Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun

â€Å"May I never wake up from the American dream. † Carrie Latet describes the most sought after dream: the dream of a house surrounded by a white picket fence, the dream people work their entire lives for, the dream people fight wars for: the American dream. However, America’s rise to industrialism in the 19th and 20th centuries replaced this dream with the desire to get rich fast. This change led people to believe that it is possible, common even, to obtain wealth rapidly; yet this is not the case. Sometimes, when an individual is unable to acquire such extreme wealth, he create a sense of false reality for himself, his common sense is blurred, and he sees opportunities where there are none. Characters Walter Lee Younger and Willy Loman are prime examples of this, both pinning their hopes on unattainable dreams to hide the feelings of failure. The theme of illusion versus reality is present in both Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman through the portrayal of main characters Walter and Willy in their struggles for happiness and prosperity. Although the two characters have similar dreams, Walter, a dynamic character, breaks through the fantasy while Willy, a static character, remains trapped in his illusion. Willy Loman has a very specific dream, a contorted version of the American dream. Willy dreams of being successful and providing for his family, but also to be popular and well liked: a spin off the classic American dream, which is generally just to have a happy life. Driven by his need for success and popularity, Willy ignores his calling for nature and throws all his heart into becoming a salesman. Willy is enthralled by the story of Dave Singleman, his inspiration and idol. â€Å"I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ‘Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people† (Miller 81). This story is the sole reason for Willy’s desire to be a successful salesman, but what he does not realize is that Singleman’s case is one in a million. Although he doggedly pursues a career in selling, Willy also recognizes his need and desire for nature in his retirement plans. As he tells Linda, â€Å"Before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens . . . † (72). However, his failure to acknowledge nature as his true passion fuels his failure in the business world as well. Denis Diderot concludes, â€Å"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. † Tempted by success and money, Willy veers from his passion for the outdoors towards business, for which he has little passion. The theme of nature is prevalent from the play’s beginning as, â€Å"A melody is heard, played upon a flute. It is small and fine, telling of grass and trees and the horizon. †(11). This specific tune is often associated with Willy’s character, distancing him from the environment, but emphasizing the connection Willy has to it. Many would argue, Willy has set himself up for failure by choosing the business career. In order to escape the feeling of dejection, Willy reverts to his falsely joyful past and creates multiple illusions for himself, seeing the world through a glass clouded with desire and failure. One of Willy’s greatest regrets is refusing to accompany Ben to Alaska. â€Å"If I’d gone with him to Alaska that time, everything would’ve been totally different† (45). Ben’s success in Alaska not only presents Willy with the possibility of money, but it would also satisfy his connection with nature. Ben’s voice in the play continually represents Willy’s resentment of his decision to stay, and his longing for a second chance to take the opportunity. Next, Willy fondly retreats to his past, a past glossed over in gold. Willy imagines a happy and cheerful history with his family, including his father, whom he never actually knew. Ben! Please tell about Dad. I want my boys to hear. I want them to know the kind of stock they spring from. † (48). This is ironic, because Willy doesn’t remember his father aside from his beard and his flute, so he would not know if his father would be someone to admire. Even though Willy does not have a job, he wants so badly to continue being a salesman that he still drives out to Boston and other cities, deluding his faithful wife, Linda Loman, and in part, himself, to think that he is going on important selling missions. Willy lies so convincingly that, when Ben proposes the idea of going to Alaska, a shocked Linda exclaims, â€Å"You’re well liked, and the boys love you, and someday – why, old man Wagner told him just the other day that if he keeps it up he’ll be a member of the firm . . . † (85). Linda is clearly oblivious to the fact that Willy is crestfallen and miserable. Willy even tries to prove to himself that he is happy, but the only true reason he remains a salesman is to gain the money he believes accompanies the job. Throughout Willy’s struggle, Charley, a FOIL to Willy, is constantly at Willy’s side helping him. Charley is Willy’s crutch, his reality check, and basically his only friend. While Willy fights to keep his family afloat, Charley has a steady job; while Willy manages his children’s lives, Charley leaves his only son, Bernard, to find his own path; while Willy loses his grip on reality, Charley has a firm grasp and a level head. Charley is the true example of the hard working, happy man achieving the American dream. Willy’s failure to recognize his own despondent state is primarily what causes his tragic downfall. As the play nears the end, Willy is faced with a decision. He knows that he will not be able to work much longer, and that at some point, he will have to rely on his sons. Willy also realizes that he has nothing to pass down to his sons. The solution he comes up with is suicide. Willy determines that this proposition is legitimate because it benefits his whole family. While talking with Ben, Willy justifies his decision by saying, â€Å"[Linda’s] suffered. . . Remember, it’s a guaranteed twenty-thousand-dollar proposition† (125-126). When Biff confronts him, Willy comes to an astonishing realization: â€Å"Biff – he likes me! (133). This only further deepens Willy’s desire to commit suicide, which would allow his family to collect the insurance money. However, the real reason for Willy’s tragic end is his static personality. His refusal to see the world as it is and his refusal to change means that he is veiled by his distorted vision of life forever. Willy is never able to break through his illusio n, truly believing that he is more valuable dead than alive. Finally, the decision is made and Willy commits suicide. â€Å"The car speeds off . . . moving away at full speed. . . The music crashes down in a frenzy of sound, which becomes the soft pulsation of a single cello string† (136). The rest of the Loman family is left alone, without the insurance money. As Charley sums up at the funeral, â€Å"He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong† (138). Willy died because he didn’t know how to forge his own path. Although he had the chance to turn back, he remained a salesman because he was in it for the money. Had he changed his mind and followed his heart, he would certainly have had an entirely different end. But that was his predicament: Willy Loman did not have the ability to change, something that Walter Lee Younger does have. Walter Lee Younger has dreams that are very similar to Willy’s: to provide for his family and to be successful. Unlike Willy Loman, though, Walter’s dreams of happiness for his family in addition to success. As an African American man, Walter constantly struggles against racial boundaries. The pressure to support his struggling family, including his sister and mother is a constant weight on his back. Walter informs Mama, â€Å"I want so many things that they are driving me crazy . . Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me . . . Just waiting for me – a big, looming blank space – full of nothing† (73). Like any father or husband, Walter desperately wants a comfortable and content life. The tension between Walter and his wife, Ruth, partially stems from Walter’s inability to deal with his low income, low class job. â€Å"I open and close doors all day long. I drive a man around in a limousine and I say ‘Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir . . . that ain’t no kind of job . . . that ain’t nothing at all† (73). Not only is Walter dissatisfied with his job as a limousine driver, but he is embarrassed by it. Walter is desperate, but as a black man, his options for a new occupation are limited to those of a similar caliber to his current job. However, Walter finds an opportunity that could turn his life around. â€Å"I been out talking with people who understand me. People who care about what I got on my mind. † (87), â€Å". . . we got it figured out, me and Willy and Bobo† (33). Inspired by this new hope, Walter envisions a future of prosperity and happiness. This is mostly fueled by Walter’s idol: Charlie Atkins. Similar to Willy’s infatuation with Dave Singleman, Walter believes that Atkins, who owns a dry cleaning business which grosses $100,000 per year, is success incarnate. Atkins is Walter’s inspiration for his own dream of buying liquor store with Bobo and Willy Harris, which could be made possible by the insurance money from his father’s death. In addition to his dreams for himself, Walter also has dreams for his son. Like most fathers, he wants a better life for his son, â€Å"Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me, what it is you want to be – and you’ll be it . . . Whatever you want to be – Yessir! You just name it, son . . . and I hand you the world! † (109). Although Walter has all the same dreams as a white man of his age, they are harder to obtain due to racial boundaries, and Walter must find a way to overcome these limitations. With so many things unperfected in his life, Walter sees money as a solution to his problems. For the Youngers, the symbol of money represents a new house, new clothing and shoes for everyone, especially forWalter’s son, Travis, more food for their table, education for Travis and Walter’s sister, Beneatha, as well as the down payment on Walter’s liquor store. When Mama questions Walter â€Å"How come you talk so much ‘bout money† (74), Walter responds, â€Å"it is life, Mama! . . . it was always about money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it† (74). It is ironic that Walter comments that money is life, because the most significant money in the Younger family comes from Big Walter’s $10,000 life insurance check. As Asagai explains to Beneatha, â€Å"Isn’t there something wrong in a house – in a world – where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man? † (135). The illusion Walter holds that money is life contrasts with the reality that the money comes from death. Later, Walter becomes very frustrated as he realizes how unfair the world is, â€Å"Somebody tell me – tell me, who decides which woman is suppose to wear pearls in this world. I tell you I am a man – and I think my wife should wear some pearls in this world† (143). Because of all this pent-up regret and disappointment, Walter reverts to Willy Harris and Bobo’s plan for a source of comfort and hope. His desperation clouds his common sense, and when Mama entrusts him with the remaining insurance money, Walter invests all of it in the liquor store, even that intended for Beneatha’s education. Despite his poor decision, Walter has a â€Å"newfound exuberance† (112). He truly believes that this new deal will turn his family around in a new direction, â€Å"I got wings! You got wings! All God’s children got wings! † (125). However, things take a spin when Bobo arrives with the despairing news that Willy Harris, revealed as a con man, has disappeared with the money. Walter’s incredulity is clear as he realizes that all of the hope he has built up over the liquor store has disappeared like a flash of lightening. Now that all of the insurance money is gone on Walter’s watch, he is even more responsible for his family’s desperate state. Luckily, he is presented with a chance to redeem himself. Before the disheartening news that Willy Harris stole the Younger’s insurance money arrives, Walter is extremely confident. He is even willing to cooperate with Mama’s plan to move into their new house in Clybourne Park, a plan Walter had previously opposed. When Karl Lindner arrives to persuade the Youngers not to move into their new house, Walter confronts him. â€Å"We told him to get out! . . . Oh, we was some proud folks this afternoon . . † (142). However, after the terrible news of the lost insurance money is disclosed, Walter is not so sure-footed. He realizes the difficult financial situation, not to mention the peril that this move will put them in. Ruth, who desperately wants to move, reads her husband’s hesitation and questions him, â€Å"You talking ‘bout taking them people’s money to keep us from moving in that house? † (142) and Walter replies, â€Å"I’m telling you that’s what’s going to happen! † (142). Despite his strong opinion about not moving, Walter experiences a change of heart when Lindner returns. He realizes how much the chance to live is really worth as he sees the potential for Travis, Beneatha, and even for himself and Ruth, and how much the new house will help each of them to grow and flourish. Counter to Willy Loman, Walter learns to value life, learning that money does not necessarily give you a blissful, carefree life. Walter asserts to Lindner, â€Å"We have all thought about your offer . . . and we have decided to move into our house because my father – my father – he earned it for us brick by brick. . . . Travis . . . my son . . . he makes the sixth generation of our family in this country . . And that’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor – and we are very proud . . . we are very proud people† (148). Walter’s dynamic character allows him to emerge from his black hole of despair, a trait that Willy Loman lacked, therefore triggering his own tragic downfall. Now that he is able to accept his mistake of losing all of the insurance money and has shattered the illusion that it is possible for everyone to be as successful and rich as Charlie Atkins, and that excessive wealth does not equate to happiness, Walter can fully appreciate his life, especially his loving family. From a first look, the Younger and Loman families could not be more different. Through careful analysis, though, one finds that they are astoundingly similar. Both working class families, they consistently struggle to maintain their current standards of living, a struggle made much more difficult by the expectant illusions Walter Lee and Willy cling to. The theme of illusion versus reality is vital in both A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman, demonstrating the harsh reality that a person’s life will never be perfect, and that some people will use heir imagination to fill in the gaps. The sad truth is that some people, like Willy Loman, are never able to break through the illusion. Bent on success and popularity, Willy renders himself victim to his mind forever, ending in death for him, and tragedy for his family. Others, such as Walter Lee Younger, possess the inner strength necessary to break free from this perfect, imaginary world to see that all they want, all they need, and all they seek, is right before them.

The Small Company with a Big-Time Motivation Program

Question 1 – How strong was the overall employee motivation program at Badger Mining? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, Badger Mining gets a 10! The company focuses on employees needs, is flexible with scheduling lets employees take off for family matters, matches 401k, generous profit sharing program, and a good health care package. This touches upon every aspect of a good employee motivation program. Question 2 – What evidence of participate management can you detect in this case? One key example was the example of the expansion to the Taylor plant. The company V. P. Dan Valiquette made sure to consult with the employees who would be affected by the expansion. He wanted the guys having to run the equipment involved in the redesign of the process, thus promoting employee buy-in, and the employees felt valued. He also included contractors and vendors involved with the change, which made everyone involved with project feel part of the process and take ownership. Question 3 – How well do you think open-book management would work at Badger Mining? I think it would very well at Badger Mining. The level of trust between upper management and their workforce is extremely high; they have a very cohesive group that is committed to excel. They already have several of the key blocks in place to be successful using OBM; trust and empower employees and profit sharing. Question 4 – Keys to successful employee participation programs. The examples of successful employee participation programs in this case are 1) Profit sharing, 2) long term security of employees working for Badger Mining and the company’s history, 3) the training programs and culture within the company, and 4) the protection of the individuals who work for the company by letting them have flexible schedules and take time off for family. These examples make Badger Mining perfect for participative management. The employees want to participate because they feel valued and that they have ownership in the company, in short they feel like they matter. Question 5 – Would you like to work for a small company like Badger Mining? Yes I would love to. Working for public education has its rewards, but they’re not financial, but I do feel very lucky to love what I do. However, it would be good to work for a company that I could work hard and e rewarded for the effort.

Gothic novel Essay

The novel ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte has been categorised as both romantic and gothic by scholars and literary critics. The plot entails the exploration of a woman’s domestic trap, a common Victorian theme, with her subjection to patriarchal authority and her dangerous attempts to escape from such restrictions and the consequences. There is a mixture of mysterious events, moonlit natural environment, beautiful dream-like landscapes, enigmatic characters. Jane is represented as the heroine of the story, the virginal Christian female character. In opposition to her is the character of Bertha who is insane and is hidden in the attic of Thornfield Hall, representing Rochester’s torment and his terrible secret. It can be argued that the plot has many entwined characteristics of both genres and it is very difficult to think of it as of one kind. The essay will discuss the way in which the novel accords with the characteristics of a romantic novel and a Gothic novel and evaluates whether it may be possible to assign it with one of the two labels. Romantic novels emphasize imagination and feeling, they focus on nature’s ability to free humans from society’s judgments and limitations. English romance narrates exotic and unusual stories, they are concerned with chivalric deeds (as in the stories of King Arthur), recalling themes of romantic medieval literature. The latter results from a period in English history when society was in search for of order and the approach was that everything had to be explained rationally and scientifically, hence often being referred to as the Age of Reason. However, the romantics’ themes are in opposition to such a way of thinking and rebelled against such established norms and conventions. The characters in romantic novels place the self at the centre of his/her own existence, this is achieved by focusing on his/her thoughts rather than actions. The theme or romantic love as opposed to passionate love is explored too and the consequences the latter would bring. Another narrative style which emerged was the Gothic novel. The background setting has a dim and imposing mansion or castle, as a backdrop to the atmosphere of mystery and suspense, where the character’s fears are explored beneath the surface of the â€Å"enlightened† psyche. Other features of a gothic tale is the presence of omens, portents and visions. There is usually a suffering, tormented woman who needs to be rescued from a controlling and lustful guardian, and in the process displays an array of extreme sentiments and reactions, such as swooning, crying and sorrow. She is usually often commanded to marry someone she does not love or commit some moral or actual crime. Supernatural events may be used to explain coincidences and many scenes evoke terror through the depiction of physical and psychological violence. So I would like to examine how Jane Eyre would seem to be typical of the romantic novel that was so popular in Victorian England, while at the same time having, in my opinion, all the ingredients for a gothic novel. The plot recalls a fairy tale ‘†¦ when you came upon me last night I thought unaccountably of fairy tales’; as Bronte writes in chapter 13. However, Bronte skilfully uses it as a frame, to give a clear picture of her great feminine consciousness, expressed in Jane Eyre’s persona. This is conveyed through the use of a first-person narration, that depicts the world around her and the others in relation to her and her point of view. In the romantic novel the individual stands at the centre of romantic fiction relating facts and experiences. In the following passage, Jane demonstrates her fervid romantic imagination, as she explains to Adele that she and Mr Rochester are going to get married and utters ‘Here is a talisman will remove all difficulties;† (chapter 24) Jane metaphorically evokes the theme of natural forces which come to her aid when she is most in need for comfort. The passage continues with, a fairy that ‘†¦ held out a pretty gold ring†¦.. and I am yours, and you are mine; and we shall leave earth and make our heaven yonder'(chapter 24). The latter depicts the traditions of dream and oral tales which was much loved by the romantics. However, these are also elements which can be found in Gothic novels, where enchantment and fear are closely related. There is much about Jane and Rochester’s introspection, their belief in the supernatural, and conflicting emotions. Jane fights against the wicked spirits of Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Manor Hall, and Marsh End at the end, these supernatural elements take the form of moral choices that force her into reflecting upon righteousness. For instance, the striking of the chestnut tree by lightening, under which Rochester had proposed to Jane (chapter 22), is a portent of their imminent separation and the dangers that lie ahead. It is a perfect Gothic symbol, as nature predicts human fate. Moreover, Bronte is able to convey and juxtapose different tones in the same passage, it can change from a playful and romantic tone to an enigmatic and harsh one. For instance, when Rochester is trying to convince Jane to dine with him and she refuses, his mood changes immediately . He is upset by her answer and asks Jane if she supposes whether he eats as ‘an ogre or a ghoul’ (chapter 24). Here, Gothic elements are used metaphorically to convey the degenerating tone of such a conversation. Recalling the Bluebeard tales themes, which underlines the novel. The supernatural elements conceal emotions and have been used to symbolise the child which resides in all of us and comes out in moments of loss of consciousness and fear, and at the same time heightening the readers awareness of the fragility of the heroine/hero. As when Jane describes the red room, with its noises and mirrors, where she was secluded as a punishment, everything in the room becomes fearful to her eyes. The mere colour ‘red’ conjures up images of blood and being locked in either literally or in a moral sense is an abhorrent idea to most (it recalls also the theme of trap) (chapter 2). Another important aspect of the novel is the exotic. Romantics, in their novels, often alluded to distant places. In the story, Rochester has a house in Spain, where he wishes to take Jane once married, considering it as a more relaxed country, colourful and sensual place. Before meeting Jane, Rochester had travelled around the world in search of a foreign wife (Chapter 27). Yet, Bronte condemns such behaviour and makes Rochester feel reckless with disappointment to the point he utters that ‘I tried dissipation – never debauchery: that I hated, and hate. That was my Messalina’s attribute’ (Chapter 27). Jane rejects such exoticism and is ‘not forming a very favourable opinion’ on him, he is perceived by her as ‘an unfeeling, loose-principled rake’. What Bronte is trying to emphasise is that if romantic love was to be perceived in such a superficial light – as being just for sexual pleasure – then it together with passion, would mean a loss of the self morally and ethically. Moreover, the idea of the character who travels towards unknown distant places, against wicked and unpredictable forces (these are represented by the several lovers he mentions, throughout his journey, and finally by Bertha, his insane wife segregated in the attic of Thornfield Hall). Thus, Gothic elements are used to create a sense of loss and psychological violence, just like what Mr. Rochester experienced throughout his journeys. Bronte demonstrates an attitude towards natural forces, which ‘gravely offered†¦ help’ to such a ‘reckless’ man. In fact, he was not able to fall in love with a ‘womankind’, but with a natural ‘slender creature’ who is personified by Jane (Chapter 27). Thus, the novel entails many elements which are characteristic of fairy tales. Jane is repeatedly described as looking like a spirit, a tiny phantom, â€Å"half fairy, half imp. â€Å". Such an association permits an author to use less words to express deeper ideas, by adding powerful images through an apt use of wondrous language. The imaginary is at the heart of both narrative genres, however under many aspects Gothicism emerges to create suspense and conveys the characters’ inner torments, such as â€Å"the striking of the chestnut tree’, ‘the red room’. These contrast with the romantic descriptions of the outdoor scenes, such as when Jane runs across the countryside, are nevertheless described in a vivid and detailed manner as if Jane Eyre were painting a realistic picture of the scene in all its shades. This imagery suggests her characters’ moral condition and state of mind, therefore the mood of the story is immediately conveyed. There are numerous symbolic references to weather and to the sky, in the form of storms, rain, clouds, and sun. At the very opening of the novel, Jane sets the scene by mentioning that â€Å"the cold winter wind† had brought with it â€Å"clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating. † There is a full moon on the night when Bertha attacks her brother, as there is on the night when Jane runs away from Thornfield. Nature is presented as the â€Å"mother† of all creatures, which connotes Jane’s romantic side and her fragility. The scenes that are a set for Rochester and Jane Eyre’s passion take place in natural surroundings. After their wedding is interrupted, â€Å"the woods which twelve hours since waved leafy and fragrant/now spread, waste, wild and white as pine-forests in wintry Norway. † Here, Bronte adds Gothic elements, which changes the mood to one of tormented state of mind, thus anticipating Jane’s future struggles. At the end, when reunited, Rochester tells Jane that â€Å"I am no better than the old lightening-struck chestnut-tree in Thornfield orchard. † The theme of nature seems to be treated in both a romantic as well as a gothic way, due to the atmosphere which at times evokes joyful and comforting images, while at other times horrific images and death. In chapter 35, the personification of the ‘wind’ effectively suggests the way in which the mood can be created by nature. Bronte uses it as the means by which she received the message from Mr Rochester, in fact she follows it throughout ‘the passage’ until she finds her way out of that situation. This manifestation of the voice perceived in her spirit and mind, and not externally, could be construed in a gothic light i. e. as a portent or a supernatural event. There is, however, a romantic and passionate image of the voice which contrasts with the Gothic setting. The passage ‘I am coming! †¦ hush’ (chapter 37) is extremely descriptive with many adjectives ‘dark’, ‘void’ and nouns such as ‘loneliness’ and ‘hush’. The combination of this with short sentences creates an immediacy, dramatic impact and mystic atmosphere, characteristic of Gothic novels. In conclusion, by writing from an individual point of view, by creating characters who are possessed of strong feelings, fiery passions and some extraordinary personalities, by using some elements of horror and mystery, Jane Eyre is able to recreate life in a fantastic romantic way. The vividness of her subjective narration, especially the heroine who is contrary to the Victorians’ expectations, the presentation of the economical, social background of the time give her works a never dying popularity. The eerie atmosphere with supernatural associations can recall the characteristics of Gothic novels and are used in some way to justify what is inexplicable (as the voice of Mr. Rochester calling her or striking of the chestnut tree). All in all, I consider gothic as a subgenre of the romantic novel, both require drama and high emotional intensity which are elements that can be definitely found in Jane Eyre, one cannot exclude the other, it would be a great mistake to try and categorize such a masterpiece under one genre.

Article report of making tough calls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article report of making tough calls - Essay Example In this paper, we shall be discussing the different aspects that make a true leader especially when making tough calls. It is often extremely essential for every leader to be able to understand what is going on in his organization, as well as have the ability to make necessary adjustments so that his capabilities can be considered an asset. Strong Personality Character can be considered to be a compass because it guides a leader about what he decision he must make. Moreover, a leader has to have the courage to follow through all the decisions that he has made because without it, then his decisions will not work, and will in fact, become meaningless (Gee, 2000). Therefore, without character and courage, a leader will not succeed and he/ she will be seen to falter when the time comes to make difficult choices. If a leader falters, then the organization he runs will also most likely fail. Making the Right Decisions at the Right Time Many leaders throughout history have been unsuccessful because they have failed to make the right decisions when these decisions were needed the most (Stoll, 2009). Every leader has to have the ability to find out the situations that need their immediate attention. After identifying these situations, they have to consider the best solution for them. They have to study the situations exceptionally well and understand them so that their decisions can be correct and well informed. Moreover, failing to understand the situations means that they will likely make the wrong call, which will end up being faulty. The next step to be considered is making a decision according to how best the leader understands the situations. A principled leader must ensure that he has received the opinion of all those involved in order to make a well-balanced call. It is only after he has listened to the input of these people and has made an assessment that the situation does indeed need a call, that he should make a decision concerning how to solve the problem. The third step should be the implementation of the leader’s decision, and this has to be done under his direct supervision. This is to ensure that the decision is implemented to the latter and that no mistakes are made. It will further ensure that the correct results are achieved and not those that are undesirable. The Development of Knowledge Leaders require sufficient knowledge of their organization to ensure that their decisions are highly effective. In order to acquire this knowledge, the leader has to do his own investigations within the organization and come up with as much information about it as he can. He should be ready to stop old practices and be prepared to adopt new ones, which will help in the effective running of his organization. Moreover, he should show some enlightenment through learning his own weaknesses and striving towards mastering them. After doing this, he should consult with his subordinates so that he can get their opinions of how the organization is running as well as where they think improvements should be made (Tichy and Bennis, 2008). A leader cannot do well without the support of his subordinates and to gain this support, he should treat them as equals, listening to their opinions and consulting them wherever the need to do so arises. This will ensure a close relationship with them, and because of their loyalty; they will give their best towards the achievement of the

Working capital management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Working capital management - Essay Example Implementation of an effective working capital management system will certainly assist a company to improve its earnings. Ratio analysis and management of separate elements of working capital are two major aspects of working capital management. Organisations normally give great emphasis on working capital management, because ineffective use of working capital may end up in net losses. Since the management of working capital is crucial for companies irrespective of their size and nature, well structured corporate governance strategies are inevitable for properly dealing with the working capital spending. This paper will discuss the significance of working capital management and various approaches to the management of inventory, receivables, cash, and payables. 1. Management of working capital As discussed above, nowadays firms give specific focus on working capital management because thoughtless short term financing has already caused several corporate failures. As Bokadiya (2011) poi nts out, there are two concepts associated with the management of working capital: gross concept and net concept. The gross concept indicates current assets and this model is known as quantitative aspect of working capital.... stimation is a difficult task for firms in accordance with its nature and size; hence, different firms follow different methods to estimate working capital. Generally, conventional method, operating cycle method, cash cost technique, and balance sheet method are the major approaches adopted for the estimation of working capital. Longenecker, Petty, Palich, and Moore (2009, p.576) describe that the working capital is primarily used to purchase raw materials for production purposes. Through the production process, the raw materials are converted into finished goods and which is then reconverted into cash by the sales process. This whole process is called working capital cycle (ibid). Effective management of working capital assists organisations to deploy current assets and current liabilities efficiently and thereby to maximise short term liquidity. A well structured system of working capital management entails short term decisions generally relating to the next financial period. The p rocess of working capital management mainly involves two steps; forecasting the amount of working capital and determining the sources of working capital. Through proper management of working capital, a firm aims to make optimum level of investment in various working capital assets. This process may also aid companies to assess the optimal mix of short term and long term capital. In addition, effective working capital management can be of great help to choose appropriate means of short term financing. Management of inventory, receivables, cash, and payables are different aspects of working capital management. Inventory management is of great importance in modern business transactions as this process plays a evident role in establishing balance between purchase and sales (Indian Institute of

Differences between the Articles of confederation and the new Research Paper

Differences between the Articles of confederation and the new constitution - Research Paper Example The articles created a feeble national government incapable levying taxes and regulating trade hence the quest for the new constitution that improved the stature of the government by increasing its powers (Wendel 768). The removal of the articles of confederation was due to their immense powers over the national government. The articles lacked a court system to impose the levying plus collection of taxes. The congress was incapable of making laws and therefore levying of taxes was difficult. In addition, the articles did not provide an atmosphere for enhancing trade regulation between the existing states and other countries (Young 1572). The articles could only allow only a vote per state and too many powers to states. It also performed the functions of appointing the delegates for every state, which was undesirable. It was difficult to impose changes to the articles of confederation because there were undesirable procedures. All the states had to make amicable decisions to enhance t he changes. Having all the thirteen states in agreement over changes that would affect the government was not an easy task. Nine out of thirteen states had to approve any motion put forward to enhance amendment of the articles. Another weakness evident in the articles was the lack of a specific army to guard the nation. Each state stood separately with own affairs (Wendel 760). Every state developed policies for their own governance, not even the passage of treaties was a responsibility of the central government. Since very state created their own money, there was a possibility of lack of acceptance to their currency by other states. This created an unfavorable environment for the states to participate in trade and improve their micro economies. The unicameral legislature present in the articles provided an atmosphere that there was no power separation hence the national government remained weak (Young 1570). The operation of the post offices was a responsibility of the states and n ot the central government. The articles of confederation developed immense powers to the states. In the articles there were sections supporting assertion of wars plus coining and borrowing of finances. The central government was incapable of making the states to abide by the laws. Despite the national government’s efforts to make a nationwide currency, the currency was valueless due to existing currencies from the states (Wirkner 13). The lack of effective common currency led to weak trade plus commerce that retarded the general economy of the United States. Vulnerability to attack by other countries plus pirates was evident due to the lack of a central army and army to safe gourd the entire populace. The articles were prevalent because of the fear instilled to the colonies by the colonial government. The authorities from the states with the fear instilled by the powers of the colonial government centrality of governance feared the same (Jensen 10). The articles thus provided sovereign states in terms of decision-making and freedom. The articles were an important law of the land before promulgation of the new constitution, which made a through way for changes in the government operations. The executive wanted the elimination of the articles to create room for most operations for the central government. For years, there was deprivation in the ability of the

Identify the defining features of Realist perspective and assess their Essay

Identify the defining features of Realist perspective and assess their relevance to the analysis of contemporary world politics - Essay Example This easy explores the defining features of realist perspective such as state actors, egoism, anarchy, power, security, and morality with the aim of presenting an assessment of their relevance to the analysis of contemporary world politics. In their analysis of international politics, realists assert the central role played by the state in dictating international relations as opposed to other theories of international relations like liberalism that accepts international institutions as being part of the actors day (Kegley, 2013). Realists saw the state as triumphant over other forms of political authority like feudal principalities, city-states, and empires such as the Soviet Union. According to the views of realists such as Hobbes, the state enjoys a distinctive monopoly of legitimate violence given that in the global arena, all the people regardless of nationality, language, culture, ethnic background or religion have accepted or have a state that force them to resolve their confli cts. Such a people also look for the state to protect their interests against aggressions from other states and international actors (Kolodziej, 2005). The assertion of the state as the main player in international relations means that actors in the international politics will put the importance of state interest the centre of any interactions with other players in the global area. Realist conception of the state as the central actor in international relations through its exercise of power in certain ways has far-reaching significances on the relationship between states and other actors on the international arena (Kaarbo & Ray, 2011). Such assumptions are essential in the contemporary world politics where such bodies as multinational corporations have no legal or political right to act as independent or autonomous actors in the international economy since they are only part of state power or instrument of foreign policy. Multinational corporations are not in themselves, substantial economic and political force, in their exercise of power and influence, they are only an extension and reflection of the power and might of specific states under which they act (Steans, Pettiford, & El-Anis, 2013). The main concern for realist is the state of anarchy, which stands for a situation where there is no international government to intercede on interstate conflicts. Realist believes that the main concern in international relations is the condition of anarchy, which is based on their view that the world lacks a central sovereign power to regulate relations between states. The absence of international body with the authority to create and enforce regulatory measures on interstate relationships, realists argue, means the states as main players put in place their own scheme for survival and are free to define their own interests and pursuit of power day (Kegley, 2013). Anarchy in the international politics therefore, leads to a circumstance where power has the superseding role of dictating interstate relations (Steans, Pettiford, Diez & El-Anis, 2013). Realists point out the failure of international institutions like the Permanent Court of International Justice and the League of Nation is because such international organizations exert minimal pressure on behaviour of states. This realist assumption is clear in the way contemporary states peruse their interests by choosing to overlook international

Naturalistic Observation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Naturalistic Observation - Research Paper Example The mother stands up while looking at the child and laughs. The father, on the other hand, frowns at what he reads. He later looks at his watch and continues with his reading. The child takes a stick from the ground and strikes the water. Later, he strikes the fishes as well, and giggles. He then decides to climb up the pond to sit on its edge. The mother holds the child in an attempt to put him down from the pond's edge. She says, "Let's go, don't get yourself dirty with those mosses and unclear water, and don't strike the fishes, they'll get hurt. Now, behave yourself and get down." The mother takes the stick from the child, but the child struggles as the mother tries to put him down from the edge of the pond. This hypothesis is chosen because of the dominant feature of the mother looking after the child on the latter's possibility of getting hurt or getting dirty while the father entrusts this task to his wife and proceeds with reading a newspaper. The above interaction exhibits the correctness of the hypothesis that the mother is more attentive to the behavior of the child than the father is. This is supported by the mother's non-verbal behavior on the actions of the child, such as looking at him while he approaches the pond, smiling, laughing, getting the stick from his hand, pulling him away from the pond, and turning to her husband when the child resists to obey. ... The child does not say anything as he allows his mother to put him down. His eyes are on the fishes and stands still as he watches them. Both hands are on the edge of the pond. 2. 0. Hypothesis Based on the observed verbal and non-verbal behavior, the hypothesis drawn is: The mother is more attentive to the behavior of the child than the father is. This hypothesis is chosen because of the dominant feature of the mother looking after the child on the latter's possibility of getting hurt or getting dirty while the father entrusts this task to his wife and proceeds with reading a newspaper. 3. 0. Counting the Verbal Behavior of Participants in the Setting: In supporting if this hypothesis is correct, counting the verbal behavior of participants in the setting is undertaken. The mother uttered the following lines during the verbal observation: 1. "Lester is so hyperactive, Hon. Just look at that boy." 2. "Hey, kiddo! Be careful!" 3. "Let's go, don't get yourself dirty with those mosses and unclear water, and don't strike the fishes, they'll get hurt. Now, behave yourself and get down." 4. "Look at what Lester is doing, and this kid will mess his shirt up!" On the other hand, the father uttered only the following lines during the same verbal observation. 1. "Oh, yeah." 2. "Just watch the fishes, and don't climb up the pond!" The above interaction exhibits the correctness of the hypothesis that the mother is more attentive to the behavior of the child than the father is. This is supported by the mother's non-verbal behavior on the actions of the child, such as looking at him while he approaches the pond, smiling, laughing, getting the stick from his hand, pulling him away from the pond, and turning to her husband when the child resists to obey. On

Role of the HR Department Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Role of the HR Department - Essay Example According to the report  the human resource department works as the strategic division for modern organizations, and in most cases, the management relies on the human resource department to improve overall performance of the unit. Nishii and Wright (2008) stated that in modern organizations, human resource departments perform activities such as providing training to employees, measuring their performance, measuring compliance of key performance indicators (KPI), mentoring of employees etc. In short, it can be said that human resource professionals in the organization have close relationship with employees in contrast to line managers in most of the cases.This paper outlines that  that there exist a direct link between work-life balance of employees and their emotional intelligence because an employee is a human being with multitude of family responsibilities; hence, it is not possible for employees to forget their family life completely while working in an organization. Research scholars such as Lowry and Moskos defined work-life balance as the ability of employees to successfully manage work and household responsibilities. Fonner and Roloff (2010) gave examples of the organizations where human resource departments ensure proper work-life balance of workers.   Gregory and Connolly defined â€Å"Work† as the paid employment while â€Å"life† as combination of leisure activities and family time.... There is a direct link between Employees’ wellbeing and work life balance of employees. According to these scholars, a proper work-life balance of employees can help them to remain healthy which is a modified version of personal well-being of employees. In such context, Nishii and Wright (2008, p. 226) argued that â€Å"In essence, we have hitherto failed to explicitly recognize the many ways in which individuals and groups may experience and respond differently to HR systems within organizations,† and such statement is showing that HR departments face challenge, understanding their exact role in ensuring employee well-being within organizations. The role of human resource department in ensuring employee wellbeing in terms of physical healthiness can be depicted in the following manner. Figure 1: Theoretical Model for HRM & Employee Well Being (Source: Van De Voorde, Paauwe and Van Veldhoven, 2011) According to the model above, the human resource department works as the strategic division for modern organizations, and in most cases, the management relies on the human resource department to improve overall performance of the unit. Nishii and Wright (2008) stated that in modern organizations, human resource departments perform activities such as providing training to employees, measuring their performance, measuring compliance of key performance indicators (KPI), mentoring of employees etc. In short, it can be said that human resource professionals in the organization have close relationship with employees in contrast to line managers in most of the cases. Hence, it can be conjecturally viewed that there exist a triangular relationship between perception of employee regarding HRM climate, employee wellbeing and overall unit performance. Careful consideration

White and Indian Relations between 1865 to 1900 Essay Example for Free

White and Indian Relations between 1865 to 1900 Essay Confrontations and conflicts between White American and Native American during the late eighteen hundreds become increasingly one sided. From ritual practices and beliefs to land ownership and government policy; Native Americans and there white contour parts differed greatly. Between 1865 to 1900 the White man and Native American relationships in western United States could be characterized as a horrible and miss leading rampage of white man destroying foreign customs and peoples. In 1862 Congress had granted western settlers their two greatest wishes, the Home Stead Act, promising ownership of 160 acre tract of public land to a citizen or head of a family who had resided on/ or cultivated the land for five years after initial claim and the transcontinental railroad. Bringing the developed east coast to the Wild West, was the catalyst to end of the Native American. Contributing factors for the demise of the Native American relationship between the White Man are shown through blood shed and tears. With new white settlers coming to the west, Native American lands shrunk significantly. In 1862 the lands of the Santee Sioux, near the Minnesota River had been whittled down so drastically, the Sioux decided to retaliate. The Sioux frustrations over lands lead to the one of the first of many large Native American wars with the White man. The Sioux War ended in 1868 with the signing of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, Which established two large Native American reservations. The Reservations where located in Oklahoma and Dakota Badlands. Only six years later Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Scared Black Hills of the Sioux. Like many U. S. government treaty’s to Native American, Custer violated of the treaty of 1868 and started the uproar and killings for the next ten years. After the effects of Custers Last Stand, the Native American resistance to the White Man came to a halt. By 1886 reformers recognized that the policy of containing Indians on reservations was not in the best interest. With good intentions congress upheld the Dawes Severalty act in 1887. It ended the reservation policy and encouraged Native Americans to intergrade into white society, as farmers and property owners. One of the major reasons why â€Å"The Dawes Act† did not with stand was due to the Native American concept of property. In many way the Native American and the White Man carry different moral and cultural beliefs. One of the more interesting concepts that Native Americans with held during early American years was the idea of landowner ship. Native American tribes where scattered all along the, now united stated and often reaching beyond present borders. Native American tribes also survived on migrating animals in the surrounding areas. Buffalo In the western United States was a food staple for many Native American tribes. Buffalo being a migrating animal, had to have been followed to be hunted. Leading most of Native Americans to be nomadic tribes following the buffalo herd. When the white settles came to Native Americans with the idea of land ownership many of the Native American tribes didnt agree with this new foreign concept. Native Americans thought that everyone should share land, and a single person cannot and should not own land. In 1879, the federal government attempted to Americanize Native Americans once again. This time through a more dramatic approach. Estimating around one thousand Native American youth where forced to study at one of the one hundred and fifty boarding schools around the United States. These schools taught Native American youth how to become socially accepted in white American. By changing culture styles with white American, and totally disregarding Native American life style. Not surprisingly most of the school did not last, due to the strict, internment camp Like conditions. Another advocator for peaceful integration among Native Americans into white society was a man named Richard Pratt. Pratt was famous for his idea of seeing Native Americans as, what one would call a â€Å"blank slate. † Meaning, just as everyone else, human. His ideas consist of full assimilation of white culture and disregarding years of Native American culture, for the betterment of the people. Kill the Indian, And Save the Man. This is one of his most famous piece on Native Americans assimilation. In 1890 the last great hope, the emergence of The Ghost Dance was a depiction from a medicine man, that all the dead Native American soldiers will come back to life and take vengeance on the new settled Americans. This Ghost Dance is the symbol for the end of the fight for the west. By the 1890 the Native American had to adapt to life within the boundaries set by white culture despite their valiant efforts of resistance. Bibliography Davidson, James West. Us: A Narrative History, Volume 2. 6th ed. Vol. 2. [S. l. ]: Mcgraw Hill Higher Educat, 2011. Print.

Negligence and duty of care

Negligence and duty of care Duty of care. Duty of care is the first element of negligence and therefore, in order to discuss further on duty of care, one would have to first define the tort of negligence. In Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co,[1] the courts defined negligence as an omission of something which a reasonable man would do and the doing of an act which a reasonable man would not do. In Heaven v Pender,[2] the courts held that the presumption of duty of care arises when one person is placed in a position with regard to another person or property, it is in ordinary sense that if he does not use reasonable ordinary care in his conducts, he would cause danger or injury towards the other person or property. Therefore, ordinary care is required to prevent the occurrence of such danger. In Stovin v Wise,[3] the courts explained that generally there is no duty to rescue a stranger from danger. The duty mentioned above is regarding duty that is imposed by law or in other words, it is a legal duty. Test to determine the standard of duty of care. There are a few test that is used in determining the existence of duty of care. The primary test is the neighbour principle established in the well-known case of Donoghue v Stevenson.[4] In this case, Lord Atkin laid down that the rule that you are required to love your neighbours becomes a law by itself and it requires one to take a reasonable care to prevent any acts or omissions that can be reasonably foreseen to be likely to cause injury to your neighbour. The question posed to this principle is regarding who is one’s neighbour in law. The courts held that neighbour in law is someone who is directly affected by one’s act or omission. It is a reasonable man’s test whereby the courts would have to determine whether a reasonable man would foresee that his conduct would affect the plaintiff adversely. If the answer to this hypothetical question is yes, then the plaintiff is considered to be his neighbour and he owes a duty of care to the neighbour.[5] It is essential to note here that the neighbour principle requires the defendant to be a foreseeable victim and thus, in order for the defendant to be a foreseeable victim, there has to be a close proximity. Therefore, the neighbour principle requires the plaintiff to be of a close proximity with the defendant. The plaintiff would not be a foreseeable victim if there is no proximity between the plaintiff and defendant. In the case of Home Office v Dorset Yacht Co Ltd,[6] the courts held that the principle laid down in Donoghue v Stevenson should be regarded as a milestone in determining whether there exist a duty of care. This principle significantly assist the development of the law of negligence. Prior to the case of Donoghue v Stevenson, there was vagueness in the law regarding civil liability for carelessness.[7] In an 1889 textbook, there was a list containing fifty-six various duties of care.[8] Therefore, the judgment in Donoghue v Stevenson brought an end to the chaotic situation and had introduced the law of negligence as a separate civil wrong. The next test used by the courts to determine whether duty of care is established is the Anns test laid down by the courts in Anns v Merton London Borough Council.[9] This is a two-stage approach laid down by Lord Wilberforce whereby the first is to determine whether there is a relationship of proximity between the alleged tortfeasor and the person who had suffered the loss. If it foreseeable that the carelessness of the tortfeasor would lead the other party to suffer damage, then a duty of care would on prima facie be established. The second stage of this test requires the court to take into account any considerations that may negate the said duty or to reduce and limit the scope or group of persons that the duty will be imposed upon. This two-stage approach in essence is to determine whether it is reasonable to foresee that the defendant’s act or omissions will cause any damage to the plaintiff. If it is reasonable to foresee that the defendant’s act would cause harm to the plaintiff, then there exist a presumption of duty of care.[10] This test receive heavy criticism in Governors of the Peabody Donation Fund v Sir Lindsay Parkinson Co Ltd.[11] The courts in this case held that the neighbour principle laid down by Lord Atkin should be proved before the duty of care is presumed to exist but the scope of the duty depends on the facts of the case. The courts should consider whether the duty of care imposed on the defendant is just and reasonable. In Curran v Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association Ltd,[12] the learned judge, Lord Keith, held that the Anns test has been given more importance than it should have been given and held that the test need not be applicable in future cases in establishing the duty of care. The third test used in determining the duty of care is the Caparo test which is derived from Caparo Industries plc v Dickman.[13] In this case, there were three factors that is needed to be fulfilled to establish duty of care. The first is the courts must determine whether the damage caused is reasonably foreseen, the second is whether there is any policy to negate the duty of care and the third is whether it is just and reasonable. If this requirements are fulfilled, then duty of care is established.[14] It is important to note here that all three elements under the Caparo test needs to be fulfilled in order for duty of care to be established. Development in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the courts have used all of the above test. However, the test that is currently used by the courts is the three stage test which is the Caparo test. This can be seen in the case of Majlis Perbandaraan Ampang Jaya v Stephen Phoa Cheng Loon Ors.[15] In this case, the Federal Court had referred to the Caparo’s case do determine whether duty of care exist. The issue that arises in this principle is whether this principle only applies to economic loss or it may extend to all situations. The courts used the foreseeability test and held that this test applies to all situation. The courts only had to determine whether the duty of care which is imposed upon the defendant is just and reasonable. The courts went on stating that it would be rare for the outcome of the test to be not just and reasonable. This test is used in a more recent Malaysian case which is Projek Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan Sdn Bhd v Kim Seng Enterprise (Kedah) Sdn Bhd.[16] In this case, the courts reiterated that the standard of care to determine negligence is that of the reasonable man and it is an objective test. Another recent case is the case of Jordan Saw Yu Huan v Low Suan Chuan Ors.[17] In this case, the high court applied the Caparo’s test and the courts were of the view that it was just and reasonable to impose such duty of care upon the defendants and held that the defendants in this case had breached such duty of care. Therefore, it is clear that the recent development in Malaysia regarding the standard of care required to establish duty of care is more inclined towards the three-stage approach which is commonly known as the Caparo’s test. The courts in Malaysia had followed the Caparo’s test because this test requires that the damage caused to the plaintiff to be reasonably foreseen by the defendant. The defendant would not owe a duty of care if he cannot reasonably foresee the damage. Therefore, this test more straight forward as compared to the other test laid down earlier. [1](1856) 11 Ex 781 at 784. [2](1883) 11 QBD 503 at 507. [3][1996] AC 923 at 930-931. [4][1932] AC 562 at 580 (HL). [5]Norchaya Talib, Law of Torts in Malaysia (3rd edn, Sweet Maxwell Asia 2011) 98. [6][1970] AC 1027. [7]Dato Mohd Hishamudin Yunus, ‘JUDICIAL ACTIVISM — THE WAY TO GO?’ [2012] 6 MLJ xvii. [8]Thomas Beven, ‘Principles of the law of negligence’ (1889). [9][1978] AC 728. [10]Norchaya Talib, Law of Torts in Malaysia (3rd edn, Sweet Maxwell Asia 2011) 100. [11][1984] 3 All ER 529 (HL). [12][1987] 2 All ER 13, 710. [13][1990] 1 All ER 568 (HL). [14]Norchaya Talib, Law of Torts in Malaysia (3rd edn, Sweet Maxwell Asia 2011) 106. [15][2006] 2 MLJ 389 (FC). [16][2013] 5 MLJ 360 (CA). [17][2013] 4 MLJ 137.

Physical Activity and Body Weight vs Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseas

Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common and well known afflictions in modern society. It kills and hospitalizes many people every year. CVD is actually a rather broad category of affliction. It encompasses any disease or condition that affects the heart. These conditions have effects that range from mild to surgical repair and even to death in extreme cases. The causes of CVD are fairly well known. It is directly linked to both physical activity (and the obesity that it prevents) and body mass index (BMI) in the research that we have studied. The BMI is a measure of the proportion of the body that is made up of fat. The higher a person's BMI number is, the more body fat they have. The combination of these two conditions creates a persons risk for CVD. The problem lies in the fact that the exact reasons that these factors create risk of CVD and how much risk they create is not fully understood. It is well known that obesity and physical activity play large roles in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Obesity has become even more significant since obesity is on the rise in the United States. Obesity is strongly associated with physical activity, meaning that people who exercise will also lose weight as well as increase their physical fitness. However there are many people who remain obese even with strong levels of physical activity. This sets up the question of what roles weight and physical activity have on lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease independently. Recent studies have shown that increasing physical fitness reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease regardless of body weight, and that increasing physical activity reduces the risk more that losing weight alone. T... ... way, the benefits of being fit were found not to totally alleviate the risk of being fat or that being slender totally alleviated the health risks of being unfit. From this it is clear that the best way to avoid both all-cause and cardiovascular disease death is to be both fit and have a normal body weight. Works Cited: Stevens, June, et al. "Fitness and Fatness as Predictors of Mortality from All Causes and from Cardiovascular Disease in Men and Women in the Lipid Research Clinics Study." American Journal of Epidemiology 19 June 2002: 832-41. Oxford Journals. 7 Nov. 2006 . Weinstein, Amy R., and Howard D. Sesso. "Joint Effects of Physical Activity and Body Weight on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease." Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews Vol.34 2006: 10-15. American College of Sports Medicine.

The Shawl, by Cynthia Ozick :: The Shawl Essays

The short story, â€Å"The Shawl,† written by Cynthia Ozick, recounts World War II by providing a very vivid image of a Concentration Camp in Nazi Germany. As one reads, he or she can see that Ozick does a wonderful job in portraying the hard times of Jews during the Holocaust. In the first paragraph, we meet the central characters, Rosa, Stella, and Magda as they attempt to endure the fears of life in the Nazi Concentration Camp. Rosa and Stella, her niece, are marching in a line to the camp with Rosa’s daughter, Magda, wrapped and hidden in a shawl from the German soldiers. Unfortunately, at the end, Stella takes Magda’s shawl, and German soldiers kill Magda by throwing her into an electric fence. Throughout the story, Cynthia Ozick has used symbolism like life, protection, and death to make the readers understand the thoughts and feelings of each character which makes the climax really important and meaningful. A symbol is a sign or an object representing something abstract or invisible and more important or complex than the object itself. The author uses symbolism in this story to make the reader visualize the setting. The title, â€Å"The Shawl,† itself is a symbol in this story. Throughout the story, the shawl symbolizes the source of warmth and shelter for little Magda. In the story, Magda is described as â€Å"a squirrel in a nest, safe, no one could ever reach her inside the little house of the shawl’s windings† (Ozick 251). The shawl always behaves as an intimate friend which helps Magda in all her needs and gives support and condolence in danger situations. We also see that the shawl is the reason which helps â€Å"Magda to live longer than expected† despite of her poor health disorders in the Nazi Concentration Camp (Paul 2). As a result, we see that Stella give more important to the shawl, for she knows that it will provide her with all good things in b ad conditions. For Magda, the shawl is more than just protection since she sees the shawl as her â€Å"baby, her pet, and her little sister† (Ozick 252). According to Tery Griffin, a famous American editor and essayist, the shawl entertains her like a friend â€Å"when the wind blew its corners† (Wilson 295). The shawl also represents sustenance, especially for Magda. Ozick describes it as â€Å"a magic shawl that could feed a baby for three days and three nights† (251).

Comparing Frankenstein, Origin of the Species and Decent of Man Essay

Comparing Frankenstein, Origin of the Species and Decent of Man  Ã‚   I will demonstrate in this paper how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein confirms, and at the same time contradicts Darwin's ideas presented in "The Origin of the Species" and "The Decent of Man." Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is at once, confirming, and contradictory of Charles Darwin's scientific discoveries and views on science, nature and the relation of the individual to society. Mary Shelley confirms Darwin's ideas through Frankenstein, when Dr. Frankenstein and Darwin both reject God as the creator of human life. Although this is a major theme in both works, it is the only similar idea shared between both Darwin and Frankenstein. Darwin's understanding of nature is comparable to that of Mary Shelley; although how the individual relates to society is gravely different between the two works. One of Darwin's admiring disciples, Andrew Carnegie, the author of "The Gospel of Wealth," shows us how contradictory these ideas are in relation to each other. His ideas of inheritance and the conduct of man are in disagreement with the actions of Shelley's Dr. Frankenstein. Throughout Darwin's works the idea of the rejection of God as creator of man prevails. He alludes to prehistoric marine Ascidian larvae, as the predecessors to the later evolved human beings we are today. This would give credit for the creation of man to the process of evolution, not to the handiwork of a Supreme Being. "Species had not been independently created, but had descended, like varieties, from other species"(Appleman, 36). Darwin is showing here what conclusions he came upon about the "Origin of the Species", in which he used science to prove his theories. He is replacing God with ideas... ...heir works, giving the power of creation to evolution and mankind. They also both present similar views on nature, seeing it as a tool for scientific exploration and not as a wonder of beauty as it is often seen today. Using the work of Andrew Carnegie to show Darwinian ideas about the individual in society, we can see that these ideas strongly contradict those which Shelley presents in Frankenstein. Overall I believe that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein exemplifies many ideas expressed in the works of Darwin, enough that they can be considered enriching of each other in terms of comparison. Works Cited: Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. New York: Gramercy Books, 1979. Darwin, Charles. The Descent Of Man. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Orchard Park, NY: Broadview Press, 1999.

Attitude Persuasion

Introduction: The word attitude  is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event. Prominent psychologist  Gordon Allport  (1935) once described attitude â€Å"the most distinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary  psychology†. The words  attitude  and  persuasion  are often found together, as in the phrase  persuasion and attitude change. Persuasion is an attempt to change people's attitudes. For example, advertisers try to persuade potential customers to buy a product. To do this, they try to create a positive attitude toward the product.Social psychologists have emphasized that an attitude is  preparation for behavior. Otherwise, nobody would care about attitudes. An advertiser would not try to make you feel more â€Å"positive† or â€Å"liking† toward a product unless this was assumed to affect your likelihood of buying the product. Attitude as an inward feeling expressed by outward behavior. People al ways project on the outside what they feel on the inside. But some people try to mask their attitude. You have developed attitudes about such issues, and these attitudes influence your beliefs as well as your behavior.Attitudes are an important topic of study within the field of  social psychology. What exactly is an attitude? How does it develop? Studies show that how psychologists define this concept, how attitudes influence our behavior and things we can do to change attitudes. Definitions i. A settled way of thinking or feeling typically reflected in a person's behavior. A position of the body proper to or implying an action or mental state: â€Å"the boy was standing in an attitude of despair†. ii.Attitude is â€Å"a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols† (Hogg & Vaughan 2005, p. 150) iii. â€Å"A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a pa rticular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor† (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993, p. 1) Explanation An attitude is a cognition (form of thought) that is formed through experience and influences our behavior. The fact that attitudes are  formed through experience  means that we can, potentially, change them. When a ersuader gives a message to an audience member, that message becomes part of the listener’s experience, and it can affect his or her attitudes. The fact that attitudes  influence our behavior  means that we can use persuasion as a means to achieve our goals — when the behavior, or actions, or others can help attain those goals. Attitudes have two basic components: beliefs and values. Beliefs are, roughly, statements of facts. Beliefs are potentially verifiable. We say a belief is true or correct when it seems to reflect the world and false or incorrect when it seems contradicted by the world.Values are judgments of worth, like good or bad, useful o r useless, expensive or cheap, efficient or inefficient. Together, these cognitions (thoughts), beliefs and values, form attitudes. (M. Clubertson, 1968)Attitudes are learned from experience and also influence our behavior. A person’s attitude is a composite of all the relevant belief/value pairs, with the more important ones influencing the attitude more. You can change a person’s attitude by changing either the belief or the value (but not both), or by creating new belief/value pairs (or by changing the relative importance of belief/value pairs).Persuasion is, quite simply, the use of messages to influence an audience. The messages that make up persuasive discourse are  instrumental, or means to ends or goals of the persuader. Companies use persuasion in the form of advertising to convince consumers to buy their products or services. Students use persuasion to convince their parents to increase their allowance, or let them go to see a particular movie, or to let th em use the car. Parents can use persuasion to get their children to study or to clean up their rooms.People use persuasion to get their friends to go to see a certain movie, or a band, or to hang out at the mall. Persuasion can convince another person to go out on a date. It can convince a teacher to accept a paper after the due date. Of course, people can also use  threats  to get what they want, but that is not persuasion. In persuasion, we try to convince the audience that they should want to do what we want them to do–not that they should do it â€Å"or else. † One of the most powerful influences on attitude change is the motivation of people.Cognitive dissonance Cognitive dissonance  is a phenomenon in which a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. In order to reduce this tension, people may change their attitudes to reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviors. What all the definitions of attitude have in common is  evaluation. An attitude is not just a neutral stance; it is a value judgment, favorable or unfavorable, or likely to affect persuasion: characteristics of the  communicator, the  communication, and the  situation.People can be inoculated against attempts at persuasion and propaganda by exposing them to weak attacks and teaching them how to respond. (D. Crano, 2005) Cognitive dissonance theory emerged in the 1950s and had a large impact on social psychology. It is based on the assumption that people seek consistency between their behavior and their attitudes. If forced to do something that contradicts their value judgments or opinions, people feel  dissonance  and are motivated to change either attitudes or behavior, to bring them into consonance (agreement) with one another.That makes the theory especially interesting and useful. A central question for Dissonance researcher has been the motivational bases for dissonance and the causes of the aversive state of disson ance arousal. In Aronson’s(1992) self concept analysis, dissonance arises from the inconsistent cognitions that threaten consistency, stability, predictability, competence and moral goodness of self concept. In Steele’s(1988) self affirmation Theory, dissonance arises from general self integrity.Stone and cooper(Peety and Wegener 1998) Proposed that dissonance arise when people fail to behave in a manner consistent with some valued self-standard. the specific motivation behind the dissonance supposedly depend on the type of self standard involved. Cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) Festinger’s version of balance theory, called cognitive dissonance theory, suggests that when people have in mind two or more inconsistent thoughts or beliefs, they experience a state of  dissonance.This ‘negative drive state’ is unpleasant, so they are motivated to try to reduce it by altering one or more of the cognitions in order to re-establish a state of   consonance. Cognitive dissonance  is a term used in modern  psychology  to describe the feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting  cognitions: ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel â€Å"disequilibrium†: frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc. Cognitive dissonance is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology.The theory of cognitive dissonance in  social psychology  proposes that people have a  motivational drive  to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements. It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they â€Å"find themselves doing things that don’t fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions the y hold. †Ã‚  A key assumption is that people want their expectations to meet reality, creating a sense of equilibrium.Likewise, another assumption is that a person will avoid situations or information sources that give rise to feelings of uneasiness, or dissonance. Bogardus Social Distance scale For Bogardus â€Å"an attitude is a tendency to act toward or against something in the environment which becomes thereby a positive or negative value. â€Å"Conducted a monumental study on â€Å"social distance â€Å"still used the world over to examine cultural and ethnic attitudes. The Bogardus Social Distance scale measures attitudes about how close or distant people feel towards other people.Early in twentieth century E. S bogardus invented bogardus social distance scale is a technique for scaling attitude to measure social-psychology distance between various ethnic and racial groups Social Distance Scale  (Bogardus, 1925) is where attitudes are inferred from the actions of t he participant. The participant indicates the degree of intimacy which would be acceptable towards an individual or group, e. g. , ‘Would you live next door to one? ’ Each question has a value assigned it, and the sum of these will indicate the strength of attitudeConclusion Hence we conclude that an attitude can be a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, event, activities, ideas, or just about anything in your environment, but there is debate about precise definitions. Persuasion is a powerful force in daily life and has a major influence on society as a whole. For example Politics, legal decisions, mass media, news and advertising are all influenced by the power of persuasion, and influence us in turn. What all the definitions of attitude have in common is  evaluation.An attitude is not just a neutral stance; it is a value judgment, favorable or unfavorable, for or ikely to affect persuasion: characteristics of the  communicator, the  communication , and the  situation. People can be inoculated against attempts at persuasion and propaganda by exposing them to weak attacks and teaching them how to respond. REFERENCES Crano, W. (2005). Attitude and Persuasion. California: Claremont Graduate University. Clubertson, H. (1968). Attitudes. Journal of Cooperative Extension, 79. Murchinson,C. (1985). Handbook of Social Psychology. Clark University Press .

Unemployment and Welfare

This essay will let you know the different opinions of federal policy issues involving welfare causing conflicting debates between national, state, and local government and how these conflicting issues relate to federalism. Federalism is â€Å"A government system where power and authority are shared by national and states governments, with the ultimate authority derived from the people.With that been said this essay will also describe the history of TANF and discuss debates about the pros and cons of TANF Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the problems they are intended to solve or improve and the effectiveness of them both. (Levin-Waldman, 2012). When people think about welfare they normally think of Medicaid, WIA Work Investment Act, WIC Women, Infants, and Children and of course AFDC Aid to Families with Dependent Children now TANF, and HUD Housing and Urban Development.They tend to view it as the federal government giving away the countries money and the taxpayer’ s hard-earned dollars to people who cannot support themselves. Majority of people do not like the idea regardless of what and some are sympathetic to the poor and think you should help if you can and are financially stable. They may wonder why they cannot support themselves, why do not they work or go to school, why they are having children they cannot take care of. These reasons are among other things are how people see and view welfare in today’s society no matter what.The reasons could vary from a person that lost a spouse, or they could have been laid off or fired from their jobs, or maybe their hours were decreased as there could be many other reasons, but there are programs to help people get back on their feet for example, training seminars, workshops, help with schooling and finding jobs as well as day care assistance, nutritional programs, finding housing and other needs. The welfare reform debate has remained very emotional, because it touches on the most sensitive of societal issues: work, family, sex, abortion, personal responsibility, and community integrity.Welfare reform has become a very important topic in today’s world from fundamental questions about quality of life and how to allocate personal and public responsibilities. We are not sure as a society whether economic security for children is more important than providing clear consequences to parents who fail to play by the rules. We argue whether individual that are not responsible or societal barriers are at the root of welfare dependency.Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the nation's cash assistance program for poor families with children, has not played much of a countercyclical role during the current recession. As unemployment has risen, TANF caseloads nationally have grown much more slowly and state TANF caseloads have not tracked state unemployment growth. Program rules and financing structures limit the responsiveness of TANF in a downturn. As TANF reauth orization is considered, this brief details some relatively small changes that could improve the program's effectiveness in future recessions (Welfare Reform Act of 2011).Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the signature program of welfare in the United States and the focal point of discussions about reform, was terminated in 1996 with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This legislation effectively replaced AFDC, Emergency Assistance, and the JOBS program–and the open-ended federal appropriations that supported them–with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. In effect, the federal government began turning responsibility for welfare back to the states.Pros- Welfare has the benefit of providing much-needed food, medical care and money to citizens who qualify to receive it. Since taxes fund welfare, it redistributes wealth across the population. Welfare also prevents even further social proble ms by allowing some recipients to maintain their standard of living. For example, unemployed workers who receive an unemployment benefit may be able to keep their homes despite the loss of income, preventing a foreclosure and possible homelessness.Cons- The biggest disadvantage of welfare is its cost to the local governments that administer it. Even with federal funding, states feel the burden of welfare in each annual budget. Welfare may encourage some recipients not to seek work, since a rise in income would disqualify them from receiving free benefits. It is also an opportunity for fraud, which occurs whenever someone supplies false information to receive welfare benefits without truly qualifying

The Mean Girls Effect

The Mean Girls EffectDavid Jin Mean Girls is a 2004 film about the life of a popular high school girl. The teen comedy is considered by many high schoolers to be a legendary movie that depicts a dream high school that is ideal for many of today’s youth. The film centers around 4 junior girls called the plastics. They are pretty and preppy, popular and legendary in the school. They are worshipped like goddess by the students of the school because of their fame, riches, and popularity.However, the group of mean girls live up to their name. They are nasty, trashy and downright evil at times. Revenge is their middle name, and they will not hesitate to throw some of their best friends under the bus at a seconds notice, literally throw them under a bus. They gossip, spread terrible rumors and exclude their friends from cliques on purpose. However, this movie has had a big effect on the public, especially the youth and the younger generation.The ideal life of the plastics in high sch ool has created a lust for popularity among teenagers and also has showed teenage girls that being ‘mean’ will get you friends, popularity and fame in the complicated world that is high school. To begin with, Mean Girls has caused teenagers in high school to embark on a quest for popularity, in some cases, an unhealthy quest. Studies show that the depictions of popularity by movies like Mean Girls, where an epitome of perfection is established, cause teenagers to strive for that image.Mean Girls and other similar movies are causing an unhealthy strive for popularity in teenagers. A study shows that after watching mean girls, females 14-16 are more likely to have thoughts of insecurity about their weight, attractiveness and popularity. High schools have also reported increased numbers of cases of eating disorders since the movie has come out, a direct result of the image and message that the movie conveys to the teenagers and high school students watching.In addition, Me an Girls and other movies have glorified being ‘mean’ and nasty which has created a negative image for the teenagers of our time. A society fed by these kinds of movies is teaching teenagers that being aggressive and nasty can boost their social status and also, as depicted by these movies, is the cool and popular thing to do. The movie also commends popular cliques and ‘fakeness’ and sends a message that popularity is everything, and that girls must strive for it always. In regards to Mean Girls and its effect on the younger generation, it has caused a glorification of being trashy and nasty, as made teenage girls insecure about themselves and has also conveyed the message of ‘popularity at all costs’, even if you have no real friends. Mean Girls and other similar movies have become legendary in high schools and have promoted negative images to teenagers everywhere. â€Å"I knew how this could be solved in the real world, but this was girl wo rld. All the fighting had to be sneaky and nasty. † As shown, the movie (although a really good movie) passes on a bad image to teenagers everywhere and has caused many problems in our society.

A Ideal Partner

To be able to completely trust your life on a simple word from your partner is a soul quality of admiration. A man that I know is going to be there for me through all the complexities that life puts forward, pleasant and not so pleasant no matter what the consequences. Women have consistently been recognized for their desire and style of communication, for the means of expressing emotions, frustrations, and information exchange. The quality of sincerity is one that can be the foundation of a life long relationship. Commitment is a quality that forsaking all other, you are faithful to your partner in life and life-eternal. The quality of integrity is one that I hold very high on my standards for a man. Each of these proceeding characteristics contributes to a man of desire. The reasoning that I firmly believe this is because I†tmve found my ideal partner in my husband. The definition of sincere is to be free from pretence in behavior or feelings, to be genuine and honest. A man can be compassionate towards his friends or family. Having a man whom you can count on wholeheartedly by his word is irreplaceable. For my partner to risk his life or surrender himself on my behalf would be of complete aspiration. The perfect companion that would be for myself would be a man of sincerity, integrity, compassion, and commitment. The qualities that intrigue me are not of material or superficial possessions, but internal contentment and confidence.

The Seventeen-Article Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Seventeen-Article Constitution - Essay Example The Seventeen Article Constitution was written in a period of Chinese expansionism. Previously insulated from Chinese cultural and political influence because of geographical separation by the sea, the Japanese rulers noticed the Chinese with more concern as they made forays into the Korean peninsula. With a desire to consolidate their own government in a more structured and unified form, Shotoku sent his missions into China to study the centralized structure of the Tang kingdom. The results of these missions had a great influence on the constitution Shotoku was going to write. Even though there is no evidence that the constitution was promulgated practically as a law, it remained a guideline for how the rulers expected the standards of statehood to be and set the direction for future reforms, such as the Taika reforms (Lu 23). Two of the key precepts of the constitution were the rights of the sovereign and the establishment of a bureaucracy. These were both designed to change the then current structure from being clan-based to that governed by a central monarchy. In espousing the powers and rights of the monarchy, the constitution made undiluted references to the monarch being â€Å"likened Heaven† and if not obeyed â€Å"ruin will be automatically result† (Lu 24). The reference to the monarch being like heaven itself was borrowed from the Confucian descriptions of imperial government in China which emphasized the monarch’s status as being the link that creates â€Å"harmony† between â€Å"what is above† and â€Å"what is below† resulting in prosperity if obeyed (Kasulis 86). Supplementing the monarch based central government was the idea of a bureaucracy which was selected on merit rather than heredity. It may be pointed out that the entire Confucian theory was n ot used in the constitution and in the adaptation some elements were skipped. For example, in Confucianism, if the monarch did not rule as he was

Write about childhood and adolescence and your classmate sharing their Essay

Write about childhood and adolescence and your classmate sharing their story - Essay Example All those years that I have passed gave me some bitterness because with the passage of time, I lost many people who were close to me. I have heard people saying that the transformation from childhood to teenage or adolescence appears very charming and attractive because as adolescents, people get a chance to enjoy more liberty, empowerment and independence, however, this was not the case with me. My mother was there to take care of me as a single parent, so she appeared more domineering and controlling giving very less liberty to me considering me wrong most of the times. Therefore, turning a teenager was a sad experience for me. I was dislocated, having less confidence and enjoying very little liberty. My mother has good income so she allows getting anything with money, but she is not accommodative as a friend due to which, I really feel that I have nobody close to me to whom I can share everything that I feel. This has dragged me to seclusion and lonesomeness. As a teenager, when I started realizing everything around me, I turned to my raw self for assistance, as there was no loving experienced guidance for me, just strict controlling cautions from my mother. I wanted to have friends with whom I could hang out and have fun, but I was never allowed. I was just allowed to study and that was all. Therefore, I consider my childhood better than my adolescence. One of my classmates shared her experience of turning to adulthood with me. She informed me that as a child, she enjoyed the care of her father and mother who cared for all her siblings along with her. However, when she grew young and got married, she had to undergo extreme pressure from her family. She was supposed to take care of her parents, her siblings and also her children. As a young person, she was under immense pressure and she was very upset. She was not ready to let go of her parents as she regarded them not as her parents, but her children for whom, she

Literacy Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literacy Practices - Essay Example In practice text-user reading can be learned from schooling itself. Teachers are a good source for students to improve their abilities as a text-user reader. In schools students were taught the basics of any language. Basics are pillars for any subject that holds construction strong. In school students were taught how to use these texts for various purposes. Out of curiosity students starts to pose questions on different topics and slowly arguments starts to arise from other pupils. This interaction leads to know on what they were arguing, whether their argument is in accordance with the subject, where the argument will lead to from here, will the argument lead to fruitful conclusion, how can they organise themselves to get the best out of it, how can they present their opinions and finally what can they learn from this. The text-user practice reader's pose themselves some questions to come into some conclusion to achieve their task. Questions like 'Purpose of the text', 'How will be the text useful', 'Will this be enough to achieve the task', 'Is this text effective', 'In what ways it can be used', How can I work around this Let's look at the skills and strategies for being a text-user.

The relationship of leadership to the politics of the organization Essay

The relationship of leadership to the politics of the organization - Essay Example (Fryer, 2004: 342) Upon examining the case of George Latour, the researcher will discuss the leadership style used by George followed by assessing the appropriateness of the leadership style. On the part of Shelley, the researcher will provide some recommended strategies that she could employ to enable her to better manage her boss. Prior to the main discussion, the researcher will assess the relative political position of George and Shelley as well as its implications on the leader-follower behavior. It is clear that George has been practicing autocratic or authoritarian leadership style. (Clark, 2005) Despite Shelley’s expertise in Marketing, George unconsiously directs Shelley on her every move causing her to feel very much demotivated with her job. In general, the use of authoritarian leadership style is more appropriate when the leader is training a new employee without any form of actual experience with the job. (Clark, 2005) Since Shelley has gained several successful experiences in the field of Marketing, George should apply a delegative or ‘free reign’ leadership style to empower Shelley to be a part of important Marketing-related decision-making. (Clark, 2005) When applying the delegative leadership style, George should develop a clear organizational goal which will serve as a guide on where the company as a team should focus. Upon discussing with Shelley her main goal, George should give her an ultimatum of three- to six-months period to come up with a good Marketing result. (Lawrie, 2004: 38) George should learn and adopt the transformational leadership style. (Goodnight, 2004: 36) In general, transformational leaders are the ones that do not practice positional authority. Instead of using authoritative leadership style, transformational leaders are committed to train and develop the rest of employees to become a leader

Do an analysis synthesis of the chosen texts, cross pollinate issues Essay

Do an analysis synthesis of the chosen texts, cross pollinate issues raised in various texts - Essay Example In Gogol's The Overcoat, one can see the personification of this 'common man', in Akaky Akakiyevich who lived almost an invisible life in the society until he felt a wish to have a distinct identity by acquiring a new overcoat, a wish that costs him his life (Gogol). In the beginning of the story itself, he is depicted as some one â€Å"who cannot bite back† (Gogol, 29). Gogol has spend a lot of his narrative time explaining the name, Akaky Akakiyevich, even referring to his family name, Bashmachkin, which is supposed to have originated from the word, bashmak, which meant, shoe (29). Here, accidently, but rather meaningfully, we see a reference to shoe both in Heaney's poem as well as in Gogol's story. And the word shoe, is synonymous with the concept, downtrodden, in both these contexts. Throughout Gogol's story, Akaky Akakiyevich is treated as a shoe, which is a symbol of getting insulted, getting trampled under the feet. A shoe is thrown away when it is of no more use. In t he same way, the protagonist in this story is replaced by some other person in his office without worries from any side, as soon as the story of his death reaches there (Gogol, 55). Akaky Akakiyevich had been a man who was deeply immersed in his mechanical ways of work and life as if he himself was a well-oiled machine until he saw that his overcoat was worn out and it was making him cold while moving outdoors (Gogol, 35). It was using the savings from depriving himself of the meager comforts that he could afford added with an act of benevolence from his director that Akaky Akakiyevich could find the money to buy a new overcoat. Once he bought the coat and started using it, he was elated from his position as a commoner though for a brief while (Gogol, 44). A party was held to celebrate his new overcoat but after the party, as he was returning home, his coat was stolen, his efforts to get a legal remedy was stiffled by official apathy, he was insulted and fell ill and soon he dies (G ogol). In the narrative, Akaky Akakiyevich passes away just like the shoe that is dipped into the water and grows cold with an â€Å" unpredictable fantail of sparks Or hiss† (Gogol, Heaney 4). And Gogol has said in the story that, â€Å"at last he began to curse, uttering the most horrible words, so that his aged landlady crossed herself, never in her life having heard anything of the kind from him† (54). This image is so similar to the sparks or hiss that came out from the shoe just before the heat died out (Heaney). And it is a wasted protest. The progress of the story on these lines, show that when a down trodden person tries to improve his social status, it is treated as a crime and the punishment is death. When Heaney, in another poem of his titled At a Potato Digging, says that, â€Å" going down and down/ for the good turf, digging,† the same concept is implied- a search for dignity and depth that ends up in darkness and unending toils (23-24). An effort to rise above one's social backwardness appears to be an individual's personal problem on surface, but once he/she actually makes an effort to do that, suddenly it becomes evident that there are forces in action which would not let it happen. And