Sophocles shows a dramatic play

Recalling what had happened to Oedipus about finding out the he killed his own father and that he married his own mother and had children with her, Oedipus finally realized that the prophecy is true. Before, he ruled the city of Thebes, and because he wants to escape from the dirty life that he had been through, he poked out his eyes and went away. The question now is who deserves to get his protection, what city will be fortunate and will the prophecy prevail?Sophocles, shows a dramatic play for a tragic death of a hero and his mystical importance to the city of Athens. During the play, Oedipus who was now blind and frail had transformed to a beggar after he exiled himself from the city of Thebes. He was only with his daughter, Antigone, who guides his way. While they stand on the holy ground, Oedipus remembered the prophecy of Apollo that he will come to rest on that ground.By that time, Eteocles, the younger son of Oedipus, had overthrown Polynices to rule the city of Thebes. As a little description of Polynices, he was the older son of Oedipus and the twin brother of Eteocles who want to reconcile with his father for a selfish reason.He compared himself with his father which he considered as an outcast. Polynices attacked his brother in troops who is now under the rule of Creon, the brother –in- law of Oedipus. There is a prophecy which was known by Creon and Oedispus’ sons, that the place where Oedipus body will be buried will bring fortune to the city.Since they already knew about what’s going to happen, Polynices as well as Creon decided to go to Oedipus and take him back with the same reason of getting him in their custody and bury his body in their kingdom. However, Oedipus swears that he won’t give his two sons any support because they had done nothing to   he will never give his support to either of his sons, for they did nothing to prevent his exile years ago.By that time, Oedipus also called King Theseus and he arrived he pitied Oedipus because of the fate that has happened to him. Oedipus asked Theseus to keep him in Athens until the day he dies and at the same time he warned him by doing this favor. Without any hesitations and not thinking twice, Theseus accepted the favor and Oedipus promised him that the city will receive great blessings once his body will be buried in Colonus.Creon wants to seize Oedipus but because he knew that he can’t do that, he kidnapped Antigone and Ismene. Theseus promised that he will get oedipis’ daughters back.   Creon threatened to start war and used the two daughters as hostage, but then the king of Athenian drived Creon off, and soon freed Antigone and Ismene.Soon after Creon left, Polynices appeared, and he asked for his father’s favor to be in his custody. Since Oedipus gained his trust to Theseus he asked him to drive Polynices away, but Polynices wanted to explain his side that he did not condone his exile and the reason why the men of Thebes turned against him was because of his brother Eteocles.The worst thing that happened to Polynices aside from not winning his father back was the curse that his father gave him (Lines 269-576). Polynices asked his sisters support to give him a good burial after he dies as what the curse of father uttered.Suddenly, Oedipus hears a terrible thunder and declares that the time of his death has come.   Oedipus prepared for his death as he led Theseus, Ismene, and Antigone into a hidden part of the grave where he would lay to rest. The on witness to the death of Oedipus was Theseus and before he died, Theseus carried certain rites on the body of Oedipus so he received a divine protection to Athenes.Oedipus told Theseus that he must not reveal the spot where his body was placed and in order for the city to be safe for the next generation to come, he must pass it to his son when he dies and pass it to his son at his own death. When Oedipus finally died, Theseus took his daughter to their fathers’ grave.In giving my own view about who should really have the chance to be given the protection for either of the two cities, I would say that it should really be Athens. It is because as I am looking in Oedipus perspective; he has the will to choose to whom he will give his protection.There are several reasons why his decision was the right thing to do: First, when the time that he has planned to exile himself from the city of Thebes, his sons especially Polynices who is the eldest, did not even show any ability to stop his father from exiling himself and wander outside the city of Thebes. Greediness has been seen in the character of Polynices as well as with Creon and Eteocles.Polynices had the chance of getting the protection of his father’s corpse however, because of his self-serving reason, he disregarded his fate. He made a vision of invading Thebes and because his father knew his plans, he unfortunately cursed his son, which had caused his death. The other reason was that during that time, Oedipus already believed in the prediction of the oracles since his identity has been revealed and the prophecy had come to pass. He remembered that his prophecy was to die in the near the city gate located in Athenes is located.The third reason why his body stay in Athens is because, he should leave his bad memories in Thebes, where his prophecy had all started, which all draws back from his father’s oracle, Laius was murdered, Thebes was plagued by Sphinx, Oedipus became the king but then he turned to be the queen’s own son, famine came, Oedipus become blinded and soon exiled and finally her wife hangs herself;.Several memories which led to his suffering came ultimately from Thebes. And finally, the king of Athenes, Theseus, had shown his humbleness and kindness to Oedipus who asked for his help and gratefully accepted the favor of keeping him inside the city until he dies, although Oedipus warned him about a possible venge ance of the other city.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy Essay

â€Å"It will soon pass whatever it is. Don’t worry, be happy. † These are the epic words of Bobby McFerrin from the song: Don’t worry, be happy. In today’s life style our society thrives off of each other’s negativity. We are in a constant spiral of humanity due to the fact we don’t look to the better side of reality but to the ugly face of our pessimistic lives. Our lifestyles revolve the pain and loss we encounter, we need to take up the or at least grasp the concepts that lie in the melodies of Bobby McFerrin’s hit single. The meaning, history and relevance to today’s society will be analyzed. Don’t worry, be happy is a song released by Bobby McFerrin in conjunction with the film Cocktail in 1988. The song is an international feel good anthem for listeners all around. It focuses on the emphasis of looking past your troubles and remaining positive. Whether it be materialistic or emotional, one cannot let themselves be brought down because as a society we are all in a way or another connected and experience the toppling domino effect causing your peers also to come crashing down. According to a study conducted by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, 96 pairs of college roommates during 2 assessment sessions. The roommates of depressed target students became more depressed themselves over the course of the study. In relation to the song when you worry your face will frown and that will bring everybody down. Also McFerrin even offers to help the listener seek happiness, symbolizing that there is always some hope and the listener need only to reach out and seek it to achieve it. In general the song is telling the listener to promote the positive rather than the negative in one’s life, a concept that the people of today lack.

Business Ethics from Profit domain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics from Profit domain - Essay Example Business Ethics from Profit domain Business ethics is concerned with how businesses relate with the globe at large as well as their one-on-one relationship with their individual customers. Most business across the globe has earned bad reputation as a result of just being in the world of business. In the eyes of most people, the bottom line of business in making money, and this action is referred to as capitalism. Indeed, it is not wrong to have a means of generating money in the business world, but the manner in which it is being done is what counts, hence, a concern in business ethical behavior. It is conflicting to resolve the existing tension between a philosopher who believes in ethics in business and a money minded business owner. To fine the conflict the paper will look at three different ways that will lead the business world into business ethical standards (Chryssides and Kaler, 12-13). Business Ethics from Profit domain There has been an argument that business and ethics have a symbiotic correlation in which naturally ethics emerges from the businesses which are profit oriented. As a result of this, there are two ways of explaining the ethical standards. One, the application of good ethics in the business results to successful business. In general, it means that when businesses practice moral standards, they earn profits. However, this is not usually the case; for instance, making of safe products is profitable since product liability is decreased. In addition, businesses are profitable if employees privacy is respected, since there will be increased motivation hence efficiency. (Hartley, 44), Argues that, the only way a business can earn long-term interests, it’s by seeking trust from the public. However, this version has its weakness; for instance, most business that upholds moral practice will attain an economic advantage in the long run only. Little incentives are provided to businesses that seek profits within a short time. In addition some business morals may not be economi cally viable whether in the long run or short term. On the other hand, moral business depends on what it is being the product or service that will earn the business good profit. Therefore, the conflict that exists between business ethics and profits is incidental. The Second way is that, the profit motive in a free market which is competitive will bring about business ethics. Meaning that, if safe products are demanded by consumers, or if employees demand for their privacy, then consumers will purchase from or the individuals would wish to be employed in business that have their demand. It is therefore obvious that, good businesses lead to standard ethics, when business standards are observed by individuals involved in the business it is automatic to attract the consumers. However, the assumption that consumers and employees will demand there need to be met is challenging. The consumers may desire poor products if they are making a saving and the employees will forego their needs if they are compensated with high pays. It is important to note that not every ethical behavior in a business will lead to profitability. Business Ethics against laws The other strategy of business ethics is that the ethical obligation in a business encounters laws constrains. Across the globe, morality from the westernized has been put into legal laws such as harassments, killings and fraud. For

Organizational Change in Umpqua Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Change in Umpqua Bank - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that one of the biggest challenges the bank faced was the influence of the culture in the other acquired bank branches on the culture of Umpqua Bank. Adoption of other banks involved retaining the banks’ employees. These employees had got used to a different culture and it was, therefore, a major challenge to make them adjust to a new culture smoothly. To overcome this problem, the leadership injected Umpqua’s culture into the other bank branches by bringing their employees in busloads to Umpquas stores to offer them with orientation. This enabled a real firsthand introduction to a new business world and which in turn made the employees feel the desire to change and hence adapt faster. It was a challenge for Umpqua to run its operations in a harmonious manner especially considering the fact that its individual stores were different in terms of size, demographics, and layout. In addition, the branches were al so different in the sense that their loan and deposit potential varied considerably. This, therefore, demanded individual stores be handled differently. The bank created a cross-functional task force to look for the best means by which the challenge could be overcome. The task force provided a strategic financial proposal which later streamlined its operations. Competition from other large banks posed a serious challenge to Umpquas desire to succeed. Banks such as Washington Mutual and Bank of America sent the leadership of Umpqua bank to the drawing board to come up with new strategies that would aid in retaining its culture now that their competitors had started copying their already-in-use strategies. In 2002, for example, Washington Mutual had its first ‘occassio’ branch opened whereas the Bank of America started holding experiments to ascertain the effectiveness of the branch design. To counter this, the leadership at Umpqua decided to invest in the best customer s ervice delivery as compared to their competitors. Umpqua's customer service, especially its in-store customer service which was unique, was its competitive edge and so it had to be perfect.

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1900 Assignment Three Essay

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1900 Assignment Three - Essay Example Detractors who said they could see the wisdom in some of the New Deal initially, but then feel that it went too far later pointed this out.    Perkins, Frances. The Roosevelt I Knew. New York: Viking, 1946. Print. Roosevelt showed numerous strengths as a crisis leader. He had the courage to break with the orthodoxy of the day, which is always a difficult thing to do. He took a look at the large picture and realized that letting business attempt to create some sort of Utopia was not going to end the Depression. His willingness to try something new shows good crisis leadership. He was decisive and did not waver from his basic ideals. Roosevelt did show that he could also over-react in a crisis. When the Supreme Court threatened some of his legislation and others declared unconstitutional, he showed poor judgment by trying to pack the Supreme Court with extra justices that were sympathetic to his policies. This type of rash maneuver showed that Roosevelt could create drama that actual ly made it harder to manage the crisis of the Great Depression. Leuchtenburg, William Edward. The Supreme Court Reborn: the Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print. The beginning of World War II changed American society in many ways. Economically, the spending on wartime manufacturing ended the Great Depression. Millions of jobs were created. But with many men called away to fight, different groups provided the labor. American teenagers dropped out of school in record numbers to work in factories. Women left the home and childcare responsibilities to work in manufacturing facilities. This greatly expanded economic opportunities for women. Minorities of all sorts were affected by the war as well. Opportunities to serve in the armed forcers were provided to African-Americans and Native Americans. American society changed forever. I am writing to recommend my very good friend Donald â€Å"The Donald† Trump as the ultimate businessman o f the 19th and 20th century. This is a fitting nomination for a gentleman that in many ways embodies the very essence of the hard-driving entrepreneurship that has helped to make America the great nation that it is. We are all aware that Donald Trump is a household name. But that isn’t why I feel he deserves this award. Plenty of business people have become household names, but none have done so with as much panache and bravado as The Donald. In order to most fully understand why Donald Trump is where he is today, we need to look at where he began. Donald grew-up in Queens and as a result has had a love of New York City his entire life. He followed in his father’s footsteps by working in the family real estate development business. It would be easy for some to say that Donald really didn’t have to work hard for his success. He was handed a business started by his father. Some might say that his story is simply a case of the rich getting richer. This might be tru e if it wasn’t for the fact that even before Donald joined the family business, he was showing the drive that would get him where he is today. His schooling was adequate at Fordham University but Donald wanted the best. He transferred to the Wharton School of Business at Penn University because he wanted to be in the very best school (Trump).

Sex Addiction Among Teenagers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sex Addiction Among Teenagers - Essay Example indicated that they had been sexually abused, and 72% said that they were physically abused as children3. Families with fixed and repressed attitudes about sex, or families mired and/or dissociated are susceptible to producing sex addicts. Often these addictions have a component in general, in which the addict is satisfying the frustrated or repressed sexual desires of a sexual abuser (during early childhood), of a parent or of another ancestor. Signs of Sexual Addiction As with any addiction or compulsive behavior like alcoholism or drug addiction, there are warning signs for sex addiction too. The following includes many of the warning signs that are visible in teenagers dealing with sexual addiction4: Frequently telling sexual jokes or making sexual comments or innuendos Engaging in sexual activity-especially with several partners Spending considerable time in activities that could lead to sexual activity such as cruising for potential partners or spending hours online in chat rooms trying to hook up with others Visiting pornographic websites or looking at pornographic magazines, books, or videos Neglecting obligations such as work, school, or family in pursuit of sexual activity Continuing to engage in illicit sexual behavior despite the negative consequences related to such activities Escalating the scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve a desired effect, such as more frequent visits to Web sites or sex with more partners Frequently isolating themselves from parents and friends and not informing others of their whereabouts Getting angry if someone shows concern or questions them about sex or their use of pornography Feeling irritable when unable to engage...According to the fact sheet, Marketing Sex to Children6, released by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood7, there is a massive bombardment of sexual content and messages upon children: Setting aside TV, movies, and music, which may be controlled to a large extent, one most important and probably the biggest source of sexual content, which lies uninhibited, is the Internet. It caters to teenagers' desires by providing endless information on sex as well as a constant supply of people willing to discuss sex. With their identities remaining unknown, teens find it safer to search for information on sex. Links to porn content comes to them automatically through porn spam on their e-mail inbox or by being compelled to click on a link to a porn site. These sites conjure up a highly twisted image of normal relationships before their immature minds. In fact, pornography is directly related to sexual abuse, rape, and sexual violence. Excessive exposure to "hard-core" pornography tends to desensitize teens to "soft" porn and taking recourse to highly compromising images of bondage, rape, sadomasochism, torture, group sex and violence. AGI, Teenage pregnancy: overall trends and state-by-state information, New York: AGI, 1999, Table 1; and Henshaw SK, U.S. Teenage pregnancy statistics with comparative statistics for women aged 20- 24, New York: AGI, 1999, p. 5.

Flight to Mexico - General Aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Flight to Mexico - General Aviation - Essay Example The â€Å"pilot to be† must pass the FAA practice flight test. In addition, a private pilot must be able to speak, read and comprehend English. A medical examination for aviation is also vital and can only be administered by a medical official certified by the aviation department. It is critical that a private pilot has all the necessary documents. These documents consist of photo identification, a student pilot certificate with endorsements, a FAA Form 8710-1 Airman Certificate. Moreover, a private pilot needs to have a logbook with CFI endorsements along with along with an aircraft maintenance logbook. As a private pilot, tourist VISA is extremely essential along with FMM, which is a visitor permit that is provided by the airline. In addition, a customs declaration form is vital. Clearing immigration upon arrival is highly suggested for foreign pilots since clerks do check these documents. For further approval, the FMM permit gets stamped by the airport officials. As mentioned above, strict guidelines are placed in all aspects of transportation, which includes customs. Since Mexican customs deal with a lot of traveling and shipping options, they are strict in not permitting certain things to enter their soil. One of the main objectives of Mexican customs is to ensure the protection of their country. Hence, it is quite common for the Mexican government to reject goods that seems susipicious and is not labeled clearly. Everything must be cleared with US customs since both customers understand the gravity of security issues that emerged post September 11. Any monetary value over ten thousand dollars must be approved and declared with the customs. Mexico is a beautiful country that has the ability to spark excitement and awe amongst tourists. Mexico offers beautiful beaches along with historical cities that date all the way to Spanish colony. Mexico City itself offers many incentives such as great

Peer review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Peer review - Essay Example the matter of Chato’s son’s dead-body and the matter of Ayah’s children’s treatment, However, the no outside source has been used. I hear the writer’s voice best in the questions he puts forth in the article. The essay starts with a thought-provoking question and concludes with summarization of the theme of Lullaby. This essay revolves around the quotation, â€Å"We are together always. There never was a time, when this was not true† by Ayah in Lullaby. The writer’s question, â€Å"Ayah’s journey through life is filled with loss and hardships brought upon by her heritage and their struggles with the white man; but could it also said that acceptance is a theme that makes itself apparent as well?† relates to thesis in that it highlights Ayah’s acceptance. While the writer has tried to put forth several examples in an attempt to illustrate Ayah’s acceptance of the circumstances, some of them are not very strong e.g. path being covered by snow. Snow stands for coldness, lack of mobility, and lifelessness whereas the writer has interpreted as clarity and optimism. The essay has a good structure and the points discussed try to elaborate Ayah’s acceptance and healing, though some points have been interpreted very

Two Important Virtues Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Two Important Virtues - Coursework Example However, he recommended that a virtuous trait is the one that is between deficiency and the excess of that trait. Braveness as a virtue will make an individual pursue all his or her dreams no matter the evident obstacles on the way (Macaro & NetLibrary, 2006). Industriousness is another virtue that Aristotle highlighted as important for the success of an individual. It entails working tirelessly so as to improve an individual’s life. If this virtue is put into practice, an individual’s life is liable to flourish or succeed remarkably (OToole, 2005). These two virtues are essential because they will keep the individuals in the right truck that is likely to lead his or her to success. Braveness will enable an individual to keep going no matter how hard the journey may be while industriousness will help people to keep working until he, or she meets his targets. Cowardliness and slothfulness are the contrast of these virtues. Any individual who would choose to pursue them will end up staying a life without trying anything, and hence he or she will never achieve anything and hence cannot flourish or succeed at all (Hibbs, 2001). Similarly, the excess of these virtues is disadvantageous. Rashness may make an individual find him or herself in the nasty ending when he or she will have overindulged, and he can easily lose everything. While over industriousness may make an individual to overindulge an aspect that may make a person face adverse effects in such aspects like health. This complies with Aristotle’s recommendation that the virtuous trait should be between deficiencies and excess (OToole,

'Common stock valuation' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

'Common stock valuation' - Essay Example The dividend yielded from a particular common stock is not predetermined and is variable as compared to the fixed dividend offered in the case of preferred shares. The identification of the common stock’s value becomes quite difficult as the dividend rate is not already known and is always fluctuating. The basic principle applied while stock’s value is determined is that the current value of the stock is supposed to be its present value of all upcoming cash flows that is owed by the person who has invested in the stock. In simpler terms this means that an investor’s return depends on what price he is paying for a stock. The current price of a stock can be identified through discounted value of future cash flows by applying the principle of time value of money (Moyer, 2012). This value of the stock is recognized as the stocks intrinsic value as this value is obtained from different information available about the stock. This value is not the exact value of the sto ck, but this value is near to the stocks actual value and reflects the current position of the stock. The above formula states that Po is the current price of the share and D1 is the dividend for that particular stock which is offered for the first time and the same dividend will be offered throughout and r is used to represent the common stock’s required return rate (Mayo, 2007). If a particular stock’s dividend is not constant and keeps on changing then the current value of the stock is its present value of any growing cash flows. Formula: Do is used to indicate the dividend that is offered this time, if the dividend of that particular stock keeps on growing at a continuous rate, then the current common stock’s value is value that all future dividends will have (Chisholm, 2009). The constant rate of growth of stocks is represented by â€Å"g†. This model is referred as DVM or dividend

A Discussion of the Final Chapter of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay Example for Free

A Discussion of the Final Chapter of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay In the final stages of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there are many ways in which the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, both explores human nature, and also creates a sense of sympathy on the part of the reader for Dr Henry Jekyll, which could be said to extend to Mr Edward Hyde as well. In reference to the authors exploration of the nature of humanity, the settings of the story itself are very important. Previous to the writing of this story, there had been a firm tradition of horror stories being set exclusively in rural areas, perhaps due to the fact that only a minority of people lived in these areas, and so to those elsewhere it would have seemed far more remote and exotic. Stevensons thriller was ground-breaking in that it focussed its plot in an urban setting, by name London, but also with extraordinary resemblance to Stevensons home city of Edinburgh. This setting reflects the idea of urban expansion into the countryside, but more importantly the more modern appearance of this particular horror story. Because a large majority of the readers of this book would have been living in the city, it brings the story closer to them, and allows them to become more involved in the events of the plot. Stevensons use of the city as the setting for his story also is also representative of early manifestations of writers of this era moving towards using the city as a representation of fear and darkness, rather than its previous role as a deeply romanticized place. In terms of Stevensons investigation of human nature, the proximity of Jekylls laboratory and his fine house is very significant. The laboratory represents, in my opinion, the hidden, secretive side of his life, involving his work, as well his life as Mr Edward Hyde. The fact that this laboratory is so close to Jekylls expensive and upper-class house, representing his professional and social life as a doctor and a well-respected member of society, signifies the proximity of the two parts of his character, in fact their intricate relationship, intertwined and connected in so many different aspects. This idea is also mentioned by Jekyll himself in the final chapter, in his account of events, emphatically saying; It was the curse of mankind that these two incongruous faggots were thus bound together-that in the agonized womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. I have decided to quote this sentence because I believe it is very revealing about the thorough and primitive duality of man explored in the text. Jekyll talks of incongruous faggots being bound together, meaning that the two elements do not combine, but that they are still as one. The phrase polar twins, is almost a contradiction in terms, and shows that the two elements of Dr Jekylls psyche are both united in their existence, but also that they are totally opposite. The phrase duality of man, used earlier in this chapter, also expresses the idea of two parts to every mind or conscience, an ego and a superego. Mr Edward Hyde is the ego, an utterly self-absorbed being, merely concerned with and conscious of themselves. Dr Jekyll, however, is the superego, the element of the character which socialises the entirety, enabling it to interact with others. No man is complete without both of these parts, and neither can truly exist without the other. However, Jekylls apparent desire to appear arid and utterly professional externally, and his recognition of his chief fault as a certain impatient gaiety of disposition seems to have forced him into a desire to separate the two parts of his character, the superego and the ego. This, in his mind, would allow him to live as two men, but his failure to predict the nature of these two individual characters leads to his suffering and isolation. In the final chapter, his retrospective account, he concedes, all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil. Stevenson himself shares some parallels with the character of Jekyll. Born into a strictly religious, part of the Calvinist movement, Stevenson grew up with the belief, although possibly inescapable, that there was an underlying and constant presence of sin in everything; every action and every person. This is shown in the character of Henry Jekyll, and the underlying evil that is personified by Edward Hyde. In Jekylls earlier life, he was forced to conceal his pleasures from his family, becoming rebellious against his father, just as Jekyll himself feels urged to do in the story, and from which the beginnings of his familiarity with a double-life or, as he says a profound duplicity of life, can be traced. The context of the story is also important in terms of the sympathy created by the author for Hyde. The period in which the book is set was one of enormous scientific progress and discovery, and in my opinion, this adds a further element to the reasons for a feeling of sympathy for Henry Jekyll. Jekyll himself cites a burning ambition inside himself as being a key reason for his unquenchable thirst to discover the true nature of humanity, and thus his desire to become Hyde. The intensity of the scientific world of the period, and the temptation which face Jekyll after his first experience of the transformation both appear to contribute towards his inability to stop himself becoming Hyde. Jekyll himself seems to realise the responsibility of these factors towards the end of the book, in his account of events. One particular example of this is; Strange as my circumstances were, the terms of this debate are as old and commonplace as man: much the same inducements and alarms cast the die for any tempted and trembling sinner; and it fell out with me, as it falls with so vast a majority of my fellows, that I chose the better part and was found wanting the strength to keep it This clearly shows Jekylls impotence to stop himself from leaning towards the temptation of his new life, and also that this was not a vice exclusive to him as an individual, but that it was something unavoidably and unquestionably natural for mankind. This creates a sense of sympathy on behalf of the reader, because it emphasises Jekylls lack of power and control over his actions, as well as explaining to the reader that the evil which is brought out of Henry Jekyll is not something that he is to blame for, instead that he is a victim of his own ambition and daring, as well as the ambition and aspirations of the society in which he lived. Another remark which shows this idea is, It was thus the exacting nature of my aspirations, than any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, expressing the feeling of blamelessness in Jekyll, and thus the sympathy in the reader for him. Another way in which the reader is led to sympathise with Jekyll is the way in which Jekyll is tempted to become Hyde by his feelings of restriction and his desire to find pleasure, whilst keeping his life as Dr Henry Jekyll separate from this. In his account, Jekyll explains that, in becoming Hyde, he is free from the bonds of obligation and is able to, like a schoolboy, strip off these lendings and spring headlong into the sea of liberty. These quotations clearly show the immense need for freedom that Dr Jekyll faces, and the extent to which he is prepared to act in order to obtain this freedom. There seems, to me, to be a certain resemblance to the idea of sin and temptation in this element of the story. Jekyll clearly feels restricted by, and in, the world in which he lives, and the fact that he is aware of a way out of this world causes his inability to resist the temptation of taking the path to freedom. When he has experienced the freedom for the first time, he is unable to st op himself from using the potion in order to free himself from the burdens of society. The sympathy induced by Stevenson is not, however, limited to the character of Dr Jekyll. To a certain extent, Mr Hyde is worthy of some pity himself. The main way in which this applies is in relation to Hydes death and disappearance. Hyde commits suicide because he is afraid of being caught, and subsequently punished for his violent actions. If we are to believe that Hyde is evil incarnate, and that he possesses no element of good in his character, then the fact that he is unable to forgive himself his wrongdoings, and that he makes excuses for his actions, would seem to suggest that he cannot be seen as utterly ruthless, and thus in a sense he is weak. This inability to ignore his conscience, means, in my opinion, that he is not in fact entirely evil, and that the relationship between good and evil, and between Dr Henry Jekyll and Mr Edward Hyde, is not as defined as one might think, that there are shades of grey to be considered. I believe that this creates sympathy for Hyde, making him appear wretched and pitiful. Indeed, Dr Jekyll himself creates and expresses a certain degree of pity for Hyde, admitting that he cannot wholly condemn his actions, because he himself envies the way in which Hyde embraces his freedom. He says, But his love of life is wonderfulI find it in my heart to pity him The fact that even Jekyll feels pity for his wretched inner self merely serves to encourage similar feelings in the reader. In conclusion, I believe that Dr Henry Jekyll bravely sacrifices his own life in order to prevent the evil Edward Hyde from being free. In this sense, I feel that he shows another side of human nature which is almost entirely exclusive to Jekylls superego, the conscience. Jekyll shows an ability to consider the situation of others above himself, and importantly, an ability to recognise between good and evil.

Poverty in children with single parents

Poverty in children with single parents The most difficult thing is not spending enough time with my dad really. He might like expect me to phone him, but hes a parent so he should be taking care of me and phone me. If he really cared hed phone me every weekend and see how I was getting on at school, spend time with me and help me to do my course work (What Children from Single Parent Families Have to Say 13). This is what a typical child living in a single parent family might say when he feels ignored by one of his parents. This could be shocking to some people who believe that single parenthood doesnt greatly affect a childs life or attitude (McLanaham 1). But the fact is that not all children who grow up in single parent families are able to maintain a successful life, most of these children might suffer from great difficulties in making a transition to adulthood (Mather 1). These children are more vulnerable to poverty which increases the dangers of growing up in a single parent household to more than just economical o nes. Poverty might even cause an increase in the risks of dropping out of school, disconnecting from labor forces, and ending up as a thieves stuck in a room with not even a single parent aside (Mather 1). Early studies suggest that growing up with one parent had no long term effects on the child, but more recent reports show that the effects of parental breakup might sometimes extend to having the children intentionally damage their bodies and some might even commit suicide due to major psychiatric diseases (Single-parent Children at Increased Risk of Suicide). Adolescents who had grown up with only one of their parents during their childhood are twice as likely to suffer from poverty, have low academic achievements, and suffer from low levels of social and emotional well-being (McLanaham 1). Poverty is one of the main problems that most single-parent children suffer from. Unlike children living with a regular family, single-parent children usually have only one parent to provide income (Family and Community 10). Without the support of their husbands, single mothers face a difficult challenge in maintaining a stable economy for their family. These mothers have limited financial sources and cant easily afford to cover their childrens education, child care, and health care costs (Mather 2). For this reason, most of them tend to live with their parents or with other relatives to gain their financial support (Mather 2). Some of these mothers tend to find another option which is returning to school and resuming their education in order to find adequate jobs with reasonable salaries (Family and Community 10). If the father was too busy to take care of his recent family, he should at least ensure that his childs mother has a good educational rank and good job trainings to ensure that his children successfully pass to the stage of adulthood (Mather). He cant just leave everything on the mother; he has major responsibilities which he should never ignore towards a child which is in total need of both of his parents. Most parents miss the fact that their children could understand all what is going on around them; these children realize that their parent cant afford all what they need and crave for. As a result, they try to minimize their requests and stick to demanding for nothing but the necessities. In a way or another, the children become the ones nurturing their parent instead of them being the ones nurtured. These childrens parent often has no enough money to afford the cost of school trips or any extra activities which blocks any attempt of being able to build any social relationship, whats amazing and shocking at the same time about most of these children is that they rarely complain and dont ask for more than whats available (What Children from Single Parent Families Have to Say 25). Poverty could thus damage both financial and social aspects of a childs life. Many factors play important roles in the childrens development and affect the way they think and act. These factors include neighborhood characteristics, schools, and peer networks. But the most important factor which affects the childs growth is the parents themselves who provide the major source of social support in the childrens lives (Mather 1). With the mothers busy finding a way to provide income for their children, the child grows not only with a single parent but also with no parents at all, and the bad effects are thus doubled. These children always demand contact with the non-resident parent and complain about the way he/she is ignoring their presence. Their biggest concerns are the problems among their resident parent, their non-resident parent, and themselves (What Children from Single Parent Families Have to Say 13). They always think about every fight that happens and they even sometimes blame themselves. In addition to spending no time with their parents, these childre n also spend no time with their friends. The lack of money they face causes them difficulties in getting along with their peers; they feel excluded when their friends do activities that require money which they themselves dont have (What Children from Single Parent Families Have to Say 25). After having suffered from poverty at an early age, children in single parent households become more vulnerable to mental and psychiatric diseases (Single-parent children at increased risk of suicide). The simplest problems could appear as major ones in their view; they need much more care and attention than other children. But the painful fact is that not only do these children face financial poverty, but also time poverty; they repeatedly complain about how much they need attention from their parent who always comes tired from work and needs a long relaxing sleep (What children from single parent families have to say 14). These parents cant realize the fact that their supervision of their children at this stage is extremely important to enhance their well-being. This single parent has less time to monitor his/her children closely, and eventually he/she knows nothing about where his/her children are, who they are with, and what theyre doing (Why Single Parenthood Affects Children 24 ). Some of these children take advantage of this situation and commit actions like suicide in order to escape from what they think is an unbearable situation (Single-parent Children at Increased Risk of Suicide). This lack of parental monitoring terribly affects the childs behavior and causes him lots of psychological and emotional problems. Whether or not their mother was remarried, these children are susceptible to the risk of depression which increases with the increase of conflicts among their biological parents (Kawachi et al). With all the problems they are facing, single parents obviously have no time to get involved in their childrens school activities and usually have no enough money to set high academic goals for their children. These are the major factors which are well known to endanger the academic achievement of children. The more the parents are involved in their childrens school, the less are the problems that their children face in their education. With the lack of a stable educational background, these children face many difficulties in being enrolled in quality universities and eventually in finding quality jobs (Why Single Parenthood Affects Children 24). The poverty of their parents affects their educational achievements in different manners; the ones who grow up poor mostly have lower literacy rates, higher rates of dropping out of school, and even higher delinquency rates (The Causes and Consequences of Childrens Poverty). The minds of these children are often busy with their parents problems and they have no time to think about their school or about anything related to their education. They are full of nothing but psychological problems and free of academic aspirations. Most of them face difficulties in attending school and thinking about anything other than their parents divorce. With all the stress upon them, their academic achievements become less and eventually end up having them drop out of school. While going through a divorce, parents should pay close attention to their children to make sure that they face a low amount of stress. They have to make sure that their children understand very well that they will do anything to reduce the impact of divorce upon their lives (Hawkins). Anger might overcome these children and lead to severe problems at school, some of them might not be able to control their anger and engage in fights with their schoolmates because they only want someone to argue with to relief themselves; they even sometimes engage in fights with their teachers. The more the time he gets involved in fights, the less the time he spends in classroom (Hawkins). But the fact is that many children raised by single parent mothers grow up to be quite successful. These children are probably the ones who had responsible parents who knew how to treat their children in order to sustain a peaceful life. If this parent took his child out for dinner of even sat with him peacefully on the dinner table in an attempt to listen, his child might happily seize this chance and complain about all what hes suffering from instead of committing suicide or tearing his skin apart. One hour per day is quite enough to solve the childs social issues. As for the parent living in poverty, keep it to yourself and never complain about this problem near your children even if you have to live without many things that you are used to. When the children see their parents suffering, they might blame themselves and think that they are the reason for their parents depression. Try to find ways to afford even the simplest school trips to help your children fit into the outside wo rld and forget about living with a single parent. It would be a responsible act of the parent if he/she gives his/her childs school a visit once per week to ask about his/her academic performance and to check whether he/she is facing problems. Single-parenting is not a disaster if the parents were responsible and knew how to act.

The Origin Of Human Resource Management Management Essay

The Origin Of Human Resource Management Management Essay Introduction: A single universally acceptable definition of HRM could hardly be found in this universe. Definition varies according to the author and probably they altogether refer organizational management activities in wider sense or in relations to employees welfare , or a strategic approach to people management (1). Human Resource Management provides an international forum for discussion and debate to promote the understanding of the importance of human resource management and people management to business strategy. Human resource management (HRM), as defined by Bratton, J. Gold, J. (2003), is A strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. According to this definition, we can see that human resource management should not merely handle recruitment, pay, and discharging, but also should maximize the use of an organizations human resources in a more strategic level. To describe what the HRM does in the organization, Ulrich, D. Brocklebank, W. (2005) have outlined some of the HRM roles such as employee advocate, human capital developer, functional expert, strategic partner and HR leader etc. New challenges arise even now for the organization, and it is certain that new challenges will never cease to emerge. Therefore, the use of proper Human Resources techniques is a really powerful way for organizations to overcome these challenges, and to improve not only their quantitative goals but also their organizational culture, and their qualitative, cognitive aspects. Take our 20 best people away, and I will tell you that Microsoft would become an unimportant company (Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft in Fortune, November 25th, 1996). This clarifies that how important is HRM for the development of business. In the global recession period HRM could play an important role in reducing the recession. organizations do not owe their success solely to market realities and sustainable competitive advantages, rather successful companies are those that consider their human capital as their most important asset. HRM and Personnel management: People however often get confused with the term personal management as a HRM. Though they possess similar characteristics they are indifferent to each other. People should be aware that HRM is strategic in nature that is, being concerned with directly assisting an organization to gain sustained competitive advantage. Whereas personnel management is about the maintenance of personnel and administrative systems. HRM is more proactive than Personnel Management. Furthermore, a valuable contribution of HRM is to direct the attention to regarding people as the key resource of organisations and lending the management of personnel increased importance. Personnel management refers to a set of functions, for example, recruitment and selection, often performed effectively but with little relationship between the various activities, or with overall organizational objectives. HRM, in contrast, assumes that all personnel activities are integrated with each other and strategically with organizational objectives (Nankervis, Compton and McCarthy, 1999, pp.4-5). Main differences between Personnel management and HRM: Personnel management is workforce centered, directed mainly at the organizations employees; such as finding and training them, arranging for them to be paid, explaining managements expectations, justifying managements actions etc. While on the other hand, HRM is resource -centered, directed mainly at management, in terms of devolving the responsibility of HRM to line management, management development etc. Personnel Management is basically an operational function, concerned primarily with carrying out the day-today people management activities. While on the other hand, HRM is strategic in nature, that is, being concerned with directly assisting an organization to gain sustained competitive advantage. HRM is more proactive than Personnel Management. Whereas personnel management is about the maintenance of personnel and administrative systems, HRM is about the value of organizational needs, the continual monitoring and adjustment of personnel systems to meet current and future requirements, and the management of change. Strategic HRM: Strategic HRM, as it has come to be known, is concerned with the development and implementation of people; strategies which are integrated with corporate strategies and ensure that the culture, values, structure of the organization, quality, motivation and commitment of its members; contribute fully to the achievement of its goals (Armstrong, 1991; cited in Armstrong and Long, 1994). More and more companies are proactively involving HR in the earliest stages of generating the business plan, rather than just letting HR reacts to it (Dessler, 1997; p. 19). One of the central themes of strategic HRM is its use of the term strategic, which incorporates planning, a congruous approach to the management of HR systems, and seeing employees as a source of competitive advantage (Hendry and Pettigrew, 1986). Strategic HRM seeks to ensure that all business planning processes realize that the ultimate source of value is people, and that the firms distinctive competencies and the types of people who are needed to build and maintain them are identified (Stone, 1995; p. 9-10). Such a view makes HRM an equal partner in the strategic planning process (Dessler, 1997; p. 22). The management of people is not a distinct function but the means by which all business strategies are implemented. (Armstrong and Long, 1994; p. 44). Strategic HRM is a response to change (Ezzamel, 1996: p. 76). By managing this change well, a competitive advantage can be gained through the matching of HRM to business strategy (Kamoche, 1991:p. 3). Effective HR strategies have now become the distinguishing factor among successful organizations and economies (Stone, 1995:p. 10). However, it must be realized that strategic HRM will not guarantee success it is not an instant pudding (Armstrong, 1994: p.54) Hard and Soft Models of HRM: HRM has been frequently described as a concept having two diametrically opposite, though not necessarily irreconcilable, languages: soft and hard. Soft HRM emphasizes communication, motivation and leadership (Storey, 1989: p. 8; Boxall, 1996: p. 59). It is associated with the human relations movement and McGregors Theory Y view of individuals (Truss et al, 1997: p. 54), and it assumes that employees will work most effectively if they are fully committed to the organization (Lundy, 1994; cited in Truss et al, 1997: p. 56). This model emphasizes on the varieties of stakeholders as shareholders,different group of employers, the government and the community. HR strategeis should reflect on all these groups and fuse them into the Human resource strategy and ultimately the business strategy (1). In contrast to this, Hard HRM or the matching model emphasizes the quantitative, calculative and business-strategic aspects of managing the headcounts resource in as rational a way as for any other economic factor (Storey, 1989: p. 8). This form of HRM focuses on the importance of the HR policies being closely linked to the strategic objectives of the organization, resulting in a competitive advantage (Storey and Sisson, 1993; cited in Truss et al, 1997: p. 55). In contrary this model is the process of deployment of human resources to meet business objectives. These two forms grew from roots developed within the infancy stage of HRM. The excellence movement influenced the development of soft HRM, while hard HRM was the result of strategic concern (Kamoche, 1991: p. 4). Critics of Hard and Soft Models of HRM: Ultimately, there is a conflict between elements of self-expression within the soft model, and organizational direction in the hard model. Although both versions have been taken from quite distinct intellectual traditions, they have been amalgamated into one general model that is HRM. The results from a study by Truss et al (1997) found that no single organization adopted either a pure soft or hard approach to human resource management. Though the rhetoric may be the soft version, with its foundation in communication and employee commitment, the reality of organizational goals almost always brings HRM back to the hard model (Truss, ET AL, 1997: p. 70). As a result of such inconsistency between hard and soft HRM, the credibility of HRM will continue to remain a problem (Vaughan, 1994: p. 28). In every approach, there are advantages and disadvantages. The hard approach would mean that rules, regulations and goals are clearly defined and adhered to, however, it would mean that employees will not be involved in decision-making and that may result in a decrease in motivation and commitment. The soft approach, on the other hand, although may increase motivation and commitment since employees are involved in the organization, it may prove to be chaotic if clear-cut rules and goals are not made clear as this may affect the firms profits and goals. HRM and Performance: The different roles exercised by HR managers and employees has resulted positive performance. The involvement of hrm not only increases employers skills,relation but also help in organizational performance ,productivity and growth. The given fig illustrates the relation between hr activities/roles, hrm outcomes and business performance(1). Definition: HR Manager: Human Resource manager is the person who responsible for total management of the same department optimizing the human capital to the greatest possible limit. HR manager practices HRM functions within an organization. In other words he or she is the heart of the organization who keeps the whole system alive by a list of rational activities. A good manager is the intimate friend of all employees with whom all can share business and even individual related matters that affect the performance of the organization in the short or long run. The traditional role: The traditional HR role was mainly recruitment,training and retention based where it is very much narrow and limit the potentials of both HR and employees. The repetition of the same working cycle made them unenthusiastic to a great extent but the matters concerning the employees affecting the productivity have increased the responsibility of HR.A number of study has changed the conventional roles of HR. Nowadays a HR even has to think about psychology of current employees which is the most interesting apart from influencing strategic decisions in broader perspective. High power distance: This is one of the crucial characters of traditional HR functions. In the organizational framework there were huge gaps between employees and HR. Ultimately miscommunication easily happens due to poor understanding between employees and higher officials. Low efficiency: In early days HR used to be less efficient but in coming days new sets of standards are set frequently to be an efficient HR. For example it was unimaginable to think that a manager would consider psychological aspects as well. Administrative confinement: In past days HR used to confine themselves in only administrative works but today they are more strategic and he is responsible for important decisions taken by the organization. He has to think about not only present but also future needs of the employees besides in early days there was much less motivation practice among the HR. New hr/Modern HR practices: The major contributions of HR comes from two sources: Service Delivery Facilitation roles The first one deals with recruitment and retention of staffs and confirm that they have required skills where as the second one concerns about motivation to get the best output from employees. But both these inputs can be at the operational and strategic levels depending upon business objectives. In the protection of organizational values HR has a leading role. One of the major features in new HR managers is adaptability. The role of the HR manager must match the needs of his or her shifting organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptable, flexible, quick to change direction, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by line managers, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor. At the same time, especially the HR, still has responsibility for employee benefits administration, often payroll, and employee paperwork, especially in the absence of any other employees .So it suggests that HR must be multi skilled. He should have strong capacity building power having other official skills. Depending on the size of the organization, the HR manager has responsibility for all of the functions that deal with the needs and activities of the organizations people including these areas of responsibility. Recruiting Hiring Training Organization development Understanding cultural diversity Work- life balance communication performance Management/Rewards and recognition Coaching Policy recommendation Salary and benefits Team building Employee relation Leadership Psycho analyst and contract By the start of twenty first century HR need to be aware of risks linked with cost cutting. The British National Health Service has long been criticized for inefficient use of resources, so large numbers of managers and administrators have been recruited to make things more efficient. Many of these new-recruits are HR people who may be perceived by health professionals as creating inefficient and costly controls at the expense of employing more health professionals. We are not suggesting that these criticisms are necessarily justified, but there are undoubtedly situations in which the criticisms are justified.( Dereck Torrington ET AL. 2006, Human resource management, Prentice Hall.) The scope of human resource planning covers not only numbers of people and skills, but also structure, culture, systems and behavior.( Dereck Torrington ET AL. 2006, Human resource management, Prentice Hall.) HR is responsible for making code of conducts or any other disciplinary issues relating to employees and organization being aware of the safety and others needs of the Employees. (With all of this in mind, in Human Resource Management Dave Ulrich, one of the best thinkers and writers in the HR field today, and a professor at the University of Michigan, recommends three additional roles for the HR manager.) HR Role: Business and Strategic Partner In todays organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives. The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and contribute. This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions; hiring; reward, recognition and strategic pay; performance development and appraisal systems; career and succession planning; and employee development. To be successful business partners, the HR staff members have to think like business people, know finance and accounting, and be accountable and responsible for cost reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes. Its not enough to ask for a seat in executive table.HR people will have to prove they are the business minded necessary to sit there. HR Role: Employee Mentoring As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people. This advocacy includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy. Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through responsibility, builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional helps establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the competency, concern and commitment to serve customers well. In this role, the HR manager provides employee development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gain sharing and profit-sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches to problem solving and regularly scheduled communication opportunities. HR Role: Change Champion The steady assessment of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for the HR professional to frequently champion change. Both facts about and the ability to perform successful change strategies make the HR professional exceptionally valued. The HR professional contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. Knowing how to link change to the strategic needs of the organization will minimize employee dissatisfaction and resistance to change. He also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of his organization, he champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, he helps determine the measures that will tell his organization how well it is succeeding in all of this. Evolution of HR function: The following fig explains the developing stage of Hr functions. Hr when introduced just include the personnel benefits of employees as payrolls,benefits,etc. With the changing environment and changing technology the hr functions get stretched and now Hr not only look about employee security and rights it practices Top level management corresponding to organizational strategy which is termed as Strategic HRM roles. Source:( http://empxtrack.com/blog/wp-content/evolution-of-hr-function.jpg) The benefits of Human Resource Management: There is correlation between the HRM strategy and the overall corporate strategy so ,the Human resource management has its significance in a planning the activities of Management and the activities of resources which involves the implementation of Human resource management in primary activities such as acquisition, development, compensation and maintenance. Where, Acquisition entails the hiring of workers most likely to help an organization achieve its goals. The development function encompasses the training of workers to perform their tasks in accordance with organization strategy. This activity also involves organization efforts to control and change employee behavior via reviews, appraisals, incentives, and discipline. Compensation covers the payment of employees for their services. Maintenance requires structuring labor relations-the interaction between a companys management and its unionized employees-and ensuring compliance with federal and state employment laws. Finally, the evaluation function includes the assessment of a companys HRM policies to determine whether they are effective. Managing the Human resource benefits the organization in a huge way, Such as : Sustaining stable workforce levels during ups and downs in output, which can reduce unnecessary employment costs and liabilities and increase employee morale that would otherwise suffer in the event of lay-offs? Preventing a high turnover rate among younger recruits. Safe Work Environments Reducing problems associated with replacing key decision makers in the event of an unexpected absence. Making it possible for financial resource managers to efficiently plan departmental budgets. Training and development activities benefit the overall organization as well as the individual as more productive. Human resource maintenance activities related to safety and health usually entail compliance with federal laws that protect employees from hazards in the workplace. Helps to simulate, analyze and experiment with proposed organizational changes and previous organizational models. It helps to attract, retain, and motivate the best people. Managing HRM find the best people and then manage and track candidates throughout the entire recruiting process. Sustaining High-Performing Employees Practices of HRM: HR has many roles to be implemented within an organization. Organization smaller or bigger atleast entertain some hr practices. The early records shows there were less practices of hr. The 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey(WERS98)(Cully ET all,1999) investigated 16 hr practices which resulted the practices were well observed in British workplaces, where 3 practices (formal disciplinary and grievance procedures, team briefing and performance appraisal) were widely observed. However job security ,participation in problem solving groups etc were in minority. The result showed only one out of five workplaces more than 16 hr practices. On the other hand only 2 percent of workplace didnt practice at all(Guest ET AL,2000). HRM in multinational companies are in a debate. The countrys business policy, political environment etc hinder the practices of HR. different border sets different rules and policy. For ex A us based company doesnt impinge on Canadian firms, similarly UK firm doesnt impinge on the Irish business system(1). The MNS should implement more centralized strategy which is beneficial to their employee. An adoptable employment strategy should exists regardless of institutional character of national business systems where they locate subsidiary operations. Investment in Human capital Due to globalization the world has become a small village and a new economy emerges where it necessitates investment in human capital, knowledge, commitment, enthusiasm of the employees. So the focus has shifted from physical assets to intellectual capital. The emerging new economy has several features: Consists of global work forces with increasing optimization of skills Higher speed of technology and innovation Creation of abundant business opportunities It decentralizes the power It rewards openness People becoming greatest capital. Practical case of HR roles in Finland and abroad: Finland applies a wide variety of hr practices. For ex MC Donald has been using different practices as reward through base pay. Employee holiday travel, pension,training,bonuses,etc are other roles widely practiced in Finland. For example recently an it firm in Finland was offering an programming specialist job, where they were training selected candidates for the first 9 month. This is a training based pay practices of HR functions which is vigorously applied from a simple cleaning job to an highly skilled job. Similarly Yahoo initiates performance related pay (PRP) during recession only among the 5% officials who were in top levels as well to reduce the dependency upon the lower employees and thus it cut the cost though unfortunately many had to leave the job. Nokia is also practising Hr in a wider sense. The development of human resources is a business proposition, which endeavors to delight its costumers, motivates its employees and increase the agility and flexibility of the management to address specific HR needs. Furthermore, The HR manager is challenged with the task of providing skills,cultures,atmosphere and processes necessary fore- knowledge and capabilities. Nokia beleieves in the importance of individual either its an individual,employer or an stakeholders. Critiques: The HR functions have been changing with the time. Some author argues is it really necessary for the changes in Hr function. What else matter in organizations rather than employees performance. If an employee is faithful to organization , he or she devotes fully to organization well being. However bonus or certain rewards are acceptable but does an employee really needs to be motivated by HR specialist if organization is treating well? Has the new changes benefited to the employers,stakeholders and ultimately the organizations? The answer is surely yes. Even though the organizations are practicing HR roles why the state/firm faces strikes of workers and globally increasing trade unions which interfere in employee and employer relations. There are many unanswered questions and a debate too. On the other hand many consider steps like performance related pay PRP is a capitalist approach which may breaking the unions and inter personal relationship though there is no doubt the whole tasks of HR has become more challenging with the pace of globalization. Summary: Organizations today recognize that human resource (HR) is their key asset to gain an edge over competition and achieving organizational success and effectiveness. Thus, human resource management (HRM) has now become an emerging field in the business world and a key ingredient for staying abreast of competition. Within most large organizations, HRM has taken on much the same role as Personnel Management, but with some additions, particularly in regard to business strategy. However, HRM essentially involves the policies and practices one need to carry out the human resource aspects of a management position, including recruiting, screening, training, rewarding, and appraising (Dessler, 1997; p. 2). This issue of integration with the general management is an important one for HRM. There is already some evidence to indicate that when senior management manages HR issues they are taken more seriously. A properly functioning HRM system is an invisible asset that creates value and involves the acquisition, development, reward and motivation, maintenance and departure of an organizations human capital. On the contrary, if hr managers should try to implement a strategy which is fruitful and acceptable to both top level management and employers working for it. HR managers should frequently deal with the company strategy, progress and its treatment to the workers. Hr managers should play as a driver who conquers both passengers(employee) and employers(bus) to have a smooth drive.

John Dalton :: essays research papers

JOHN DALTON John Dalton lived with his family in Eaglesfield, Cumberland. They lived in a small thatched cottage. When John was born he had an older brother, who was seven years older than him and a sister who was two years older than him. Johns birth was not recorded in the family bible, but when he asked his elders, they said he was born on the 5th of September in 1766. The Daltons were Quakers, and have been since the 1690’s. John was always a very smart and curious child. He was actually one of the smarter people in the village. He was a lucky child, who received schooling. This was a very big deal considering there were only 215 English men that could even read. He was always interested in mathematics and in science. When John reached the age of twelve he opened a school of his own. This was a problem with the Daltons because he was often threatened and beat up. Around 1790 he finished an eleven volume classified botanical collection. He became a well known person in the community for his amazing achievements in academics. He became very interested in becoming a doctor. The family although had to talk John out of becoming a doctor due to the lack of money in the families income. They also did not feel that John would like being a physician in the long run. Later at the age of twenty six John discovered that he was color blind. This occurred when his mother and he were fighting about the color of a skirt. In 1793 John moved to Manchester to tutor. This is where he began working on his greatest work. He then joined a group called Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. In 1773, he published his first book, Meteorological Observations and Essays. What he wrote in the was "Each gas exists and acts independently and purely physically, rather than chemically." John was constantly studying and making observations. John made over 200,000 observations. In 1803, he attempted to explain his laws of partial pressures. That’s when John started to explain his major contribution to science called the atomic theory. He figured this when he was studying for a test! He figured out that the reaction can take place on two different portions in exact ratios.

Penmanship: Fractional Reflection :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator of â€Å"Penmanship† is a man madly in love in the art of writing. It is through entering the enchanting world of pen and paper that he is able to face the complexities of reality like social cancer (corruption), violence (murder) and fiery emotions (love) with strength and confidence. He could feel â€Å"a twinge of sorrow† every time he mails a letter because he had voluntarily given away a part of himself. I think for him (and may I boldly include everybody else who writes) that every word is carefully chosen to project, be it hinted or open for others to see, the personality, character and experience that molded him into becoming who he is at the present of writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If he loves writing, why did he concentrate most of that love to only on a fountain pen? Why not for the reader? The paper? It was clear from the start that the old Parker Vacuumatic fountain pen is sort of a heirloom therefore I won’t question anymore why didn’t he trash it for a new one. If I were the narrator, I would also fall for the fountain pen because it is the one I always use to materialize the thoughts, ideas and emotions I wish to convey. Paper doesn’t matter since any surface would do. Meanwhile readers, although necessary are not important because he writes on his own volition meaning it would be for his satisfaction first. Having readers is just one way for him to share that satisfaction by making them feel privileged to be remembered and cared for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s encounter with Nora was a terrible one. She only used him and destroyed his writing principles in the process. She let his emotions for her grow so she can use it to get him to be an unsuspecting accomplice who will write the lies she weaved about herself for a certain Mark (probably an ex-lover) whom she wishes to in still guilt for leaving her. The deed totally upset him. The poor penman had his heart broken again into pieces and now with a sullied principle to go with. He was filled with â€Å"filthy hurt and â€Å"felt overcome with precious feelings†. The only way for him to release those pent-up emotions from the burdening lies he had absorbed is through his pen, which already felt heavy with words waiting anxiously to be written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are similarities with Jose Dalisay’s life and that of the narrator in â€Å"Penmanship†.

Creon as the Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone Essay example -- Antig

Creon as the Tragic Hero in Antigone     Ã‚   This essay will compare two of the characters in â€Å"Antigone†, Antigone and Creon, in an effort to determine the identity of the tragic hero in this tale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To identify the tragic hero in Sophocles’ renowned play â€Å"Antigone†, we should first consider both the elements present in Greek tragedies and what characteristics define a tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is: â€Å"Tragedy is a story taking the hero from happiness to misery because of a fatal flaw or mistake on his part. To be a true tragic hero he must also elicit a strong emotional response of pity and fear from the audience. This is known as catharsis or purging of emotion.† In most cases the tragic hero begins the play with high status, which is often lost in the exodus of the play. For example, in another of Sophocles’ plays, â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, in which Oedipus is the undisputed tragic hero, Oedipus begins the play as an illustrious king and ends as a blind beggar. His plight encourages sympathy from the audience because of the curse that had been on him since he was a chil d.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antigone, to whom the play owes its name, is daughter of Oedipus, the former king of Thebes. It would seem that she has a relatively high position for a woman, based on the fact that she has a marriage tie to Haemon, son of Creon, the present king of Thebes.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Antigone, rather than being happy at the plays’ beginning, instead makes her entrance in the opening scene very upset with the order given by Creon not to bury her brother Polynices. Antigone is then caught while burying Polynices and seems almost content with being put to death, â€Å"I earned the punishment which I now suffer† (Antigone, 152), though... ...† In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O’Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Heidegger, Martin. â€Å"The Ode on Man in Sophocles’ Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Jaeger, Werner. â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development.† In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Segal, Charles. Oedipus the King: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. Sophocles. Antigone. Exploring Literature: Writing and thinking About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc, 2001. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. Bernard M. W. Knox. New York: Washi ngton Squ are Books, 1994.

Learning Theorists

Learning Theories People have been trying to understand the learning process for over 2000 years. It was discussed and debated at great length by the Greek philosophers such as Socrates (469 – 399 SC), Plato (427 – 347 BC) and Unsettle (384 – 322 BC) (Hammond et al, 2001 This debate has carried on through the ages and still goes on today with a multitude of viewpoints on the purpose of education and how best to encourage learning to eventuate.Plato and his disciple Aristotle were Inaugural In this debate and asked if truth and knowledge were to be found inside of us, or whether they could be learned from outside by using our senses. Plato believed the truth would be found from within through reasoning, deduction and self-reflection and so brought about rationalism. On the other hand Aristotle believed the truth would be found through experience and founded the idea of empiricism and so these antithetical views were born.Aristotle approach was far more scientific compared to Socrates' dialectic method of discovery through conversations with fellow citizens. An approach that calls for discussion and reflection, as tools for developing thinking, owe such to Socrates and Plato (Hammond et al, 2001 Learning theory Is about learning as a process and how it may take place. It is about how information can be absorbed, processed and retained and the influence that emotions, environment and mental processes can have on acquiring, augmenting and modifying knowledge and skills.Having knowledge of learning theory equips teachers to better understand the multitudinous categories of learners they will encounter and the numerous strategies they can employ to create an effective learning environment. Although the Greek philosophers are considered to be some of the earliest thinkers on learning, it as not until the mid 1 ass's when psychology emerged as a separate discipline that any new learning theories emerged.The first of these was behaviorism, which was brought to prominence by Ivan Pavlov (1849 – 1936) who won the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his experiments on digestive glands for which he experimented with dogs. Behaviorism are of the opinion that learners are passive and respond to stimuli and do not take in to account internal mental states or consciousness. Gestalts came to prominence In Germany in 1910 when there was social turmoil in Europe but had moved to the US by the sass's to avoid persecution.The lead figures In this movement were Worthwhile, Kafka and Koehler who utilities a holistic approach that sought to reject the mechanistic perspectives of the behaviorist's. Considered to be the first educational psychologist, Edward Thornier continued with the behaviorism theory believing learning was incremental and achieved through a trial and error approach with B. F. Skinner, considered by many to be the father of modern behaviorism, developing this theory further with programmed learning (Seaworthy et al, 2004).Behavio rism learning theory had a substantial influence in education but here was a growing body of evidence that more complex tasks requiring a higher level of thinking were not well learned this way with Jean Pigged (1 896 ? 1 980) being the first to state that learning was a developmental cognitive process. Russian teacher Level Boycotts expanded Piglet's developmental theory of cognitive abilities to were both leaders in the cognitive approach that sees the mind as a â€Å"black box† and this box should be opened and understood.This paradigm did not really come to prominence until the early sass's when it replaced behaviorism as the dominant force (Anon ND). In the sass's we also saw the emergence of Humanist learning theory. Some of the preeminent advocates of this field were Abraham Moscow (1908 – 1970) and Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987) who believed that learning was viewed as a personal act to fulfill one's potential and that it is also necessary to study the person as a whole. Humanists were the first to promote learning as being student-centered and personalized and that you should not teach, but facilitate, the learner (Anon ND).The sass's saw the emergence of social learning theory with its key progenitor being Albert Bandeau (1925 – Present). It posits that we learn through observation, imitation and modeling and this theory is often seen as the bridge between behaviorism and cosmogonist. Although the work that edifies it spans the twentieth century, Constructivism was only mainstreamed through practice in the latter part of the century. Many of the theorists that are drawn upon are linked with other learning ideologies; these theorists include Weights, Lave and Winger, Burner and Pigged.This theory posits that learning is an active constructive process where the learner creates his or her own subjective representations of objective reality. They do not come along as a blank slate (Seaworthy, 2004) but rather bring along their past experiences and cultural perspective. The first theorist I am going to look at is Abraham Moscow who was a prominent Humanist. Early in his career he worked with rhesus monkeys and one of the interesting things he noticed was the way that some needs took precedence over others.For example, if you were hungry and thirsty you would tend to deal with the thirst first, as you can go without food for weeks but thirst will kill you after Just days. Moscow felt that the conditioning theories did not, to is satisfaction, capture the complexities of human behavior and was of the opinion that human actions were driven toward goal attainment. He stated that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth (Anon ND). In 1943 Moscow wrote a paper entitled â€Å"A Theory of Human Motivation† which talked about self-actualization.Moscow described a person who was fulfilled and doing all they were capable of as being self-actualities. Before a perso n can achieve this state however, there are other needs that first need to be met. These needs can be seen in Mascots hierarchy, this is often depicted as a pyramid as shown (Moscow,1943). This hierarchy shows that the basic physiological needs have to be met before the higher needs can be addressed. If the physiological needs are relatively well gratified then there emerges a new set of needs, in this case safety.When a persons physiological and safety needs are satisfied the need for love and belongingness emerges. This process continues until all the needs are fulfilled and the person can achieve self-actualization. It is important to note that Mascots original five stage del has been adapted by other researchers to create both seven and eight stage hierarchies but I am dealing with Moscow so will not go any further in to them. His needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep etc. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stabil ity, etc. : belongingness and love needs – work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. : esteem needs – self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. : self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self- fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Through knowledge of Mascots hierarchy I can better understand the needs of the individual and the impact this has on their motivation and learning.To be truly effective in its implementation I would have to appreciate the needs of every learner, which could be at different stages for each individual in the class. These individuals could also be in a state of flux from one week to another. It is unrealistic to expect to comprehend all their requirements, even with a deep understanding of this theory. I believe the best use of this theory is to inform me of their possible state so that I might be more homeopathic towards the m and understand the issues they may have. The best way to help them work towards self-actualization is for them to be self-aware and understand their own needs.When they arrive at class they will already have had a long day at work, often without enough time to eat. They will also be tired; although my class is at least theory, so is less physically demanding than their practical lessons in the workshop. I do try to take some of these things in to account and will allow them to bring food and drink in to the class if they so desire. I am able to meet heir safety needs such as protection from the elements, security, order, limits and stability. These needs are part of the College safeguarding policy so should always be in place.If I can manage to help them feel belongingness, which I feel they do achieve, then I am also creating a more inclusive environment for them. I feel it is important to be aware of these needs to create a better learning situation for my students. A criticism I have is that Moscow made an assumption that the needs must be satisfied in order, so that the basic physiological need must be satisfied before hey can achieve safety and only once safety is achieved can they go to concern themselves with belongingness and so on through the hierarchy.This is shown to be false, for example, if you were to study large cultures where large numbers of the population live in poverty, like India or Brazil then you see that these people can still achieve higher order needs such as love and belongingness (McLeod, 2007). According to Moscow this should not occur. If we were also to look at many creative people, such as artists like Rembrandt or Van Gogh, it could be argued that they achieved self-actualization yet lived their lives in poverty (McLeod, 2007). I will still apply this theory even with its flaws because it is not abjectly wrong and still believe it holds a lot of truth.Another humanist that I feel bears great relevance to my current teaching p ost is Malcolm Knowles (1913 – 1997). He was a champion for androgyny, self-direction in learning and informal adult education (Smith, 2002). I will not talk about informal adult education, as it does not apply to my situation. The concept of androgyny had been in sporadic use since the sass's but it was popularized for usage in English language by Malcolm Knowles. He believed that adults learned differently from children, which caused him to enquire further. His work on informal adult education and his charting of adult education in the United education.He used androgyny to bring these elements together, which was premised on at least four critical presuppositions about the characteristics of adult learners that differed from child learners, on which traditional pedagogy is based. Later a fifth assumption was added. These were as follows: self concept: As a person matures his self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self directed hum an being. Experience: As a person matures they accumulate a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning. Readiness to learn: As a person matures their readiness to learn becomes increasingly orientated to the developmental tasks of their social roles. : orientation to learning: As a person matures their time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly their orientation toward learning shifts from of subject centeredness to one of problem centeredness. : motivation to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (Knowles 1984:12).Knowles has caused considerable debate with his assertions and claims of difference between androgyny and pedagogy with useful critiques of the notion being found in Davenport (1993), Jarvis (1987) and Tenant (1996). He has taken ideas from psychologists working in two quite different and opposing traditions, that of the humanist and the behaviorism. From the one side he has extensively used a model of relationship derived from humanistic clinical psychology, in particular drawing on the work of Carl Rogers who argued the qualities of good facilitation.He has also drawn on other elements that owe a great deal to scientific curriculum making and behavior modification. It has been suggested that because he has used ideas from two opposing traditions that there is a lack of evidence around this model. Knowles is not clear whether he has provided us with a theory or a set of guidelines for practice (Heartier, 1984). The assumptions could be read as descriptions or as prescriptive statements about what the adult learner should be. Tenant (1988) made a point that there was a lack of interrogation within a coherent and consistent conceptual framework.It seems that Knowles did not temper his insights with enough analysis and interrogation of the literature of the arena. Malcolm Knowles also introduced us to self-directed l earning, which is where the individual takes the initiative to realize their needs, resources and goals for learning and to evaluate the outcomes. There are three immediate reasons identified for self-directed learning. First those who take the initiative in learning are pro-active learners and will learn better than those who wait to be taught, reactive learners.Second is that it is far more natural that as we mature we take more responsibility for our own lives and become far more self-directed. Finally the third reason is that developments in education are putting a greater emphasis on students to take the initiative for their own learning. This can also be seen as a long-term reason as the purpose of education is evolving, it is moving away from merely transmitting what is known to now developing the skills of enquiry. Knowles then put the idea of self- direction in to packaged forms of activity and created his five step model. This involved: diagnosing learning needs. Formulati ng learning needs. : identifying human material resources for learning. Choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies. : evaluating learning outcomes. There is research that indicates that adults circumstance (Smith, 2002) and I feel that this is certainly true of many of my learners. The opportunity arose within their current life circumstances to participate in the course and if there were places available they took them. If all the places had gone they may not bother to take up a learning opportunity again, unless of course the circumstances were again in their favor.I feel that the ideas' of Malcolm Knowles are useful to guide what I ought to term my ontological approach to my earners. They are no longer children and should not be treated as such. His approach can inform me of what characteristics my learners may exhibit so that I may better facilitate their learning and create a more inclusive environment. It could certainly be said that my students need to be self- directed as the qualification they are taking is equivalent to a full time course but only has part time contact hours.It requires them to do a lot a reading around the subject, being self-directed in their approach. Overall I must be critical of Knowles for his own lack of a sharp critical edge with much of his writings being more descriptive and his lack of analysis of the literature within his field. Finally, I shall examine Jean Lave and Tontine Winger (1991) who developed the theory of situated learning, sometimes referred to as situated activity. This has a central defining characteristic known as legitimate peripheral participation which is not itself an educational form, much less a pedagogical strategy or a teaching technique.It is an analytical viewpoint on learning that makes a fundamental distinction between learning and intentional instruction. Rather the process of legitimate peripheral participation is usually unintentional. Situated learning contrasts with traditiona l classroom learning activities where abstract knowledge is learnt out of context with intentional instruction. This approach lends itself very well to vocational courses and especially apprenticeships where much of the learning takes place in the situation where the learning will be applied. It is not dissimilar to cognitive apprenticeship.Lave and Winger (1991) with their model of situated learning proposed that learning involved a process known as â€Å"communities of practice†. These communities are everywhere and we are often involved in a number of them. People with a shared domain of human endeavourer can engage in a process of learning by forming communities of practice. To put it more simplistically, learning takes place through social interaction. To this end, learning in these situations does not have a beginning and an end to the process, rather we are constantly learning through experience of everyday life.Their theory can be illustrated by observation of differe nt apprenticeships. When people initially Join the community they learn at the periphery, then as they become more competent they an become more involved in the processes in that particular community. Understanding this theory is very useful in my sector as when we get the students it is their initial training and they are not always involved in the industry they are training to enter. The situated learning will probably not play a big part in this initial training, but once they have gained the qualification and go out to work then they will be Joining their community of practice.Over time, through interaction with more experienced others within the industry, they will learn and become more proficient ND play a bigger role in their community. In this respect it could be argued that this is an important theory for all educators as ultimately we are educating our learners strong links between this and embedded learning that also takes place on vocational qualifications. I would strug gle to see how this theory could be applied to more formal qualifications where much of the knowledge will often remain abstract because that is its nature.Mathematics would be an example of this; it can be conceptualizes, as engineering math's for example, but is not really a subject matter o be situated. In conclusion learning theories can inform us on our learners and guide us through our teaching practice. They can be used to develop activities to bring otherwise dull subject matter to life and to create a more inclusive learning environment by applying different teaching methods based on these theories. The trouble is that the modern teacher is struggling for time, most of the time and these theories and their practice will involve some dedication for them to be implemented effectively.