing ower equity and improving asset quality and profitability. The equitization of state-owned commercial banks completes step by step to follow the precautionary principle, ensure economic stability and social security system, which allows foreign investors, especially internationally leading banks buy stocks and participate in management and administration commercial banks of Vietnam. Innovative basically the management system of credit institutions, to ensure the credit institution independents the finance, staff, organizational structure and operations, executive management, which bear all responsibility for business results and activities within the legal framework equality, openness and transparency. The relationship between State Bank and credit institutions is not only the State control relation, but also the economic relation to rely on respecting the market principle. Forming synchronous legal framework is transparent and fair to promote the competition and ensuring the safety system; apply more completely the international standards and rules of operating monetary and banking; create healthy environment and incentives for credit institutions, enterprises and individual business development. Eliminate discrimination among credit institutions and eliminate other forms of protection and subsidy in the banking sector. Speed up the process of international economic integration, which raise the initiative on monetary and banking with the roadmap and steps are suited to the competitiveness of the credit institutions and the ability of state banks control system. With the potential market, the strong growth of the economy in the process of integration, the stable politic and social, especially with a legal framework for banking operations become more complete toward the openness and transparency, Vietnam's banking sector will successfully implement the reform and opening up the banking system, contributing actively to the economic- social development of the country. Every credit institutions need to actively improve the financial capacity by: -Financial capacity of credit institutions is strengthened by increasing ower equity and improving asset quality and profitability. The equitization of state-owned commercial banks completes step by step to follow the precautionary principle, ensure economic stability and social security system, which allows foreign investors, especially internationally leading banks buy stocks and participate in management and administration commercial banks of Vietnam. -Diversify forms of raising capital, control reasonable the interest rate of long-term and medium-term of saved money and strengthen medium-term and long-term capital to meet capital needs for business. The credit growth associated with securing the loans effectively. Push up to deal the bad dept being continuous toward reducing the bad debt with the construction of control and monitoring mechanism of credit quality. -Banks need to structure the capital investment in the new condition toward decrease the proportion of short-term loans, increase the proportion of medium and long term lending and develop the individual consumption credit in the economy. Continued innovation the mechanisms and policies related to the activities of credit institutions; form synchronous the legal framework is transparent and fair to promote the competition, to ensure that the credit institution independents the finance, staff, organizational structure and operations, executive management, which bear all responsibility for business results and activities within the legal framework equality, openness and transparency; create the open business environment for operations of credit institutions . The relationship between State Bank and credit institutions is not only the State control relation, but also the economic relation to rely on respecting the market principle. Issue the regulations about control the risky systems, supervise the risks in banking activities, improve the safe regulations in banking operations, issue egulation about standard and minimum requirement of the management system of risks in credit institutions, ensuring early warning capabilities for credit institutions, especially to be the foreign exchange market and the national payment system. and an important part to fix the credit risks of banks that performs the management for commercial banking from the width to the depth toward enhance risk management capacity through complete the internal structure of organization, implement the testing, inspection and reporting regularly. Conduct the audit for commercial banks according to international standards, hired foreign auditors audit the banking activity in 2005 and 2006 Supervise carefully activities and the financial situation of commercial banks before supplement and implement the equitization. Accelerate the re-structuring of the banking system; amendment and supplement the law of State Bank of Vietnam and the Credit Institutions. Speed up the process of international economic integration, which raise the initiative on monetary and banking with the roadmap and steps are suited to the competitiveness of the credit institutions and the ability of control system of state banks, reform fundamentally and innovative thoroughly commercial banks toward develop comprehensively, multifunctionally and modern, meet the standards and requirements according to international routines, ensure every step to make commercial banks development as well as other ones in the region and on the world. Improve capacity of staff through enhancing the executive management level. Improve the management capacity of state-owned commercial banks after the equitization will be the fastest and most effective by the help of foreign strategic partners.

Reaching Adulthood: Completing Human Developmental Stages

The human development is a very complex yet fascinating part of our lives. We look back at the point we first remembered how young we were, the things we did that were so different from the things we do today. More often than not, we take for granted the stages where significant amount of changes that shaped us took place.Our infancy and pre-school years show much of our earlier attitudes and behaviors which became cemented as we grow older. Our environment played such a significant role in making us the way we are today. As I have mentioned in the first project, we understand our being a male or a female when we realize the roles and activities attached to one’s gender.Even our parents dictate how we should act or what toy to play and we get punished by disobeying them. And at this stage we develop a concept of what makes us happy or sad, we can adapt to our environment and we avoid doing things that would result to an unfavorable consequence.These things we undergo during ou r earlier years further have an effect on the next stage of our lives. What we liked to do, how well we can adapt to other people, how we behave or act upon exposure to a stimulus etc. continue in our middle childhood and adolescence years.The middle childhood prepares us for what we will face in our adolescence years, the same way our infancy and pre-school years prepared us for the later years.During our middle childhood and adolescence, we are thrust into a great deal of changes, whether mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. We like to be independent and to go out of the familial circle that surrounded us when we were young.In my experience, it was this time when I started making friends in school and in my neighborhood. I could also face other people who were not my age. This stage marks the awakening of cognitive and emotional aspects of one person. We learn to judge the people around us, to be curious of the things which we cannot easily understand, to feel different emotions that seemed so new.The countless and various experiences we undergo during this stage further hone, change, influence or impact the way we are. They make our personality unique, mold our behavior and attitudes and develop our skills. Everything we have learned we apply to our present lives.Our infancy and pre-school years show much of our earlier attitudes and behaviors which became cemented as we grow older. Our environment played such a significant role in making us the way we are today. As I have mentioned in the first project, we understand our being a male or a female when we realize the roles and activities attached to one’s gender.Even our parents dictate how we should act or what toy to play and we get punished by disobeying them. And at this stage we develop a concept of what makes us happy or sad, we can adapt to our environment and we avoid doing things that would result to an unfavorable consequence.These things we undergo during our earlier years furthe r have an effect on the next stage of our lives. What we liked to do, how well we can adapt to other people, how we behave or act upon exposure to a stimulus etc. continue in our middle childhood and adolescence years. The middle childhood prepares us for what we will face in our adolescence years, the same way our infancy and pre-school years prepared us for the later years.During our middle childhood and adolescence, we are thrust into a great deal of changes, whether mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. We like to be independent and to go out of the familial circle that surrounded us when we were young. In my experience, it was this time when I started making friends in school and in my neighborhood. I could also face other people who were not my age.This stage marks the awakening of cognitive and emotional aspects of one person. We learn to judge the people around us, to be curious of the things which we cannot easily understand, to feel different emotions that seemed so new and to try things which pique our curiosity.My interview’s particular experience shows this. He started using prohibited drugs during his adolescence. This kind of deed roots from many factors such as family problems, inferiority complex or social dilemma.Dale says that all of his family’s attention was on his younger sister, Mikaela. No matter how much good he does, his family doesn’t seem to notice. So what he did was involve himself in things that would get him into trouble, if only to get his parents’ attention.The countless and various experiences we undergo during this stage further hone, change, influence or impact the way we are. They make our personality unique, mold our behavior and attitudes and develop our skills. Everything we have learned we apply to our present lives.Changes and phenomenon in middle childhood, as noted in my first project, are stepping stones for the adolescence; changes and phenomenon in adolescence, as noted in my second project, are preparation for adulthood.AdulthoodAdulthood is a hazardous and difficult journey for many people to take, and not just a destination of security and safety that we reach once and for all. It is a reference point from which other life stages are judged.The experiences which became imprinted in our memories and the self beliefs and social standards that we have molded within ourselves affect us in our present actions and how we see ourselves. But, these beliefs and standards change when we are exposed to different stimuli or situation.At this stage, I can already foresee my own future, in what is called self-schema. These are the templates of our future, and they tell us what we can be after several years, what our career would be etc. Still, I ask myself, what will I be really in the next years?Since I would not be able to answer this question, I have interviewed Emelita Sacra, a 49-year-old single mother and currently taking over as line leader and quality cont rol officer in a garment corporation. She was separated from her husband, but she manages to raise her daughter well.Emelita used to dream of finishing just high school, since her family’s source of livelihood is barely enough for the 11 members of the family. She studied hard and eventually earned a scholarship, her ticket to college.But her dream faded when she chose to help her parents in meeting the family’s needs.   She was able to send two of her siblings to college, and that was enough for her even if she had sacrificed her own dream.This shows that what she desperately wanted before was put aside by the emergence of a more important situation. She said that though there were many events in her life which affected her, only few values and interests changed. Some of which were the earthly things she wanted before, such as clothes, cosmetics and leisure moments.But now, these things became unimportant because her daughter became her priority. Her situation now i s a far cry from her situation before. Now that her daughter is in college, she has to work hard and limit the luxuries of life. Every spare time was spent doing extra works to be able to provide for her only child.When she was a teenager, all that mattered was helping her family to earn money and send the children to school. Now, what matters is raising her daughter well and providing her education. This attitude is better explained by Jean Piaget’s generativity, wherein Emelita thinks of the future of her daughter instead of her own life.Emelita says that the values she learned from her younger years didn’t change much. As to the moral aspect, nothing changed, but some things were added. She instilled to her daughter the moral values her parents taught her.Basically, when we reach the adulthood stage, as I viewed my interviewee, there are changes in our self concept. For example, we might have low self efficacy before, which is our competence in accomplishing things. But because we have gone through many things, and we were able to endure the pains and dilemmas of life, we have increased our self efficacy considering the fact that we are older than before, we could handle and do things better now.Another example of self concept that had changed during our adulthood years is the self awareness. Adults tend to be more focused and are aware of their responsibilities at their age. For example, my interviewee became aware of her role as a mother and father solely to her daughter. Aside from that, she also became aware of her priorities in the present time compared before. At this point in life, most people have grown matured, as to how they should act, how they should be, and what they should do.Generally, lots of things have made their contribution to each of stages in life. Some factors that might affect each life stage are inherent and gene factor. Biologically speaking, this could really happen, such that our behavior and character could be attr ibuted to the innate potentials of ourselves.However, we could not deny the fact that the environment that we are living in has contributed big changes not only in our lives, but more specifically, in ourselves.Those external factors are the ones we experience during our infancy stage to childhood, then adolescence stage, and lastly adulthood stage. The events in our everyday lives have impacts such that, we are not aware that those events molded us into what are now, and what we are going to be in the near future.Thus, the human development is a very vicious path, if we are going to consider all the details. Yet, we could say that human development is like a metamorphose process of butterfly. The only difference is that, the butterfly would surely fly if it comes out from the pupae, but each of us has no assurance if we can soar high in our lives.REFERENCESBoeree, G. Personality Theories. (NO DATE). Erik Erikson, 1902 – 1994. Retrieved August   29, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.htmlJames, W. The Principles of Psychology. Retrieved August 29, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/James/Principles/prin10.htmLerner, R. Concepts and Theories of Human Development. Retrieved August 29, 2007 from the site of UAH Library on World Wide Web: http://libdblist.uah.edu/browse.php?list=P&source_id=17Myers, D. Exploring Social Psychology. 3rd ed. November 2003. McGraw-Hill Companies.