Ethical Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical - Case Study Example Ethical dilemmas often result from matters of law, health science field and stands of different individuals and organizations on issues related to human morals. The church, especially the Catholic has created a great deal of controversies on condom use as one way of limiting down the spread of HIV/Aids pandemic. This has not been taken well by the greater world community. A dilemma faced by the elderly and the sick individuals in the society is a choice to lead a fruitful life free from negligence. This does not spare the healthy individuals who find themselves at cross-roads when one of their loved ones falls sick or ages. There is a conflict between the code of ethics depicted by workers concerning a patient’s privacy and the issue of solving the problem they are facing (Kathleen & James, 2007). The reporting of the case concerning Mr Bert to the administration violated the code of confidentiality. She ended up breaking Steven’s confidence in her as well as giving out information on the patient. The workers in health facilities have codes to observe in the line of their

Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth

Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth Abstract The massive expenditures on foreign aid programs by developed nations and international institutions, in combination with the perceived lack of results from these disbursements, raise important questions as to the actual effectiveness of monetary assistance to less developed countries (LDCs). In this analysis, I focus on 119 low- and medium-development countries, and measure the impact that foreign aid has on their growth rates of gross domestic product, using dummy variables for geography and conflict in a geometric lag model. The results indicate that foreign aid donations do have a positive impact on the economic growth of the recipient nation. The effect is extremely modest, however, and other factors such as armed conflict and geography can easily mitigate this impact, in some cases to the extent that foreign aid becomes detrimental to economic growth. Further analysis of the results indicate that this impact is quickly felt, with half of the total impact of foreign aid felt in approximately six months. Key Words: Foreign aid, economic growth, economic development 1. Introduction Over the last half century, foreign aid has emerged as a dominant strategy for alleviating poverty in the third world. Not coincidentally, during this time period major international institutions, such as the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund gained prominence in global economic affairs.  [1]  Yet it seems that sixty years later, the lesser developed countries (LDCs) of the world continue to suffer from economic hardship, raising questions of whether foreign aid is a worthwhile and effective approach to boosting growth and development in recipient economies. Research on the subject has attempted to draw an empirical connection between foreign aid and economic growth. Despite these efforts, however, there is no solid consensus among scholars on the actual effectiveness of foreign aid inflows.  [2]   The term foreign aid can imply a number of different activities, ranging from humanitarian support in the wake of natural disasters to military assistance and arms donations.  [3]  For the purposes of this analysis, however, I refer to the standard definition of official development assistance, or aid that is aimed at increasing economic development, and has a grant component of at least 25% of the total aid package.  [4]  Critics of development assistance cite a variety of reasons why it is a poor strategy for combating global poverty. Some argue that it can breed corruption, weaken accountability, and cause government to become excessively large.  [5]  Nonetheless, as researchers Hansen and Tarp (2000) write, it is neither analytically defensible or empirically credible to argue from the outset that aid never works.  [6]  Indeed, a number of studies have shown a positive relationship between foreign aid and economic growth, especially in countries which have respons ible economic policies regarding trade, inflation, and other macroeconomic concerns. The purpose of this analysis is to study the effects of foreign aid inflows on real gross domestic product growth rates. It differs from existing research in two key ways. First, I utilize a geometric lag model to capture the continued impact of foreign aid inflows for years after its initial introduction into the economy.  [7]  Second, I incorporate several dummy variables for geography, political stability, and development to determine their additional impact on foreign aids effectiveness in growing GDP. 2. Literature Review There are two contrasting sides to this debate: one which argues that aid has a positive effect on economic growth, with even more impact in countries with sound economic and trade policies; and another which contends that foreign aid causes corruption, encourages rent-seeking behavior, and erodes bureaucratic institutions. A renewed interest in explaining cross-country economic growth emerged in the early 1990s, with numerous studies attempting to answer the foreign aid question. To date, however, there is no consensus among scholars as to the actual effects of foreign aid on economic growth. There have been several prominent studies which find a causal link between foreign aid and economic growth. Perhaps the most well-known of these was performed by two researchers for the World Bank, Craig Burnside and David Dollar (1997). They found that foreign aid enhances economic growth, so long as good fiscal policies are in place. These policies can include maintaining small budget deficits, controlling inflation, and being open to global trade.  [8]  Durbarry, et. al. (1998) also found a positive association between foreign aid and economic growth, and confirmed Burnside and Dollars finding of conditionality on good economic policy. The study also concluded, however, that the degree to which aid impacts GDP depends largely on other factors as well, such as geography.  [9]  Ali and Isse (2005) further confirmed the findings of Burnside and Dollar. The study also demonstrated, though, that aid is subject to decreasing marginal returns, indicating a threshold beyond which development assistance can become detrimental to economic growth.  [10]   Not all research has shown a positive relationship to exist between aid and growth. Even before Burnside and Dollars monumental findings, a study by Peter Boone (1994) found that aid-intensive African countries experienced zero per capita economic growth in the 1970s and 80s, despite foreign aid actually increasing (as measured by share of GDP).  [11]  Additionally, Knack (2001) found that high levels of foreign aid can erode bureaucratic and institutional quality, triggering corruption, and encouraging rent-seeking behavior.  [12]   There is also evidence that the effects of foreign aid can be mitigated by other non-economic factors. Situations of state failure, such as ethnic conflict, genocide or politicide, and revolution can all potentially influence the extent to which aid impacts growth. George Mason Universitys Political Instability Task Force (PITF) created a binary dataset indicating in which countries and during what years these events take place. According to the PITF, an ethnic conflict requires the clash of two separate ethnic, religious, or nationalistic factions, and also must meet two threshold criteria: 1,000 people must be mobilized for armed conflict, and at least 1,000 people per year must have died as a direct result of this conflict. Similarly, revolutions are defined as episodes of violent conflict between political groups in hopes of overthrowing the current regime, and must meet the same threshold criteria as ethnic wars. Finally, genocide and politicides are defined in a slightly differ ent manner. These events occur when the group in power carries out sustained policies that target ethnic, religious, or political rivals, ultimately resulting in the deaths of a substantial portion of one of those groups.  [13]   Easterly and Levine (1997) studied the effects of high ethnic fractionalization on economic growth. By fractionalization, they mean the probability that two randomly chosen people from a population will be of different ethno-linguistic backgrounds. Easterly and Levine conclude that movement from heterogeneity to homogeneity (decreasing fractionalization) results in better schooling, more efficient infrastructures, and more developed financial systems and foreign exchange markets.  [14]  According to their findings, then, it is entirely possible that ethnic conflict, in its attempt to move away from ethnic diversity and towards ethnic homogeneity, will actually improve economic growth. Despite their findings, however, the instability of the regime could still negatively impact the degree of aids effectiveness. Not a lot of attention is paid to genocide, politicide, and revolution and their effects on growth in the literature. Moreover, there has been virtually no research performed on this question as it concerns the effectiveness of aid. It is reasonable to believe, though, that resources (including foreign aid) are siphoned off by the dominant party and used for individual benefit rather than for economically efficient activities, as intended. Furthermore, out of respect for state sovereignty, these events are not likely to prompt a major international response, which would perhaps eliminate local control over resources and allow them to be used productively. Ethnic conflict, on the other hand, typically ignores state boundaries. One study by Gurr (1993) estimated that over two-thirds of identified ethnic communal groups in the world have kindred in another country. The spread across state borders allows other states to intervene without violating state sovereignty, which could positively impact how resources are used, and ultimately, economic growth. Additionally, a countrys geographic location can influence economic performance; nations that are landlocked, for instance, are at a natural disadvantage in global trade. Sachs and Warner (1996) write, Landlocked countries, in particular, face very high costs of shipping, since they must pay road transport costs across at least on international boundary in addition to sea freight costs. Although air shipments can help overcome many of these problems, only certain goods can be economically shipped by air, and most countries still import and export the majority of goods by the sea.  [15]   A report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (1999) specifically mentions the positive relationship between aid and growth in landlocked countries, noting that they are at a disadvantage for these reasons, as well.  [16]  Due to their geographical position, then, landlocked countries could potentially benefit from foreign assistance, as it may fill the gap in trade that they experience relative to countries with easy access to international trade. 3. Methodology 3.1 Data I direct the focus of this analysis to low- and medium-development countries as defined by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Index (HDI).  [17]  These nations were selected since they are the most likely to be recipients of foreign aid, whereas high-development nations are the most likely to be donors. I select the HDI as a basis for classification because in addition to income, the index accounts for life expectancy as measured by infant mortality rates, and educational attainment as measured by adult literacy rates and gross enrollment ratios for primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. This provides for a more thorough understanding of a countrys stage of development and a comprehensive measure of quality of life.  [18]  In all, 119 countries of the 177 analyzed by the UNDP (67%) meet the development criteria and were included in this study.  [19]   Due to data availability issues, I restrict the range of this study to the period from 1980 to 2003. With 119 cross sections, there is a potential 2,856 observations over this time span. After taking into account missing data for the independent variables included in the model, 1,760 remain, or about 62%. A vast majority of the missing data is a result of the overall lack of information regarding Sub-Saharan Africa and Soviet bloc countries during the early 1980s. Furthermore, I aim to measure the impact of foreign aid on average, across both time and countries. Thus, I employ pooled data analysis. I collect the data in annual format from several sources. Most of the data come from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)  [20]  and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  [21]  Table 1 below lists the variables included in this study and the source from which they were gathered: Table 1: Data Sources Variable Unit Source Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate IMF Official Development Assistance Millions $US UNCTAD Household Consumption Growth Rate UNCTAD Government Expenditures Growth Rate UNCTAD Exports*Petroleum Exporter Growth Rate UNCTAD Imports Growth Rate UNCTAD Agricultural Production Growth Rate UNCTAD Gross Capital Formation Growth Rate UNCTAD Inflation Growth Rate IMF Openness to Trade  [22]   Share of GDP UNCTAD Energy Consumption Per Capita Millions of BTUs Energy Information Agency, U.S. Dept of Energy Major Petroleum Exporter Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise UNCTAD Non-Tropics Dummy  [23]   1=Yes, 0=Otherwise IUCN World Conservation Union Foreign Direct Investment Inflows Millions $US UNCTAD Ethnic Conflict Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise Political Instability Task Force, University of Maryland Genocide Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise Political Instability Task Force, University of Maryland Revolution Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise Political Instability Task Force, University of Maryland Landlocked Country Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise UNCTAD Low Development Dummy 1=Yes, 0=Otherwise United Nations Development Programme Data for household consumption, government expenditures, exports, imports, agricultural production, and gross capital formation were only available in share of GDP format. Since I aim to explain growth rates in GDP, however, percentage changes in the dollar amounts of each of these variables would be more appropriate. Thus, I transform these numbers into growth rates as well.  [24]   3.2 Model Specification I assume that inflows of foreign aid will continue to impact the economy for years after its initial introduction, but at a decreasing rate. It would therefore be unsuitable to use an ordinary least squares model, since it would only take into account aid inflows in the year they were received and disregard the continued impact that foreign aid has on the economy in the years after its introduction. To effectively capture this rationale, I use a geometric lag model which incorporates an infinite number of lags for each variable, but weights each lag in a geometrically declining fashion. The general form of this type of model is: (1) Note that in the model a weight is attached to each lag (ÃŽÂ »), a value between zero and one that diminishes geometrically as time passes. Mathematically, this model is the same as:  [25]   (2) This simpler form, however, shows the dependent variable Y on the right side of the equation. Since Y is already shown to have an error component in (1), this simplification introduces a stochastic regressor into the model, requiring two-stage least squares (TSLS) regression. In order to ensure the instruments required for TSLS are non-stochastic, I lag each one period. Thus, to the observer at time t, values for instruments at t-1 are fixed. In other words, these instruments are stochastic but predetermined. 3.3 Expected Results I expect to find a positive relationship between foreign aid and economic growth on average, as indicated by most prior research on this subject. I further anticipate, however, that aid will have a detrimental effect on low-development countries since they lack efficient infrastructures and institutions which might make foreign aid donations more effective. I expect ethnic conflict, genocide and revolution to negatively influence the effectiveness of foreign aid, but leave open the possibility that ethnic conflict could positively influence aids impact based on Easterlys study. Furthermore, I expect landlocked countries to experience additional positive gains from foreign aid, since they are at a trade disadvantage. 4. Results and Analysis The results of the TSLS regression are shown below in Table 2: Table 2: TSLS Regression Results Parameter Estimate Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. Constant Term 0.091 0.400 0.228 0.820 GDP(-1) [Lambda] 0.233 0.087 2.692 0.007 Household Consumption 6.307 2.241 2.814 0.005 Government Expenditures 4.505 1.305 3.452 0.001 Exports*Petroleum Exporter 9.825 1.866 5.266 0.000 Imports -3.746 0.963 -3.891 0.000 Agricultural Production 10.976 1.992 5.510 0.000 Gross Capital Formation 7.262 0.834 8.703 0.000 Inflation -0.001 0.000 -2.282 0.023 Openness to Trade 0.020 0.005 4.301 0.000 Energy Consumption -0.013 0.004 -3.212 0.001 Energy Cons.*Low Dev. -0.052 0.014 -3.822 0.000 Less than Half of Land in Tropics (1=Yes) 0.742 0.326 2.275 0.023 Foreign Direct Investment 0.000 0.000 2.124 0.034 Foreign Aid 0.001 0.000 3.233 0.001 Foreign Aid*Ethnic Conflict 0.001 0.000 2.202 0.028 Foreign Aid*Genocide*Low Dev. -0.017 0.009 -1.948 0.052 Foreign Aid*Revolution -0.001 0.000 -2.731 0.006 Foreign Aid*Landlocked 0.002 0.001 1.847 0.065 Foreign Aid*Landlocked*Low Dev. -0.003 0.001 -2.320 0.021 R-squared 0.415 S.E. of regression 4.535 Adjusted R-squared 0.408 Durbin-Watson stat 2.069 The model can be written as in general terms as follows: (3) Where: GDP = Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate (for country i at time t) ODA = Official Development Assistance (for country i at time t) DUMMY = Vector for Dummy Variables (for country i at time t) Z = Vector for All Other Variables (for country i at time t) The results of the regression indicate that approximately 42% of the variation in GDP growth rates is explained by the variables included in the model, as evidenced by the R-squared value. Further, each coefficient estimate is significant at the 0.05 level, with the exception of a few borderline cases and the constant term. These coefficients are also consistent with my expectations, however the coefficient for the ethnic conflict dummy did turn out to be in harmony with Easterlys study of ethnic fractionalization. The Durbin-Watson statistic fails to conclusively determine the presence of serial correlation. Further analysis of the residuals, however, indicates that it is not a statistically significant problem.  [26]  The model was also tested for the presence of heteroskedasticity, both across time and cross sections using the Breusch-Pagan Test. The results of this test fail to show statistically significant evidence of heteroskedasticity.  [27]  Multicollinearity was investigated using a correlation matrix of the regressors, but no major evidence of this anomaly was detected, either.  [28]   The results provide insight as to foreign aids effectiveness in a number of ways. Most obvious is that it is has a positive, though modest effect on economic growth, significant at the 0.01 level. Increasing foreign aid by $1 million US will result in an increase in GDP of approximately 0.001%, ceteris paribus. According to the data, the average annual amount of official development assistance received over all years and countries is approximately $570 million US. In this case, aid is estimated to increase growth in GDP by approximately 0.6%. As shown in Table 3, however, this impact can be greatly diminished by other factors, in some cases to the point where aid actually becomes detrimental to growth. Using the baseline case of a country with no ethnic conflict, revolution, or genocide, which is not landlocked, and does not suffer from low development, I estimate the additional impacts of any of those circumstances on economic growth. Those factors with N/A listed under Impact were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level.  [29]   Table 3: Factors Influencing Aid Effectiveness Factor Impact Overall Impact of Aid + Additional Factor(s) on GDP Ethnic Conflict 0.001 0.002 Ethnic Conflict in Low Development Countries N/A N/A Genocide/Politicide N/A N/A Genocide/Politicide in Low Development Countries -0.017 -0.016 Revolution -0.001 0.000 Revolution in Low Development Countries N/A N/A Landlocked Country 0.002 0.003 Landlocked Country with Low Development -0.003 -0.002 The model indicates that foreign assistance actually becomes detrimental to growth in situations where there is genocide or politicide in low development nations, as predicted. I attribute this to the fact that resources are typically controlled by the dominant party in genocidal conflicts, and it is likely that aid dollars are siphoned off and used for their own benefit instead of productive and efficient activities. Revolutionary conflict eliminates entirely the impact aid has on the economy, resulting a net effect of about zero. I argue that this is the case because the institutions required to effectively utilize foreign assistance are in jeopardy during a major transfer of power, reducing their ability to act efficiently and distribute aid dollars according to the countrys best interests. Interestingly, ethnic conflict actually increases the effectiveness of aid. This finding is consistent with Easterlys study of ethnic fractionalization and its impact on economic growth. In landlocked countries, aid is particularly effective, tripling the extent to which it impacts economic growth. As Sachs and Warner pointed out, landlocked countries are limited in their ability to engage in global trade. Thus, it seems reasonable that foreign aid positively impacts growth in these areas since their capacity to engage in trade is restricted. However, in low-development countries that are landlocked, this relationship no longer holds. This indicates that whatever benefits aid has in landlocked countries is reversed in low-development countries, possibly due to poor institutional quality, corruption, or other factors. As for other variables besides foreign aid, the model shows the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth is surprisingly small; an increase of only 0.00003% in GDP for every $1 million US invested. In contrast, foreign aid boosts GDP by 0.001% with the same amount of money. This indicates that foreign aid has a substantially greater impact on growth than foreign direct investment, all else equal. According to the model, being open to trade seems to be a much more effective strategy in growing the economy, even more so than foreign aid and FDI. It is important to note, however, that since openness to trade is measured as a share of GDP, the impact is not directly comparable that of foreign aid or FDI, since economies included in this study vary greatly in size. To quantify how quickly foreign aid impacts the economic growth of a country, I calculate the median lag as outlined by Davies and Quinlivian (2006).  [30]  This measure estimates how quickly half of the impact of foreign assistance is felt, and is calculated as follows: Median Lag = = 0.477 (4) A median lag of 0.477 indicates that in approximately 5.7 months, half of the entire impact of foreign aid on GDP growth will be realized. Half of the remaining impact is then felt in another 5.7 months, and so on, as the cumulative impact of the aid asymptotically approaches 100%. This phenomenon is illustrated in Chart 1 below. Graph 1: Cumulative Impact of Foreign Aid on Growth The median lag indicates that aid can quickly impact an economy, but for a relatively short amount of time. After only two years of circulation in the recipient economy, over 95% of the total impact of foreign aid is experienced. 5. Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Research The purpose of this analysis was to determine the effects of development assistance on economic growth. The model developed in this paper provides evidence supporting the contention that foreign aid positively impacts economic growth in the developing world. Therefore, it is not in the interest of developed countries and international bodies to discontinue aid programs. Moreover, as Gunning (2004) points out, it would be extremely difficult for a donor country to stop aid since it would be seen by both the domestic and foreign populations as punishing an already poor country.  [31]   The model also shows, however, that the effects of aid on economic growth are modest, and buying economic growth through foreign aid would be incredibly inefficient and expensive. For instance, using foreign aid alone to increase GDP by 1% in a country would require a foreign aid package of approximately $1 billion US. With almost 120 countries identified as low- and medium-development, spurring economic growth in developing world to desirable levels would be an enormous expenditure. This also assumes that the negative effects of conflict and geography shown to be significant in the model do not apply, and ignores the potential problems of aid dependence, corruption, and bureaucratic erosion that research has associated with high levels of foreign aid. The aforementioned studies by Burnside and Dollar (1997) and others have shown aid to be more effective in sound economic policy environments. Thus, donor governments and multilateral institutions should continue to push economic reforms and trade liberalization on recipient governments. Not only will this improve the effectiveness of foreign aid according to these studies, but it will also result in less aid being required. The armed conflict dummies indicate, with the exception of ethnic conflict, that state failure and political instability reverse the positive effect of aid, even making it detrimental to economic growth in some cases. Therefore, donor governments should be aware of the political situations in recipient countries, and work with international bodies to ensure as much stability as possible. Further, since geography is essentially fixed, foreign aid donations to landlocked countries should be designed to facilitate improvements in transportation infrastructures, which increase their capacity to engage in trade. Future research should further explore the role of sound economic policies and good governance in aid effectiveness. Scholars should also explore other ways of quantifying climate, tropical geography, and governance to provide for additional testing of potential impacts on the effectiveness of foreign aid. Finally, future study of foreign aid should also investigate its effects on economic development, instead of growth. Doing so will shed light on the question of whether aid actually improves the quality of life in lesser developed countries.

Insanity in The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe Essay -- The Tell-T

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" is a short story about how a murderer's conscience overtakes him and whether the narrator is insane or if he suffers from over acuteness of the senses. Poe suggests the narrator is insane by the narrator's claims of sanity, the narrator's actions bring out the narrative irony of the story, and the narrator is insane according to the definition of insanity as it applies to "The Tell Tale Heart". First, Poe suggests the narrator is insane by his assertions of sanity. For example, the narrator declares because he planned the murder so expertly he could not be insane. He says, "Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen how wisely I proceeded-with what caution-with what foresight-with what dissimulation I went to work!" In addition, every night at midnight the narrator slowly went into the room of the old man. He claims this was done so wisely that he could not be insane. The narrator thinks that if a murder is carefully planned then the murderer is not insane. Also, the narrator claims he suffers from over acuteness of the senses. Regarding the sound of the old man's beating heart, the narrator says, "And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton". The narrator claims he is n ot imagining the sound but he is hearing it because his senses are so sharp. The narrator believes he is justified in killing the old man because the man has an Evil Eye. The narrator claims the old man's eye made his blood run cold and the eye looked as if it belonged to a vulture. Poe shows the narrator is insane... ...arly shows that the narrator is insane because he heard noises, which could not possibly have occurred. As the police officers were sitting and talking in the old man's chamber, the narrator becomes paranoid that the officers suspect him of murder. The narrator says, "I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die". The narrator is deluded in thinking the officers knew of his crime because his insanity makes him paranoid. In conclusion, Poe shows the insanity of the narrator through the claims of the narrator as to why he is not insane, the actions of the narrator bring out the narrative irony of the story, and the character of the narrator fits the definition of insanity as it applies to "The Tell Tale Heart". The "Tell Tale Heart" is a story about how insanity can overtake someone's mind and cause one to behave irrationally.

Neoclassical Literature Essay

The eighteenth-century England is also known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment Movement was a progressive intellectual movement which flourished In France and swept through the whole Western Europe at the time. the movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason or rationality, equality and science. They held that rationality or reason should be the only, the final cause of any human thought and activities. They called for a reference to order, reason and rules. They believed that when reason served as the yardstick for the measurement of all human activities and relations, every superstition, injustice and oppression was to yield place to â€Å"eternal truth,† â€Å"eternal justice† and â€Å"natural equality. † The belief provided theory for the French Revolution of 1789 and the American War of Independence in 1776. At the same time, the enlighteners advocated universal education. They believed that human being were limited, dualistic, imperfect, and yet capable of rationality and perfection through education. If the masses were well educated, they thought, there would be great chance for a democratic and equal human society. As a matter of fact, literature at the time, heavily didactic and moralizing, became a very popular means of public education. Famous among the great enlighteners in England were those great writers like John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele, the two pioneers of familiar essays, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Henry Fielding and Samuel Johnson. In the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works. This tendency is known as neoclassicism. According to the neoclassicists, all forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek and Roman writers and those of the contemporary French ones. They believed that the artistic ideals should be order, logic, restrained emotion and accuracy, and that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity. This belief led them to seek proportion, unity, harmony and grace in literary expressions, in an effort to delight, instruct and correct human beings, primarily as social animals. Thus a polite, urbane, witty, and intellectual art developed. Neoclassicists had some fixed laws and rules for almost every genre of literature. Prose should be precise, direct, smooth and flexible. Poetry should be lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic, and each class should be guided b its own principles. Drama should be written in the Heroic Couplets (iambic pentameter rhymed in two lines); regularity in construction should be adhered to, and type characters rather than individuals should be represented. John Bunyan Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth â€Å"by hook and b crook. † As a stout Puritan, he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation through spiritual struggle. It was during his second term in prison that he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, which was published in 1678 after his release. Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters. Bunyan’s other works include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim’s Progress, Part II (1684) As Milton was the chief Puritan poet, so Bunyan was the chief Puritan writer of Prose. Bunyan was born in a tinker’s family, and he himself was a tinker. He did not have much education and at sixteen he joined the parliamentary army and then became a preacher. Like Milton he was put into prison in the period of the Restoration, but remained there much longer. He might have written his work The Pilgrim’s Progress in prison although it was published in prison although it was published in 1678 after his release. The Pilgrim’s Progress is written in the old fashioned medieval form of allegory and drama. The book opens with the author’s dream in which he sees a man â€Å"with a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back†. The man is Christian the Pilgrim, the book is the Bible, and the burden on his back is the weight of worldly cares and concerns. It tells how Christian starts his pilgrimage from his home to the kingdom of Heaven, and of his experiences and adventures on his journey. In the western world the book has usually been read and appreciated as religious allegory, though critics have noted that the many allegorical figures and places Christian meets on the way are such as might have been seen in Bunyan’s day on any English market road and that the landscape and houses in the story seem to be no other than those of Restoration England. It gives a real picture of how life was during the 17th century. It is a faithful panoramic reflection of Bunyan’s age. The book’s most significant aspect is its satire, the description of the Vanity Fair. Here Bunyan gives a symbolic picture of London at the time. in bourgeois society, all things are bought and sold, including honour, title, kingdom, lusts; there cheating, roguery, murder, and adultery prevail. The punishment of Christian and Faithful for disdaining things in the Vanity Fair may have its significance in alluding to Bunyan’s repeated arrests and imprisonment for preaching. After all, like Milton, Bunyan in his book is preaching his religious views. He satirizes his society which is full of vices that violate the teachings of the Christian religion. However, his Puritanism weakens the effect of his social satire by exhorting his readers to endure poverty with patience in order to seek the â€Å"Celestial City†. Besides, the use of allegory in most of his works makes his satirical pictures less direct and more difficult to see. His books are more often read as religious books than as piercing exposures of social evils. Bynyan is known for his simple and lively prose style. Everyday idiomatic expressions and biblical language enables him to narrate his story and reveal his ideas directly and in a straightforward way. The influence of his prose in the development of the English language is great, on account of the great popularity of the book. Selected Reading: â€Å"The Vanity Fair,† an excerpt from Part I of The Pilgrim’s Progress The story starts with a dream in which the author sees Christian the Pilgrim, with a heavy burden on his back, reading the Bible. When he learns from the book that the city in which he and his family live shall be burnt down in a fire, Christian tries to convince his family and his neighbours of the oncoming disaster and asks them to go with him in search of salvation, but most of them simply ignore him. So he starts off with a friend, Pliable. Pliable turns back after they stumble into a pit, the Slough of Despond. Christian struggles on by himself. Then he is misled by Mr. Worldly Wiseman and is brought back onto the right road by Mr. Evangelist. There he joins Faithful, a neighbor who has set out later but has made better progress. The two go on together through many adventures, including the great struggle with Apollyon, who claims them to be his subjects and refuses to accept their allegiance to God. After many other adventures they come to the Vanity Fair where both are arrested as alien agitators. They are tried and Faithful is condemned to death. Christian, however, manages to escape and goes on his way, assisted by a new friend, hopeful. Tired of the hard journey, they are tempted to take a pleasant path and are then captured by Giant Despair. Finally they get away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed. The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggles with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. It is not only about something spiritual but also bears much relevance to the time. Its predominant metaphor—life as a journey—is simple and familiar. The objects that Christian meets are homely and commonplace, and the scenes presented are typical English ones, but throughout the allegory a spiritual significance is added to the commonplace details. Here the strange is combined with the familiar and the trivial joined to the divine, and, at the same time, everything is based on universal experiences. Besides, a rich imagination and a natural talent for storytelling also contribute to the success of the work which is at once entertaining and morally instructive. The meaning of â€Å"Vanity Fair†, and its reflection of the theme of the allegory of â€Å"The Pilgrim’s Progress† The â€Å"Vanity Fair† symbolizes human world, for â€Å"all that cometh is vanity. † Everything and anything in this world is â€Å"vanity†, having no value and no meaning. The Vanity Fair, a â€Å"market selling nothingness† of all sorts, is a dirty place originally built up by devils, but, this town â€Å"lay† in the way to the Celestial City, meaning pilgrims had to resist the temptations there when they made their way through. So, the depiction of the â€Å"Fair† in selling things worldly and in attracting people bad, represents John Bunyan’s rejection of the worldly seeking and pious longing for the pure and charming â€Å"Celestial City†, his Christian ideal. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) Pope was a London draper’s son. His parents were Roman Catholics, and Pope kept this faith all his life in spite of the hostility of the public in the 18th century toward his religion. At the age of 12, a disease left him a hunchback of less than 5 feet tall. Because of his religion he was denied entrance to Oxford and Cambridge Universities and his deformity often made him the victim of contempt. His early unhappy experiences, in fact, was responsible for his strong reaction to criticism. Pope was self-educated. He worked hard against poor health and unfavourable condition and gained a profound knowledge of both the classics and the craft of writing. The 18th century was an age in which writers had to obey many strict literary rules. But Pope mastered them very thoroughly and used them better and in a more skillful way than most of his contemporaries. He lived an active social life and was close friend to such eminent literary figures as the essayist Joseph Addison and the satirist Jonathan Swift. But he also made many enemies through ridiculing people in his writings. The most popular of his poems is, perhaps, An Essay on criticism, which contains a great number of quotable lines that have passed into everyday speech as popular sayings, such as: â€Å"To err is human, to forgive divine†, and â€Å"For fools rush in where angels fear to tread. † However, as a piece of literary theory, it lacks original ideas. Its significance comes from its assertion that literary criticism is an art form and should function actively like a living organism. The Rape of the Lock is a brilliant satire written in the form of a mock-heroic poem. It offers a typical example of the 18th-century classical style, and a satirical view as well of the tastes, manners, and morals of the fashionable world in Queen Anne’s reign. In fact, Pope not only ridicules a trivial incident that sparks a serious feud, but also mocks the highflown style and language of epic poetry itself. The Dunciad, meaning the study of the dunces, launches attacks on everyone who had ever criticized or insulted him, many of whom are totally unknown to the readers of today The theme and style of A. Pope’s â€Å"An Essay on Criticism† The poem is a comprehensive study of the theories of literary criticism. The poet first laments the loss of true taste in poetic criticism of his day and calls on people to take classical writers as their models. Then he discusses various problems in literary criticism and offers his own ideas and presents the classical rules. At the end of the poem, he traces the history of literary criticism from Aristotle to his day. The poem is a typical didactic one. Written in the form of heroic couplets, it is plain in style, and it is easy to read. Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe is based on a real incident. In 1704, Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor, was thrown onto a desolate island by the mutinous crew of his ship. He lived there alone for 5 years. Defoe read about his adventures in a newspaper and went to interview him to get first-hand information. He then embellished the sailor’s tale with many incidents out of his own imagination. Robinson Crusoe has the appearance of a picaresque novel, showing a lowly person’s wonderings over the world. However, there are some fundamental changes in Defoe’s book. A picaro (Spanish for a rogue) is somebody with a doubtful moral character who does not have a fixed goal in life. Nor does he care much about accumulating money. Robinson Crusoe is in fact a new species of writing which inhabits the picaresque frame with a story in the shape of a journal and has a strong flavour of journalistic truth. The hero is typical the rising English bourgeois class, practical and diligent, with a restless curiosity to know more about the world and a desire to prove individual power in the face of social and natural challenges. Defoe attaches individual power in the face of social and natural challenges. Defoe attaches great importance to the growth of Crusoe and tries to teach a moral message through his story. crusoe starts an inexperienced, naive and tactless youth, who through years of tough sea travels, develops into a clever and hardened man. He is tempered and tried by numerous dangers and hardships, but always emerges victorious. He is a real hero, not in the sense of the knight or the epic hero in the old literary genres, but a hero of the common stock, an individualist who shows marvelous capacity for work, boundless courage and energy in overcoming obstacles and a shrewdness in accumulating wealth and gaining profits. In Robinson Crusoe sings the praises of labour, presenting it as the source of human pride and happiness as well as a means to change man’s living conditions from desperation to prosperity. But at the same time, through relationship with Friday and his activities of setting up colonies overseas, Defoe also beautifies colonialism and Negro slavery. His attitude toward women, though not much concerning women is said in the novel, is also open to criticisms, for he lets Crusoe treat women as articles of property and as a means to breed and establish a lineage. But on the whole, this novel is significant as the first English novel which glorifies the individual experience of ordinary people in plain and simple language, and also as a vivid and positive portrayal of the English bourgeoisie at its early stage of development. The novel â€Å"Robinson Crusoe† tells the story of the titular hero’s adventure on a deserted island. Robinson Crusoe, longing to see the wonders of the world, runs away from home, and after many setbacks, settles down in Brazil. The call of the sea attracts him to second voyage in which he is brought along to an island after the shipwreck in a storm through many hardships, he finds ways to get daily necessities from the wrecked ship to the shore, and settles on the island for twenty four years. During the years, he tries to make himself a living in one way or another, rescues a savage whom he names Friday, and builds up a comfortable home for himself. Finally they are picked up and saved by an English ship and return to England. With an inevitable trace of colonialism, the novel depicts a hero who grows from an inexperienced youth into a shrewd and hardened man. The adventures of Robinson Crusoe on the island is a song of his courage, his wisdom, and his struggle against the hostile natural environment. As the very prototype of empire builder and the pioneer colonist, Robinson Crusoe can be seen as an individualistic man who carries human labour and the Puritan fortitude to their greatest effect. Jonathan Swift In some ways Jonathan Swift’s career parallels that of Defoe. Both were considerably occupied in the dangerous career of political writers, and both affiated themselves to Robert Harley, first a Whig and turning the Tory in 1710. swift also followed Harley and shifted from the Whig to the Tory when the latter came to power in 1710. But they differed from each other in the fact that Defoe was a businessman and did not have much knowledge of the classics whereas Swift was a churchman and a university graduate. Another difference between the two was that Swift was a member of the Anglican Church whereas Defoe was a dissenter. Both of them viewed the world with common sense but Defoe aimed to improve the morals of his time, whereas Swift viewed himan society with contempt and has been called a cynic and even a misanthrope. â€Å"Gulliver’s Travels† Consisting of four parts, the novel tells four stories of the hero. In part One, the hero is in Lilliput where he becomes â€Å"Man Mountain†, for the inhabitants are only six inches tall, twelve times smaller than human beings. Yet, as a kind of â€Å"man† their sayings and doings forms a miniature of the real world. Part Two brings the hero to Brobdingnag. This time, he comes to dwarf, for the Brobdingnagians are ten times taller and larger than normal human beings. Also superior in wisdom, they look down upon the ordinary human beings for the latter’s evil or harmful doings. The third part depicts Gulliver’s travel on the flying Island where the so called philosophers and scientists devoted themselves to absurd doings, for example, to extract sunlight from cucumbers. The last part tells the hero’s adventure in the Houyhnhnm Land. There horses are endowed with reason and all good and admirable qualities, while the hairy, man-like creature, Yahoos are greedy and disgusting brutes. Henry Fielding During his career as a dramatist, Fielding had attempted a considerable number of forms of plays: witty comedies of manners or intrigues in the Restoration tradition, farces or ballad operas with political implications, and burlesques and satires that bear heavily upon the status-quo of England. Of all his plays, the best known are The Coffee-house Politician (1730), The Tragedy of Tragedies (1730), Pasquin (1736) and The Historical Register for the Year 1736 (1737). These successful plays not only contributed to a temporary revival of the English theatre but also were of great help to the playwright in his future literary career as a novelist. Fielding has been regarded by some as â€Å"Father of the English Novel,† for his contribution to the establishment of the form of the modern novel. Of all the eighteenth-century novelist he was the first to set out, both in theory and practice, to write specifically a â€Å"comic epic in prose,† the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. Before him, the relating of a story in a novel was either in the epistolary form (a series of letters), as in Richardson’s Pamela, or the picaresque form (adventurous wanderings) through the mouth of the principal character, as in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, but Fielding adopted â€Å"the third-person narration,† in which the author becomes the â€Å"all-knowing God. † He â€Å"thinks the thought† of all his characters, so he is able to present not only their external behaviors but also the internal workings of their minds. In planning his stories, he tries to retain the grand epical form of the classical works but at the same time keeps faithful to his realistic presentation of common life as it is. Throughout, the ordinary and usually ridiculous life of the common people, from the middle-class to the underworld, is his major concern. Fielding’s language is easy, unlaboured and familiar, but extremely vivid and vigorous. His sentences are always distinguished by logic and rhythm, and his structure carefully planned towards an inevitable ending. His works are also noted for lively, dramatic dialogues and other theatrical devices such as suspense, coincidence and unexpectedness. Samuel Johnson Johnson was an energetic and versatile writer. He had a hand in all the different braches of literary activities. He was a poet, dramatist, prose romancer, biographer, essayist, critic, lexicographer and publicist. His chief works include poems: â€Å"London†, â€Å"The Vanity of Human Wishes†; a romance: â€Å"The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; a tragedy: Irene. As a lexicographer, Johnson distinguished himself as the author of the first English dictionary by an Englishman—A dictionary of the English Language, a gigantic task which Johnson undertook single-handedly and finished in over seven years Johnson was the last great neoclassicist enlightener in the later eighteenth century. He was very much concerned the theme of the vanity of human wishes: almost all of his writings bear this theme. He tried to awaken men to this folly and hoped to cure them of it through his writings. In literary creation and criticism, he was rather conservative, openly showing his dislike for much of the newly rising form of literature and his fondness for those writings which carried a lot of moralizing and philosophizing. He insisted that a writer must adhere to universal truth and experience, i. e. Nature; he must please, but he must also instruct; he must not offend against religion or promote immorality; and he must let himself be guided by old principles. Like Pope, he was particularly fond of moralizing didacticism. So, it is understandable that he was rather pleased with Richardson’s Pamela but was contemptuous of Fielding’ Tom Jones. Johnson’s style is typically neoclassical, but it is at the opposite extreme from Swift’s simplicity or Addison’s neatness. His language is characteristically general, often Latinate and frequently polysyllabic his sentences are long and well structured, interwoven with paralled words and phrases. However, no matter how complex his sentences are, the thought is always clearly expressed; and though he tends to use â€Å"learned words,† they are always accurately used. Reading his works gives the reader the impression that he is talking with a very learned man. â€Å"To the Right Honorable the Earl of Chesterfield† The letter is regarded as a strong indignation of Samuel Johnson at the Earl’s fame-fishing, for the later coldly refused giving him help when he compiled his dictionary and hypocritically wrote articles to give honeyed words when the dictionary was going to be published. The Earl was a well-known â€Å"patron of literature† at the time, and it remained a rule for writers to get a patron if they wanted to get financial support or make themselves known by public. But this letter of Johnson made a break-through in that tradition implying their independence in economy and writing, and therefore opened a new era in the development of literature. Richard Brinsley Sheridan Sheridan was the only important English dramatist of the eighteenth century. His plays, especially The Rivals and The School for Scandal, are generally regarded as important links between the masterpieces of Shakespeare and those of Bernard Shaw, and as true classics in English comedy. In his plays, morality is the constant theme. He is much concerned with the current moral issues and lashes harshly at the social vices of the day. In The Rivals, a comedy of manners, he is satirizing the traditional practice of the parents to arrange marriages for their children without considering the latter’s opinion. And in The School for Scandal, the satire becomes even sharper as the characters are exposed scene by scene to their defenseless nakedness. Sheridan’s greatness also lies in his theatrical art. He seems to have inherited from his parents a natural ability and inborn knowledge about the theatre. His plays are the product of a dramatic genius as well as of a well-versed theatrical man. Though his dramatic techniques are largely conventional, they are exploited to the best advantage. His plots are well organized, his characters, either major or minor, are all sharply drawn, and his manipulation of such devices as disguise, mistaken identity and dramatic irony is masterly. Witty dialogues and neat and decent language also make a characteristic of his plays. The School for Scandal The comedy of manners, written by R. B. Sheridan, mainly tells a story about two brothers. The elder one Joseph Surface is hypocritical, and the younger one Charles Surface kind, imprudent and spendthrift. Lady Sneerwell, one of the scandal-mongers in the play, instigates Joseph to run after Maria, the ward of Sir Peter. But, Joseph, while pursuing Maria, the love of his younger brother, tries to seduce Lady Teazle, the young wife of Sir Peter. Misled by the scandal of Lady Sneerwell and Joseph, Sir Peter Teazle believed Charles was the person who flirted with his wife until one day, Lady Teazle, coming from the screen in Joseph’s library, made the truth known that person who intended to seduce her was Joseph. Thus, the latter’s hypocrisy was exposed. At the same time, Sir Oliver Surface, the rich, old uncle of the two brothers, wanted to choose one of them to be his heir. He first visited Charles in the guise of a usurer. Charles sold to him all the family portraits except that of his uncle, and thus won the favor of his uncle. Then he went to Joseph as a poor relative. But Joseph refused giving him any help by saying that he himself was in trouble. For a second time, Joseph’s hypocrisy was exposed. The play ends with Lady Teazle’s reconciliation with her husband and Charles’ winning of the hand of Maria and the inheritance of his uncle. Thomas Gray Although neoclassicism dominated the literary scene in the 18th century, there were poets whose poetry had some elements that deviated from the rules and regulations set down by neoclassicist poets. These poets had grown weary of the artificiality and controlling ideals of neoclassicism. They craved for something more natural and spontaneous in thought and language. In their poetry, emotions and sentiments, which had been repressed, began to play a leading role again. Another factor marking this deviation is the reawakening of an interest in nature and in the natural relation between man and man. Among these poets, one of the representatives was Thomas Gray. Gray was born in London and educated at Eton and Cambridge, where he, after a grand tour on the Continent, spent the rest of his life. He was first a Fellow and 1768 was appointed professor of history and modern languages. On his return from the Continent, he stayed for a short time at Stoke Poges in Bucks, where he first sketched â€Å" The Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard†, though it was finished eight years later in 1750. In contrast to those professional writers, Gray’s literary output was small. His masterpiece, â€Å"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard† was published in 1751. the poem once and for all established his fame as the leader of the sentimental poetry of the day, especially â€Å"the Graveyard School. † His poems, as a whole, are mostly devoted to a sentimental lamentation or meditation on life, past and present. His other poems include â€Å"Ode on the spring† (1742), â€Å"Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College† (1747), â€Å"Ode on the death of a Favourite Cat† (1748), â€Å"Hymn to Adversity† (1742), and two translations for old Norse: The Descent of Odin (1761) and The Fatal Sisters (1761) A conscientious artist of the first rate, Gray wrote slowly and carefully, painstakingly seeking perfection of form and phrase. His poems are characterized by an exquisite sense of form. His style is sophisticated and allusive. His poems are often marked with the trait of a highly artificial diction and distorted word order. Selected Reading: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard â€Å"Elegy written in a Country Churchyard† is regarded as Gray’s best and most representative work. The poem is the outcome of about eight years’ careful composition and polish. It is more or less connected with the melancholy event of the death of Richard West, Gray’s intimate friend. In this poem, Gray reflects on death, the sorrow of life, and the mysteries of human life with a touch of his personal melancholy. The poet compares the common folk with the great ones, wondering what the commons could have achieved if they had had the chance. Here he reveals his sympathy for the poor and the unknown, but mocks the great ones who despise the poor and bring havoc on them. The poem abounds in images and arouses sentiment in the bosom of every reader. Though the use of artificial poetic diction and distorted word order make understanding of the poem somewhat difficult, the artistic polish—the sure control of language, imagery, rhythm, and subtle moderation of style and tone—gives the poem a unique charm of its own. The poem has been ranked among the best of the eighteenth century English poetry. Selected Reading: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Marketing Segmentation for Nescafe Essay

4.1 Market Segmentation NESCAFE’s customer’s bases are comprised of following target groups. †¢Local residents †¢Local business people †¢Students †¢Travelers passing through These groups are potentially strong customer segments. The benefit of this customer segmentation is that it helps to maintain consistentency in business throughout the year. The customer segments provide a consistent foundation of all years long. Also by appealing several market segments, NESCAFE does not become overly dependent on any single consumer group. 4.2 Target Market Segments strategy Overall, our strategy is to maintain a constantly high customer count by leveraging our appeal to groups of customers. Local residents Approximately 200,000 people live within our NESCAFE location. The most affluent of these live even closer, within three miles. Excellent Parking is available for our customers, local customers from the loyal core of our business. Local Business Much of the employee parking is out of the immediate area with shuttle service to downtown, most people stay near their place of employment during breakfast, lunch and after work relaxing. A significant number of these local business people find coffeeholics an inviting and convenient destination. Students In Hyderabad there are many universities as well as dozen of school, and colleges including many private centers. So students love to come at NESCAFEto enjoy with their friends in clean environment with best cup of  coffee or cold coffee and their favorite snacks. Travelers passing through The travelers passing through Hyderabad they will tired in journey or get tired after journey they can easily relax in the environment of NESCAFEand enjoy their coffee or tea or have some snacks. 4.4 Competitive advantage Our competitive, compared to other coffee shop in Hyderabad includes: The significantly higher quality, better tasting products.  The only coffee cafà © which provide best products in reasonable price.

Free Essays on Gandi

The four yoga’s of Hinduism are Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana the one that I think best describes Mahatma Gandhi is Raja yoga. Raja yoga fits into all classes of the four yoga’s with or without any belief, and it is the real instrument of religious inquiry. Raja Yoga is one of many paths of self-discovery and self-mastery. Mahatma Gandhi, who followed the precepts of Raja Yoga, was especially dedicated to the path of nonviolence. Although many mistake this path as a passive state of submission and cite it to justify inaction born of fear, is an active state that is an alternative to both fight and standing firm when confronted with injustice. Neither attacking nor retreating, Gandhi stood firm against one of the greatest forces of the time, the British Empire. But Gandhi's real struggle for power was fought less in the political world than the fight for finding himself. Gandhi learned to act not out of fear or anger, but from love and compassion and that changed the world. I will prove this theory through relationships between the movie and Raja yoga. "An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi’s view of violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal of an independent India. He preached non-violent non-cooperation. Gandhi considered non-violent non-cooperation as requiring more courage and dedication then violence. By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the injustices that came upon his people, he supported active no cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches, Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians had to pay. He tried to provoke a violent response from the British government. Suc... Free Essays on Gandi Free Essays on Gandi The four yoga’s of Hinduism are Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana the one that I think best describes Mahatma Gandhi is Raja yoga. Raja yoga fits into all classes of the four yoga’s with or without any belief, and it is the real instrument of religious inquiry. Raja Yoga is one of many paths of self-discovery and self-mastery. Mahatma Gandhi, who followed the precepts of Raja Yoga, was especially dedicated to the path of nonviolence. Although many mistake this path as a passive state of submission and cite it to justify inaction born of fear, is an active state that is an alternative to both fight and standing firm when confronted with injustice. Neither attacking nor retreating, Gandhi stood firm against one of the greatest forces of the time, the British Empire. But Gandhi's real struggle for power was fought less in the political world than the fight for finding himself. Gandhi learned to act not out of fear or anger, but from love and compassion and that changed the world. I will prove this theory through relationships between the movie and Raja yoga. "An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi’s view of violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal of an independent India. He preached non-violent non-cooperation. Gandhi considered non-violent non-cooperation as requiring more courage and dedication then violence. By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the injustices that came upon his people, he supported active no cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches, Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians had to pay. He tried to provoke a violent response from the British government. Suc...

The Bodys Response To Stress And How Do We Deal With It The WritePass Journal

The Bodys Response To Stress And How Do We Deal With It Introduction The Bodys Response To Stress And How Do We Deal With It Introduction Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPA)Seyles General Adaption Syndrome  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kiecolt- Glasers Exam StudyProblem-focused method of copingThe emotion-focused way of copingConclusionReference:Related Introduction Stress is a psychological and physical response of the body that occurs whenever we must adapt to changing conditions. And a stressor is the stimulus that brings about the stress response. For example, if you are scared of flying, airports may be a stressor for you. Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPA) The stress response begins in the brain in an area called the hypothalamus, this is the point at which the perception of stress by higher brain centres begins a major physiological change in the body, it does this by stimulating 2 biological mechanisms. The first is called the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal system (HPA). When a stressor   is detected,   the higher brain centre send signals to hypothalamus telling it to ready the body for action. The hypothalamus does this by communicating with another part of the brain called the pituitary gland, stimulating it to release adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). ACTH is detected in the bloodstream by the adrenal cortex, and in response it releases further hormones called the corticosteroids. There are a number of corticosteroids each having specific effects on the body, like causing liver to release glucose, fatty acids and cholesterol for extra energy needed during stress. When the corticosteroids are detected by the brain it has th e effect of switching off the stress response. Sympathetic Adrenalmedullary Axis (SAM) For the sympathetic adrenal medullary axis (SAM), when the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is a part of the autonomic nervous system, it stimulates a gland in the body called the adrenal medulla to release 2 hormones called adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream, these hormones have wide-ranging effects but mainly to increase blood pressure and heart rate. Seyles General Adaption Syndrome  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Han Selye(1940) developed a theory which has helped us understand how and why stress leads to illness. He subjected animals to a variety of stressors such as injection,   poison or extreme temperature and found that a similar pattern of physical responses could be observed, and divided them into three different stages. At stage 1 which is the alarm stage, stressor is perceived, HPA and SAM are activated, heart rate and blood pressure therefore increase.Stage 2, the resistant stage, the level of stress-related hormones and bodily arousal are remaining high n finally, at the final exhaustion stage, long period of stress   (chronic stress) eventually exhaust the bodys   defense system and its ability to maintain high levels   of circulating stress hormones, stress related illness may develop. There has been an increasing body of evidence supporting a relationship between long-term stress and cardiovascular disease, 2 of the biggest risks are high blood pressure and coronary hea rt disease. Kiecolt- Glasers Exam Study Research on a wide variety of stressors has shown that stress can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system. Kiecolt- Glaser et al (1984) has done an experiment on stress and the immune system. The aim of the experiment is to see whether external stress can have an impact on the immune system. They did it by collecting samples of 75 medical students on 2 different occasions. First, blood samples was taken at one month before their examinations, which is a relatively low stress time and secondly, during the examinations. The researchers looked at each of the blood samples and calculate the natural killer cell content. The more natural killer cells, the more efficient the immune system. Finally they found that the blood samples taken during the exams were much lower in NK cells than the samples taken a month earlier. One of the drawbacks of this experiment is that it had a causality problem, we cannot conclude that the stress caused the reduction in the immune system. Moreover, there may be a sampling bias, the participants are students n it is possible that they may respond to stress differently than some other types of people. However, being a natural experiment this study has high validity and there are likely to be few or no demand characteristics, though control of extraneous variables was not possible. Problem-focused method of coping The methods of coping with stress can be distinguished into emotion-focused and problem-focused methods of coping. The problem focused way deal with stress by treating it as a problem and actively engage with it. This includes anticipatory coping by gaining information about what makes us stressed and develop a plan of action to help us deal with it, and seeking social suport, pit means identify events in the environment that are either causing or likely to trigger stress, then we can take practical steps to avoid or better deal with it. SIT, the stress inoculation training is developed by Meichenbaum (1972) , its a psychological method of dealing with stress by restructuring how we think about events. First the client is encouraged to reappraise stress, the therapist discusses the nature of stress   with the client and explores stressful experiences that the client had in the past. Secondly the client is taught various ways of coping with stress, these would be quite specific and include general strategies such as relaxation. In the final phase clients are encouraged to apply their training to the real world. The stressors may be graded and gradually increase in intensity. Meichenbaum then wanted to investigate how effective his own SIT treatment was. So he studied anxious pre-exam students and placed them in three different conditions which are 8 weeks of SIT, 8 weeks of systematic desensitisation, and the controlled group which had no therapy at all. The efficiency of SIT was evaluated through exam performance and self reports by participants. So simply, if the students felt it has been sucessful and they performed well in exams, SIT was judged to have worked. Finally he found that the SIT group gave the most positive self-reports and outperformed the other students in exam. Some drawbacks of this study is that self-reports are not necessarily reliable , just because a person feels that something has not worked does not mean they receive no benefits from i t. Moreover the study does not address â€Å"optimum treatment period†, so we cannot be sure which of the method is best, only that SIT worked better than systematic desensitisation if a treatment period of 8 weeks is used. Although SIT is neither a quick, easy or cheap method to mange stress, it is flexible and the benefits of it can be long term. The emotion-focused way of coping The emotion-focused method is one that provides stressed person with relief from their symptoms. Some of the techniques are defence mechanisms, which is a way of blocking out the stress, or they may choose to reappraise it, which means simply changing the way they feel about the situation. Drugs is also the common physiological method to use. The most widely used prescribed drugs today are benzodiazepines and beta-blocker. They are quick acting, but do not treat the cause of problem, they may also have side effects n cause addiction too. Conclusion In conclusion, the problem focused strategies aim to change, alter or even remove the stressful problem, while emotion-focused aim to control or regulate the feelings a person is having. It has no a very satisfying answer of which one is better than the other, each has its strengths n weaknesses and each works best in different situations. Different people with different personalities and characteristics can react differently to stress, so which method of coping to choose is depend on numbers of factors, gender, age, and even wealth may also matter! Reference: NHS nhs.uk/Conditions/Stress/Pages/Introduction.aspx New 2008 AQA A Specification AS Level Psychology, Nigel Holt and Rob Lewis, Crown House Publishing Limited Coping with stress   helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

How to Name Ionic Compounds

How to Name Ionic Compounds Ionic compounds consist of cations (positive ions) and anions (negative ions). Ionic compound nomenclature or naming  is based on the names of the component ions. In all cases, ionic compound naming gives the positively charged cation first, followed by the negatively charged anion. Here are the principal naming conventions for ionic compounds, along with examples to show how they are used: Roman Numerals in Ionic Compound Names A Roman numeral in parentheses, followed by the name of the element, is used for elements that can form more than one positive ion. There is no space between the element name and the parenthesis. This notation is usually seen with metals since they commonly display more than one oxidation state or valence. You can use a chart to see the possible valences for the elements. Fe2 Iron(II)Fe3 Iron(III)Cu Copper(I)Cu2 Copper(II) Example: Fe2O3 is iron(III) oxide. Naming Ionic Compounds Using  -ous and -ic Although Roman numerals are used to denote the ionic charge of cations, it is still common to see and use the endings -ous or -ic. These endings are added to the Latin name of the element (e.g., stannous/stannic for tin) to represent the ions with lesser or greater charge, respectively. The Roman numeral naming convention has wider appeal because many ions have more than two valences. Fe2 FerrousFe3 FerricCu CuprousCu2 Cupric Example: FeCl3 is ferric chloride or iron(III) chloride. Naming Ionic Compounds Using  -ide The -ide ending is added to the name of a monoatomic ion of an element. H- HydrideF- FluorideO2- OxideS2- SulfideN3- NitrideP3- Phosphide Example: Cu3P is copper phosphide or copper(I) phosphide. Naming Ionic Compounds Using  -ite and -ate Some polyatomic anions contain oxygen. These anions are called oxyanions. When an element forms two oxyanions, the one with less oxygen is given a name ending in -ite and the one with more oxygen are given a name that ends in -ate. NO2- NitriteNO3- NitrateSO32- SulfiteSO42- Sulfate Example: KNO2 is potassium nitrite, while KNO3 is potassium nitrate. Naming Ionic Compounds Using hypo- and per- In the case where there is a series of four oxyanions, the hypo- and per- prefixes are used in conjunction with the -ite and -ate suffixes. The hypo- and per- prefixes indicate less oxygen and more oxygen, respectively. ClO- HypochloriteClO2- ChloriteClO3- ChlorateClO4- Perchlorate Example: The bleaching agent sodium hypochlorite is NaClO. It is also sometimes called the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. Ionic Compounds Containing bi- and di- Hydrogen Polyatomic anions sometimes gain one or more H ions to form anions of a lower charge. These ions are named by adding the word hydrogen or dihydrogen in front of the name of the anion. It is still common to see and use the older naming convention in which the prefix bi- is used to indicate the addition of a single hydrogen ion. HCO3- Hydrogen carbonate or bicarbonateHSO4- Hydrogen sulfate or bisulfateH2PO4- Dihydrogen phosphate Example: The classic example is the chemical name for water, H2O, which is dihydrogen monoxide or dihydrogen oxide. Dihydrogen dioxide, H2O2, is more commonly called hydrogen dioxide or hydrogen peroxide.

Employee Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Relations - Research Paper Example An open discussion should be done with the employee so as to justify the reasons behind one’s termination without following any such discipline procedure. Unfair labor practices denote all those approaches incorporated in a workplace that is not aligned with overall hard work of employees. Such practices encompass pay cuts, retrenchment operations, elimination of two-way communication methods, discrimination amongst employees, sexual harassment, no such provision for rewards or appraisals, etc. Labor practices are considered to be unfair when employees have deprived off their basic rights. There are such incidents witnessed in PAC Resources Inc., as employees were facing pay cuts, job losses, and even some of the team members were being sexually harassed. In order to overcome such issues, senior management should design an open discussion forum where employees belonging to any department may put across their issues related to various labor practices (Gusdorf, 2011). This, in turn, will help to reduce such practices and incorporate possible alternatives. Unionization should always be prevented from becoming a vital component of an organization. In the context of PAC Resources, Inc., unionization needs to be eliminated from the system as this is initiating more conflicts between management and employees. This factor can be discouraged by providing employees with such a medium through which they can easily interact with HR department or even senior management. It can be stated that social media has become a common tool for establishing such interactions between individuals. This platform can be incorporated in PAC by designing a community in such networking sites. Employees can effectively put across their allegations on these sites. Apart from this technique, an open discussion platform will discourage such unionization. Through this forum on weekly basis employees can directly interact with top management.

Special Events Proposal-MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Special Events Proposal-MARKETING - Essay Example It would be not possible for the majority of the wine drinkers to buy all the varieties of wine on their own and taste them. So, the Wine Tasting event like the one, that can be organized by Kudler Fine Foods will give them the opportunity to taste different wines. Also, there will be group of wine drinkers who want to enjoy drinking wine, in-group and not in isolation. These wine drinkers can also be enticed to try the new offerings from Kudler Fine Foods through the Wine Tasting event in a group mode with their friend and relatives. Through out the world, Wine Tasting events were considered an ideal opportunity for the friends and family members to get together. So, if the Kudler Fine Foods organizes this special promotion for its wines, it will bring out the wine drinkers, who drink alone, into the open and provide entertainment and enjoyment for them in the company of their friends and family members. The enjoyable atmosphere in the Wine Tasting events will make the drinkers or participants emotionally associate with the Kudler’s brand of wines even more. Also, if something good happens to the customer, while using the brand, the attachment to the brand will grow even more. So, in the Kudler organized Wine Tasting events, these two criteria can be fulfilled, making the promotions work very positively. That is, as mentioned above, the wine drinkers in the Wine Tasting events will have a very good time, enjoying different wines and spending quality time with their family and friends. So, in this setup, t he Kudler’s wine used by the prospective customers will strike a cord with the customers. The customer will start to buy and use the wines, whenever the same kind of enjoyable atmosphere is replicated in different surroundings as well. At the same time, the new types of wines offered in the Wine Tasting event will work in another positive way,

The Process of Applying for a Degree at CSU Assignment

The Process of Applying for a Degree at CSU - Assignment Example Next, click the next icon at the bottom or on any sections outlined on the left line to move to a dissimilar screen. Your data will be inspected for inconsistencies and errors. If omissions or mistakes are realized, you will be taken back to the screen to correct the responses. Otherwise, your information will be saved to allow you proceed. Put in mind that if you use the jump or Skip button on your left, information on that screen will not be saved and you will be required to re-enter your data. Next, click the next icon at the bottom or on any sections outlined on the left line to move to a dissimilar screen. Your data will be inspected for inconsistencies and errors. If omissions or mistakes are realized, you will be taken back to the screen to correct the responses. Otherwise, your information will be saved to allow you proceed. Put in mind that if you use the jump or Skip button on your left, information on that screen will not be saved and you will be required to re-enter your data before submission.   After completing the application, click on the â€Å"SUBMIT† icon positioned on the left side of the column to present the application.   I look forward to your applications. For any questions, please conduct me as soon as possible on my Email address; gitzbay@hotmail.com.  

Measuring performance of Hospitals at Qatar Research Paper

Measuring performance of Hospitals at Qatar - Research Paper Example Two modes of analysis have been performed namely quantitative and qualitative. A total of 40 respondents have been selected to review the performance of hospitals. The overall performance of hospitals located at Qatar is fair according to the views of patients having different country origin. The service quality of these hospitals have been measured on 8 dimensions, therefore, there are many areas for improvement for these hospitals. The important recommendation includes that hospitals should hire expert medical staff that could better treat their patients and care for them. Medical staff is a critical factor in the success of hospitals as they provide the core services to its customers. Introduction Background of the Project The aim of the project is to review the performance of hospitals located at Qatar, and to measure its performance on the basis of 8 dimensions. ... arch Question Following are the research question which will be answered through the research conducted: Are patients satisfied with overall performance and services provided by hospitals? What is the impact of reputation of hospitals and medical staffs have on patients and their experience? Does the communication matter between patients and medical and non-medical staff and how is the statement true? Are patients getting value for their money? Research Design Methods for Analysis Qualitative The study will use thematic analysis to analyze responses of descriptive questions. The keywords that are considered for evaluation include price, customer service, staff, and location. The frequency of appearance of these keywords are presented in a tabular format indicating the ranking of keywords related to additional suggestions that respondents have made for further improving patient service. Quantitative The study examines each of 8 dimensions of patient service at hospitals in Qatar on th e basis of responses collected from individuals belonging to different origins which includes Qatari, Bahraini, Omani, Pakistani, and Indians etc. The study makes the use of cross tabulation to provide the number of responses and their types for each statement under different dimensions of assessments of patient service. In this way, grouping of responses has been possible on the basis of differences in respondents’ background and origin of their country. The results from this analysis have been attached in this report as ‘Appendix B’. Appendix A is the survey questionnaire. Logic for Data Collection Medium Questionnaires have been used as the data collection medium which is relatively quicker to gather information from respondents than the other modes of data collection. The data can

Perspectives in Human Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perspectives in Human - Research Paper Example Values are a part of our lives (Heker, 1994). I can describe myself according to the following values which are: hard working, result oriented, punctual, impartial, open-minded, critical and rational. My list is inexhaustible but these are my strongest values. Before this semester, the most important values were being critical, hard working and being results-oriented. This however changed after I started this semester as I discovered new values which have proven to be of great benefit in determining my personality. Presently, I have endorsed the values of punctuality, impartiality, open-mindedness and rationality. These values have helped me to be open to new ideas and opportunities as change is always inevitable for a student. These values have helped me to gain more clarity and focus on setting my priorities right. My experience in this semester has changed my values in a positive way. These values have helped me to have a clear definition of my goals. I have been able to decide th e goals which are of most importance to me and consequently prioritize them according to the most significant. This process has enabled me to divert my energies towards my targets. Upon the achievement of my goals, I have been able to come up with new goals and try to accommodate them to my list of values (Ehrenreich, 2011). Knowledge has been defined as power but the main value of knowledge is brought out through the use of it. Knowledge is a compilation of facts. When we value knowledge, we draw near it with honest uncertainty. The main importance of knowing our values is to have a better clarity and focus to enable us to make reliable decisions and take a devoted action. The essence of knowledge of our values is to improve our results that are of most importance to an individual. This knowledge has enabled me to know and cherish myself and gain familiarity with my strengths and weaknesses. It has also helped me to use my strengths to assist others and to improve on my weaknesses (Heker, 1994). Our influence to others is of great importance as we knowingly or unknowingly influence others positively or negatively. Despite this, we should strive for the ultimate good by being an encouragement and inspiring them and this will help in making our world an improved place. Knowledge has made me to realize that everyone can make a contribution whether major or minor to the world that we live in by using some of the values like being kind and tender hearted. Based on the knowledge that I have, I should value myself, my passion and compassion, kindness, time, knowledge and mentoring. My actions should be focused on achievement of my goals. My actions should be almost be like a replica of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has the ability to distinguish and embrace life’s happiness and face its cruelties and desolation. This will require one to have values like being strong, visionary and courageous enough to be able to persist life’s challenges as we live in di fficult times (Loeb, 2004). This will be possible through the orientation of the heart by embracing the value of hope. Hope is the power of the human being spirit to prevail in challenging times. Despite this, we must never forget the importance of courage. Courage helps us to prevail over the fear that pushes us away from each other and enable us to stand for our beliefs because if we ignore it while faced with injustice, cruelty and oppression, we are sacrificing a

Relection on Total knee replacement surgery Research Paper

Relection on Total knee replacement surgery - Research Paper Example After the knee is open, a four-step procedure is undertaken to have the knee completely replaced with metallic components, some plastic spacers and button, to enhance the normal functionality of the knee joints. The first step of the knee replacement surgery entails the removal of the damaged knee components, where the damaged knee cartilage on the surface of both tibia and fibula are removed, together with some reasonable amount of the underlying bone (Scuderi & Tria, 2002). This marks the preparation of the knee, for a total replacement, since the already damaged components are removed and the knee is now ready to take a replacement. This step is followed by positioning the metal implants. Here, the components of the knee; the cartilage and the bone surface, are now replaced with some metal components that recreate the surface of the joint (Bellemans, Ries & Victor, 2005). During this replacement, the metal components, which have been prepared to suit the natural knee components, a re either cemented or pressed to fit into the remaining bone component. The next step that follows the positioning of the metal implants is the resurfacing of the patella (the knee cap), which requires the knee cup to be cut and then resurfaced with a plastic button, which will not collide with the metallic implants that have been implanted on the knee (Scuderi & Tria, 2002). However, as explained by the surgeon, depending on the case and extent of the knee damage, the knee cap might not be resurfaced. The final step of the Total knee replacement surgery is to place the spacers. This step entails putting some medical-grade plastic spacers between the metal components that have been implanted on the knee, to create a smooth gliding surface (Bellemans, Ries & Victor, 2005). My feeling during the procedure was that the patient may fail to function fully after the knee is replaced, because the operation was being undertaken for a 70 year old woman. I also felt that the Total knee replac ement surgery was not a very complex sort of operation, although it required a high degree of concentration and precision, lest the metal implantations done on the knee fails to fit accurately and thus lead to more knee problems. The lesson that I learnt from the Total knee replacement surgery procedure is that; it is a surgical procedure that is compatible with all ages. Additionally I learnt that the Total knee replacement surgery is not uniformly done to all people, and that some aspects of the procedure depends on the patient, their situation, and the extent to which their knee is damaged either through injury or arthritis. While the Total knee replacement surgery basically follows a four-step procedure, I realized that the final step of the surgical procedure, referred to as spacer insertion, is not a mandatory or universal step in the Total knee replacement surgery, since it can be omitted for some patients. Another invaluable lesson that I learn regarding the Total knee repla cement surgery is that; the medical history of the patient is fundamental in determining their qualification for the procedure. This is because, the medical history helps the surgeon to assess the strength of the patient

Perspectives in Human Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perspectives in Human - Research Paper Example Values are a part of our lives (Heker, 1994). I can describe myself according to the following values which are: hard working, result oriented, punctual, impartial, open-minded, critical and rational. My list is inexhaustible but these are my strongest values. Before this semester, the most important values were being critical, hard working and being results-oriented. This however changed after I started this semester as I discovered new values which have proven to be of great benefit in determining my personality. Presently, I have endorsed the values of punctuality, impartiality, open-mindedness and rationality. These values have helped me to be open to new ideas and opportunities as change is always inevitable for a student. These values have helped me to gain more clarity and focus on setting my priorities right. My experience in this semester has changed my values in a positive way. These values have helped me to have a clear definition of my goals. I have been able to decide th e goals which are of most importance to me and consequently prioritize them according to the most significant. This process has enabled me to divert my energies towards my targets. Upon the achievement of my goals, I have been able to come up with new goals and try to accommodate them to my list of values (Ehrenreich, 2011). Knowledge has been defined as power but the main value of knowledge is brought out through the use of it. Knowledge is a compilation of facts. When we value knowledge, we draw near it with honest uncertainty. The main importance of knowing our values is to have a better clarity and focus to enable us to make reliable decisions and take a devoted action. The essence of knowledge of our values is to improve our results that are of most importance to an individual. This knowledge has enabled me to know and cherish myself and gain familiarity with my strengths and weaknesses. It has also helped me to use my strengths to assist others and to improve on my weaknesses (Heker, 1994). Our influence to others is of great importance as we knowingly or unknowingly influence others positively or negatively. Despite this, we should strive for the ultimate good by being an encouragement and inspiring them and this will help in making our world an improved place. Knowledge has made me to realize that everyone can make a contribution whether major or minor to the world that we live in by using some of the values like being kind and tender hearted. Based on the knowledge that I have, I should value myself, my passion and compassion, kindness, time, knowledge and mentoring. My actions should be focused on achievement of my goals. My actions should be almost be like a replica of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has the ability to distinguish and embrace life’s happiness and face its cruelties and desolation. This will require one to have values like being strong, visionary and courageous enough to be able to persist life’s challenges as we live in di fficult times (Loeb, 2004). This will be possible through the orientation of the heart by embracing the value of hope. Hope is the power of the human being spirit to prevail in challenging times. Despite this, we must never forget the importance of courage. Courage helps us to prevail over the fear that pushes us away from each other and enable us to stand for our beliefs because if we ignore it while faced with injustice, cruelty and oppression, we are sacrificing a

A letter To My Distant Friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A letter To My Distant Friend - Essay Example Though my mates were ready for the performance, I was still not comfortable. My instructor gave me no option and so I had to face the lion in front of me. The performance made me gain courage and also strengthened the bond that attracted me to dancing. First, dancing helps people to express their feelings about something and this is seen under the types of dances they do and the moves they make while dancing. An example I the expressionist dance that the Germans did to express their bitter feelings about the growth of Nazism that was being pioneered by Hitler. So from that example, dancing helps a society to confront the wrongs people always do. It has also enabled me to understand that people do not always dance for leisure but also to achieve their targets. This happened and I witnessed it during an international festival hosted in Kenya when one dancer made some moves that directly touched a woman he had fallen in love with and know what? The moves helped him to win the heart of the lady, a thing that left almost everybody amazed. As per the common understanding of the people, discipline is a crucial aspect of the virtues of the community and must be maintained in order to allow people to stay in harmony. I know you must be wondering how dancing which is just an art is related to discipline which is a virtue. Dancing especially the cultural dances equips dancers with good moral values since they convey some messages of warnings and consequences of some behaviors.

Study On Improving Team Performance Management Essay

Study On Improving Team Performance Management Essay Performance management includes activities to ensure that goals of the organization are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. It also contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance. Performance management can focus on performance of the organization, a department, processes to build a product or service or the employees. It is about the organizational long-term goals and should link various aspects of the business, people management, and individuals and teams. Performance management should involve performance improvement, development and managing behavior. Unless there is a continuous development of individuals and teams, performance will not improve. The CIPD has identified the performance management by saying that it is:about establishing a culture in which individuals and groups take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and of their own skills, behavior and contributions. It is about sharing expectations. Managers can clarify what they expect individual and teams to do; likewise individuals and teams can communicate their expectations of how they should be managed and what they need to do their jobs. It follows that performance management is about interrelationships and about improving the quality of relationships between managers and individuals, between managers and teams, between members of teams and so on, and is therefore a joint process. It is also about planning defining expectations expressed as objectives and in business plans and about measurement; the old dictum is If you cant measure it, you cant manage it. It should apply to all employees, not just managers, and to teams as much as individuals. It is a continuous process, not a one-off event. Last but not least, it is holistic and should pervade every aspect of running an organization. Now I work on a packing line in the Farm Packhouse. My day to day responsibilities involve: making sure that the punnets packed by me have the right weight and the quality meets the supermarket standards, ensuring the right labels are being used, separating first from second class, looking for progressive and non-progressive defects. I work on a packing line with five more girls. From my observation the problems that arise in our team come from poor communication between us, e.g. sometimes the line is overloaded and we need to stop packing, but not everyone is doing that. Also, due to poor communication and planning between and line leader and packhouse management, sometimes we have to wait for fruit or we will start packing and they will ask us to stop as we need to change the fruit in accordance to the orders. In these particular examples my responsibilities are limited as I am not the line leader and I am not responsible for planning the work. If there is a break down in the team communication, I talk to the other team members and try to explain that if we work together as one team and listen to each other we will be more productive and it will benefit us all. Another thing that is also an issue sometimes is the quality of the fruit that we have to pack. The quality controllers will have different opinion about the same fruit and one will say that we have to be very careful and tip the fruit and the other one will say that the fruit is good and we do not need to be so accurate. Again, I am quite limited as to how I can change this. One of my SMART objectives for the coming year is to become a QC. I am planning to talk to the QA manager and say from a packers point of view how this is disturbing our work. I will propose that the fruit is approved for packing by two QCs before it is loaded on the line, so that issues like that are minimised. I would say that the performance in our team is good. We work hard and make sure we do our job at the best of our abilities. Of course, sometimes our performance is not as good as it can be, but I believe this can be changed by better communication, clearer instructions, further training and more involvement. I believe that the leader on my line will benefit from with is performance. Some of his main duties include making sure we have enough fruit of the right quantity and quality on the line, making sure we have the right labels for the fruit we are packing, motivation and increasing the team performance, coordinating our work and breaks, putting the right labels on the pallets so that the packed fruit goes to the right supermarket. He and the other line leaders meet the Packhouse Assistant Manager in the morning after the daily orders have arrived, and they make the plan for the day. As mentioned above, I think that sometimes there is a lack in the communication about the right packing order of the fruit, e.g. which fruit has to be packed first based on the supermarket requirements. Also, his communication with the team can be improved. He does not get us involved as much as we would like to be involved. He finds it really hard to work under pressure and in there has been situation when he will be really stressed and this will affect his attitude towards us. I believe that our team leader needs to improve his communication both with us, his team and the management. He should involve us in the planning and the quality issues. Employees will only be able to perform at their best if they know their duties, obligations and rights and have an opportunity of making their views known to management on issues that affect them. Good communications is central to the management process and assume critical importance when dealing with changes in working practices and procedures. All managers need to communicate and consult with employees in order to be effective but they also need to exchange information with other managers. My thoughts can be supported by ACAS view on that topic: Employee communication and consultation offer many benefits although, done well, they require time and money. In particular good employee communications and consultation can: improve organizational performance improve management performance and decision making allowing employees to express their views can help managers and supervisors arrive at sound decisions which can more readily be accepted by employees as a whole; Improve employees performance and commitment employees will perform better if they are given regular, accurate information about their jobs such as updated technical instructions, targets, deadlines and feedback. Their commitment is also likely to be enhanced if they know what the organization is trying to achieve and how they, as individuals, can influence decisions help develop greater trust discussing issues of common interest and allowing employees an opportunity of expressing their views can engender improved management/employee relations increase job satisfaction employees are more likely to be motivated if they have a good understanding of their job and how it fits into the organisation as a whole and are actively encouraged to express their views and ideas. encourage a more flexible working environment employers can help to promote a good work-life balance within the organisation by talking to all their staff about developing flexible working policies and practices Communications and consultation are not, and should not, be an end in themselves. Nevertheless, used properly they have a key role to play both in ensuring the business success of organizations and in involving and empowering employees. In our case, if we trust the instructions given to us by the line leader, if we know exactly what is expected from us, if we know that the instructions will not change, if we are involved in the decision making, if our ideas are considered, we will feel motivated and our performance will increase. Never the less we work on piece rate and our performance is measured by the output, which means the more we pack the more we will earn, a job satisfaction and fulfillment will give us a long lasting motivation and performance drive. This is supported by Herzbergs motivation according to which people are influenced by two factors: Satisfaction and psychological growth are a result of motivation factors. Dissatisfaction is a result of a lack of hygiene factors Examples of Herzbergs hygiene needs in the workplace are: relationship with supervisor, work conditions, salary, status, security, relationship with subordinates. Herzbergs research identified that true motivators were other completely different factors, notably: achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility. Most managers realize that a happy workforce leads to improved performance which holds equally well for leadership and training. Performance counselling is a powerful motivational tool and can be defined as a formal discussion between a manager and a subordinate for the purpose of discussing the subordinates current job performance, determining why the performance is at its current level and outlining ways in which the subordinate can perform better in the future to the ultimate benefit of all: the subordinate, the manager and the organisation. They key is to focus on the future. The challenge to the manager is to provide a climate in which employee growth is actively encouraged. The team leaders at Hall Hunter Partnership are offered and attend different trainings. To help improve our team and our line leaders performance HHP can organize communication training and performance management training for the team leaders. At these courses things like improving communication, involving the workers, motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, equity, expectancy and goal motivation theories) should be discussed and examined in details. Also there should be regular meetings between the team and the leader, at which responsibilities, daily planning, weak and strong performance issues must be discussed. Another issue in our team is that in some situations our line leader does not treat all workers in the team equally. If there is a problem with the quality he might focus on couple of people from the team and constantly check their trays. This de-motivates these particular works and their performance becomes poor. The above is supported by Adams equity theory, according to which motivation is about the perception of fair and unfair treatment and distribution of resources between the employee and the employer. In order to improve our team performance and to deal with the performance issues our team has, I believe the following should be done: Have better communication both between the team and the line leader and the line leader and the packhouse management- this can be done by weekly meetings (on a Monday) at which the whole team meets and we discuss issues from the previous week and share ideas. These meetings will also help us build a team spirit so that we all feel involved as being part of a team. Have better planning- at the beginning of the day our line leader should meet the management and ask for the plan for the day. As we arrive at work he should share that with us. Attend training courses- the line leaders at the Packhouse should attend training courses which will improve their performance, which will also lead to improved team performance. Suitable courses I believe can be motivation, communication, stress management, planning courses. Treat all workers in the team equally- when the line leaders knows that we will be packing a poor quality fruit, he should have a meeting with all of us, describe the problem and monitor everyones performance in the same way. HHP has clear disciplinary and grievance procedures. Both of them are displayed in the farm office and in the induction. All workers are made aware of the policies as soon as they arrive on site. To make sure that they all understand them well, the company has translated them in four languages- Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Polish. The stages of the disciplinary procedure are verbal warning, written warning and dismissal. If a worker needs to be dismissed he is invited to a disciplinary meeting. All workers can be accompanied by a representative at the meeting. After that the worker can appeal if he does not agree with the outcomes of the meeting. The minutes of the meetings are always recorded and signed by the employee and the manager. It is really important that all meetings are recorded and an investigation is carried first. The consequence of making the wrong decision, or not following procedures, could lead to a claim to an employment tribunal and a subsequent award. In addi tion to any award, there are the costs of legal fees, poor productivity, lost management time and any effect on morale. In the summer I am a team leader on the field. I am responsible for monitoring the quality, making sure the lines are picked well, motivating the team to increase the performance, monitoring the workers performance. On our farm the workers are paid on piece work and set daily targets for them which they need to achieve. The first week they are in training period and we teach them how to pick. After that they start working on piece rate and their performance is monitored and they are given the targets- picked trays per hour. If they fail to achieve the rates they go through the disciplinary procedure. I, as a team leader, am responsible for the early stages of the disciplinary process. If there is a worker in my team who is not meeting the targets I will first try to find out why is that, check his picking technique, try to show him how he can pick fast. I will use counselling, will have a quiet word with the worker in question. If the performance is still poor and there is no improvement I will speak with the harvest manager. At that point the disciplinary procedure will come in force. The worker will be invited to a meeting at which both I and the harvest manager will be present. He will be issued with a verbal warning for poor performance. In more serious situations where the worker has conducted a gross misconduct- stealing a tray, changing the labels on a tray, fighting, coming drunk to work I will contact the harvest manager straight way. The worker will be dismissed by the harvest manager and no work will be offered to him. I always encourage my workers and tell them that if they have a complaint or a grievance they should come and talk to me first. Depending on the issue I will either try to solve the problem or get the harvest manager and the HR manager involved. The farm has also a worker council lead by the worker welfare representative. The workers know that they can discuss their problems there. The HR manager is involved in their meetings. The HR manager visits the sites regularly and speaks with the workers. Her telephone number is displayed on the notice board and the workers know they can contact her with any issues. I always encourage my workers to come and talk to me first. I try to have an open relationship with them, to treat them well and equally, to support and help them. If they have a complaint against me, I hope they come and talk to me first and try to resolve the issue together. The employees have very important part and a crucial role of running the business smoothly and efficiently. Using performance management can ensure that the employees not only fulfill their responsibilities, but do so to the best of their abilities and up to the company expectations. Performance management makes sure the employer uses the full potential of the staff. It is a process starting from monitoring and developing the desired traits to rating their progress and rewarding them for their achievements. The mere making of plans alone will not help a company to run business successfully. Focusing on the appropriate ways to get business tasks done is really important. One way of doing this efficiently is to involve the employees in the planning process. This will not only boost their morale and confidence, but also help avoid any communication gaps in the process. Measuring the performance of every employee is also important. This ensures that tasks are efficiently completed on time and on or under budget. It also points out any shortcomings of either the staff or business plans, and helps to take the appropriate corrective actions. Performance management gives the tools to instill the desired qualities in the employees in order to get the job done. Development is not limited to only individuals in the workplace, but also addresses the performance of the team as a whole. Evaluating and rating the performance of the employees on an individual basis is essential. This gives them a clear picture of where they presently stand, areas that they need to work on and what they are good at. This way, they can focus more on their weaknesses and work to strengthen those areas. Rewarding and appreciating the employees efforts ensures that their level of their performance and consequently the performance of the business is not compromised. It ensures optimum productivity, performance and maximum profitability. Rewarding the staff for a job well done not only enhance their performance but also serves as a tool to keep them motivated. Therefore, performance management is an effective system that allows companies to achieve their strategic and financial goals.