Reviewing Arguements Whether Scientific Management

The topic I have chosen for my essay assignment would be option 1 which is reviewing the arguments for and against the statement whether scientific management creates efficient organizations. In the world of today, it has been known that scientific management developed over the years and is applied in the everyday work life. Frederick Winslow Taylor is the person who discovered scientific management, also known as ‘Taylorism’.It is a theory about management that analyses and synthesize the workflow of a work place but the main objective is to improve the efficiency of the economy, especially in labour productivity based on five principles as described by Buchanan(2010, pg 423). The first principle of Taylorism is to have ‘A clear division of tasks and responsibilities between management and workers’ whereby the author Chris Grey(2010, pg 40) disagreed that it was an added advantage to an organization. He described it as a system that transfers the power from workers to managers.It reduces autonomy among workers, working conditions and threatened unemployment. It is more of a radical and near complete separation between planning and decision-making, where managers would make the decision while workers carry out the order. The outcome of this caused workers to leave their jobs and go on strike, time and motion studies were banned in US defence plants and even owners and senior managers were against Taylorism as they think that the system has given the managers a higher authority than them.The second principle, ‘The use of scientific methods to determine the best way of doing a job’ was brought up to a disagreement by Paul Adler where he claims that Taylorism represents a fundamental emancipatory philosophy of a job design. His research reveals two fundamental flaws in the standard view that is based on two psychological assumptions. The first one is that work will only be motivating to the extent that it resembles free play and the second that workers need to have autonomy. Adler states that the standard critique of Taylorism is that it presents the payoff of the workers as the only source of motivation to get them going.Adler also argued that when workers develop positive feelings towards their job and perceive Taylorism as an effective way of accomplishing the task, then low individual and team autonomy can co-exist with high morale. (Buchanan,2010,pg 444 – 445). Buchanan (2010, pg 428) also commented that there are several criticisms that disagree with Taylorism bringing efficiency to an organization based on this principle. The first one was because it assumes that the motivation of an employee was to gain maximum payoff for their hard work and neglected the importance of the other rewards such as being given recognition and achievement.This will cause workers to feel that they are not appreciated and are being used as tools to do the job. Secondly, it failed to explain to the workers the us e of implementing new procedures, being timed and closely supervised all the time. Workers will not enjoy being watched all the time, as it would make them feel like a prisoner. It also makes them feel uncomfortable as to not having any privacy at work. However, the Gilbreths came up with their own study through developing Taylorism showing their agreement with Taylor’s second principle. Frank Gilbreth tudied motion and time of job to analyse how long it would take for a person to complete the given task which then lead to the development of a system called ‘therbligs’ which is formed from elementary movements, each having its own symbol and colour. His research then lead him to developing a standard time for each job element, and this is still being used till today for designing the wage payment systems. As for Lilian Gilbreth, she contributed psychologically. She studied motions to eliminate unnecessary actions and to reduce fatigue experienced by workers.She f igured that if she could succeed it would increase the work rate of a worker to maximize productivity. She introduced rest periods, placing chairs at the workplace resting area, and instituted holidays with pay. Changes were also made to the heating, lighting and ventilation of the workplace. This may have been a new revolution for the workers as it improved their work life and gave them motivation to do their jobs. (Buchanan, 2010,pg 429 – 430). The third principle is ‘Scientific selection of the person to do the newly designed job’.Henry Ford did a great job in doing so as he became famous for his way of mass-production that benefited his organization. Ford applied the principles of rationalization whereby employees are allocated simple tasks that are carefully designed to gain maximum efficiency from the workers. Ford replaced skilled craftsmen with machines therefore eliminating the need for skilled workers. He boosted up production of the cars that could har dly be done with just manpower but critics argued that Ford’s technique was destroying craftsmanship and de-skilling jobs.In the workers’ view, this was more of an issue about identifying the right task for unskilled workers to do who would otherwise not enjoy their work and be demoralized which could lead to many problems later on if not solved. The same critics also asserted that short cycle repetitive jobs are the cause of workers being treated like a machine, alienated and stressful. (Buchanan, 2010,pg 431 – 435) A research on the Braverman thesis shows many criticisms were made about Braverman and his deskilling thesis that disagrees with this principle as well. Buchanan cited from (Noon and Blyton, 2007 (pp. 57-159); Fincham and Rhodes, 2005) which shows a couple of criticism such as Taylorism ignoring alternative management strategies like making a choice between using Taylorism to deskill a job position or to let the workers gain autonomy. Employee empow erment would definitely provide better worker interchangeability that allows better assembly line balancing. At the same time, employees will not be deskilled and the management gets to take control over the labour process. Another criticism was that it exaggerated about the management’s objective of controlling labour.The thesis underestimated the complexity and diversity about management objectivity and plurality of interests. Direct labour will take up a small proportion of the total cost of a product and it may not be significant as it was in the past compared to today. The third criticism was that workers were being treated passively. There have been unions and individual resistance towards deskilling, as workers were not being treated fairly as they were forced to do a specific job that does not require their skill they have to be put to good use.In the end, the worker’s skill will deteriorate until he loses it completely. The next one was the underestimation of the employees’ consent and accommodation whereby workers will welcome Taylorism once they understand the importance of it and practice it for years. Fifth, it ignores gender. In the past, men have always been the one who have been developing working skills and were more capable of doing work. That brought a disadvantage to the women as they were being compared to men. They overlooked the possibilities that women may also be able to do other jobs such as office jobs. Buchanan,2010, pg 440 – 441) The fourth principle is ‘The training of the selected worker to perform the job in the way specified’ and from this principle came about the upskilling position which gave importance towards human capital. Companies invested in their workforce by providing education and training to help them have a better understanding of their work and how to do it right. This will help managers to identify which worker is capable of doing which job they will be assigned to. Beside s that, it will generate higher level of skills among employees that most work required during those times.The fifth principle is the ‘Surveillance of workers through the use of hierarchies of authority and close supervision’. Harry Braverman developed the Braverman where he saw scientific management as a method of directly controlling fellow employees. Managers reduced the autonomy and discretion of workers in how they perform their jobs, thereby deskilling their work in order to gain more control over them. Braveman concluded two types of deskilling technique and they are, firstly, organizational deskilling which involves Taylor’s separation of task conception from task execution that all problems are to be solved by the supervisor.The second one is technological deskilling that is replacing the workers with machines to achieve a better rate of production. (Buchanan, 2010,pg 436 – 437) Max Weber also agreed to this principle stating that rational-legal a uthority was increasingly supplanting forms of authority which comes from a set of rules, procedures and duties. This authority is empowered to the person in charge, for example, the Chief Executive Officer of an organization. Eventhough the person holding the position may change, the empowerment the job position holds still maintains the same.There always have to be someone who oversees the entire organization and manage it. Just like a country, without the government the country will not be in order but instead be in chaos. Weber defines this type of organization being set by rules and a series of hierarchical relationship. It helps make use of principles of systemization, division of labour and authority. Weber stated that his theory represented the most technical and rational form of an organization and it was confirmed when his theory spread like wildfire throughout the state as organizations were implementing his theory. Grey,2009, pg 22-23) From what I have studied about scie ntific management and its theories about how it has been applied throughout the years I would agree that scientific management does creates an efficient organization. It has dramatically improved our work life today if compared to the old days where workers were mistreated, low rate of production and many more. Scientific management have been developing over the years and along side it there were ups and downs but I have to say that in the world today, it has definitely brought significant changes to organizations.As I have worked before at several hotels, I have experienced these changes such as following procedures and rules while working which is fine by me as it tells me what I should do and be more systematic. While I was working in the F&B department, everyday there will be tasks assigned to each staff so that everyone knows what they are supposed to do and to prevent miscommunication between one another. I felt very comfortable and I did my job well following it with little p roblems. Another example would be with the help of technology everything goes faster and smoother through my experience in the front office department.In the front office department, guest records used to be manually written down in a book and it would be a hassle to find out if the guest stayed there before but now we have computers where we can just enter a guest’s information within a minute and check it at anytime and any second. Everything will be recorded in the computer therefore making it available to other departments so that they could get information on a certain guest. In conclusion, surely there are advantages and disadvantages in scientific management but that is what that makes it improve and develop over the years.There may be people who disagree with me but I stand firm on my decision that scientific management does create an efficient organization and I also look forward to see what new changes it will bring in the near future. Referances Buchanan, D. and Hu czynski, A. (2010),Organizational Behaviour, Harlow, Financial Times/ Prentice Hall (7th edition), Grey, C. (2009) A very short and fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations, (2nd edition), London, Sage Publications Ltd Noon M. and Blyton P. (2007), The Realities of Work, (3rd edition), Gordonsville,Palgrave Macmillan

Designing Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits Essay

A compensation system has an important role in a company. An ideal compensation system can motivate employees to enhance their job performance. An organization can use adequate compensation to retain talented employees. Retaining talented employees is important because they help organizations grow and earn high profits. A well-constructed compensation system is the key to an organization being successful and prosperous (â€Å"Importance of Compensation,† 2007). To further elaborate on the importance of compensation, the differences amongst job analysis and job evaluation and how these practices aid in creating internally consistent job structures will be described, and details will be given on the challenges that occur when creating compensations that are both internally consistent and market competitive. Also, the fairness of merit increases based upon quartiles will be discussed, the fundamental concept of insurance and how this concept applies to health care will be discussed, and the changes in the business environment and society that may affect the importance of legally required benefits will be described. Describe the Differences Between Job Analysis and Job Evaluation and How These Practices Help Establish Internally Consistent Job Structures Job analysis and job evaluation are the key to creating internally consistent job structures. An internally consistent compensation system will define the relative worth of each job amongst all jobs in a company. Companies use a basic principle when creating internally consistent compensation systems, which is jobs that require higher abilities, more responsibilities, and more intricate job tasks should be compensated more than jobs that require lower abilities, lesser responsibilities, and fewer intricate job tasks. Internally consistent job structures recognize distinctions in job traits that allow compensation managers to set pay based upon the distinctions. Furthermore, compensation professionals create internally consistent job structures by using job analysis and job evaluation. A job analysis will reveal the duties as well as compensation factors such as skill and effort that are required to sufficiently perform the job. The results of the job analysis will be used to conduct the job evaluation. Job evaluation will create pay differentials for jobs within a company. The results of the job analysis help compensation professionals set pay rates by quantifying the main similarities and differences between jobs (Martocchio, 2011). In the end, the job evaluation will categorize jobs according to their relative worth in the company. The relative worth of a job will be determined based upon compensation factors such as skill, job duties, and working conditions. Finally, job evaluation will guarantee internal equity because the value of jobs will be determined based upon compensation factors (Williams, 2012). Describe the Challenges in Developing Compensations That are Both Internally Consistent and Market Competitive One challenge in creating compensation systems that are internally consistent and market competitive deals with flexibility. Internally consistent pay systems have the potential to decrease a company’s flexibility to react to changes in the pay practices of competitors because job analysis creates structured job descriptions and job structures. Also, job evaluation creates the relative value of jobs within an organization. Reacting to competitors may require employees to perform tasks that are not included in their job descriptions whenever competitive pressures arise. This process makes equity appraisals more difficult because the definitions of jobs become more changeable (Martocchio, 2011). Moreover, some employees may resent being required to perform tasks that are not in their job descriptions. These employees may believe that the employers are taking advantage of them because they are not being compensated for performing the extra job duties. As a result, employees could become unmotivated to help their employers compete against competitors. Another challenge in developing compensations that are both internally consistent and market competitive is the bureaucracy that results from the internally consistent compensation structures. Organizations that develop job hierarchies have a tendency to create narrowly defined jobs, which results in larger number of jobs and staffing levels. This type of structure can place heavy compensation burdens on companies. Heavy compensation burdens can reduce profits for companies, which can affect whether companies use a market lead, market match, or market lag policy for compensating employees. Organizations that use the market lead policy compensate its employees more highly than most of its competitors. Employees receive pay that is above the market pay line. Organizations that use the market match policy compensate employees based upon the market pay rates. Employees will receive pay on the market pay line. The market lead and market match policies can help companies attract and retain talented employees; thus, the companies using these policies can obtain competitive advantage in a highly competitive business environment by using its talented employees. Furthermore, organizations using the market lag policy compensate its employees less than the majority of its competitors. Employees receive pay below the market pay line (Martocchio, 2011). Furthermore, a company should not be forced to choose the market lag policy because of heavy compensation burdens that could result from bureaucracy. Some companies may use the market lag policy as a cost savings method to offset heavy compensation burdens. A market lag policy could prevent a company from attracting and retaining talented employees, which could affect the competitiveness of a company. Moreover, a company could lose customers and profits if it does not have the talented employees in place to produce goods and services than can compete with the goods and services of competitors. Two Employees Perform the Same Job and Each Received Exemplary Performance Ratings. Discuss Whether it is Fair to Give One Employee a Smaller Percentage Merit Increase Because His Pay Falls Within the 3rd Quartile But Give a Larger Percentage Merit Increase to the Other Because His Pay Falls Within the 1st Quartile and Explain Why Supervisors use the merit pay grid to designate merit increases to employees. A merit pay grid contains a pay range for a pay grade. The pay range is divided into four quartiles. Employees with the lowest salaries fall into quartile 1. The salaries increase as the quartiles increase. Employees with the highest salaries fall into quartile 4. Furthermore, the lower an employee’s salary falls within its designated pay grade the larger the percentage pay raise. For example, if two employees perform the same job and both employees receive excellent performance ratings, the employee whose pay falls in quartile 3 will receive a smaller percentage merit increase than the employee whose pay falls in quartile 1. The employee whose pay is in quartile 3 may receive a 7% merit increase for excellent job performance; whereas, the employee whose pay is in quartile 1 may receive a 12% merit increase for excellent job performance. Furthermore, using the merit pay grid may be logical but not fair. It is logical because compensation professionals decrease merit pay increase percentages as quartile ranks increase to control employees’ advancement through their pay ranges. If employees in quartile 1 and quartile 3 were to receive the same merit pay increase percentage, the salary for the employee in quartile 3 more than likely would exceed the maximum pay rate for the range quicker than would the salary for the employee in quartile 1 (Martocchio, 2011). Moreover, the merit pay grid may be viewed as unfair because employees performing the same job and displaying the same amount of effort and job performance are not receiving an equal percentage merit increase. Employees may view this procedure as an unfair work practice. Furthermore, the employees may believe that the company places more value on some employees’ job performance more so than on other employees’ job performance. Discuss the Basic Concept of Insurance and How This Concept Applies to Health Care The basic concept of insurance is to spread risks. Risk does not mean that an unfavorable incident will occur but that there is a possibility of an unfavorable incident occurring. All persons have the risk of suffering a major illness. Thus, the whole concept of insurance when relating to health care is that an individual will be able to spread his or her risk among other people so that if an unfavorable incident occurs, he or she will not be overwhelmed because of high health care costs (â€Å"Understand the Concept,† 2012). In the United States, health care is classified as a multiple payer system, which means that multiple parties are held accountable for paying the costs of health care. The multiple parties can include the government, employers, labor unions, employees, and unemployed individuals (Martocchio, 2011). Moreover, insurance allows an individual to pay a few hundred dollars a month in level premium rather than having to pay a $50,000 surgery bill once (â€Å"Understand the Concept,† 2012). Finally, health-related expenses can become costly; thus, it would be wise for individuals to have some form of insurance for health care. Health insurance covers the costs of various services that promote sound mental and physical health such as physical exams, surgical procedures, and psychotherapy. Normally employers enter into contractual relationships with insurance companies to provide employees and possibly their dependents with health care. Moreover, the insurance policy or contractual relationship will specify the amount of money insurance companies will pay for health-related services such as physical exams. Furthermore, employers pay insurance companies a negotiated amount or premium to create and sustain insurance policies (Martocchio, 2011). Health insurance premiums are costly. The average monthly health insurance premium for an employee is $309. 03. The average monthly health insurance premium for an employee and his or her family members is $708. 83. Numerous private sector companies make it mandatory that employees pay a portion of health insurance premiums because of the high costs. Employees only contributed a small percentage toward health insurance premiums in 2008. Moreover, employees with single coverage contributed around 19% and employees with family coverage contributed around 29% (Martocchio, 2011). Except For the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Remaining Legally Required Benefits Were Conceived Decades Ago. Describe the Changes in the Business Environment and Society That Might Affect the Relevance or Perhaps the Viability of Any of These Benefits There are several legally required benefits in the United States. Legally required benefits are the benefits provided by the Social Security Act, which are retirement; unemployment insurance; old-age, survivor, and disability insurance; and Medicare. Other legally required benefits are workers’ compensation insurance and family medical leave. The United States government created legally required benefits to protect individuals from calamitous incidents such as unemployment and disability. Legally required benefits try to maintain the flow of family income, promote worker safety and health, and assist families in critical situations. Furthermore, providing employees with legally required benefits can be costly to companies. Present day, companies in the United States spend an average $4,400 for each employee yearly to provide legally required benefits (Martocchio, 2011). Finally, the effect that legally required benefits have on costs and the competitiveness of businesses could affect the sustainability of legally required benefits For numerous years, there have been genuine concerns that there will be lack of funding to provide the legally required benefits, especially the social security benefits. There are continuous political debates about how to safeguard the viability of social security programs. President George W. Bush signed an executive order that established the new Presidential Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Politicians have debated the advantages and disadvantages of differing solutions to strengthen the Social Security system. The administration of George W. Bush focused on encouraging tax credits for persons who save for retirement and promoting additional savings through employer-sponsored retirement plans. Furthermore, the Democratic Party suggested enhancing the tax under the Federal Income Contributions Act to strengthen the trust fund. However, business leaders have opposed the suggestion of the Democratic Party. Business leaders, especially small business leaders are concerned that the increase in tax will lower company profits (Martocchio, 2011). Legally required benefits may hinder businesses in the short term because these benefits require sizeable employer expenditures. Employers are required to make contributions that are mandated by the Social Security Act and several state workers’ compensation laws. These mandated expenses prevent businesses from investing these funds in direct compensation programs designed to increase productivity and product or service quality (Martocchio, 2011). If the money for mandated expenses could be used for compensation programs then the company could increase its competitiveness. Furthermore, enhancing productivity, products, and services can help businesses become strong competitors against its competitors. Conclusion In conclusion, a job analysis will reveal compensation factors that will be used in the job evaluation to determine the worth of jobs. Compensations that are both internally consistent and market competitive can affect a company’s flexibility to respond to changes in the pay practices of competitors, and companies have to deal with the heavy compensation burdens as a result of bureaucracy. Usage of the merit pay grid is logical but unfair. Insurance allows employees to share the costs of health care with multiple parties. The effect that legally required benefits have on costs and the competitiveness of companies could cause companies to view the mandated benefits as burdensome. Finally, compensation will always have a vital role in the strategies of companies.

Understanding the Oppression of Women Research Paper

Understanding the Oppression of Women - Research Paper Example Understanding the Oppression of Women The situation of women in American society has progressed multi folds and is an ongoing process.Oppression of women is a topic that is talked about with passion by feminists but when we look at the history of oppression to women, we realize that it is quite a recent event. The woman was actually held in very high esteem as the mother of the clan and one who is responsible for building the clan. It is interesting to note that because of this quality, women were valued and considered too valuable to part with. Men leave their birth clans and get adopted by the clan of the women they choose to be with. This is quite complete contrast to modern society where it is the woman who leaves her family and takes on the man’s name. It is therefore arguable that the inequality came with the development of civilization, the growth of society, economic development and the onset of class distinctions in society. The superiority of man over woman came about around the fifteenth century as marr iage laws set in English society. The concept of one woman for one man resulted eventually in women becoming enslaved and segregated according to their childbearing abilities. The freedom to choose and father children out of wedlock was a prestige that was only given to the upper class. There was also a very distinct trend with regards to labour emerging from competition and extreme growth and demand for the economy. Until them women and men had enjoyed equal division of labour, apart from household chores, as the main source of income was agriculture. Their work places were not too far away or separated from their homes so women could take care of their children and household duties while contributing in the fields. However as the demand for industrial labour grew, women were relegated to low paying mundane tasks. Early in the century, the vast class segregation also brought in a different trend. Men were beginning to be seen as the breadwinners of the family and the one to support the household. The woman was regarded as valuable in her role in the house and her worth was based on the labour she could put in or the riches she brought with her as in the case of the richer class. This tradition continued till the nineteenth century. Women became housewives predominantly. This continuing trend of inequality between men and women in the work force took menacing proportions and women began to be oppressed more and more and lost their rightful place in society. Ancient Asian and African traditions still continue with patriarchal society trends and treat women as slaves and oppress them in marriage and in their own family. We hear about cases of sexual and emotional abuse by men to prove their dominion. Oppression to Women in the United States of America The United States of America, although considered a forward thinking western society has a history of oppression to women that still continues in its own subtle way. When we talk about this topic from Americaâ€⠄¢s perspective however we have to consider the history as seen in the various ethnic groups in the US. We will consider the two main ethnic groups and look at oppression based on them. We classify it as 1. Oppression of African American women 2. Oppression of white women Oppression of African American women The slave trade came to America in the early 1800s and brought many Africans along with it. They were treated as sex-slaves and bore many children out of wedlock to their white masters. They had little no place in society and continued subjugated lives. African women were employed to work in the fields and also as domestic help, which included taking care of the children of their white maste

A2 EXCEL DRAFT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A2 EXCEL DRAFT - Assignment Example These figures provided the basis for calculation of the individual employee earnings, contributions and benefits as well as the FICA deductions. To provide a cost benefit analysis, both the expenditures incurred by the department and the benefits translated to savings must be computed. The personnel based expenditures include the salaries and wages and Employee benefits contributed by the department. Values for these two items are obtained from the 2014 adopted budget. The company is obliged to make social security contribution of 6.2% and Medicare contribution of 1.45% of the salaries and wages respectively. Additionally, each employee is given a retirement related benefit of 7.5% of salaries and wages. Once these figures are calculated, the recurring costs, one-time costs and recurring savings are calculated based on the assumptions that the pilot experiment will run for a transition period of six months and involves 5 employees only. Additionally, the experiment will be projected for a period of five years after the transitional period. This eventually provides values for present value of costs and the present value of benefits that are then used to calculate the net present Value and the Benefit/cost ratio. Essentially, the figures used for the calculations were obtained from the adopted budget for the county for the 2014 financial year. According to the report the human resource department has a staff FTE of 14, calculated salaries and wages of $993,967 and employee benefits amounting to $255,692. These figures are used to derive the employee benefits, FICA tax withholdings, social security and Medicare contributions. Social security is computed by multiplying 6.2% (rate of withholding) by the salaries and wages. On the other hand the Medicare contributions are calculated by multiplying the salaries and wages by a withholding rate of 1.45%. It is important to note that all categories of deductions (contributions by employer) except

Literature review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Literature review - Research Paper Example In Edwin’s view, it was wrong to use information collected from men to arrive at conclusions about the entire society without seeking the views of both women and men. He argued that it was this hierarchy in society that had rendered women voiceless over the years. The main proponent of the theory is Cheris Kramarae. The Muted Group Theory has been used for purposes of communication studies. Cheris Kramarae, once a professor in charge of Women’s Studies, worked with various lecturers from around the world. According to Cheris Kramarae, the ideas contained in the Muted Group Theory state that men created communication as a tool for taking advantage of women (Kramarae, 1981). The theory requires women to play strictly within the confines of the language developed by man and are therefore not allowed to have their own way of expressing their feelings and thoughts. Muted group theory also provides an explanation as to why there are groups in society that have a voice while s ome are mute. In her 1974 study, Chen's Kramarae focused on how the characters in cartoons are quite deceptive. She noted that the female cartoon characters were portrayed as being apologetic and emotional. They are also depicted as flowery and vague in the way they communicate. Words such as pretty and nice are used to refer to these characters. It is from this initial study that she found evidence that supported the muted group theory (Griffin, 1997, p. 459). LITERATURE REVIEW The first book that I will analyze is the book written by Belenky titled Women's ways of knowing: the development of self, voice and mind. In this book, the author analyzes the way women’s feelings are not adequately served. The author argues that this is probably the reason why women face challenges when trying to climb the corporate ladder (Belenky, 1986). The author also states that in many cultures women are ignored and often discouraged from joining male dominated industries even when they have t he knowledge required. What was disappointing about this book was that the Muted Group theory was not mentioned and I had to critically analyze it in order to gather relevant information out of it. The author also used several theorists to explain herself which made the book even more complicated to analyze. The second book I will review is a book by Griffen titled the ‘Proprietors of language' and argues that language was developed by men and that women were not consulted in its development. In this case men are referred to as the dominate group while women, the mute group (Griffen, 2004). Muted Group theory is used to explain the reason why some groups in the society; in this case women are silent. According to Ardener, this group that is muted can be studied from a gendered outlook. Females behave differently from males because they are constructed in a different way. It is these same differences that Ardener argues qualify women to be classified among the muted groups and undervalued in society. The aspect of this book that I did not like was that the chapters were not directly related to the Muted Group theory either. The issues discussed were however quite interesting despite not being topical. It was however

Major Depression Disorder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Major Depression Disorder - Case Study Example The negative effects of MDD are often manifested in the patient’s inability to function normally in a personal and social capacity. Given her other pre-existing conditions, many of the symptoms are enhanced and result in a series of clinical manifestations discussed herein.Mrs. X’s subjective manifestation was initially evident when she has begun to shun speech and the company of others, she spends a lot of time by herself and the few time she speaks she is cynical and very pessimistic. When the social worker asked her if she wanted to go to talk to a doctor, she said he would only try to poison her again and refused anything to do with hospitals. She also contemplated suicide a lot and she would sometimes be heard muttering that God should not take away her health and her ability to â€Å"escape it all†. Her language was generally soft spoken but she displayed some latency in speech, tending to speak slowly and hesitantly and sometimes seeming to lose her stream of thought and wondering of the course of the conversation. On admission, her MMSE (mini mental examination) score was 25/30, he thought the content was low in tempo and the logical coherence was at times challenging. However, after she had undergone medication and two courses of ECT, her speech improved becoming more engaging and she was able to come up with more constructive and logical thought; in the short run, ECT tends to produce more immediate results than antidepressants, however, it negatively affected her short term memory albeit temporally.

Photography Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Photography - Research Paper Example This image happens to be the first ever image that existed and did not get deleted on its own. Later Joseph came into collaboration with Louis Daguerre who is a France born artist and physicist and their collaboration led to the development of daguerreotype which is recognized for being the predecessors of films that are modern in nature (Hirsch 10). These remained high in demand until these types were replaced by the emulsion plates during the period of 1850s. The emulsion plates are even recognized as wet plates and are even less costly as compared to their predecessors and these plates were faster than the previous ones to become exposed. These wet plates do not use coatings on the imaging plate and these plates rather use a procedure recognized as process of emulsion which is characterized as Collodian process. Another great change experienced by the concept of photography during the period of 1870s is the introduction of dry plates which were invented by Richard Maddox and these plates were a result of improvements made to the previous wet plates and these plates were equal to the efficiency and quality of the wet plates (Hirsch 137). These plates were better than the wet plates as these plates could be stored before being used, unlike the wet plates which were only created in accordance to need. Development of dry plates even helped in developing cameras which were portable in size and since these plates led to decrease in time of exposure, these plates influenced the development of first ever mechanical shutter. Before 1980s only professionals used to get involved in the practice of photography or only the elites of the society had access to it, during the 1980s, George Eastman developed a company named Kodak and he was the one who created the first roll films that were flexible in nature and did not need to be changed like previous plates which were solid in nature (Hirsch 447). With this invention, he even created a box camera that had the ability to h old more than 100 films at the same time. George Eastman was an American contributor to the industry of photography and the Kodak Company is a US hosted multinational firm. The camera produced by George Eastman was quite inexpensive and easily accessible to the society, the films that were used in this camera were quite larger in size as compared to the 35 mm films used today. The 35 mm films took some time to be easily accessible to common man and during the 1940s these films became quite affordable. Later during the 1930s, the 35 mm films were used by photographers including Henri-Carter Bresson who is recognized as the father of photojournalism (Hirsch 254). He was the one who invented the capturing of real life images rather than depending on staged images. The invention of this form of photography completely altered the field of photography. While 35 mm films were becoming popular, Polaroid was the one who introduced a secretive method of developing films while they were in the vicinity of the camera and recognized this process as the Model 95 (Hirsch 351). This type of photography soon became very famous among the masses but this form of imaging was quite expensive. By the period of 1960s, Polaroid gained great popularity and several models were developed which

Adopting Linear Wireless Sensor Networks for Border Monitoring Literature review

Adopting Linear Wireless Sensor Networks for Border Monitoring - Literature review Example Any gap or monitoring loose within the borders might cause a severe damage to security of that country. In modern times the border patrolling has become a challenge and requires high degree of accuracy. It is a matter of national security and safe borders make up for safer cities. In past the border monitoring was conducted through manual means of physical check posts or the placing of an entire military unit. Technology has made things easier. The best form of border surveillance involves minimal human intervention which comes in form of installing of wireless sensor networks that detect the motion in the vicinity and respond accordingly. The border monitoring is done in various forms through use of technology. It is either done in form of satellite monitoring, or the cameras attached to the sensors, or in form of towers and other material being installed across the borders which serve as concrete obstacles and at times are contained with explosive materials. However these all need some sort of improvements and there is margin for increasing the efficiency on the borders. There are many existing systems that meant to be for border monitoring starting from fence and wall to very complex systems such as There is emerging interest in developing intelligent border monitoring systems to help countries protect their citizens Modern monitoring systems have much more demanding requirements: Large, busy and complex landscape, the use of heterogeneous technologies, the real-time acquisition and interpretation of the evolving landscape; instantaneous flagging of potentially critical situations in any weather and illumination conditions Real-time monitoring of landscape Variable topography: coastal plains, high mountains, dune, and large deserts. Existing Systems: Helios – Sponsored by British company Fotech Solutions. It consists of fiber-optic cables, lasers & detectors. Hellios is being implemented and proposed for surveillance across Southern Arizona borders in specific and other parts of America as well. It has number of features that separate it from the other existing border surveillance devices. It minimizes the hassle of wires, has considerably larger scale and accuracy along with synchronization with the G.P.S. GPS based Surveillance System: Global positioning system can either operate independently or in collaboration with the sensor networks. In the first case, through the satellites, the motion can be detected, and traced into forward positions, and in case of sensor networks, the alarms are being sent through the nodes which are tracked through the G.P.S devices and they enable further tracking of material across the no go areas. The use of GPS based surveillance system can be extended to the internet and HTTP protocol which will enable finding the record in the data base and hence reach the exact details of individuals. A general characteristic of G.P.S based surveillance system is the ability to detect weapons and other metal based material which might not be traced through conventional forms of surveillance devices. They enable identifying and detecting the movement done from the starting point and hence and tell what might be hidden inside the vehicles and other covered parts of the caravans in form of the business and trade goods that normally go pass the borders(Haggerty, 2010). Change detection Phenomena: This mode of the border monitoring system involves capturing and recording of image and information of a particular place at two different instances, mostly done through a satellite that monitors the activity and place constantly and records any difference that has occurred in a

International Economics, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Economics, - Essay Example The success of RTA is mainly due to low trade barriers with all global partners. This means the most positive impact will be gained from free trade as researches show that least amount of tariff or no tariff is most advantageous for a regional trading agreement to become successful. Custom union, common market and economic union, all impose a certain amount of tariff on the goods. This greatly affects the amount of goods to be traded as an economist said: ‘the successful expansion of trade among the members of a regional trade agreement tends to be associated with increasing extra regional imports as a share of GDP and with the growth of world trade.’, and extra regional imports will only be increased if there will be no or minimal tariff. Economic unions and custom unions are only beneficial for international trade and can only produce positive results if implemented in conjunction especially in case of EU, and this what happened in 1990’s. Trade can only be flourished if the country undertakes international trade and involves in exchanging goods and services from different countries around the globe. International trade means starting trading of goods with foreign countries which means foreign exchange pouring in the country, leading to more GDP and resulting in more finance for the industries to make exportable goods. As exports will increase due to more exportable stock, trade will be flourished. International trade improves the relations between two or more countries. Improving relations means more chances of your own good to be sold in their markets, thus fostering trade (Nayan et al, 2010). International trade increases the productivity of a country; more production takes place leading to more people getting employed in the country, and therefore with more share in the GDP, there will be more growth in the world of trade.

Literature of Knowledge Essay Example for Free

Literature of Knowledge Essay First printed in The North Briton Review, August, 1848, as part of a review of The Works of Alexander Pope, ed. W. Roscoe, 1847. What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly, and amongst the thoughtless, it is held to include everything that is printed in a book. Little logic is required to disturb that definition. The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature one essential element is, ? some relation to a general and common interest of man, so that what applies only to a local or professional or merely personal interest, even though presenting itself in the shape of a book, will not belong to literature. So far the definition is easily narrowed; and it is as easily expanded. For not only is much that takes a station in books not literature, but, inversely, much that really is literature never reaches a station in books. The weekly sermons of Christendom, that vast pulpit literature which acts so extensively upon the popular mind? to warn, to uphold, to renew, to comfort, to alarm? does not attain the sanctuary of libraries In the ten-thousandth part of its extent. The drama as for instance the finest of Shakespeares plays in England and all leading Athenian plays in the noontide of the Attic stage, operated as a literature on the public mind, and were (according to the strictest letter of that term) published through the audiences that witnessed their representation, some time before they were published as things to be read: and they were published in this scenical mode of publication with much more effect than they could have had as books during ages of costly copying or of costly printing. Books, therefore, do not suggest an idea co-extensive and interchangeable with the idea of literature, since much literature, scenic, forensic, or didactic (as from lectures and public orators), may never come into books, and much that does come into books may connect itself with no literary interest. But a far more important correction, applicable to the common vague idea of literature, is to be sought, not so much in a better definition of literature, as in a sharper distinction of the two functions which it fulfils. In that great social organ which, collectively, we call  literature, there may be distinguished two separate offices, that may blend and often do so, but capable, severally, of a severe insulation, and naturally fitted for reciprocal repulsion. There is, first, the literature of knowledge, and secondly, the literature of power. The function of the first is to teach; the function of the second is to move: the first is a rudder; the second an oar or a sail. The first speaks to the mere discursive understanding; the second speaks ultimately, it may happen, to the higher understanding, or reason, but always through affections of pleasure and sympathy. Remotely it may travel towards an object seated in what Lord Bacon calls dry light; but proximately it does and must operate? else it ceases to be a literature of power-on and through that humid light which clothes itself in the mists and glittering iris of human passions, desires, and genial emotions. Men have so little reflected on the higher functions of literature as to find it a paradox if one should describe it as a mean or subordinate purpose of books to give information. But this is a paradox only in the sense which makes it honorable to be paradoxical. Whenever we talk in ordinary language of seeking information or gaining knowledge, we understand the words as connected with something of absolute novelty. But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests that it is never absolutely novel to the meanest of minds: it exists eternally, by way of germ or latent principle, in the lowest as in the highest, needing to be developed but never to be planted. To be capable of transplantation is the immediate criterion of a truth that ranges on a lower scale. Besides which, there is a rarer thing than truth, namely, power, or deep sympathy with truth. What is the effect, for instance, upon society, of children? By the pity, by the tenderness, and by the peculiar modes of admiration, which connect themselves with the helplessness, with the innocence, and with the simplicity of children, not only are the primal affections strengthened and continually renewed, but the qualities which are dearest in the sight of heaven-the frailty, for instance, which appeals to forbearance, the innocence which symbolizes the heavenly, and the simplicity which is most alien from the worldly-are kept up in perpetual remembrance, and their ideals are continually refreshed. A purpose of the same nature is answered by the higher literature, viz. , the literature of power. What do you learn from Paradise Lost? Nothing at all. What do you learn from a cookery-book? Something new, something that you did not know before, in every paragraph. But would you therefore put the wretched cookery-book on a higher level of estimation than the divine poem? What you owe to Milton is not any knowledge, of which a million separate items are still but a million of advancing steps on the same earthly level; what you owe is power, that is, exercise and expansion to your own latent capacity of sympathy with the infinite, where every pulse and each separate influx is a step upwards, a step ascending as upon a Jacobs ladders from earth to mysterious altitudes above the earth. All the steps of knowledge, from first to last, carry you further on the same plane, but could never raise you one foot above your ancient level of earth; whereas the very first step in power is a flight, is an ascending movement into another element where earth is forgotten. Were it not that human sensibilities are ventilated and continually called out into exercise by the great phenomena of infancy, or of real life as it moves through chance and change, or of literature as it recombines these elements in the mimicries of poetry, romance, etc., it is certain that, like any animal power or muscular energy falling into disuse, all such sensibilities would gradually droop and dwindle. It is in relation to these great moral capacities of man that the literature of power, as contradistinguished from that of knowledge, lives and has its field of action. It is concerned with what is highest in man; for the Scriptures themselves never condescended to deal by suggestion or cooperation with the mere discursive understanding: when speaking of man in his intellectual capacity, the Scriptures speak not of the understanding, but of the understanding heart, ?  making the heart, i. e. , the great intuitive (or non-discursive) organ, to be the interchangeable formula for man in his highest state of capacity for the infinite. Tragedy, romance, fairy tale, or epopee, all alike restore to mans mind the ideals of justice, of hope, of truth, of mercy, of retribution, which else (left to the support of daily life in its realities) would languish for want of sufficient illustration. What is meant, for instance, by poetic justice? ?It does not mean a justice that differs by its object from the ordinary justice of human jurisprudence; for then it must be confessedly a very bad kind of justice; but it means a justice that differs, from common forensic justice by the degree in which it attains its object, a justice that is more omnipotent over its own ends, as dealing? not with the refractory elements of earthly life, but with the elements of its own creation, and with materials flexible to its own purest preconceptions. It is certain that, were it not for the Literature of Power, these ideals would often remain amongst us as mere arid notional forms; whereas, by the creative forces of man put forth in literature, they gain a vernal life of restoration, and germinate into vital activities. The commonest novel, by moving in alliance with human fears and hopes, with human instincts of wrong and right, sustains and quickens those affections. Calling them into action, it rescues them. from torpor. And hence the preeminency, over all authors that merely teach of the meanest that moves, or that teaches, if at all, indirectly by moving. The very highest work that has ever existed in the literature of Knowledge is but a provisional work: a book upon trial and sufferance, and quamdiu bene se gesserit. Let its teaching be even partially revised, let it be but expanded, ? nay, even let its teaching be but placed in a better order, ? and instantly it is superseded. Whereas the feeblest works in the Literature of Power, surviving at all, survive as finished and unalterable amongst men. For instance, the Principia of Sir Isaac Newton was a book militant on earth from the first. In all stages of its progress it would have to fight for its existence: 1st as regards absolute truth; idly, when that combat was over, as regards its form or mode of presenting the truth. And as soon as a La Place, or anybody else, builds higher upon the foundations laid by this book, effectually he throws it out of the sunshine into decay and darkness; by weapons won from this book he superannuates and destroys this book, so that soon the name of Newton remains as a mere nominis umbra, but his book, as a living power, has transmigrated into other forms. Now, on the contrary, the iliad, the Prometheus of Aeschylus, the Othello or King Lear, the Hamlet or Macbeth, and the Paradise Lost are not militant but triumphant forever as long as the languages exist in which they speak or can be taught to speak. They never can transmigrate into new incarnations. To reproduce these in new forms, or variations, even if in some things they should be improved, would be to plagiarize. A good steam engine is properly superseded by a better. But one lovely pastoral valley is not superseded by another, nor a statue of Praxiteles by a statue of Michael Angelo. These things are separated not by  imparity, but by disparity. They are not thought of as unequal under the same standard, but as different in kind, and, if otherwise equal, as equal under a different standard. Human works of immortal beauty and works of nature in one respect stand on the same footing: they never absolutely repeat each other, never approach so near as not to differ; and they differ not as better and worse, or simply by more and less: they differ by undecipherable and incommunicable differences, that cannot be caught by mimicries, that cannot be reflected in the mirror of copies, that cannot become ponderable in the scales of vulgar comparison.

Android Operating System Analysis

Android Operating System Analysis Android (Operating System) Revolution in Mobile Technology Abstract Androids mobile operating system is based on the Linux kernel and it is a software stack for mobile devices. This operating system is one of the worlds best-selling Smartphone platform. Android involves many developers writing applications that helps in extended the functionality of the devices. There are currently over 1,50,000 applications available for Android. Android Market is the online application store run by Google, though applications can also be downloaded from third-party sites. Developers write in the Java language. The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 80 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Most of the Android code is released by Google under the Apache License. The Android open-source software stack consists of Java applications running on a Java-based, object-oriented applicationlication framework on top of Java core libraries . Libraries written in C include SQLite relational database management system, WebKit layout engine, SGL graphics engine, SSL. The Android operating system, including the Linux kernel, consists of roughly 12million lines of code including 3million lines of XML, 2.8million lines of C, 2.1million lines of Java, and 1.75million lines of C++. Android logo Ascender Corporation designed the Android logo with the Droid font family. Version history After original release, many updates of androids have been seen. These updates focus on fixing bugs as well as adding new features. Each new version is developed under a code name based on a dessert item. The most recent released versions of Android are: 2.0/2.1 (Eclair), which introduced HTML5 and Exchange ActiveSync 2.5 support 2.2 (Froyo), which introduced speed improvements with JIT optimization , Wi-Fi and Adobe Flash support 2.3 (Gingerbread), which introduced the soft keyboard and copy/paste features, and added support for Near Field Communication 3.0 (Honeycomb), which supports larger screen devices and introduces many new user interface features, and supports multicore processors and hardware acceleration for graphics. The upcoming version of Android is: Ice Cream Sandwich, a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a cohesive whole, with a possible release in mid-2011. Hardware Running Android The main supported platform for Android is the ARM (Advanced Risc Machines) architecture.ARM is one of the most licensed and thus widespread processor cores in the world. It is used especially in portable devices due to low power consumption and reasonable performance. Now a days cell phones, note books and tablets, including the Dell Streak, Samsung Galaxy Tab, TV and other devices can use the functionality of Android . HTC Dream was the first phone to run android, released on 22 October 2008. Features Current features and specifications: Bluetooth, edge, 3G , WiFi support. Camera GPS, accelerometer support. GSM telephony support. Integrated browser based on the open source webkit engine Media support for common audio video, still image formats. Architecture Architecture Diagram Android architecture has four layers: 1. Application Layer : Android is one of skillful and modifiable OS because of its many applications.Top 25 applications in the list below Goggle voice Advanced task killer Drop box Evernote Droid Analytics Documents to go Amazon kindle Places directory Tripit Seesmic FCC Speedtest Astro File Manager Got To Do Gist TED Mobile Pandora Shazam Dial Zero Google Goggles Google Skymap Tricodor Fxcamera Photoshop Mobile Bump Barcode Scanner These applications are written in Java Language. Screen Shot: 2. Application Framework Layer: Android applications are written in the Java programming language. By the help of SDK tools Androids code is compiled with data and resource file. An archive file has .apk extension. All the code in a single .apk file is considered to be one application. By the help of this file, Android devices use to install the application. Android provides the ability to build extremely rich and innovative applications due to open source platform. These are the services which are provided by it like device hardware, access location information, run background services, set alarms, add notifications to the status bar, and much more. Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities .This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user. Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including: Set ofViewsthat can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and web browser Access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data by the help of content providers. AResource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files To display custom alerts in the status bar by the help of a notification manager. Lifecycle of applications can be maintained by an activity manager. 3. Libraries: Android system uses a set of C/C++ libraries which helps in functioning of its various components.. Android application framework exposes its functionalities for its users. Some of the core libraries are listed below: System C library a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library , tuned for embedded Linux-based devices Media Libraries many audio and video formats are supported by these libraries. These libraries support image formats like MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG. Surface Manager manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications LibWebCore a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view SGL the underlying 2D graphics engine 3D libraries an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software. FreeType bitmap and vector font rendering SQLite a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications 4. Linux Kernel Layer : The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack. It contains the drivers for flash memory, camera, keypad, Audio, WiFi drivers , networking, file system access and inter process communication. Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. Software Development Kit The Android software development kit (SDK) includes a set of development tools viz. a debugger, libraries, a handset emulator documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Android developer website helps in downloading SDK. Currently supported development platforms include computers running Linux (any modern desktop Linux distribution), Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, Windows XP or later. Instead of using Eclipse (official IDE) developers may use any text editor to edit Java and XML to create, build and debug Android applications. The SDK also supports older versions of the Android platform in case developers wish to target their applications at older devices. Android applications are packaged in .apk format and stored under /data/application folder on the Android OS. APK package contains .dex files ,resource files, etc. List of those features that android phones do better than the iPhone Browsing Desktop Connectivity PC Connection Multi-notification Endless personalization Market Goggle integration Open source Op[en to carriers Current Distribution The following pie chart and table is based on the number of Android devices that have accessed Android Market within a 14-day period ending on the data collection date noted below. Platform API Level Distribution Android 1.5 3 3.9% Android 1.6 4 6.3% Android 2.1 7 31.4% Android 2.2 8 57.6% Android 2.3 9 0.8% Data collected during two weeks ending on February 2, 2011

The Controversy Over Internet Censorship Essay example -- Television M

The Controversy Over Internet Censorship   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For many people, using the Internet has become practically a new way of life, especially for college students and the like.   Various types of information can be accessed at the touch of a button: anything from encyclopedias, to surveys and essays, to articles from magazines, and adult sites.   Anyone who pays for their Internet service is usually offered space for his or her own web page, and even many free services provide space for personal web pages.   All of this available space can be used for any number of reasons: posting newsletters for community groups, advertising for businesses, or just voicing one’s opinion.   For those of us who know how to use this information, or at least how to find what we need out of it, it’s a very good thing. But what about children?   If adults can access this information with such ease, what’s stopping kids from checking it out too?   Who decides what’s appropriate for kids and whatâ€⠄¢s not when their parents aren’t constantly leaning over their shoulders?   And what about posting things that may be offensive to other people, no matter what age they might be?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With easy access to the Internet and the multitude of Internet services providing all this free web space, many people decide to take advantage.   A person may have a very strong opinion about a subject and feel the need to voice that opinion on a personal web site, whether it is for the purpose of talking about his or her self, or informing others of a particular issue.   What happens when it’s an opinion that some think is funny, yet others find hurtful and offensive?   Can sites like this be censored in order not to offend people?   But what about the people who find it amusing?   Isn’t t... ...hould take in to consideration the thoughts and feelings of others who may be offended, and should also be aware of the influence their information can have on children and others.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Works Cited Legislation to Repeal the Internet Censorship Provisions of the Communications Decency Act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Electronic Privacy Information Center.   19 Jan. 1997. Is There a Right to Speech that Advocates Illegal Acts or Violence?   Electronic Frontier  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Foundation.   Racist Speech on College Campuses.   Electronic Frontier Foundation.   Marriott, Michel.   "Rising Tide: Sites Born of Hate."   New York Times.   18 Mar 1999.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

Nora is a captivating character in Ibsen's A Doll's House. She swings between extremes: she is either very happy or immensely depressed, prosperous or completely desperate, wise or naive, impotent or purposeful. You can understand this range in Nora, because she staggers between the person she pretends to be and the one she someday hopes to become. Throughout the play, Nora is portrayed as subordinate to her male counterpart, Torvald. As most other men during this time, Torvald believed that women were not capable of making difficult decisions, or thinking for themselves. As the play progresses, Nora faces a life changing decision to abandon her duty as a wife and mother to find her own individuality. Even though Torvald is responsible for partial deterioration in their marriage, it is Nora's feministic beliefs, passion for life, thoughtlessness, and spontaneity that stimulate her ultimate plan to break away and shatter all that remained pleasant in Torvald's â€Å"perfect little d ollhouse†. Nora, the protagonist, has been treated as a "play thing" by her father and then her husband, Torvald. She is thought to be fragile and incapable of resolving any serious problems. The pet names like â€Å"lark†, â€Å"squirrel†, and â€Å"songbird† (pg.27) further diminish her status. He also neglected to give significance to her job as a homemaker. Yet her compassion and intelligence must be masked by her childish and supplicating behavior due to the expectations of her society. At the beginning of the play, Nora is still a child in many ways, listening at doors and guiltily eating forbidden sweets (macaroons) behind her husband's back. She has gone straight from her father's house to her husband's, bringing along her nursemaid to emphasize the fact that she's never been on her own. She's also never gained a sense of self. She's always accepted her father's and her husband's opinions. And she's aware that Torvald would have no use for a wife who was his equal. So she would act like a child and manipulate Torvald by pouting or by performing for him. She uses her own being as a lure for the things she wants in life. Her drive to reach her goals are far more powerful than her desire to care for the family, and life, that she created. When her secret is revealed, the reality of her status in their marriage awakens her. A... ... been reversed: he is the weak one, begging for another chance, and Nora has found strength. This notion suggested that ideas of male supremacy and middle-class respectability were changing. More female were feeling liberated enough to escape their boundaries and move on to more fulfilling lives. Your greatest duty is to understand yourself. At the beginning of the play, Nora doesn't realize she has a self. She's playing a role. The purpose of her life is to please Torvald or her father, and to raise her children. But by the end of Act Three their roles have been reversed: he is the weak one, begging for another chance, and Nora has found strength. â€Å"I have it in me to become another man† (pg.70), he exclaims as he pleads for another chance. She replies with thoughtlessness to anyone's feelings but her own by telling him that neither he nor their children were allowed to write to her. By the end of the play, she discovers that her "most sacred duty"(pg.68), is to herself. She leaves to find out who she is and how she can become gratified with her life. The sound of the door shutting as Nora leaves Torvald (pg.72) exemplifies the end of her role as his beloved â€Å"doll† wife.

Five Questions For Vladimir Lenin Essay -- essays research papers

Five Questions For Vladimir Lenin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most dedicated leader of the revolution, and future leader of the Bolshevik Party in Russia, was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. He was born in 1870 in Simbirsk, Russia, a small town on the Volga River, to a family of hereditary nobles that were not wealt but quite comfortable. Vladimir Ulyanov, who would later change his name to Lenin, was the third of seven children. His oldest brother, Aleksandr, was hanged in May of 1887 for having joined in a plot to kill Czar Alexander III. The czar signed a warra to have the five student conspirators executed. A year earlier, Vladimir’s father had died. Because of these cicumstances Vladimir experienced extreme grief. He died of a stroke in January of 1924 at his villa outside Moscow. I chose Vladimir Lenin to ite about because I felt that I didn’t truly understand what part he played in the Bolshevik takeover of Russia. In fact, I didn’t even understand what role he played in Russia, though I did know that he was associated with communism in some way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the University of Kazan, where Lenin majored in law, Lenin was expelled after only three months for taking part in a student protest meeting. He went on to work in a law office in St. Petersburg, where he joined the Social Democratic Party.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In late February 1917 riots broke out in Saint Petersburg. A group of individuals assumed formal governmental powers and declared itself the Provincial Government of Russia on March 1. Lenin took the reins of the Bolshevik Party shortly after the Bolsh ik Revolution which overthrew this Provincial government. Lenin instantly created to pieces of legislation. One of them withdrew Russia from World War I. The other one nationalized personal property. From 1918 to 1921 Russia was torn by a civil war betw n the White armies and the Red Army of the Soviet government. In the summer of 1918 the Soviet government, under Lenin’s leadership, launched the Red Terror, a brutal campaign aimed at eliminating political opponents among the civilian population. The g ernment also introduced a series of economic policies in an effort to put socialist principles into practice and to respond to Russia’s pressing economic needs. However, these policies only weakened economic output.Widespread strikes and uprisings broke ut in c... ...the system?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I realized that once I was gone that the two sides of the party, one led by Trotsky and the other by Stalin, would have nothing in common because the platforms of these two communists were so different. I knew that the communist goals that I had tried uphold would be destroyed. While I was in office I was trying to make Russia prosper under communism. Once I was involved less in communism’s affairs and realized that I was going to die soon, I started thinking of what â€Å"The Party† would be like after died. Suffice to say, it didn’t look good. â€Å". . . . the two outstanding leaders of the present Communist Party can inadvertently lead to a split, and if our Party does not take steps to avert this, the split may come unexpectedly,† (Lenin 1) W O R K S C I T E D Hugley, Ronald. RUSSIA: A Concise History. London, Thames and Hudson Ltd.1972. Lenin, Vladimir. The Testament. Boston, Halshall, Inc. 1997 McNeal, Robert H., The Bolshevik Tradition. Englewood, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inc. 1975. Sherrow, Victoria. Life during the Russian Revolution. San Diego, Lucent Books, Inc.,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1998.

Group Dynamics Essay

Work is being restructured around groups of all kinds and in all sizes of organizations. Managers need an understanding of group behavior and the concept of teams in order to appreciate what groups can and cannot do within organizations and how groups function. Any one member in group can influence the behavior of the individuals in the group and teamwork. We will examine some basic characteristics of groups including the types of work groups, the development of informal groups, and the manner in which groups operate. UNDERSTANDING GROUP BEHAVIOR Groups exhibit different behavior—more than just the sum total of each group member’s individual behavior. In this section, we’re going to look at various aspects of group behavior. What is a Group? A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve particular objectives. 1. Groups differ from mere aggregates of individual because the latter have no interdependence, interaction, or common goal. 2. Groups differ from organizations because the latter involve systematic efforts and are engaged in the production of goods and services. 3. Teamwork occurs when groups are able to work efficiently and effectively together to achieve organizational goals. There are a number of types of work groups 1. A formal group is a group officially planned and created by an organization for a specific purpose. a. A command or functional group is a formal group consisting of a manager and all the subordinates who report to that manager. ) Each identifiable work group consisting of manager and subordinates is a command group. 2) A linking is an individual who provides a means of coordination between command groups at two different levels by fulfilling a supervisory role in the lower-level group and a subordinate role in the higher-level group. 2. Informal groups are natural social formations that appear in the work environment. An informal group is a group that is established by employees, rather than by the organization, in order to serve group members’ interests or social needs. Informal groups are unplanned groups. a. An interest group is an informal group created to facilitate employee pursuits of common concern. b. A friendship group is an informal group that evolves primarily to meet employee social needs. Overview of Group Dynamics Formal and informal work groups are becoming increasingly important competitive factors in organizations. Teamwork is the result of groups working together to effectively and efficiently achieving organizational goals. Formal groups include command and task groups. Informal groups include interest and friendship groups. A useful way to analyze groups is to view them as systems that use inputs, engage in various processes or transformations, and produce outcomes. Managers can help bring about higher performance from formal work groups by weighing the characteristics of members they assign to particular groups. Group members should have task-relevant expertise and appropriate interpersonal skills. Also, it has been found, that a degree of diversity among group members usually adds to performance. Group training, particularly for diverse groups, has been found to be useful. Members may be attracted to a group for a number of reasons including being attracted to or liking other members of the group, liking the activities of the group, the goals or purposes of the group, because the group satisfies an individual’s need for affiliation, and/or because the group can help an individual achieve a goal outside the group. The absence of attraction can prevent the group from achieving high performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self oriented roles. The size of the group has also been found to have significant bearing on the group’s performance. Mid-sized groups, from five to seven members, seem to be an optimum size according to recent research. Smaller groups can often exacerbate individual differences. Large groups tend to be when working in groups than when working alone. Free riding is particularly likely when members exhibit individualism rather than collectivism. Managers can combat social loafing by several methods. Assign just enough people to do the work is one key method. Other methods include making each individual’s work visible, providing for individual feedback, have people work with those the respect, have standards to actually measure group performance, and making rewards contingent on a combination of individual and group performance. The work group processes usually result in greater or lesser performance than would occur if the individuals worked alone rather than as members of the group. This process is called synergy. Managers strive to have a positive synergy from the group rather than negative. Three key characteristics of the group help determine the synergy levels. These are group norms, group cohesiveness, and group development. Norms are the behaviors of group members that are acceptable to the group. Norms stem from explicit statements by supervisors and coworkers, critical events in a group’s history, primacy, and carryover behaviors. Group cohesiveness has important consequences for group communication, satisfaction, performance, hostility and aggression toward other groups, and a group’s willingness to innovate and change. Factors influencing the amount of cohesiveness in a group include whether or not members of the group share attitudes and values, the amount and severity of external threats to the group, whether or not the group experiences recognizable successes, the degree of difficulty encountered in joining the group, and the size of the group. One view of group development shows groups passing through five distinct stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. A group’s performance varies depending on the stage it is in. A special kind of group behavior is found in group meetings. Because of the considerable amount of time spent in meetings, it is important for managers to know how to maximize group meeting effectiveness. This chapter includes an excellent short guide for how managers can lead more effective group meetings. Groups can also help facilitate creativity and innovation in the organization. Some of the major mechanisms that organizations use to encourage the creative and innovative capacity of groups include the use of task forces, or ad hoc committees, and teams, particularly entrepreneurial and self-managing teams.

Western Humanities

It is no exaggeration to say that the Romans have made profound impact on almost all civilized nations of the world and their culture is the cradle of many cultures of today (Rao, 113). The manner in which the Romans pick their girls has a whole lot to do with the laws governing marriage at that time. Before a marriage could be considered legal, both couples must be matured; for the girl twelve years and for the boy fourteen, the parents of the couple have to be fully aware; that is it has to be with the consent of both families of the bride and groom. During the Augustan age, families were forbidden any refusal of marriage without given any valid reason as to why they refused a marriage. Marriage between a close relation likewise ascendant and descendant marriage were also unlawful. There were two social classes during the early Roman period; the patricians who were the citizens and the plebeians who were the free non-citizens. During that time, the patricians only marry the patricians and the plebeians only the plebeians respectively as there was no inter-marital relationship between these two social classes. Marriage by the Patricians was considered a sacred institution which cannot be done just by merely saying it. Some manners of consideration have to be taken before a marriage could actually take place. With the direct consent of the gods, the patrician takes his bride from her father’s house to his own residence in the company of a representative of his clan. In this form of marriage, the bride is put under the authority of her husband and her husband in a way becomes her master. The plebeian marriage however consist essentially the cohabitation of a man and woman as husband and wife. Plebeian marriages were not recognized by the patricians as they were not considered citizens and even when the plebeians became citizens and their marriage were legalized, inter-marriage between the plebeians and the patricians were still not allowed because of the religious differences between them. But as years past, their laws were amended and the marriage between the social classes now became possible. The early Romans married at a relatively early age as a girl was considered ready for marriage between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. Her father would choose a husband and perform the required arrangements. Though young Roman children were not forced into marriage, very few children were able to refuse an arranged marriage (Mellor). Betrothal before marriage was considered a good form although it had no legal obligation attached to it. Betrothal involves a girl been promised solemnly by her family to the man or his family. This process in most case is represented by the man giving the prospective wife a ring. The ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand which the Romans believed had a direct link with the heart, as they believed that the finger had a connection with the heart by a nerve. It was customary point of pride with the Romans for the bride to bring her groom a dowry which was provided by her family if she is still dependent on them or by herself. The bride is dressed by her mother on the morning of her wedding day; one of the most significant parts of the dressing was the â€Å"knot of Hercules† who was considered the guardian of wedded life (Rome exposed – Roman Children). The groom is the only one permitted to loose the knot once it is tied and this is done after the wife has been accompanied to her new home. After the marriage ceremony, there is usually a dinner (reception) in the house of the bride after which she is then accompanied to her husband’s house by her family members. On entering into her new home, the bride is carried into the house so as to prevent any bad omen that may result if she stumbles upon her first entrance into the house. Until the first child is born, marriage itself is not regarded as having been consummated. This is because the Romans believe that children are of paramount importance in order for a marriage to be considered blissful. However husbands and wives could tend to love each other as time goes on. The Roman women enjoy social freedom as they could attend both public and private banquets in the society. After marriage, the social status of a Roman woman increases as she is raised to the rank of her husband and is considered equal with him sharing the same religious and civil status with him. Her responsibility however is to govern the home and being the mistress of the house, she oversees the education of her children as well as the slaves. During the Augustan age women had more encouragement to bear more children because of the privilege associated with it. The moment a woman has three children, she would be released form all supervision and was free to conduct business by herself (Bierkan, Sherman & Stocquart, 303-327). One could safely say that the Roman woman was vast and sophisticated when compared to her counterparts like the Greeks and this was due to the privileges given to her by the society.

The Beatles: the Greatest Band of All Time?

The Beatles: The Greatest Band of All Time? By: Erin Bozone Ask anyone. Read any music magazine. Go to any store. The Beatles are everywhere because of the legendary contributions they made to musical history and pop culture. They are frequently referred to as the greatest band of all time. But were they really? In this paper, I will compare and contrast two conflicting opinions on The Beatles: Howard Goodall’s documentary â€Å"20th Century Greats: The Beatles† and Piero Scaruffi’s written criticism on the band.I began reading Scaruffi’s web-based criticism, and despite being fore-warned of his unpleasant disposition, found its cynical and loathsome attitude to be unpleasant to read. Throughout the entire piece of writing, Scaruffi never ceased his constant verbal attack on The Fab Four, mercilessly calling them mediocre and generally uncreative musicians. He numerously accuses them of shameless imitation of other groups. He makes it very clear that he on ly believes The Beatles achieved their colossal fame due to extreme luck and just being at the right place at the right time.They arrived just as the white middle class were beginning to feel untrustworthy of the African-American-influenced Rock and Roll. They emerged out of nowhere with a polished and tamer version, stripped of it’s black roots that was more appealing and erased the idea it was a bad influence on the youth of the time. Scaruffi doesn’t believe The Beatles to be as world-shatteringly revolutionary as every single other person on the face of planet Earth does, bluntly stating that â€Å"Their music was just easy to sell to the masses†¦ nd they were photogenic†. Scaruffi credits their immense success not to musical ability, but to the fact that they were sellable, appealed to a broad audience, and had an infinitely accomplished producer. Scaruffi knows that George Martin was acutely influential on The Beatles musical choices and techniques. H e gets this right, although is cruel in his implied beliefs that none of the Beatles themselves contributed a single thing. I believe that he is unfair stating generally that The Beatles are ntalented and unoriginal. I believe this could maybe be applied to the shallow, simple music they were creating early in their career, but to say that overall they didn’t contribute anything at all wonderful is untrue. Over the short decade, they created, experimented and expanded so much that it is practically unfathomable. He does, however, offer slight praise of some elements of their later works such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and rightfully so. After Scaruffi’s dismal, cutting composition, I warmly welcomed Howard Goodall’s Documentary â€Å"20th Century Greats: The Beatles†. I expected a much more adoring view that would better match my own opinions and that would generally be pleasant to watch. I was sadly mistaken . First of all, Goodall insists on singing the songs himself and only occasionally plays the original recording, which was unimaginably irritating to me, at least.And not only was Goodall incessantly annoying as a narrator, he blindly worships The Beatles while offering useless information. The entire documentary describes in minute detail about the musical techniques that The Fab Four used to revolutionize music, when really they had no idea they were even using them as they were writing the songs. The only person who would’ve had an idea they were using these fancy tactics accidentally would be George Martin. I did not hear Goodall mention George Martin once†¦ and if he had, it must have been in passing.The only thing that Goodall got exactly right was the fact that they were brilliant at translating their feelings into music while virtually having no idea what they were doing musically, and that they did, indeed, change music forever. My own personal opinion, I think, would be somewhere in the exact middle between these two polar opposites. I love the music that The Beatles have created and think they were just spectacularly wonderful, but I also am able to recognize that a large percent of their brilliance was also contributed by George Martin and I accept that.I think the most impressive thing about The Beatles as a musical group is how much they accomplished. In just 10 years, they created so much. The monstrous amount of material the created is staggering. And all while experimenting, re-inventing techniques and making them their own, growing, learning, changing and finding themselves within the music is just mind-blowing and inspiring. Works Cited Goodall, Howard, dir. â€Å"The Beatles. † Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats. Channel 4: 2004. Television. Scaruffi, Piero. â€Å"The Beatles. † www. Scaruffi. com. N. p. , 1999. Web. 29 Nov 2011. .

Cialis Case

Cialis I. Problem: In this case, the main issue at hand is to decide an effective marketing strategy for the introduction of new product, Cialis by the joint venture Eli Lilly and ICOS. This strategy will help to recognize a target market and also the future marketing endeavors necessary to have competitive positioning in the market amongst Cialis’s main competitors, Pfizer and Bayer. Cialis has to choose among the alternatives: beat, niche and compete. II. Alternatives: 1) Follow Beat Strategy by differentiating its product from competitors by emphasizing on its duration i. . 36 hours, targeting men suffering from Erectile Dysfunction (ED) + Existing customer base + Can convince existing, new users and dropouts that it is a superior product + Customers can wait for right moment + Better onset time and duration + Doesn’t have blue vision side effect that happens in case of Viagra + Can convince Primary Care Physicians (PCP) and urologists of its benefits – Higher sales force needed to compete with Viagra’s effective sales force team of 30000 – Not safe with nitrates Time on Market is 0 compared to Viagra’s 5 years so Viagra has better brand reputation 2) Follow Niche Strategy by targeting Viagra dropouts estimated to be around 6-7 million as compared to Viagra’s current users i. e. 3 million + Can demand high price + The number of Viagra dropouts can grow with the launch and success of Cialis + Easy to focus target market – Low market share in total Erectile Dysfunction (ED) market – Difficult to convince users who have lost faith in similar product i. e.Viagra – Not safe with nitrates 3) Follow Compete Strategy and go head-to-head with Viagra’s positioning + Existing customer base + Alternative means to attract customers such as by convincing partners and people who think it will go away + Better onset time and duration – Not safe with nitrates – Difficult to convince ex isting users of Viagra – Difficult to convince physicians to prescribe Cialis – Higher sales force needed to compete with Pfizer’s effective sales force team of 30000 III. Recommendation:I suggest that Cialis should adopt the â€Å"beat† marketing strategy focusing on its high duration i. e. 36 hours to make it a differentiated product in the market. On conducting the need and performance analysis of key buying factors, the aforementioned strategy best suits for the product introduction. While there are drawbacks to this decision such as Viagra’s already developed brand reputation and fact that Cialis is not safe with nitrates, I believe that Cialis can successfully overcome these issues through its competitive pricing which can be similar to that of Viagra’s i. . $10 so that target customers can get more benefits (such as choosing the right moment for sexual intercourse) at the same price. Cialis should spend significant amount on initial p romotion of its new product through TV advertisement featuring famous personality (actor, politician, sportsmen), radio, social media and word of mouth. It also needs a high sales force (to compete with Pfizer’s effective sales force team of 30000) who can pitch the product initially in US and Europe where there is strong target market base and later on extend its focus on other countries.

Catcher In The Rye Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Catcher In The Rye - Essay Example It is my opinion that Holden Caulfield became such a universally loved fictional character simply because of his humanity - equally because of his faults and his sensitivity. Sensitivity, yes, as strange as it might sound, but Holden did possess an astute mind, a keen eye, an unadulterated understanding of human nature and at times betrayed a sensitivity towards others that he usually hid under layers of abrasiveness and insolence. This rudeness was a defense mechanism employed by Holden to intentionally protect himself from his fellow men. In order to reach a deeper understanding of Holden, it is imperative to analyze the reason behind his rudeness. It is my opinion that Holden usually brushed people off and never showed them his true inner feelings because he was afraid of opening up and making himself vulnerable to others. He understood that human beings were just as capable of hurting as they were of loving and he did not take a chance with any of his relationships simply because he dreaded being hurt by the ones he chose to love. After Holden's passage from childhood to maturity he became increasingly aware of the "phoniness" of the world around him and craved the innocence and purity of his childhood days.

Inter-Cultural Development Bank Case Study Essay

Inter-Cultural Development Bank Case Study - Essay Example Other team members wanted to ensure that the right type of relations was created with Ghanaian officials and that the economical considerations were met. Eduardo Caballero was a road-building expert and he was not happy that the road was being constructed through heavy jungles to meet the demands of different tribes and there was a technical role conflict here. Aziz Tanod the economist felt that socializing with locals was essential to develop cordial relations. Bernard Dupre was a financial analyst who did not like the nurturing and hand holding that was required of his role. Raj Mathuri was an economist who believed in getting the job done. Bjorn the mission leader was under intense pressure from Washington and it was felt that he over controlled the project and the mission members. So the actual role requirements were to carry out tasks as required while the implied role, requirements were for socializing and some members did not like this aspect. Bjorn, the Swedish team leader believed in close monitoring of the project and other people did not like this. Bernard Dupre from France believed in carrying out his role of financial analyst and not to take up mentoring and being nice to the Ghanaians. Eduardo Caballero, the Colombian was an easy-going person who enjoyed being with people and got along very well with his Ghanaian counterparts when they met at the hotel for drinks. Aziz Tanod from Indonesia liked to socialize and so did John Anderson, the American specialist in Ghanaian manufacturing and marketing. Raj Mathuri from India also did not like to socialize, Thus it can be seen that while some people believed only in their work and did not like to mix and socialize, others believed that both activities were required. There are two motivational factors here, work oriented and socializing or people oriented. The presumed conflict among

NO TOPIC JUST DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NO TOPIC JUST DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Dissertation Example It is one’s contention that the change was managed successfully paving the way for various suppliers and customers to take advantage of advanced communication, computer, and mobile services at increasing volume and decreasing costs. Despite the efficiency and success of contemporary organizations in the industry, future challenges come in terms of continued reliability and sustainability of the system as well as controls in costs of both telecommunications equipment and services. Discussion Question 2: The force field analysis is a viable tool to initiate changes at work through the identification and evaluation of both driving forces and forces of resistance. As indicated, through brainstorming, one is made to clearly itemize these forces and determine which force/s have greater intensities that could assist in the accomplishment of identified change goals.