The Federal Program for Labor Management

Employment has changed in the past decades because the world has changed. We've entered a new era, an era where the work ethic of employees, and more often the thinking and ethics of employers are many times questioned. The Federal Program for Labor Management has started as a way to provide for employees' representation through chosen representatives, in collective bargaining with respect to personnel policies, practices and matters affecting working conditions. Also, it was created to ensure that employees who want to exercise this right and take an active part in this process have the chance to do so. The contemporary challenges in labor relations and human resources management include the care for employee rights, disciplinary policies and procedures, alternative dispute-resolution procedures, organizational ethics in employee relations or governmental regulation of labor relations. Not less important issues regard the labor relations process, structures, functions, and leadership of labor unions, the bargaining process and trends in collective bargaining, the labor agreement and administration of the labor agreement. All these form a complex discipline with the sole aim to make work relations more efficient and satisfactory for both parts. Labor relations are an important topic of human resources management. The labor agreement is a contract between a organization's management structures and the its labor force, represented by unions, concerning aspects like wages, benefits and working conditions. Is comes in the form of written policies and procedures. The goal of this document is to create equitable work relations, in order to assure the workers' social protection, preventing or diminishing the conflicts of interests and avoiding strikes. All aspects of the labor-management relationship are dynamic. The agreement has the role to bridge the gap between the interests of both sides. The terms of the contract are enforced by the steward (a representative of the union), acting like a policeman, constantly on the lookout. The labor agreements can be conceived at different levels: a single plant, a branch, a company or even nationally, each with its own pro's and con's. A master agreement is conceived for an entire company or branch, covering multiple site locations. There are several stages of a labor agreement to be discussed. First of all, the contract has to be negotiated. This is usually done once a year. Once a settlement has been made, the document has to be well understood by both parties. These requires detailed analysis of the clauses on both sides. The next step is administration. This is also the process of getting ready to renegotiate. The management must do everything in its powers to assure a reasonable and accurate administration of the contract, showing flexibility at the same time. Last but not least is the evaluation process, upon any renewal of the terms. Since most people are routine-oriented and tend to do in the future the same things they have been doing in the past, it is particularly important to look backward. Learning from history, in other words. This may guarantee successful planning of future actions. In the following, I will analyze each stage, individualizing the for and against arguments to having a master labor contract. The agreement is the written image of a give-and-take relationship. Within a company, the management faces the workers in a confrontation for the most benefits. The management has to satisfy diverse needs of the various audiences it must serve: the executive branch, the shareholders, the labor force, the public at large etc. The union's major interest is to represent the employees. There are also dissimilarities between management goals and management structure and the aims and methods adopted by the unions, resulting in labor-management differences. Management usually wants to provide for a flexible work force that can respond quickly to mission needs. Labor, on the other hand, wants stability, security, and job protection for the worker. Management strives to stimulate competition among the workers and to identify the most efficient workers while the union works for the adoption of common work rules and methods of compensation or reward which tend to eliminate competition. What is, in this case, the better choice – to have separate union contracts for different plants or to have one master labor agreement? The negotiation table for a labor agreement resembles a battle field. Each participant fights for his own interest, throwing in all the weapons. Each side needs as much power as it can get. From a manager's point of view it would be more advantageous to negotiate separate union contracts, as it faces a less powerful opponent. Power is determined by a number of factors. In the case on unions, size is the most important (size determined by the number of members). This is why with separate contracts the management may have an upper hand. But, on the other side of the coin lies a great expense of resources. Time and money are wasted when it comes to separate negotiations. However, the purpose is to maintain â€Å"industrial peace†, meaning that whatever the results of the negotiations, they must meet both sides' exigencies. At the very heart of it, the labor agreement represents written policies and procedures created to ensure functionality and satisfaction. This is why negotiations are problem-centered; more time is spent on day-to-day problems than on defining abstract principles. Given the fact that current problems are usually very specific to a certain situation, it means that separated labor contract would have the advantage of dealing adequately with issues every time. A master agreement is in certain circumstances too general and irrelevant, leading to a variance between contract and practice. Although trying to cover all grounds in a written document is a lost cause, the contract has to be the foundation of the labor-management relationship, thus variances should be minimized. The aspects that escape the consideration of the negotiators have to be as few as possible. Another situation that may be encountered is a request for an increase of the wage at one of the plants. In the case of a master labor contract this would be resolved at a central level resulting in a waste of financial resources. But if the contracts were negotiated separately then the request could be met at an individual level. This would save money to the company. There are also other points to consider when deciding for a level of negotiation. Separate plants are located in different areas, characterized by different socio-economical factors. The area's degree of development may influence the discussions, providing an extra set of arguments to one of the sides. The high unemployment rate, for example, turns the scale in favor of the employer, while a low one represents a vantage point for the union. Environment, the degree of education, the minimum wage, as well as other issues, add extra weight to one side of the balance. An investigation is required (such as an environmental analysis), in each particular situation, in order to determine the better choice. Regarding the administration of the contract there are a few aspects worth to be taken into consideration at this point. Separate contracts allow the management to deal with problems one at a time, whereas a centralization of the process reduces the degree of mobility and may even result in financial losses or crisis situations. It is true, no doubt about it, that it is easier to conduct one labor contract agreement for a number of plant locations. However, it is possible for the union to strike, closing down all the plants. As opposed to this undesirable situation, if you have separate contracts, the union can only strike one plant at a time, giving the management the time required to resolve the situation. Management must not take a unilateral action without first considering whether it has an obligation to discuss the action with the union. Matters of legitimate concern for the employees include: personnel policies, practices and working conditions. In these cases the management must provide the union an opportunity to negotiate. So, whenever the company wants to bring change into any one of these fields it has to consult the union and it the chance to express its position. In this case it is somewhat difficult to negotiate separate contracts. Bringing union representatives from each plant to the same negotiation table would require great synchronization and it would be a logistic nightmare. Also, to ease a smooth relationship with the employees, the management must inform them even concerning the changes that don't have to be negotiated (retained management rights not subjected to negotiation). Another way management can help assure union understanding and, thus, facilitate efforts to properly administer the agreement, is to distribute brief explanations of at least the key parts of the agreement in order to avoid misunderstandings. Jointly prepared articles can be included in the installation bulletin and union paper. Similarly, labor and management can work together in the preparation of special bulletins explaining the contract as the situation demands. All these actions are easier to perform and less demanding in the case of a master labor agreement. Worker representation and participation in management, through the union, could plausibly increase productivity in one or both of two ways. In the first place, it could serve as a no pecuniary incentive for workers by reducing the monotony of work and enhancing the individual worker's dignity and self-esteem. As a result, job satisfaction would be increased, and increased job satisfaction is allegedly conducive to higher productivity and lower unit costs. These would be even more true in the care of separate labor contracts. When the employees are represented by people they know or have a chance to meet and work with they will feel personally involved – an underlying bias in favor of â€Å"insiders†. This is also a way to increase employee loyalty. The evaluation process helps creating a better contract. In order to evaluate, the management has to communicate with the union members. Failure to â€Å"talk to the troops† is a problem that has been encountered with increasing regularity in the recent past in labor-management relations. Communications should take place regarding all actions affecting the work force. The management's task is to make sure that the communications process works for, not against, management. There are two different aspects to be taken into consideration: the functional ones and the psychological ones. On a functional level, the communication process would be easier to sustain in the case of a master agreement, due to the fact that the management would deal with only a few union representatives. However, in the case of separate labor agreements, the communication would be more efficient because it would be more personal. The companies tend to be organized from the top down while unions tend to be organized from the bottom up. This is why the functional and the efficiency aspects of communication do not coincide in the two perspectives.

Psychological Factors of Women with Infertility Problems Essay

Giving birth to a new born is considered very priceless by their proud mothers. The agony of not having a baby due to several constraints and hindrances proved to be very critical to a women’s health, emotionally and physically. Psychological effects of infertility include anxiety; depression, guilt, isolation, and relationship tension. These can be considered causes or as a result of infertility and often times can affect interventions or treatment to make pregnancy possible. The problem of infertility is considered one of the hindrances that can affect women’s health and their social interactions comes along with it. In the United States, almost 10% of individuals in the reproductive age are affected by infertility and approximately 50 % of which comprised of couple seeking for possible treatment to make pregnancy possible. Aside from the psychological aspects, several factors which are associated with infertility in women include advancing age, endocrine dysfunction, increasing body mass index, and irregular and long menstrual cycle. Women suffering from infertility problems have psychological stress indicators such as long existence of negative emotions during the period of trying to conceive, changes on their partner’s relationship, depressed moods, problems with concentration or memory, low self- esteem, and anxiety. Reported studies also indicate women with infertility problems were more susceptible to have depression, occurring on its first diagnosis. Emotional well being is also affected if the in-vitro fertilization procedures were unsuccessful (Burns and Grambsch, 2002). Also, women with unknown organic cause of infertility would likely to develop a deeper depressive emotions, anxiety, and suppression of anger compared to women with known cause of infertility. However, the measure of the physiological aspects has not been associated with the process of in-vitro fertilization and infertility. Most of the time, women having infertility problems are willing to neglect or have a certain degree of tolerance to related risk factors just to conceive pregnancy and are mostly have less adverse on the risk as compared to their husband or partner. The support of the husband or the partner plays a vital role in such a way that the desire of both for parenthood must have a common perspective. In this way, marital adjustment will take its part to ensure a healthy relationship. If the partner has a greater desire than the woman, this can bring emotional stress too such as depression. Other than the husband or the partner, the society also plays an important part on the woman with infertility problems. The perception of having less support other than the partner can have avoidance as a social or a defense mechanism. If the attempts for conceptions are not successful, the absence of moral or any support coming from the society can also cause depressive emotions and symptoms. Though infertility can cause distinct psychological effects on women, several treatments are being practiced and applied to help conception possible. In general, there are two methods of treating infertility: the psychological treatment through counseling to achieve conception, and the in-vitro fertilization treatment process. Both of which, some way or another, have adverse psychological effects on the mental state of a woman. The psychological treatment through counseling is one method on the treatment of infertility. This treatment of counseling can be conducted either during the process of natural conception, and/or during the process of the in-vitro fertilization. Furthermore, support from counseling has been significant to improve depression and anxiety to couples having fertility treatment. Usually the treatment comprised of a ten-session treatment implying behavioral (cognitive) therapy. On related studies, 42% conceived pregnancies after completing the treatment for 6 months and these women have a relatively higher distress pretreatment compared to women who did not undergo counseling. The process of counseling usually takes place after the application of the in-vitro fertilization rather than before the conception or the pregnancy test. The purpose of which is to help women to have a lesser degree of depression and anxiety. Women who conceived pregnancy after the process of in-vitro fertilization tend to have an improved self-esteem and a lesser degree of depression. Therefore, the psychological process of intervention through counseling will be more successful if applied to women with infertility problems during repeated or unsuccessful in-vitro treatment, absence of a partner and social support, and with a state of greater depression. Medical intervention is another method and is commonly applied if the psychological fertility treatment or counseling has failed though the exposure to medication of a possible fetus if there is a conception should be avoided. The in-vitro fertilization treatment process is another method to achieve conception. This includes the introduction of certain medications to enhance the reproductive state of a woman to achieve conception. This process goes along with the counseling treatment during the period of conception to ensure a high probability of giving birth. But the chemicals involved in the process also have a psychological association to the mental state of the woman. The manipulations of hormone to assist reproduction can have an effect on their psychological state, for instance the clomiphene citrate has been known to be associated with psychosomatic symptoms; the gonadotropin hormone is also associated with increased state of anxiety and depression (Eyal, Toren, Dor, Mester, and Rehavi , 1996). Aside from the side effects caused by the chemicals, the process also have an effect to those women who conceived after the treatment. Some women showed intense muscle tension, and others have emotions of low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a greater negative behavior as reaction to pregnancy-related stress compared to those women who conceived naturally. More over, women after giving birth through the process of in-vitro treatment have observed their infant as more temperamentally hard. This can be attributed also to the psychological effects to women who conceived because of the treatment. Thus, even if the treatment is successful, support through counseling during the period of conception should be conducted so that the babies as well as the mothers may benefit through having a state of mental wellness. Common outcome in the in-vitro fertilization treatment process is having multiple births, occurring almost 35% on most cases. Reduction of embryo for multiple states of pregnancies has been proven emotionally disturbing and chaotic. Twin births which are assisted have a significant difference compared to spontaneous twin births with regards to low weight after birth, high premature state, and early gestational stage. At some instances, assisted birth twins have likely to develop a greater degree of depression and respiratory diseases at birth. The psychological effect of which to mothers depends on how they cope with the situation but generally they become more aware of the babies health and needs, maternal or parental stress and depression, and unmet needs of the family. The psychological factors proved to be very critical with regards to the concept of infertility to women. These factors can affect both the mental and physical state of a woman. Factors include anxiety, depression, guilt, isolation, and relationship tension. These can be considered as a result of infertility or its related causes and most of the times have a significant effect on the treatment or interventions being conducted. Interventions and treatments include the psychological treatment through counseling and by in-vitro fertilization. The treatment through counseling is being conducted during the pre conception and also after the in-vitro fertilization to primarily help the woman and also the baby inside to have a lesser degree of depression-related emotions and anxieties. The in-vitro fertilization process includes the introduction of chemicals to enhance the reproductive state of a woman, though there are several adverse side effects on the woman’s psychological state such as obtaining psychosomatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression, intense tension on the muscles, lower self esteem, and self efficacy. Eventually the process of realizing infertility and the consequent treatments and interventions proved to be stressful. The technology on the reproductive area can some way or another make the conception of pregnancy possible, but the psychological effects or factors associated proved to be very critical. The early or prompt action through psychological intervention can be very significant in the realization of a couple to have a baby. Furthermore, the support coming from a partner, a husband, and from the society can also help lessen the degree of emotional stress being experienced by the woman having infertility problems. Thus, the psychological factors can influence a woman’s reproductive state or in another point of view can be a cause and effect of infertility.

Ottoman vs. Mughals

Ottoman Empire Vs. Mughal Empire The Ottoman and Mughal empires were two of the most successful empires to ever come together. However, in their dominance there was many similarities as well as differences. Both went through their share of struggle. Whether through political, religious, or cultural struggle the two empires had to rely on their emperors for guidance and rule. The Ottomans were amid the Turkic-speaking nomadic people who had spread westward from Central Asia through out the ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries. The first to appear were the Seljuk Turks.In the late thirteenth century, a new group of Turks began to emerge in the northwestern corner of Anatolian peninsula, under the leadership of the tribal leader Osman. These Turks were peaceful and engaged in pastoral pursuits. However, with the decline of the Seljuk Empire in the early fourteenth century, the Osman Turks began to expand and founded the Osmanli dynasty. The Osmanlis later became known as the Ottomans. La ter expanding westward the Ottoman Empire set up their first European base at Gallipoli. They expanded gradually into the Balkans and allied with Serbia and Bulgar forces against the Byzantines.Okhar gradually established permanent settlements in the area. Throughout the area Turkish provincial governors, called beys, collected taxes from the local Slavic peasants after driving out the previous landlords. This later became known as the Bey system. Which would be the foundation of the Ottoman administration for centuries. In this system the Ottoman leader began to claim the title of Sultan or supreme power over his domain. â€Å"The Ottoman political system was the result of the evolution of tribal institutions into a sedentary empire† (Duiker, Spielvogel. 455).At the apex of this system was the Sultan, who was the authority in both a political and military sense. Though, both administrative and military power was centralized under the bey. Okhar’s son Murad succeeded h im in 1389. Murad began to build of a strong military administration based on the recruitment of Christians into an elite guard. These warriors were called Janissaries. Some of these Janissaries were even able to become senior members of the bureaucracy. They were then assigned land in fief by the sultan and were responsible for collecting taxes and supplying armies to the empire.The land was farmed out to the local cavalry elite called the Sipahis. Who were equivalent to the beys, this system later became known as the Devshirme system. Janissaries were also a big advantage because they were directly subordinated to the sultanate; because of this they owed loyalty to the person of the sultan. Both Okhar’s and Murad’s system were vital aspects of the Ottoman’s expansion. The most prevalent was in 1451 when Mehmet II ordered the construction of a major fortress on the Bosporus. This move put the Turks in a position to strangle the Byzantine Empire. With the Byzant ines hand-cuffed, Mehmet II made his move.He attacked Constantinople in 1453 where he defeated the empire and ignited the expansion of what would be known as one of the most dominant empires of all time. Constantinople later was renamed to Istanbul, as it became the center of the art, education, and religion for the Ottoman Empire. Mehmet II did not only tear down the Byzantine Empire, but he also built the Topkapi Palace, which was the heart of administration and religion. The Ottoman Empire continued their expansion with Mehmet’s successor Selim I in 1512. Selim I defeated the Mamlucks of Egypt after they failed to support the Ottomans in there battle against the Safavids.Which gave him control of several holy cities of Islam, including Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina, Selim declared himself the new Caliph, or the successor of Muhammad in the Muslim religion. The Caliph is the highest religious authority and the defender of the religion. Also, the Caliph interprets laws of the Shari’a. However, in practice the Head Priest does the interpreting. These Ottomans elites were Sunni Muslims, although, Islamic law and customs were applied to all Muslims in the empire. Some communities were attracted to Sufism or other heterodox doctrines.The government accepted such activities as long as the communities remained loyal to the empire. Non-Muslims formed a significant minority within the empire. The minority was treated with relative tolerance, but they were compelled to pay a head tax and were permitted to practice their religion or convert to Islam. Each of these religious groups within the empire was organized as an administrative unit known as millet. Each group, including Muslims had its own patriarch priest, who dealt as an intermediary with the government and administered the community according to its own laws. Nomadic people were placed in separate millets.Where they were subject to their own laws, and were governed by their hereditary chiefs, the beys. The Mughals came about in quite a different way. In the late fourteenth century, the Indian subcontinent known as Calicut was divided into a number of Hindu and Muslim kingdoms. However, it was on the verge of a new era of unity that was brought upon by a foreign dynasty known as the Mughals. The Founder of the Mughal Empire known as Babur had a prominent family history, not only was his father a descendent from the great Asian conqueror Tamerlane, but his mother was also a descendent from the Mongol Conqueror Genghis Khan.Unlike the Ottomans who earned their first land as a reward from the Seljuk Turks for their role in the drive out of the Mongols in the late thirteenth century. Babur inherited a portion of Tamerlane’s empire in an upland valley of the Syr Darya River. Though, the Uzbeks and then the Safavid dynasty in Persia drove him south. Babur and his warriors later seized Kabul in 1504 and thirteen years later crossed Khyber Pass into India. Moreover, the conque ror of the Mughal Empire that made the greatest impact was Babur’s grandson Akbar.Although he was illiterate, and only assumed the throne at the age of fourteen. He was also remembered as one of the most intelligent conquerors of the empire. So intelligent, instead of taking the title of the Caliph as the Ottoman’s did. He proclaimed himself as the spiritual and temporal head of state. Akbar did this to insure that everyone would follow his policies, not because he was Devine, but because of his wisdom. Akbar took toleration to an entirely different level. Making the Ottoman’s look intolerable, as emperor Akbar displayed a keen interest in other religions.Tolerating Hindu practices in his own domains but also welcoming the expression of Christian views by his Jesuit advisers. With these beliefs, Akbar decided to formulate his own religion he called Din-I-Ilahi. This religion was based off toleration, taking away many regulations that the Muslim court had in plac e. For example, he allowed worship in public; he allowed construction of Christian churches and Hindu Temple. As well as establishing a translation department, translating Hindu religious books into Persian. Yet in 1519, maybe the most important regulation was eliminated, when Akbar abolished the Jizya.This was the head tax put in place by the ottomans to all of the Non-Muslims had to pay in order to stay out of the military. Doing this created a brotherhood of man within the Muslim culture, unlike the Ottomans who looked down on the minorities in the area. Akbar also extends his changes to the imperial administration. The empire was divided into provinces, a lot like the Ottoman’s, and the administration of each province was modeled after the central government, with separate departments for military, financial, commercial, and legal affairs. Senior officials were then appointed for each department.These officials were known as Zamindars. The officials were first paid salari es, but later they were ordinarily assigned sections of agricultural land. Where peasants walked the land, tilled the land, but were forced to pay a tax to the Zamindar. Which was partly kept by the Zamindar, and the rest was forwarded to the central government. The Zamindar also recruited a number of military and civilian retainers and accumulated considerable power in their areas. A great deal of the Mughals success was the harmony that Akbar imposed on their society.Unfortunately, when Akbar passed, so did most of his ideas. Akbar’s successors tried to turn the Mughal Empire back into a Sunni Muslim state, and the toleration of Non-Muslims was gone. This discrimination as well as economic crisis led to decline of the Mughal Empire. Despite the fact that both the Ottoman’s and the Mughals had outstanding leadership and motivation, this was not the lone factor that allowed them to be so successful. Some scholars have labeled them â€Å"Gun Powder Empire† becaus e of their superior military techniques of modern warfare, especially the use of firearms.Firearms played a central role in expansion for both the empires. In conclusion, these two Sunni Muslim empires could seem quite diverse on one hand, but in the big picture they have a considerable amount in common. Both were trying to achieve their goal of expansion, and both had to innovate their own regulations within a Sunni Muslim state. Nevertheless, the two went about these two goals in a diverse way. Bibliography – William J. Duiker, Jackson J. Spielvogel, World History Seventh Edition, The Pennsylvania State University, Vol. II, Since 1500.

Do race and household income impact parental perceptions of homework Thesis

Do race and household income impact parental perceptions of homework - Thesis Example The first category, school choice, refers to parents selecting educational institutions and experiences for their children. While school choice is not yet widespread practice, this movement seems to be gaining momentum (Murphy, 2000). In second type of parent involvement, decision making through formal structures, parents sit on school councils or governance groups where they are expected to take part in collaborative administration of school. This type of involvement is typically the result of school restructuring efforts that devolve decision-making authority from the central office to individual schools. (Coleman 1998) The third category, involvement in teaching and learning, refers to parent involvement in classroom (when parents volunteer), out of classroom (when parents converse with teachers), and at home (when parents help with homework and discuss school-related issues). The fourth category, effect on the physical and material environment, concerns efforts by parents to ensure safe and comfortable school environment for their children. Finally, Dimock, O'Donoghue, and (Robb 1996) discussed parents' responsibility in communicating between home and school. The authors suggested that in this category, parents play significant responsibility when they contact the school and when they obtain communication relating to student progress, school rules, student behavior, and so forth. (Rioux 1996) While those categories give useful framework for analyzing various types of parent involvement, they are not specific enough to measure parent activity in statistically meaningful way. Fortunately, several quantitative measures of parent involvement have been developed. Most of those measures fall into (Dimock et al.'s 1996) teaching and learning or communication categories. Milne, Myers, Rosenthal, and (Ginsburg 1996), such as, focused on issues such as the degree to which parents help with homework, their attendance at parent-teacher conferences, and the association between parent behaviors and student accomplishment. (Merriam 1998) The authors also examined three variables that measure the time children spend on homework, watch television, or read. In another study, (Astone and McLanahan 1998) studied measures related to at-home supervision, discussions within home, observed school progress, and parent aspirations. Findings in both of studies suggested positive association between parent involvement and student accomplishment. Though, after analyzing data from the Longitudinal Study of American Adolescence, (Madigan 1996) developed 10 indicators of parent involvement and found that parent help with homework and the provision of rewards for good grades sometimes had negative effect on student accomplishment. Also, (Sui-Chu and Willms 1996) developed measure of parent involvement for use with the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) base-year data. That measure included 12 indicators of parent involvement clustered around four variables: home discussion, home supervision, school communication, and school participation. (O'Brien 1998) According to the variety of

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 71

Assignment Example The defendant and the plaintiff agree under the supervision of the court to implement the decree. An example of a consent decree is in divorce situations where the couple decides to settle under the supervision of a court. Disparate impact is the discrimination against a class that occurs due to the employer’s neutral employment practice, when the employer has a disproportion along the protected line. Disparate treatment is discrimination against an individual in a protected group that occurs due to unequal treatment from the employer, compared to the others. Using the four-fifths rule, the rate of selection of each group is calculated by dividing the number of the selected persons in a group by the number of total applicants in that group, and the group with the highest selection is observed. The impact ratios are then calculated by comparing this selection rate with the highest group. Any group with a substantially less selection rate than that of the highest group is observed. The employer defences against discrimination charges include job relatedness, business necessity, BFOQ, and BFSS. In job relatedness the employer argues that the employee does not work effectively. In the business necessity, the employer argues that the protected employee must have a given business necessity. The BFOQ will be based on their qualifications while the BFSS will be based on the selection criteria or a ratio. A hostile working environment is an offensive working environment that is characterized by unlawful physical or verbal harassment that shows hostility towards an individual basing on color, religion, race, gender, national origin, age, disability, his or her relatives, friends, and associates. Organizations can have policies that describe the constituents of a hostile working environment, and what is an inappropriate behaviour. It can also inform and educate employees on the organizational policies. They should investigate all

Resource based view of strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Resource based view of strategies - Essay Example They face a lot of profits in the long run. The resource-based view has both advantages and disadvantages. Some people despise it by saying that it does not put into consideration the importance of worker’s input in the work; it also has little focus on capabilities and prescriptive implications. Some other organizations claim that Resource-based view is just a theory and cannot be put under practice. But most important, it is not good to criticize a theory; people should look at the organizations which used it and have become successful. Though it may take some time, it is the best way to uplift unsuccessful organizations. Despite the many criticisms organizations still prefer to use it to make their strategies.  A Resource-Based View is a management device that is used by an organization, to assess its strategies by effectively and efficiently applying its useful, tangible or intangible resources to determine its competitive advantage. It is also used to transform its shor t term competitive ability to its sustainability (Clark & Barney, 2007, p.26). Competitive advantage is the implementation of a specific current strategy that is not being implemented by other organizations at the moment and will facilitate to more market opportunities, competitive threats will be neutralized, value creation and the profits will be improved (Clark & Barney, 2007, p.60). This essay aims to use a resource-based view of strategies to Nokia Mobile Company, in order to define its competitive advantage and competitive survival over other mobile companies. This essay will critically evaluate a resource-based view of Nokia strategic management in order to improve its markets and its profits.

Behavioral Expectations and Consequences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Behavioral Expectations and Consequences - Essay Example As Emmer, Evertson, & Worsham (2006) elaborate, students have to train their mental ability to relate and come up with viable explanations, while the teacher may offer warm up questions at the beginning of any period. Each students will then be asked to explain to the class what they think are the happenings in the picture. Each student has to answer. Activity 2. Students will be required to write a story about any social setting that they presume is peaceful, clean and that would enhance harmony and favorable living, whether real or out of their creativity. The teacher will offer the class specific time during the lesson to discuss as a group and then write individual essays after reading through stories of a good and bad communal living or set up. Students will then use the knowledge gained to write their own understanding of what a good place has to be. Emmer, Evertson, & Worsham (2006) argue that students in their early education have to learn to formulate important social proble ms and questions in locating and analyzing important data and knowledge. Such will portray students have a connection with their social and communal environments. Expected Behavior Activity 1 Emmer, Evertson, & Worsham (2006) explains, procedures communicate behavior expectations that apply to specific activity. Students will be required to portray the use of thinking in promoting understanding. Every child will be expected to offer a viable explanation touching on a social issue and elaborate on the possible causes of this issue. The student will be expected to behave confidently, have the courage to speak before other students effectively and portray integration of learned concepts in their arguments. The student though may repeat what their peers say will be expected to offer additional information to portray understanding of certain social issues. The student will be expected to show connection with picture shown in that they will be expected to show interests in diverse social issues and expound on the same. No student will be allowed to sit, refuse to speak, or repeat exactly what their peer say without additional information regarding the social setting as constructed in their minds. Expected Behavior Activity 2 Student will be expected to portray ability to write logical explanations of a social setting. Student will be expected to interact closely in groups and talk with low tones. Students will be expected to ask questions to the teacher whenever they are in doubts or for clarification, and have to participate effectively in these groups. Each student will in addition be expected to have finished by the time the teacher assumes appropriate, and hand in the writing for marking before the class ends. To portray excitement and interests, student will be expected to discuss briefly with their next peers after the teacher collets their books. Out of Class Activity Activity 1 Students will be required to go around their homes or community after school, not e and write down any pollution they observe in these areas. Students will indentify the specific causes of pollution and the possible effects it may have on the environment or people, and how the problem may be solved. Students will particularly be required to detail at least 10 pollution causes as observed in their areas and note how they are caused and how they can be prevented. Students will however not expect to go into much

The Institutional and Cultural Influences on Accounting Essay

The Institutional and Cultural Influences on Accounting - Essay Example Code law legal systems are common in continental Europe, Latin America and much of Asia. (Roberts et al, 2005). In these countries, laws are generally codified (often using a similar framework to that of the French Napoleonic codes of 1804-11). (Roberts et al, 2005). Commercial organisation as well as accounting regulation is governed by commercial codes. Common law on the other hand adopts a philosophy where the role of law is to prohibit undesirable behaviour rather than to prescribe or codify desirable behaviour. Commercial law stems from England where it was exported to the United states and the Common Wealth. (Roberts et al, 2005). The legal/judicial institutions can influence incentives to produce conservative accounting numbers through a series of channels. (Bushman and Piotrosky, 2006). ii. Business Organisation and Ownership. There is also a considerable difference in ownership structure and business organisation across countries. (Nobes, 1992). For example, capital contributed by the government and banks in france is very significant as are small businesses. (Nobes, 1992). Companies in Germany are owned by banks and a majority of shares in public companies are owned and controlled by banks, especially the Deutsche, Dresdner and Commerz Banks. (Nobes, 1992). One would therefore expect accounting methods in Germany to be influenced by these banks since most of the information produced will be done in accordance to their needs. On the other hand, shares in the UK and the USA are owned by institutional investors.

The Trouble With Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Trouble With Business Ethics - Essay Example It was concluded after investigation that Lowry was wrong in her judgment and the reports about Mona Williams were falsely accused. But this lead to the exposure of Lowry herself; and she was terminated from the job and is searching for other jobs outside of Wal-Mart. There are few features that makes whistle blowing a dangerous act for the employees; one of the reasons that employees are afraid to report such behaviors is that they will either lose their jobs or they would be relocated to a different and low profile post. Ethical behavior is one of the key which is taught during the training of the new employees but the credibility of the same is lost because most of the companies which are pro active in ensuring that ethical requirements are met are the companies which were involved in the same crime at one time or the other. The whistle blowing is a tough job to perform because under law a person become liable to report a crime and if he does not report a crime he is as guiltier as the culprit himself. But to announce a crime is not the end rather it’s the means to start of an investigation and legal case and legal proving and so on. These activities take a lot of time of the individual and a lot of family life is ignored; which has even lead to worst scenarios as divorce cases. Few of the employees leave the organization to report such issues; because they are afraid that if they do while they are working they wouldn’t be able to find other suitable jobs in case they are not protected by the company. That is why in most of the cases the ethical issues are not reported and in few the person first secures him/herself with other financial sources before going after the company who might not even take them seriously. The whistle blower are not appropriately protected by the companies; if they would have given the sense of security and trust they would not have

Making of Collateral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 36

Making of Collateral - Essay Example From this study it is clear that directing covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film. Directing also should help you master technical and conceptual skills in the filmmaking process. â€Å"The first time we watch a film; we usually don’t know or think about the artistic decisions that were made during its production.† According to the discussion Scriptwriter Stuart Beattie originally set Collateral in New York City. Max was to be portrayed as a loser, hiding from the world in his cab and getting little out of life. Once Mann took charge as a director, he made numerous changes. The setting was changed to Los Angeles. Max became less a loser and more a laid-back, intelligent man content to observe the world from behind a steering wheel and to interact with his passengers, endlessly delaying his plans to start his own limousine service. The story largely consists of this pair interacting, so Mann’s decision to change Max’s traits altered the nature of the conflict between them. Max becomes our point-of-view figure for most of the film. Unusually for a film about a professional killer, we don’t see the first murder but stay with Max in the cab until the shocking moment when the body falls onto his cab roof.  The switch to Los Angeles affected many aspects of the film’s st yle. One of the attractions was that this tale of a random crossing of destinies took place almost entirely at night, from 6:04 p.m. to 4:20 a.m.

The Chicago Outfit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Chicago Outfit - Essay Example It has been alleged that the Chicago outfit, in its operations, have directly or indirectly been aided and abetted some legal structures of government. For instance, they were said to have been behind many electoral malpractices, particularly the 1960 elections into the office of president. The Chicago Outfit is also alleged of short-changing Hollywood by having power over the unions that direct the affairs of Hollywood. Perhaps the action which is most indicative of the political corruption that aided the rise of the syndicate is that which touches on the attempts allegedly made by the government of the United States to use them to scuttle the Cuban government led by Fidel Castro (Mallory, 2007). The government and her institutions seem to now know that they need to tighten things up a little bit. Thus, some years ago, precisely between 1999 and 2009, a number of crackdowns on members and associates of the Chicago Outfits took place. Many of them were prosecuted. Most of them were found guilty of atrocities like gambling, tax evasion, extortion, and above all, murder (Mallory, 2007). They were handed prison terms and some were even given life imprisonment. This crackdown has indicated the government’s readiness to find an end to the gang. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean the Chicago Outfit still doesn’t have its way as organized crime by the Chicago Outfit is still a societal

Paternalism and individualism Essay Example for Free

Paternalism and individualism Essay Paternalism is a Latin word, which is emanates from the Latin word â€Å"pater† meaning father. Therefore it refers to the patriarchy arrangement pattern that a is depicted in a family where there is figurehead who most times is the father who takes the sole responsibility of making decisions on behalf of others who includes the wife and children. The decisions are made by the figurehead for â€Å"the good† of the wife and children regardless of their desires. (Sartorius, R 145) The father head in this situation is regarded the wisest and the decision he makes is made to the best interest of the rest whom he assumes the role of protector. The term is normally applied in a derogatory way especially in political and social systems to imply that the system is characterized by the deprivation of other peoples’ individual freedoms and responsibility and serves the interest of that particular system without due regard to the individuals being governed. (Sartorius, R 153) By definition therefore paternalism is defined as â€Å"Paternalism is the interference of a state or an individual with another person, against their will, and justified by a claim that the person interfered with will be better off or protected from harm. †(Gerald Dworkin). Individualism as a term on the other hand is always used to describe independence of an individual. The individual in this case is at liberty to conduct his/her own life in a way that best suits him/her provided it does not interfere with someone else’s life. Individualism stresses the need for self-reliance and opposes any form of external interference whether by society the state or any governing authority. .†(Gerald Dworkin). Individualism in most cases is opposed to any form of communal, societal, group system that advocates for the prioritization of national goals instead of individual goals. Paternalism was very important to Britain in the 18th century when the Britain constitutional changed for two fundamental reasons. These was because the government thought it was its first responsibility to make sure that everyone was protected against the interests of the state. The community was to become the only way by which individuals would realize their potential and advance it. The labor party was formed to protect the citizens against anything that would frustrate their potential. Bill of rights was formed to protect the citizens from any abuse of power by any public institution that touches their lives. (Feinberg, J 47) Through paternalism implementation of freedom of information act was created to better communication between the government and the right for citizens to know what’s happening around the government. During the 18th century individual’s freedom had guaranteed them security, with the state giving them health care, education and their well being advanced when the state delivered entitlement for the individuals, but later the state and community became one thing and the individuals saw themselves less as passive beneficiaries of the benefits of the government. (Feinberg, J 49) Later the individuals had less freedom and were not recognized as part of the community. Paternalism brought together the citizens while the individuals always wanted the best for themselves. They always thought about themselves and not the society. (Gerald Dworkin) Paternalism was also important because it ensured the individual needs are protected against the state. It was everyone’s burden to ensure that the government’s responsibilities are accounted for. Socialists were recognized in the society and became watchdogs for the individuals who would become hostile to any change or kind of reform. Paternalism was very important as it provided healthcare, security and development of individuals. No matter how rich the individual were some problems always required the attention of the community. A common interest for all was always required and especially public interest for community not for individuals. Paternalism brought about concern for everyone even beyond the immediate family members and was always responsible for the society’s values. Paternalism in Britain, came into sharp focus during the period of the industrial revolution when individuals discarded the old agrarian ways and started adopting the urban culture where the â€Å"survival was for the fittest† (Sartorius, R 156)

Learning In The Educational And Health And Social Care Sector Education Essay

Learning In The Educational And Health And Social Care Sector Education Essay Learning is a life long process. It helps to acquire the knowledge to a person or a group of persons by using different theories and methods with the help of a lecturer or by self. This assignment shows the different theories, styles, , factors affecting in learning , methods barriers of learning in the educational and health and social care sector. DOMAINS OF LEARNING Cognitive Psychomotor Affective COGNITIVE DOMINE This domain is mainly based on the knowledge. It have three practical and instructional levels such as , factor, understanding, and the application. The  fact  level consist of identity and list. The understanding level consist of three, they are describe, compare and contrast together. The typical verb contains explain, apply and analyse. This domain will deliver as lectures , presentations etc. and the evaluation will be objective and subjective.   PSYCHOMOTAR DOMINES Psychomotor domain is based on the skills of the individual. The three practical instructional level is imitation practice and habit. In the first level of this domain contains the delivary of the subject, second level will be the observation by the instructor, and the third level the learner will build the experirience. AFFECTIVE DOMINE Affective domain is based up on the behavioural aspects and may be labelled as beliefs. The three levels in the affective domain are  awareness, distinction,  and  integration.  The verbs for this domain are generally limited to words like  display, exhibit,  and  accept  and these apply at all the levels. The first two levels of the domains really cognitive;  integration  is behavioural and requires the learner to evaluate and synthesize. The content of this domain will usually involve discussions. The testing in the first two levels will be cognitive, whereas the third level will required an affective checklist. LEARNING STYLE Activist Activist will Jumps in at the deep end enthusiastic looks for new experiences likes to be centre of attention. Always likes to do new experiments. They are open minded and flexible. They always enjoys the new situations, they likes challenges. Pragmatist. Pragmatists are not happy with listening to theories and ideas. People with a pragmatist learning style like facts to fantasy. In the educational settings, they enjoy writing and reading nonfiction or doing writing activities such as outlines, research papers, making lists, filling in charts and labelling the scientific diagrams Rflector These people are very care full in every jobs, openions, thinking, etc. They will follow a methodological approach .The reflective learning style is a learning style which consists of absorbing, rather than acting on, new information. A reflective learner need time to think through an idea and its ramifications, while an active learner prefers to jump in and test theories immediately. Theorist Theorists are the vertical thinkers. They are rational and objective. The will follow always in a disciplined approach. They want to ask questions or they like questioning. The negative of theorist is they are lateral thinkers, they will in tolerate anything, like subjective or intuitive. THEORIE OF LEARNING Behavioural theory Cognitive theory Gestalt Theory Humanistic Theory BEHAVIORAL THEORY. These are the theories which includes the leadership which do not seek inborn traits or capabilities. A behavioural theorist always looks look at what the leaders actually  doing. BEHAVIORIST Principles of Behaviourist are they will do small and concrete and progressively sequenced tasks. They will think about the positive and negative reinforcement. They are very consistent in using the reinforcement during the teaching and learning process. If they learned once then the intermittent reinforcement will promote retention. COGNITIVE THEORY The cognitive theory is mainly based on the mind and the functions based on the brain. It include thinking , knowing, memorising, and communicating, and the connection between them, and how they are working together. In this theory, the mind will work . In this theory experience is the main shaping factor of the personality. It sees the mind as a set-out frame waiting to be filled, rather than one shaped by experience. The cognitive theory is the only one to clearly state that a persons behaviour is certainly shaped by surroundings, not only internal drives. What the one would do surrounded by peers is completely different from what the same person would do in a strange their setting. GESTALT THEORY Gestalt means that when the parts identified individually have different characteristics to the whole (Gestalt= organised whole) e.g. describing a tree its parts are trunk, branches, leaves, perhaps blossoms or the fruit. But when you looks at an entire tree, you are not conscious of the parts, you are aware of the overall object only the tree. Parts are of secondary importance even though they can be clearly seen. HUMANASTIC THEORY The focus of the humanistic theory is based on the emotional feelings of the human beings. In this theory the learner are free to choose their own behaviour, rather than reacting to environmental stimuli and reinforces. Issues dealing with self-esteem, self-fulfilment, and needs are . The major focus of this theory is to facilitate personal development. LEARNING THEORY AND LEARNING STYLE IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE FIELD. HUMANISTIC THERAPY IN PSYCHOLOGY The humanistic approach in the health care field is mainly used in the psychatrist treatments like counselling. Because this theory is based on the emotional feelings of the human beings. According to this theory, the human beings have an intimate tendency to develop some potentials. But, some times this potentials will destroy our life and living conditions. Some times our lovable people will act as a stranger. Because they are not aware about the inner feelings, which are taking place in the persons mind. The aim of a councillor or a psychotherapist is that to provide an environment, in which the client will not feel the insecurity. This will help the client to enable more security and self esteem about themselves. The psychotherapist or the councellor will will understand the clients problem through the communication with him. The positive point of this therapy is it gives more important for the humanistic values and approaches. This attitudes helps the client to build a relationship with the client and the therapist. FACTORS INFLUENCING LEARNING Motivation Motivation helps the learner to learn more . The teacher should have the capacity to motivate their students. Environment The environmental factors affects in the learning. The suitable environment gives more concentration for the learning. Communication The communication between the student and the teacher will help to reduce the distance between them.The communication the medium of the communication should be well understand by the speaker/ the lecturer and the listener/the learner. Some of the important communicative medias are audio visual,newspapers,internets etc. Time available. The management of the time is very important in the learning. The lecture should know how to complete the needs of learner with in the time limit Culture In every culture there are different type of cultural learning style. Many of the countries are developing and undeveloped once. When these countries learning styles are compared to the developed countries the educational level will be in high standard. So the teaching styles and methods are varies from one culture to another. It may be difficult to understand the nonverbal messages because different cultures have the different expectations about eye contact, physical touch, body gestures, etc. Preparation The lecture should have an idea about each learner, what they are, their learning and under standing capacity, which learning style is suitable for the each learner. Lecture should can arrange each learners documents in a folder including their learning needs. Learning Goals The lecture should have the capacity to clear up the learners doubts. Teach them about the procedures in the ward. Legal barriers Check all the legal documents of the learner in which includes the educational level, if the worker is from out side country check the passport, visa, CRB, language level etc. BARRIERS TO LEARNING. Barriers of learning are the factors which are affecting in the learning of the individual. It may be physical factors, neurological factors, and mental factors. Language Mental stress and tension. Attention Visual aids Informations. Dyslexia Dyspraxia Language. In the learning process the language is an important factor . Language helps the learners to understand the learning subject. A learning process will complete when all the learniners are listening the lecture. For a proper process of learning attention is very important. So before taking to lecture the lecture should make sure that the employees are ready to listen the classes. This will make to progress in their thinking from where they are. Visual Aids The visual aids helps in learning by change of focus. They help to create attention. If the class has to focus on the lecturer all the time, the pressure on the lecture to perform is acute. When the lecturer switch the OHP or slide projector attention of the learners will be pointing to the screen and away from the face of the lecturer. Learning by visual method will help to concentrate more than in the audio classes. Mental Stress and Tension The mental stress and tension will affects the learning process. The causes of the tension may be due to the family problems and the personal problems. Dyslexia The term Dyslexia  is a broad term which is using to define a  learning disability  that impairs a persons ability to read,  and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with  phonological awareness,  phonological decoding,  orthographic coding,  auditory short-term memory, and /or  rapid naming.  Dyslexia is a separate and distinct from the reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate  reading instructions.  It is believed that dyslexia can affect between 5 to 10 percent of a given population although there has been no studies to indicate an accurate percentage. Dyspraxia. The condition dyspraxia, it   is a motor learning difficulty that can affect planning of the movements and the co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body.  It may be diagnosed as the complete or partial absence of other motor or sensory impairments. PROFESSIONAL SKILL IN LEARNING These are the skills of the lecturer and the student in the field of learning. These professional skills helps the lecturer to know about the students and their problems. In health and social care sector all the procedures are take place under some particular knowledge and theories. Professional skills are the ability of students to learn and at the same time it is the ability of teachers to teach the students. In health sector, the carer or a nurse should have the capacity to understand their clients problem. Thee clients they may be not active in their communication, but the worker should understand their problems through the observational method . This is one of the method of professional skills. In the hospital sector the nurse will understand the problems of the patient by seeing the physical appearance and the activities they are doing. In psychological sector, the councillor or the psychiatrist will communicate with them through a long discussions. Through this discussion he c an understand the problems of the patient. LEARNING STATERGIES. Learning strategies are the methods which are using by the students to complete the learning task. Many of the teaching management and teachers are using these learning strategies to improve the learning and teaching skills. The lectures use different types of strategies like visual aids, audio methods, demonstrations, group discussions etc.. Learning strategies, however, they are the tools that learner themselves can employ independently to complete a language task. For an instance, a learner who needs to learn a list of vocabulary words might draw a picture to remember each word. The commonly used learning strategies are given bellow, Less Strategies Lecture Demonstrations Discussions Seminar Tutorial Shared strategies Practical Simulation and games Role play Recourse based learning Films / TV programs Visits Student strategies Distance learning /flexi study Discovery projects/research Real life experience. PRESENT TEACHING STATERGIES IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SECTOR. The present learning or instructional strategies helps to achieve learning goals. It includes the pre instructional activities, learner activities, testing, and follow-through determine the approach for achieving the  learning goals. The strategies are based on the interest of the students and teachers. Because the teacher determines which type of learning strategy is applicable in each student learning . The present health and social care system helps the learners to improve their learning styles by the help of learning strategies. The learning strategies are commonly using in the social and health sector is as follows, Discussions   there are many methods using in discussion strategies. The are the discussions, demonstrations, lectures etc. For example, when the lecturer will discussing the learning topic to the students, then the lecturer will understand the learning difficulties of the student. Through this they can make improvement in the difficulties. Reading comprehension Strategy, the reading comprehension strategy helps to understand the aspect about the material. It helps to determine the vocabulary, writing structure etc. This will makes understand , that, what is the reason for reading. This helps for the teacher to understand about the learner regarding reading skills , interest, motivation, and experience . Semantic Mapping Strategy,This strategy helps to understand or it is using as a technique to motivativate the students and make them to involve in the full learning process. This will include, Selection of topic, diaplaying the target topic. And finaly the students will make some points regarding the topic, the lecturer should divide the student as some groups according to their intellectual abilities. And they will discuss about the topic. Integrating Technology, N In these days the educational sector realised that the application of modern technologies will give more values in the learning. Integrating the technology into a course curriculum when the appropriate is proving to be valuable for the enhancing and the extending the learning experience for the faculty and for the students or the learners . Many faculty have found electronic mail to be a useful way to promote student/student or faculty/student communication between class meetings and to inform about the working programs. Others are using list serves or on-line notes to extend the topic discussions and explore critical issues with students and colleagues, or discipline- specific software to increase student understanding of difficult concepts. Cooperative Learning . This is a method in which a groupe of people a re working together or learning together for to achieve a same goal. The term Collaborative Learning is commonly used as a synonym for cooperative learning when, in fact, it stands as a separate strategy that encompasses a broader range of group interactions such as developing learning communities, and stimulating worker/faculty discussions, and encouraging electronic exchanges. In this the full involvement of faculty and the management involves in the learning process. CONCLUSSION The proper training and the teaching of the students with the all suitable learning theories and the learning styles helps the student and the teacher to acquire the knowledge.

Stephen Dedalus And Dorian Gray

Stephen Dedalus And Dorian Gray Stephen Dedalus from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man written by James Joyce and Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde, go through many life changes. These two stories are in a ways similar to each other. Where the two main characters go though crucial transformation and how they are influence by religion and peers. As well in the way the authors wrote the novels by using symbolisms to develop the characters throughout the novel also play a role in these two stories. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells a story of Stephen Dedalus how decides to cast off all his social, family, and religious constraints to live a life devoted to the art of writing. As a young boy he attends a strict religious boarding school called Clongowes Wood College. Stephen is lonely and homesick at the school but as time passes he finds his place among the other boys. He likes is visits home, even though family tensions run high after the death of the Irish political leader Parnell. As they had a Christmas diner the death of Parnell becomes the topic. Simon, Stephens father, is inept with money and the family sinks deeper and deeper into debt. Stephen realizes that his family cannot afford to send him back to Clongowes, and that they will instead move to Dublin. He attended a prestigious day school called Belvedere there is where he grows to do extremely well as a writer and as an actor in the student theater. His first sexual experience with a young Dublin prostit ute unleashes a storm of guilt and shame in Stephen. He ignores his religious education, throwing himself with morally wrong abandon into a variety of sins like masturbation and more visits to prostitutes. Then on a three day religious retreat, Stephen hears a tri of fiery sermons about sin, judgment, and hell. Deeply shaken Stephen resolves to rededicate himself to a life of Christian piety. Stephen begins attending Mass every day became Ming a model of Catholic piety abstinence and self denial. His religious devotion is so pronounced that the director of his school asks him to consider entering the priesthood. After a brief considering the offer Stephen realizes that priestly life is utterly incompatible with his love for sensual beauty. Awaiting news about his acceptance to the university Stephen goes for a walk on the beach, were he observes a young girl wading in the tide. He is struck by her beauty and realizes in a moment of epiphany, that the love and desire of beauty should not be a source of shame. Stephen moves on to the university where he develops a strong friendship with Cranly. In a series of conversation with his companions, Stephen works to formulate his theories about art. While he is dependent on his friends as listeners, he is determined to create an independent existence, liberated from the expectations of friends and family. Stephen becomes more and more determined to free himself from all limiting pressures, and eventually decides to leave Ireland to escape them. In the story The Picture of Dorian Gray tells a story of Dorian Gray a wealthy and beautiful young man who curses his fate and pledges his soul if only he could live without bearing the physical burns of aging and sinning. In the London home of his aunt Lady Brandon the well known artist Basil Hallward meets Dorian Gray. Dorian sits for several portraits and Basil often depicts him as an ancient Greek hero or a mythological figure. Basil painted a portrait of Dorian as he truly is but as he admits to his friend Lord Henry the painting disappoints him because it reveals too much of his feeling for his subject. Lord Henry enjoys scandalizing his friends by celebrating youth, beauty and the selfish pursuit of pleasure; he disagrees claiming that the portrait is Basils masterpiece. Dorian enters the studio and Basil introduces him to Lord Henry and he fears that he will have a damaging influence on the young Dorian. Lord Henry upsets Dorian with a speech about the transient nature of bea uty and youth. Dorian worries that his most impressive characteristics are fading day by day and curses his portrait which he believes will one day remind him of the beauty he will have lost. In distress he pledges his soul if only the painting could bear the burden of ageing allowing him to stay forever young. Lord Henrys influence over Dorian grows stronger. The youth becomes a disciple of the new Hedonism and proposes to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. Dorian falls in love with Sibyl Vane a young actress who performs in a theater on Londons slums. Overcome by her emotions for Dorian, Sibyl decides that she can no longer act. She wonders how she can pretend to love on the stage now that she has experienced the real thing. Dorian who loves Sibyl because of her ability to act he cruelly breaks his engagement with her. After he leaves the theater he returns home to notice that his face in Basils portrait of him has changed. It is then when he fears that that his wis h for his likeness in the painting to bear the ill effects of his behavior has come true and that his sins will be recorded on the canvas. The following afternoon Lord Henry brings news that Sibyl has killed herself. At Lord Henrys urging Dorian decides to consider her death a sort of artistic triumph and to put the matter behind him. Meanwhile Dorian hides his portrait in a remote upper room of his house where no one other than he can watch its transformation. Lord Henry gives Dorian a book that describes the wicked exploits of the nineteenth century Frenchman it becomes Dorians bible as he sinks ever deeper into a life of sin and corruption. Dorian lives a life devoted to garnering new experiences and sensations with no regard for conventional standards of morality or the consequences of his actions. His peers nevertheless continue to accept him because he remains young and beautiful. The painting, however, grows increasingly hideous. One night Basil Hallward arrives at Dorians ho me to confront him about the rumors that plague his reputation. They argue and Dorian eventually offers Basil a look at his soul. He shows Basil the now hideous portrait and Basil horrified begs him to repent. Dorian claims it is too late for penance and kills Basil in a fit of rage. To dispose of the body Dorian employs one of his doctor friend how refuses to help Dorian but at the end he helps his because Dorian blackmails him. The night after the murder Dorian makes his way to an opium den where he encounters James Vane the bother of Sibyl and attempts to avenge his sister death. Dorian then escapes to his country state while entertaining guest he notice James Vane peering in through a window and he becomes wracked by fear and guilt. A hunting party accidentally shoots and kills Vane, Dorian feels safe again. He resolves to amend his life but cannot muster the courage to confess his crimes, and the painting now reveals his supposed desire to repent for what it is hypocrisy. He pi cks up the knife he used to stab Basil and attempts to destroy the painting. There is a crash, and Dorians servants enter to find the portrait unharmed showing Dorian as a beautiful young man. On the floor lies the body of their master an old man, horribly wrinkled and disfigured, with a knife plunged into his heart. First over the course of the novels this two characters went through several transformation. Stephen Dedalus first transformation was during his first years as Clongowes, he goes from a sheltered little boy to a bright student who understands social interactions and can begin to make sense of the world around him. The second occurs when Stephen sleeps with the Dublin prostitute he went from innocence to a sinner. The third transformation occurs when Stephen hears Father Arnalls speech on death and hell he went from an unrepentant sinner to a devout Catholic. Finally, Stephens greatest transformation is from near fanatical religiousness to a new devotion to art and beauty. That transformation took place in chapter 4 when he is offered entry to the Jesuit order but refuses it in order to attend university. Stephens refusal and his subsequent epiphany on the beach mark his transition from belief in God to belief in aesthetic beauty. This transformation continues through his college year s. By the end of his time in college, Stephen has become a fully formed artist, and his diary entries reflect the independent individual he has became. In contrast with Dorian Gray, he went through several transformations as well. Dorians first transformation to me was when he was introduce to Lord Henry he went from being this young beautiful boy, close minded person to a selfish person with an obsession towards his beauty. His second transformation was when he breaks Sibyls heart. She being torn it drives her to suicide herself. This is the point where Dorian first notice the portrait that Basil had painted of himself starts to change. Here is where Dorian reveals that his pledge of staying young forever and his portrait taking the side effects of ageing are becoming true. As Dorians sins grow worse over the years, his likeness in Basils portrait grows more hideous. He seems to lack a conscience but the desire to repent that he eventually feels illustrated that he is indeed human. Dorian third transformation would be when he murders his friend Basil. He is unable to distract himself from the dissipation of his soul. Although in th e past he has been able to be sweep infamies from his mind, he cannot shake the thought that he has killed his friend Basil. Dorians guilt tortures him relentlessly until he is forced to go away with his portrait. Throughout this transformation not both of the characters went through a good change. Stephen Dedalus transformation went for a good one, well at least for him. As for Dorians transformation it went all bad from the beginning to the end. Also these two characters have in common that they in their own way were influence and let themselves get influence by others. Stephen Dedalus was influence by his family, his Catholic faith, and Irish nationality. Brought up in a devout Catholic family Stephen initially ascribes to an absolute belief in the morals of the church. As a teenager, this belief leads him to two opposite boundaries. At first, he falls into the extreme of sin, repeatedly sleeping with prostitutes and deliberately turning his back on religion. Though Stephen sins willfully, he is always aware that he acts in violation of the churchs rules. Second, when Father Arnalls speech prompts him to return to Catholicism, he bounces to the other extreme, becoming a perfect, near fanatical model of religious devotion and obedience. Eventually Stephen realizes that both of these lifestyles the completely sinful and the completely devout are extremes that have been false and harmful. Dorian Gray influence are heavily mostly by Lord Henry believes and his yellow book given to Dorian by Lord Henry. The yellow book has a profound effect on Dorian, influencing him to predominantly immoral behavior. Reflecting on Dorians power over Basil and deciding that he would like to seduce Dorian in much the same way Lord Henry points out that there is something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. Falling under the wave of such influence is perhaps unavoidable but the novel ultimately censures the sacrifice of ones self to another. Basils worship of Dorian leads to his murder and Dorians devotion to Lord Henrys hedonism and the yellow book precipitate his own downfall. As this two characters go through influences they at a point break apart. Stephen Dedalus does not want to lead a completely debauched life, but also rejects austere Catholicism because he feels that it does not permit him the full experience of being human. He reaches a decision to embrace life and celebrate humanity after seeing a young girl wading at a beach. To Stephen the girl is a symbol of pure goodness and of life lived to the fullest. In comparison to Dorians influences it is little wonder in a novel that prizes individualism the uncompromised expression of self that the sacrifice of ones self, whether it is to another person or to a work of art, leads to ones destruction. The authors way on writing their novels with symbolism enables them to develop their characters. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, Joyce uses several symbolisms to develop his character Stephen Dedalus. Stephen associates the colors green and maroon with his governess, Dante and with two leaders of Irish resistance, Parnell and Davitt. In a dream after Parnells death, Stephen sees Dante dressed in green and maroon as the Irish people mourn their fallen leader. This vision indicates that Stephen associates the two colors with the way Irish politics are played out among the members of his own family. Another symbolism that Joyce uses is Emma. Emma appears only in glimpses throughout Stephens young life, and he never gets to know her as a person. Instead, she becomes a symbol of pure love, untainted by sexuality or reality. Stephen worships Emma as the ideal of feminine purity. When he goes through his devoutly religious phase he imagines his rewards for his pie ty as a union with Emma is heaven. When he is at the university he finally has a conversation with Emma. Stephens diary entry regarding this conversation portrays Emma as a real, friendly and somewhat ordinary girl, but not as a goddess Stephen earlier makes her out to be. His view if Emma mirrors Stephens abandonment of the extremes of complete sin and complete devotion in favor of a middle path, the devotion to the appreciation of beauty. Joyce also establishes water as a twin symbol of birth and death. Water imagery in the Portrait my point toward pleasure or pain, life or death, or it may be used to suggest both at once. Stephen fears the sea since he views it as an emblem of his own futility but it is the seaside epiphany which awakens him to the demands of life. In chapter five it is where Joyce exploitss the antithetical value of water. Joyce wrote He drained his third cup of watery tea to the dregs and set to chewing the crusts of fried bread that were scattered near him, st aring into the dark pool of the jar. The yellow dripping had backed to his memory the dark turfcoloured water of the bath in Clongowes. Here the tone of the language has been radically changed, the symbolism reversed, and this abrupt reversal emphasizes the change in Stephens state of mine. As for The Picture of Dorian Gray the author Oscar Wilde also uses symbolism in his novel. Wildes uses the color white as Dorians path from figure of innocence to a figure of degradation. White connotes innocence and blankness, as it does when Dorian is first introduced. It was the white purity of Dorians boyhood that Lord Henry finds so captivating. Basil invokes whiteness when he learns that Dorian has sacrificed his innocence and as the artist stares in horror at the ruined portrait he quotes a biblical verse from the book of Isaiah Though your sins be as scarlet, yet I will make them as white as snow those day were over for Dorian innocence. When the color appears again in the form of James Vanes face like a white handkerchief peering in through a window, it has been transformed from the color of innocence to the color of death. It is this threatening pall that makes Dorian long at the end of the novel, for his rose-white boyhood, but the hope is in vain, and he proves unable to wash away the stains of his sins. Wilde also uses the opium dens as a symbol. The opium dens represent the sordid state of Dorians mind. He flees to them at a crucial moment. After killing Basil, Dorian seeks to forget the awfulness of his crime by losing consciousness in a drug-induced stupor. Although he has a canister of opium in his home, he leaves the safety of his neat and proper parlor to travel to the dark dens that reflect the degradation of his soul. Finally, Wilde uses James Vane as a symbol as well. James is less a believable character that an embodiment of Dorians tortured conscience. As Sibyls brother he is rather flat caricature if the avenging relative. Appearing at the dock and later at Dorians country estate, James has an almost ghost spectral quality. James appears with his face like a white handkerchief to goad Dorian into accepting responsibility for the crime he has committed. Overall these two novels A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and The Picture of Dorian Gray the main characters Stephen Dedalus and Dorian Gray undergo through life changes. Stephen Dedalus development throughout the novel went evolving to living a good life as he grow up he shut all his influences and develop his own taking him where he wants to be in life. As for Dorian Gray his development as he grows did not succeed. He was always influence throughout the novel he did not do anything to revel to the people he was being influence by and at the end it end it up in tragedy. Work Cited Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Viking, 1916 Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Oxford, 2006 Litz, A. Walton. James Joyce. Boston: Twayne, 1966

A Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich :: essays research papers

The novel, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, is a very detailed and graphic description of one man’s life struggle in a Stalinist work camp. It is the story of Ivan Denisovich’s, most often going by the name of Shukhov, determination and strength to endure the hardships of imprisonment and dehumanization. The most memorable scene shows Shukhov’s determination to survive and adapt to his life. The meal scenes of the novel are where he demonstrates that he has learned to adjust in order to survive. â€Å"When you worked for the knowing you gave them quality; when you worked for a fool you simply gave him eyewash† (page 26). This is the most important quote in the novel because it is the law of which Shukhov lives and survives by. This novel is an account of one day of a man’s struggle with the life that has been dealt to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is a man that has learned to deal with a life that is an endless struggle for survival. For example, Shukhov has learned to prioritize the necessities of his life. One being a decent amount of food daily. Shukhov has been able to learn the ropes of the camp and know what he has to do and who he has to interact with in order to get them. He also knows that he should not take lightly what he has and because of that, more than once saved pieces of bread, from an already small meal, for times when he knows he will need them more. Furthermore, Shukhov knows that he is not the only one with a life like his and treats his fellow â€Å"zets† with the help and compassion they deserve. He has helped out many of the other zets learn to survive in the work camp and in turn is given more respect than others. In addition, Shukhov, although dehumanized at almost every time of the day, is still able to keep values of his own. Values of respect, to t hose who have earned it; self pride, so not to be pushed around by just anyone; and even after eight years of facing the bitter cold he will not eat with his hat on. It is Shukhov’s character that kept him alive and sane after eight years in the harsh Stalinist Work Camp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the novel the meal times are pointed out as being very important to Shukhov.

Biography of Aristotle (384 -322 BC) :: essays research papers

Aristotle (384 -322 BC) ARISTOTLE'S LIFE Aristotle, Greek philosopher and scientist, is one of the most famous of ancient philosophers. He was born in Stagira, Greece to a physician to the royal court. When he became eighteen, Aristotle entered Plato's School in Athens and remained at this academy for twenty years, as a student and then as a teacher. He was recognized as the Academy's brightest and was given the title of "The Intelligence of the School". When Plato died in 347 BC, Aristotle left Athens and joined a group of disciples of Plato, with his friend Hermias. Hermias became ruler of a city called Assos, a city in Asia Minor. Aristotle married Hermias' adopted daughter, Pythias. In 343 or 342 BC, Philip II, king of Macedonia, told Aristotle to supervise the education of his son, Alexander (later known as "Alexander the Great"). He taught him until 336 BC, when Alexander became the ruler of Macedonia. Alexander the Great later became the ruler of all Greece, and over threw the Persian Empire. In 334 BC, Aristotle returned to Athens and started his own school, the Lyceum. Because he taught while walking around, his students were called the Peripatetic students, meaning "walking" or "strolling". When Alexander died in 323 BC, Aristotle was charged with impiety (lack of reverence to the gods) by the Athenians. The Athenians probably did this because they resented Lu-2 Aristotle's friendship with Alexander, the man who conquered them. Aristotle fled to Euboea. He died there the next year. ETHICS Aristotle believed that there was no way to make an accurate resolution of human

Axolotl Biology Research Essay

A sexually mature adult axolotl, at age 18–24 months, ranges in length from 15–45 cm (6–18 in), although a size close to 23 cm (9 in) is most common and greater than 30 cm (12 in) is rare. Axolotls possess features typical of salamander larvae, including external gills and a caudal fin extending from behind the head to the vent. Their heads are wide, and their eyes are lidless. Their limbs are underdeveloped and possess long, thin digits. Males are identified by their swollen cloacae lined with papillae, while females are noticeable for their wider bodies full of eggs. Three pairs of external gill stalks (rami) originate behind their heads and are used to move oxygenated water. The external gill rami are lined with filaments (fimbriae) to increase surface area for gas exchange. Four gill slits lined with gill rakers are hidden underneath the external gills. Axolotls have barely visible vestigial teeth, which would have developed during metamorphosis. The primary method of feeding is by suction, during which their rakers interlock to close the gill slits. External gills are used for respiration, although buccal pumping (gulping air from the surface) may also be used in order to provide oxygen to their lungs. Axolotls have four different colours, two naturally occurring colors and two mutants. The two naturally occurring colors are â€Å"wildtype† (varying shades of brown usually with spots) and melanoid (black). The two mutant colors are leucistic (pale pink with black eyes) and albino (golden, tan or pale pink with pink eyes). mexican axolotl are able to shed their skin just like snakes. Australians and New Zealanders frequently refer to the Axolotl as the Mexican Walking Fish, though the Axolotl is not a fish but an amphibian, a salamander, part of the order Caudata/Urodela. Because it’s a salamander, it’s part of one of the three branches of class Amphibia, which also includes the frogs and toads[->0] (the Anurans[->1]), and the mainly eel-like order, Gymnophiona, which are also known as the Caecilians. The name â€Å"Axolotl† comes from the Aztec language, â€Å"Nahuatl†. One of the most popular translations of the name connects the Axolotl to the god of deformations and death, Xolotl, while the most commonly accepted translation is â€Å"water-dog† (from â€Å"atl† for water, and â€Å"xolotl†, which can also mean dog). The mexican axolotl has the ability of regenerating its body parts, so if it loses a body part it can just grow it back. it is a carnovore The Axolotl is the largest member of the family Ambystomatidae The Axolotl was originally native to Xochimilco and Chalco, two freshwater lakes south of Mexico City. Sadly, Chalco is now gone, and Xochimilco survives only as a network of canals and lagoons. These bodies of water are muddy bottomed and rich in plant and animal life.

A Clausewitzian Analysis of the Thirty Year’s War Essay

When applying the Clausewitzian paradoxical trinity paradigm to the Thirty Year’s War, we see that the catalyst that sparked much of the conflict during that time was driven by civil unrest of the ‘People’ engendered by fear of religious persecution. Beginning with the divergence of religious and secular leadership resulting from the Protestant Reformation which was exacerbated by the rigidity of Catholic monarchy, we see how widespread fomenting dissent within the German States lead to the decline of the Habsburg ruling family. In his work, On War, Clausewitz describes the essence of war as a continual interplay between the ‘paradoxical trinity’ of the people, the government, and the military. As we apply this framework to the complex and varied influences of the early 17th century, this model provides clarity in determining the root causes that shaped this era – an era that has come to be characterized by the rampant internecine warfare of religious and political factions of the time. The Protestant Reformation, which had begun to take traction with many of the expansion-minded German nobility, set the stage for the conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions throughout the German Provinces. With the signing of the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, Lutheranism had been officially recognized by the Holy Roman Empire. The major outcome of this treaty enabled the Protestant movement in Germany to claim lands once belonging to the Catholics. This result had great appeal to the more secular rulers throughout Europe who sought to disentangle themselves from papal oversight and influence. Under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Mathias, Protest and Catholic factions had gained equity of representation and influence throughout the Hapsburg controlled regions. This unification was driven, in part, by the larger Muslim threat presented by the Ottoman Empire. This truce, however, was an uneasy one with all the characteristics of a 17th century Cold War between the two religious sects, and as the balance shifted with the rise of a new monarch, each side began an arms race to defend their interests from the other. The appointment of the intransigent Catholic monarch, Ferdinand II, posed a threat to Protestants throughout the various Habsburg controlled territories. Religious hegemony of individual States was the preferred condition of German rulers in the early 17th century. The religion of the ruler shall be the religion of his subjects† was a motto that was very near and dear to many of the European rulers of the day. This rang especially true among the Catholic territories where the Church exercised much greater political influence than their Protestant counterparts. So when the balance of Protestant and Catholic controlled States was disrupted with the ascension of Ferdinand II – a widely acknowledged Catholic zealot – to the throne of Bohemia it brought a face to the fears of the Protestant nobility. In an effort to limit his religious edicts, the Protestant Bohemians entreated for religious freedoms of their newly throned monarch. The harsh dismissal of these entreaties was the spark that ignited the powder keg that Central Europe had become, and the subsequent â€Å"Defenestration of Prague† resulting in the death of Ferdinand’s representatives by Protestant rebels signaled the start of uprisings in Hungary, Transylvania, and the rest of Bohemia. This uprising spread throughout Europe, drawing in both political and religious powers to become decisively engaged. The unresolved religious dissent among the people and the Habsburg ruler served as a lodestone for conflict throughout Europe and lead ultimately to the decline of the Holy Roman Empire into several small autonomous territories. Early successes by the Hapsburg against the Bohemians, and later the Palatinate States, led to the direct involvement of France and Holland allying against the Hapsburgs. Their efforts were later supported by England, Sweden, Denmark, Savoy and Venice. These State actors all had their own agendas but ostensibly acted in support of the Protestant rebellion whose secular distancing from Church control appealed to both the ruling classes and commoners alike. The war ravaged the German countryside and some estimates have nearly half of the population were killed, wounded, or displaced, with some areas such as Wurttemberg losing nearly 75% of their population. The Peace of Westphalia which was signed in the fall of 1648 signified the end of the war. Alsace became part of France, while Sweden gained much of the German Baltic coast, while the Emperor had to recognize the sovereign rights of the German princes, and equality between Protestant and Catholic states, while Spain, in a separate peace, finally acknowledged the independence of the Dutch Republic. † The Habsburg crown was now, more than ever, subject to the auspices of the Imperial Diet, also termed the Reichstag or German Parliament, which exists to this day. When viewing the root cause of the Thirty Year’s War under the Clausewitzian perspective, we see that the â€Å"People† node of the paradoxical trinity was the most influential during that time. This war is often termed the War of Religion as religion was either the root cause of conflict, or the excuse used to mask political machination in efforts to expand power and influence. But in truth, religion was merely the vehicle by which contention among the commoners and landowners took shape to facilitate change of the current governmental structure. Upon the conclusion of the war, after the smoke had cleared and the damage was tallied, Habsburg power was irrevocably shattered and France emerged as the new epicenter of European influence and might. But the consequences extended beyond the immediate outcomes of the war. The resulting Peace of Westphalia changed the very relationships between citizens and the State, extricating religion from the government and laying the foundation for modern civic relationships of today’s democracies.

Energy Crisis in Pakistan

Energy is the bloodline of a country’s economy. A continuous and sufficient energy `supply can ensure a healthy and progressive economy. Pakistan is unfortunate to face severe energy crisis in recent years. The parting gap between demand and supply is mounting with every year and it is pushing the country into dark ages. Worst part of this menace is the fact the installed capacity of electricity can not only fulfill the energy demand but can also produce surplus amounts of energy. The highest peaks of energy demand are up to 14000 to 14,500 MW and the power generation capacity is 19.500MW.Hence the problem is an outcome of the absence of any viable solutions to add energy to the national grid. The pertaining factors which caused such an intense situation are expensive means of energy production, transmission line losses, lack of infrastructure, circular debts and electricity theft. In addition to that the economy is sinking like rock due to the quagmire of scarcity of power. I t had serious implications on business activity and country faces a shutdown of industry, drain of capital, unemployment and no foreign direct investment.The falling economy took the crutches of foreign debts which caused soaring high amounts of utility bills. Now a days electricity situation is worst and country is challenged by an immense power blackout. The failure of the government to secure sustainable, dedicated and affordable energy supplies has resulted in closure of hundreds of units. It created an outcry in industrial community. It is high time to rectify the mistakes of past and implement long term and short term energy projects to fulfill the future day need of power.