Driving Force of Globalisation Essay

An NIC stands for a Newly Industrialised Country. It is a term used to describe a country that has moved away from an agriculture-based economy and into a more industrialised, urban economy. These countries have a high growth rate. Current NICs include China, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Philippines, Thailand and Turkey. The average growth rate between these countries is approximately 7.64% compared to the world average of 3.7% (2011). The average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita for these NICs is US$10,769 compared to the world average GDP per capita of US$12,000. GDP is a useful indicator of development and a great measure for comparing differences between countries, therefore allowing a clear differentiation between countries that are Highly Industrialised Countries (HICs), Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs) or Low Industrialised Countries (LICs). The Human Development Index (HDI) is another strong indicator of development, it includes a combination of statistics: life expectancy, education and income. The average HDI of these NICs is approximately 0.6874. The world average HDI is 0.862. India is now an NIC, as the IT services boom has transformed the country’s economy, which is now growing at more than 9% per year, the same rate as China. India’s HIC is 0.547(2011 estimate). Since China opened up its markets to the West in the 1980s, the city of Shanghai has transformed into a booming metropolis consisting of about 21 million people. Shanghai accounts for 30% of China’s foreign exports and attracts 25% of all foreign investment into the country. The GDP of Shanghai alone is US450 billion! China’s HDI is 0.867 (2011 estimate). Globalisation is the stage of processes and impacts that occur at a global scale, usually economic systems, but it can include physical systems (global warming) and socio-cultural systems (fashion, music, film industry). Globalisation can be measured using the Globalisation Index, which tracks and assess changes in the 4 key components of global integration. Another measure of globalisation is the KOF Index of Globalisation. This calculates the overall index of globalisation and sub-indices referring to actual economic flows, economic restrictions, data on information flows, data on personal contact and data on cultural proximity. NICs have been and continue to be the driving force of globalisation. Manufacturing tends to occur mainly in industrialised countries. Globally, manufacturing output continues to increase and most manufacturing still occurs in industrialised countries. Although relative contribution of manufacturing to most industrialised countries economies has declined, manufacturing remains fundamental to all economies. Many of the new industrialised countries are dramatically increasing their manufacturing output, by establishing their unique multi-nationals and implement manufacturing plants in developed countries. An example of a country doing this is South Korea. NICs have a variety of advantages over fully developed countries, as they are able to benefit from cheap labour costs, lower business taxes, cheaper land and fewer environmental controls. Multi-nationals are hugely responsible for a large majority of the rise in globalisation, for example; the introduction of Trans-national companies (TNCs). These multi-nationals have huge benefits, i.e. they have generated millions of new jobs in NICs, however; they have also lead to social, political and economic problems within a country, as well as between countries. For example, Uganda, a very poor country with a GDP per capita of just $1,300 (2011), has been forced to lower its prices of exporting coffee, which is what its economy relies on. Coffee prices have fallen by 70% since 1997, costing exporters in developing countries $8 billion in lost foreign-exchange earnings. This divides the gap between the rich and the poor, as the richer countries will benefit from trading, while the poorer countries, such as Uganda, will loose out in gaining money on exports, therefore making them poorer. TNCs dominate industrial production including manufacturing and services, therefore further dividing the gap between the rich and the poor, and being the main leader of globalisation as a consequence. TNCs work to meet the demand for its good from HICs. For example, Toyota, like many other TNCs undertakes much of its manufacturing in LICs in order to meet the high and constant demand from HICs. Manufacturing in LICs is preferred as it provides these large companies with cheap labour. Toyota was recorded as the fifth largest TNC in 2010. It has 51 overseas manufacturing companies in 26 countries and regions, it has Design and Research and Development centres in the USA, Japan, Belgium, the UK, France, Thailand and Australia, and its headquarters are in Japan. Globalisation inevitably increases pressure to liberalise trade and to eliminate tariffs and non-trade barriers. Liberalisation of trade within OPEC clearly resulted in China (an NIC) for example, gaining a comparative advantage over the US (MIC) in the manufacture of machinery products. Globalisation has also been a resulting factor for the dramatic increase in technology. Bangalore, in the Silicon Valley of India is experiencing a remarkable IT boom, that is transforming the prospects of India’s economy. The internet is the fastest growing tool of communications. It took just 4 years for the internet to reach 50 million years, in contrast to the 38 years it took for radio and 13 years for television. However, the bulk of internet traffic is between and within North America, Western Europe and, to a limited extent, East Asia i.e. HICs and NICs. In Asia, Japan accounts for the major share of internet traffic, which is the reason for why this country has become an NIC, where as most other countries in Asia are LICs. A number of charismatic new Indian companies are now challenging the multinationals for global leadership in this area, including TCS (TATA Consultancy Services), Infosys and WIPRO (the current global leader in technology). The IT services boom has helped to transform the Indian economy, which is now growing at more than 9% a year, comparable to China. The new-found affluence of the young workers in the IT sector has led to a change in attitudes to wealth and consumption in the country. More and more young people are increasingly being able to afford such luxuries, for example cars and home ownership. On the other hand, NICs are not necessarily the driving force to globalisation. The reason for this is that these countries have only been able to develop due to the richer western countries. These MICs have the money to buy up land in poorer countries, as part of land colonization in order to meet the demand of these MICs. Many of the new industrializing countries (NICs) are dramatically increasing their manufacturing output, however this is only as a result of industrialised countries becoming established in the NICS. The core periphery is a theory to explain the process by which some countries become wealthy and others become poor, subsequently increasing the divide between them. The patterns of trade that emerges from the 1500s onwards created a wealthy ‘core’ of European countries. The nations who supply these rich European countries remained poor and on the edge, known as the periphery. The Global core regions include North America, Europe and Japan. This core owns and consumes 80% of global goods and services, earns the highest incomes, makes most decisions about the global economy, e.g. what goods are produced, and provides most global investment. Therefore, richer countries control trade, and so have control of LICs to meet their large demand, subsequently being the driving force of globalisation. Trade has been the engine of globalisation, with world wide trade in manufactures goods increasing more than 100 times (from $9.5 billion to $12 trillion) in the last 50 years. This has outpaced the overall growth of the global economy. Since 1960, increased trade has been made easier by international agreements to lower tariff and non-tariff barriers on export of manufactured goods, especially to rich countries. Those countries which have managed to increase their role in the world trading system (through implementing TNCs) by targeting exports to rich countries – such as Japan, Korea and now China. All these countries have seen a dramatic increase in their standard of living. In conclusion, I strongly believe that NICs have been the driving force to globalisation. Moving to a more industrialised, urban economy will help any country to perform better in the global market, helping it to gain a higher growth rate and GDP. Having a higher HDI in a country will also help those countries to receive higher standards of living and an enhanced quality of life. Globalisation occurs as factor of change to economic, physical and socio-cultural systems, which all have large global influences. HICs have therefore, increasingly been the cause for globalisation, as they develop from an agriculture-based economy into an industrialised, urban economy.

The effect of talent management on business success in Nigeria’s telecoms sector

Summary Talent management is a key challenge for organisations in the current economic climate and, in particular, when it comes to a dynamic industry within an emerging market. With this in mind, the research proposed here looks at the role of talent management in gaining business success, with specific reference to Etisalat, a growing telecoms company within the Nigerian economy. Introduction In emerging economies, such as Nigeria, there is a need to consider the strategy for growth within organisations, both national and multinational. This raises several questions, in terms of business strategy and specifically requires the consideration of whether or not talent management should be the central theme for this discussion. As part of this research the key themes will be to look at talent management in the context of how this aligns with busienss success and then beyond that how it works within the emerging economies. . Motivation for the Research Determining the level of importance of talent management and the way in which it is best incorporated into the wider business strategy is of key importance to Etisalat and the technological industry, in general, but also potentially has an impact on the other industries looking to enter an emerging market and aiming to develop and utilise home grown talent, as well as identifying how talent can be encouraged to join and develop the region. This is a dynamic region and is currently in an appropriate stage for research to be undertaken as to how to develop this, in the future. Rationale for the Research Countries, such as Nigeria, are under an ongoing pressure to provide a region of growth for both their own national companies and for multinational organisations looking to make the most of developing regions that may offer a strategic advantage, in the long ru. (Newman, 2001). This research offers value to the current organisation and any other company looking to going into the region. Where such development is likely, the research here will provide strong guidelines which can be used for the future. Scope and Limitation of the Research This research will look specifically at the issue of talent management within a large telecoms company in Nigeria which is, in itself, a limitation on the research, as the telecoms industry is dynamic and constantly changing. Therefore, although this provides a good area of research currently, it needs to be borne in mind that this is likely to change over time and also when moving from industry to industry. Furthermore, different countries will have slightly different dynamics, which will need to be taken into consideration when looking at research areas for the future. Research Questions / Hypotheses and Objectives The overall research hypotheses aim to prove, or indeed disprove, the link between early adoption of talent management within the organisation and ultimate business success. It is suggested, at the outset, that there is a direct link between the ability of an organisation to expand successfully and the concerted approach to talent management that is taken by the management team, at the outset. The objective is to identify whether this is indeed a substantial link and, if so, what specific management practices are effective and which are not. Literature Review The concept of talent management has been well documented across a variety of different jurisdictions, including the UK. Talent management is referred by the CIPD (2010) as being â€Å"initiatives and strategies†¦ to harness the unique talents of individual employees and convert their talent potential into optimum organisation performance†. Although there are multiple different definitions in relation to talent management, this is seen as being one of the leading definitions. Back in 2001, the concept of talent management was established by McKinse and Company 2001, who created the concept of â€Å"the war on talent†, which was then taken on by the CIPD, with the likes of the 2012 CIPD documentation, where talent was considered to be the qualities â€Å"of those individuals who can make a difference to organisational performance either through their immediate contribution or, in the longer-term, by demonstrating the highest levels of potential†. Bearing these principles in mind, the literature can then go to consider the role that this approach would take within the emerging market of Nigeria and with particular reference to the telecoms industry. For example, Etisalat created a strategy plan that would span 2011 – 2016 called â€Å"Engage†, with the aim of inspiring staff and encouraging greater emphasis being placed on management and its ability to engage with the staff during a period of dynamic expansion (Etisalat, 2014). When looking specifically at the area of the telecoms industry, it is seen that Etisalat is one of the more pro-active talent management companies, with its own Academy providing learning and development opportunities for staff members in its central head office, in Dubai. As well as creating learning opportunities, there are is also an argument that the company has gained success by looking at the greater brand loyalty from the staff, with the wider perception of what is meant by talent management and how this can link with the emerging markets and companies, such as Etisala (Etisalat, 2014). Gap in LiteratureA seeming gap in the literature which is to be dealt with as part of this research is that of understanding the role of traditional talent management will have on an emerging market and, in particular, the telecoms industry. Specific consideration needs to be given to the notion that there is likely to be an issue with the mobility of staff and the willingness of individuals to move either to or from the area, in order to sustain employment. Research MethodologyResearch designThe proposed research method is deductive in nature, involving multiple different observations which ultimately provide an overall theory. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to undertake both primary and secondary research, to gather a rounded understanding of both theory and then its practical application.Data SourcesFor the literature review, the information will be primarily gathered from journals and reports surrounding the area of talent management, as well as from direct information from Etisalat. It is anticipated that this information will be gathered from free sources, as well as subscribed online journals such as Emerald Insight. Primary research will look at the opinions of HR staff, as well as those subject to â€Å"talent management† within the workplace.Data Collection / Analysis TechniquesA total of 100 individuals will be contacted through the use of questionnaires, to determine the use of talent management and the perc eptions of talent management within the workplace. Of these 100 questionnaires, a further 10 one-to-one interviews will be undertaken, to supplement and further the understanding gained as part of the wider questionnaires. This is based on availability and time constraints, as well as the desire to obtain a balanced view, overall.Sampling TechniquesThe selected individuals will be a mixture of HR professionals and staff members who are targeted as part of the talent management process. This split is thought to be approximately 80 / 20 and will allow both sides of the action to be considered alongside each other and research then undertaken into whether or not the perceptions of the staff differ from the perceptions of the managers implementing these agendas.Practical ConsiderationsEthical considerationsA potential difficulty emerges with the primary research, in that it is asking employees about their perceptions of talent management within the organisation. This is because some ind ividuals may be concerned that expressing honest opinions could have a negative impact on their own career progression. For this reason, as well as commercial confidentiality reasons, the data collected will be entirely anonymised and pass-worded, so that the answers cannot be directly linked to the individuals in question.Suggested Research TopicsThe overall topic is the link between talent management and business success; however, there will be several sub areas of research that will also be considered as part of this; for example, how can various initiatives impact on the role of talent management, the role of talent management from the point of view of recruitment, performance management and promotion. Consideration will also be given to the mobility of individuals within the emerging world and the political aspects that may be relevant. Project Plan The research will take place over one academic year and 10 months of total work. This is broken down as follows: Month 1Background research and delineation of questions and areas of research Month 2Literature review and setting out the questionnaires for the primary research Month 3Literature review and sending out of primary research Month 4Collation of primary research and analysis Month 5Collation of primary research and analysis Month 6Review of literature based on findings of primary research Month 7Review of literature based on findings of primary research, conclusions and summary Month 8Conclusions and summary Month 9Writing of report Month 10Review and preparation of presentation This is a reasonably flexible time frame, with recognition that there will need to be a consolidation time period at the end, to revisit key areas. Bibliography – suggested initial bibliography (to be added to during the research) Bersin & Associates. (2012). New research finds UK talent acquisition spending rose six per cent in 2011. London: Bersin & Associates. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2006). Talent management: understanding the dimensions. London: CIPD. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2010). The talent perspective: what does it feel like to be talent-managedCIPD, London. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/95D2D604 -36C6-450A-996A-01F45F0B17C5/0/5262_Talent_Perspective.pdf (Accessed 18/09/12) Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2012). Talent management: an overview, CIPD, London. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/talent-management-overview.aspx (Accessed 3/10/12) Cheese, P. (2008). The talent powered organisation: strategies for globalisation, talent management and high performance. Cornwall: MPG Books ltd. Etisalat (2014) Etisalat Strategu. Available at: thttp://www.etisalat.com/en/ir/corporateinfo/etisalat-strategy.jsp McKinsey & Company. (2001). The war on talent, McKinsey & Company Inc, USA. Available: http:// autoassembly.mckinsey.com/html/downloads/articles/War_For_Talent.pdf Newman, E. (2012). What is the definition of CRMInside Talent Management Technology, Available at:

Adults with learning disabilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Adults with learning disabilities - Essay Example A learning disability is defined as a neurological disorder. It is the result of a difference in wiring in some adults and children.Those who experience a LD may be as intelligent,or even smarter,than their cohorts,although they have difficulty with an activity/s such as; reading, writing, spelling, recall and reasoning Interventions to aid adult learners with LD have changed dramatically over the past century (D'Amato, Crepeau-Hobson, Huang, & Geil, 2005). This paper will critically review the development of the present day approaches to intervention to demonstrate the benefits of the social-model. Firstly, a historical perspective will be given to illustrate the growth of LD service delivery from a medical-model approach, labeling theory to a social-model approach. Secondly, person-centred planning shall be critically discussed. Next issues of anti-oppressive practices with regard to gender will be outlined. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesise the main points of this paper to id entify the advantages that social-model based interventions can have. It is anticipated that this paper will inform research to aid adults with LD to be encouraged in their strengths, aware of their weaknesses, and to better understand health and social care systems approaches to providing care. In the early 19th century the leading model of care for adults with a LD was grounded in the broad system of health care (Young, 2006). Following the industrial revolution and the mass migration of the rural population to the cities those with a LD tended to be among those living in poverty and performing enforced labour. In the mid-19th century many concerned citizens debated the humanity of the conditions of those living in poverty, and who were experiencing ways of being such as a LD. The medical-model approach at the time considered the people housed within asylums as 'having a problem' that was not able to be worked with. The patients were often treated as children and robbed of their d ignity and seen as not able to make the correct choices for them to ensure good health. According to the medical-model those with a LD were a threat to the 'contamination' of the UK gene pool. Hence, this later medical-modal approach continued with the view of a biological condition alone, that could not be altered in any way by 'nurturing'. And by taking a rigid 'nature' view of LD saw the person experiencing the condition as beyond hope of social interventions, and that wider society (i.e., environment) had no responsibility as to how those with LD experienced life and well being. Dramatic changes came following the Wars, when the atrocities of Nazi experiments highlighted the need for more thought into what it means to be human, issues of dignity, welfare, protection and human rights. The dawn of ethical research and treatment had come. Whilst the medical-model remained focused on diagnosis, treatment and monitoring for effect, the idea that living experiences for those with LD could be improved took hold. The new version of the medical-model emphasised the possibility of treatment by identifying and strengthening cognitive abilities of those with LD (arrowsmithschool.org, 2007). "When the weak areas of the brain are strengthened.the learning disability is reduced or removed." (Steinberg, 2007, p. 1). In 1946 there was the introduction of the National Health Service in the UK and with it came the creation of the term 'mentally handicapped' and the institutions developed into hospitals with a focus on caring for patients. Society had shifted from seeing those who were LD as dangerous and a potential infectious threat, to people in need of interventions and treatment. Labeling theory (Tannenbaum, 1938), grew in popularity as those with LD who adopted deviant behaviors, such as drug use and or crime, were considered to be the 'victims' of social

Apple's Adaptation to Global, Economic and Social Changes Since 1990 Essay

Apple's Adaptation to Global, Economic and Social Changes Since 1990 - Essay Example Steve Jobs came back again as the interim Chief Executive Officer , he laid down the strategies and the goals systemically and started off by building the Macintosh franchise and made an addition of an operating system which was developed at Next Inc. ‘Apple, the Silicon Valley company that has become an icon of personal computing, rose to its greatest heights in the years after Mr. Jobs returned to its helm and opened horizons beyond the desktop.’ (Apple Incorporated (AAPL) News - Company Information - The New York Times) ‘Rather than growing Apple share, as originally planned , cloners instead took Mac sales away from Apple. Next , Jobs created the machines that would save Apple, the iMac’(O'GRADY, J. D., Apple Inc 2009). ‘Apple needed experienced leadership if it was going to grow as rapidly as called in the business plan.’(LINZMAYER, O. W., & LINZMAYER, O. W, Apple confidential 2.0 2004) The revolution took place in the music industry with t he introduction of the iPod music player , and changed the course of the consumer electronics in the favour of Apple. And the market share increased even more when the iTunes Music Store was launched which assisted the users in filling their iPods with their favourite songs(Apple Incorporated (AAPL) News - Company Information - The New York Times). ... rporated (AAPL) News - Company Information - The New York Times) The global economic crisis was not successful in affecting the strong position of the company and within a matter of few years , Apple was declared as the largest company of the world in terms of the market capitalization and announced as the entity which had the most liquid assets.( U.S. balance now less than Apple cash | Financial Post) What made Apple the market leader was the introduction of the smart phones, for which it has now become the market leader. Currently in the smart phone industry, Apple is enjoying the record breaking sales revenue and the profits , showing that the entity adapted very well to the technological advancements in the world. It has become the conqueror of this industry. ‘Apple had an amazing impact on the technology, society and the world. And it continues to innovate to this day’ (O'GRADY, J. D., Apple Inc 2009). Furthermore, the success of the smart phones pushed the entity t o consider the idea of a tablet device which was rejected by Jobs back in 2005. iPad was another fine contribution made by Apple, making the entity the pioneer in the tablets industry. Recently Apple introduced the third generation tablet for which it is already reporting the record breaking sales. ‘Apple also said iPad users had downloaded more than one million apps from the company’s App Store and more than 250,000 electronic books from its iBookstore.’ (Apple Incorporated (AAPL) News - Company Information - The New York Times) ‘Apple is sitting just about as close to the top of the world as possible right now. The world’s most valuable company, it’s got a market capitalization flirting again with the $500 billion mark, and even a flash crash in morning trading on Monday didn’t bring

Food, Identity and Spaces Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Food, Identity and Spaces - Research Paper Example Before we can consider such situations, it is important to first delve into challenges that tourists face in unfamiliar culinary situations. The primary point of concern is: How does food, as much as it presents unique experiences to tourists, conflict with their culture and eating etiquette in unfamiliar culinary situations? Cultural Mismatch One of the primary challenges faced by people in unfamiliar culinary situations stems from cultural mismatch. Local food, according to Cohen and Avieli, is both an attraction and an impediment. The cultural points of difference are evident from the displeasure to the displaying of caged animals waiting to be killed and served to customers. Tourists not accustomed to this practice have often found it repulsively disturbing to the extent of losing their appetite altogether (Cohen &Avieli, 2004). Similar sentiments are shared by Chang, Kivela and Mak, whose study centred on the idea of travel dining with a specific focus on the Chinese experience, as an expression of engagement between tourists and other cultures. According to the line of argument developed in this study, which has singled out different types of tourists, allo-centric tourists are generally more willing to try novel food when it comes to unfamiliar environment. On the other hand, psychocentric tourists will tend to stick to familiar culinary patterns that fit into their culture. Clearly, there is an implied sense of intimidation when the latter are not willing to step out of their comfort zone and accept the concept of change. It can be concluded from this line of thought that cultural mismatch is a great impediment when it comes to experiencing unfamiliarity in foreign land. As such, the identity of the foreign food culture is unappreciated and thus compromised. On a similar note, the element of cultural mismatch is also present when â€Å"an immigrant to Canada, quickly finds his own ethnic identity challenged in terms of food. Offered a hot dog by his fr iend Romesh, Nurdin, a Muslim, knowingly takes the forbidden meat into his own body† (Padolsky, 2005, NS). In another study, Western European and Israeli tourists in the Asian regions where the cultures are radically different find it overwhelmingly difficult to adapt to local food due to cultural mismatch (Cohen &Avieli, 2005). Evidently, the three studies share similar sentiments on cultural challenges faced when experiencing unfamiliar culinary situation. Contrasting Eating Etiquettes Contrasting eating etiquettes also come out strongly on the three studies as a notable impediment to adapting to new types of food as people visit different cultures. A specific example is the aroused uneasiness by Westerners confronted by chopsticks when touring parts of Asia (Cohen and Avieli, 2004). There are also some peculiar food practices that separate the cultures of the East and the West. For instance, the differing methods used in food preparation are culturally dependent and therefo re, some methods may contrast with other cultures (Chang, Kivela & Mak, 2010). Culturally sensitive people would then find it difficult eating food prepared under such circumstances. The same line of thought seems to be shared by Podolsky when he claims that eating etiquettes vary from one cultural background to another. In his context, people find it difficult to adapt to new diets especially when the host’s eating etiquettes differ greatly from what they are accustomed to in their

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management accounting - Essay Example BA is flying to over 550 destinations and to 155 countries worldwide including Americas, UK, Europe, Middle East and South Asia, Africa, and Asia/Pacific (â€Å"British Airways,† 2010). It has been considered as one of the leader in the airline industry worldwide and known for its excellence, quality, and full air and ground services. Aside from being the largest international scheduled airline in UK, BA offered several services and facilities to their customers to guarantee their convenience. The company has been privatised and shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker symbol BAY (â€Å"London Stock Exchange,† 2011). As history trace its origins back, BA was formed with the mergence of BOAC, BEA, Cambrian Airways, and Northeast Airlines last 1974 (â€Å"British Airways,† n.d.). ... They have decided to merge because of recession that badly hit the operations of the two airlines (BBC News, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to explain how management accounting can supply information to assist the management of British Airways, particularly the key techniques that are favourable to the company. Review of the Nature and Role of Management Accounting Management accounting is an exclusive type of accounting wherein the supplied information is more specific. Furthermore, it â€Å"exists to serve managers helping them work as decision makers, planners, and controllers of their respective departments or areas of responsibility† (Atrill & McLaney, 1994, p.14). In other words, the role of management accounting is to assist the managers in making decisions or problem solving, and provide accounting information necessary to make realistic future plans. They are expected to provide financial or economic information particularly available to those in managerial posit ion. These are needed in carrying the tasks of decision-making, planning, and control so that organization will be managed effectively and efficiently. Decision making and planning is one of the crucial tasks played by management accounting. There are instances that the management needs to settle with the best option to be pursued which at the same time favourable to the organization. The determined courses of action will be evaluated as to their costs and benefits which is the role of planning. Furthermore, the information will be more effective if the result of the appraisal showed that the benefits outweigh the costs. Control is the second primary tasked that â€Å"involves a comparison of actual performance with the plan so that

Business Ethics and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Ethics and Law - Essay Example Basically, the interests of stakeholders are to increase their benefits from the organizations. To achieve this goal, business has to incur cost and this will reduce the earnings of investors. Therefore, in most cases managers compromise the interests of stakeholders in order to increase the income of the shareholders. Question one Business owners invest their resources in businesses and appoint directors to run those businesses on their behalf. This is because in most cases the owners of the capital lack expertise to run those businesses by their own, or they have other things to attend to hence they are left with no time to manage their own businesses (Adam, 2009). Sometimes even where they are present the businesses are may be too enormous for them to run on their own. The directors are given authority to mobilize the resources of the investors in a way that will maximize returns for the investors. Therefore, managers have a duty to ensure that their activities are focused on incr easing the returns for investors. However, they also have to ensure that the company’s stakeholders are considered when making decisions for the company (Cameron, Seher, & Crawley, 2010). These stakeholders include government, the community, consumers, suppliers and even the business rivals. These stakeholders are very crucial in any situation because their individual decisions will influence the position of the business. The argument of Joseph Johnston is that organizations are established to serve the needs of both stakeholders and the shareholders (Wettstein, 2009). According to stakeholder’s theory, in case of any clash of significance between the shareholders and investors, the managers should compromise the investor’s benefit for the sake of stakeholders. The investors concern is to reap the best form their investments. The clients concern in the business is to have a constant supply of superior products at affordable prices (Ananymous, nd). The public wan t to ensure that the organization is not oppressing people. The employees want to get the best pay from the organization. Different stakeholders have different concerns in the organization (Bebchuk & Fried, 2004). In actual sense, I believe stakeholder’s theory does not work because of inconsistency of interests among the parties concerned (Cameron, Seher, & Crawley, 2010). Managers are in control of the organizations and they are responsible for setting strategies and meansto achieve them. Since the interest of the investors is to create more wealth their desire is to invest in ventures which guarantee them greater returns. However, in most cases ventures that have higher returns are prone to perils (Bomann-Larsen & Wiggen, 2005, p. 76). Therefore, managers generally do not like risking and desire to safeguard their jobs. As a result, the managers invest shareholders resources to less risky ventures despite their decreased returns to ensure that their jobs are stable. On the other hand, stakeholders such as clients will desire superior products at affordable prices. Producing superior commodities requires extra resources which results to increase in prices for the commodities. Since managers also want to ensure that their employers have vast returns, most of the time they charge higher prices for inferior products (Cameron, Seher,

To what extent did the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 signify a change Essay

To what extent did the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 signify a change in the way that force is used in international relations - Essay Example An urge to conduct an investigation in Iraq emerged when the Iraq government attacked US in the year in 2001. The US government felt vulnerable, especially after this attack that is believed to have been an operation of Al-Qaeda, one of the rogue groups in Iraq. The US government felt vulnerable and feared that the Iraq government would use the weapons of mass destruction against the US government. Another fear was that with these weapons available in Iraq, the Al-Qaeda group would access them and conduct a more severe attack than one of 2001. Thus, the US felt the need to launch an effective operation to inspect and disarm the Iraq government of any weapons of mass destruction that they could be holding. Although many felt that the rumour on the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a mere speculation, the UN team engaged a powerful gear to unravel the truth of the matter. In 2002, the plan of inspection was underway and there was light that the Iraq government would comply with the inspection plan. On the other hand, the US government felt that this process was slow and that there was a need to hasten the process to avoid the looming threat that the weapons would be used against the US. In essence, they felt that the UN and the international bodies were slow in neutralizing a threat that would have dire consequences on US. However, the international body insisted that it was important to give Iraq sometime to comply with the demands of the inspection as there was still hope that the process would succeed. Even a number of the US allies accepted that this was not a time of war as there was no any evidence that there was any destructive weapon. Despite the efforts of many countries and international bodies to stop US from engaging Iraq in a war, the US government declared a war in the country and organized their troops

Personal Finance Essay Example for Free

Personal Finance Essay Personal finance addresses the way an individual or families earn, budget, save, and spend money gained from employment, loans, or gifts. As a college student, my personal finances are based upon money I have obtained, seasonal employment and parental support. In creating my budget, I had to realize that my income was not the same each month so I had to make sure I had enough money to pay for my gas, phone bill, and entertainment. Sometimes I would go over budget due to unexpected bills so I would ask for help from my parents. I use a debit card through my bank City National Bank. I chose this bank because my parents also bank there and it’s a small personal bank. It makes it easier if I need my mom to transfer money to my account in case of an emergency. I do not use checks only my debit card and occasional cash, the debit card pulls money out of my account somewhat like a check. I do check my account online, and my statement looks similar to the on in The Money 101 Student Workbook. The format is a little different, but the same kind of information is given. I do not keep a register much to my mother’s dismay. Every Christmas, she gives me a register to keep track of my spending but I fail to use it. I do track my spending through balance inquiries that I receive via the ATM, as well as online. If I wanted to change banks, I would choose a bank that would be in Marshall and has the small town feel to it. I would also want one that might offer interest on my account. I didn’t find any new information concerning debit cards, but I do prefer a debit card to a credit card because it takes money out of your account instead of possibly spending what you don’t have. You can also abuse a credit card and use it unnecessarily. I did check on annualcreditreport. com to see if I had a credit report, but I do not because I don’t have any accounts in my name. The best card deal I found was on chase. com because if I put my name on my parents account then I could also have their 8. 99% interest rate. There were lots of credit card offers that had 0% introductory rates, but since I have no credit, then the interest rate would rise dramatically. Some insurance policies that would be important for personal finance would be disability insurance, car insurance, and health insurance. Identity theft insurance would probably be a good insurance protection. The thing that stuck out to me when Mike Brady came and spoke was the concept of â€Å"full coverage† insurance for your car, he said that it’s only an interpretation and not something that is written down, he also stated that there is no such thing as â€Å"full coverage. I would probably put my savings in the savings account in my bank since I would have access to it. My retirement plan would be to match whatever my company is putting into my 401K and putting money into stock that I can draw from when I actually do retire. The test that we took in the back of the booklet was fairly easy after looking through this so many times I answered a credit card would be the one to hurt you the most when in fact it says the student loans would affect your credit score more. My parents educated me very well on a lot of these subjects especially budget and checking account, my mom has preached to me about having a budget for as long as I can remember. The thing I learned from this unit, just to point one out, was the savings and retirement planning I didn’t realize it was such a priority because at my age you really don’t think about those things but I’ve learned that I do need to start early.

Happy Ending by Margaret Atwood Essay Example for Free

Happy Ending by Margaret Atwood Essay In this essay, I examine the short story, â€Å"Happy Endings,† by Margaret Atwood and how the Canadian author tackled the topic of love and the different ways it is portrayed in relationships and marriage, as well as examined writing styles as used in the story. For my conclusion, I will elaborate on the importance of love and romance in making marriages last as well as emphasize on the cruciality of coming up with an original and authentic literary work. In this story, Atwood focused on both the mechanics of writing and the effects of gender stereotyping, as well as challenged writers who rely on the stereotypical characterization of men and women and to the reader who accepts such gender typing. At the same time, she challenged other writers to more closely examine typical literary convention. Happy Endings has six story versions that present a different scenario of what Through analysis of â€Å"Happy Endings† by Margaret Atwood happens to the main characters, John, Mary, Madge and Fred. Three main themes surface from this story. These themes are that the story depicts middle-class values; portrays marriage and romance; and illustrates writing conventions. Touching on middle-class values, Atwood represents these values in her story as an element of the society. In doing so, the characters in the story manifest them even in the more troublesome aspects of the stories. In tackling marriage and romance, the story revolves around the fulfillment that marriage brings. Using material success and ease of life as the criteria to define a successful marriage, John and Mary certainly have built one. Romance, on the other hand, also emerges as an important theme. The various versions of the story mimic the trajectory of cliched romance novels, which end with the hero and the heroine living happily ever after. Atwood also parodies some typical plots of romantic novels, which include murder, suicide, infidelity, and disease. Lastly, Atwood also dealt with writing conventions in the story by way of experimentation. Atwood’s text in the story is self-referential as she explicitly refers to events that have happened earlier on, as well as the mechanics and elements of writing. Both directly and indirectly, Atwood addresses the whole notion of how an author develops a story. In addition, Atwood’s work also challenges writers to compose authentic works. From the above information and opinions, I conclude that for a more different and effective way of writing, authenticity is important for writers to value. I also conclude that love in marriage or any kind of relationship needs romance to be its companion in order for these relationships to last as romance is the oil that keeps friction from wearing out the relationship. References BookRags and Thomson Gale. (2006). Happy endings study guide. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/

Effects Of Shift Work On Employee

Effects Of Shift Work On Employee 3. Why and how might shift work impact on the health of employees? What could be done to minimise the health risks of such work? In modern life shift work becomes a necessary part of life. Shift work is an employment schedule that is not in the usual daytime hours and in which two or more groups of workers work at separate times in the 24 hrs. (Finn, 1981).According to HSE(2006) approximately 14% of people in UK doing shift work in different shifts Some institutions like hospitals, ambulance services, police department, transport industry and some industries needs continuous 24 hrs shift work. But this shift work disrupts the circadian rhythm that can lead to reduction in alertness. The diurnal rhythms control pulse rate, the cardio-pulmonary system, composition of blood, blood pressure, secretions of endocrine glands, appetite and wakening and sleep cycle. So shift work interrupts these natural processes for which the human body is normally programmed. So this can cause compromise i n health and safety of the workers. Lack of adequate sleep has produce adverse affects including nervous system related disorders, physical problems which can lead to accidents on job. Fatigue is also the most common reaction in shift workers. Shift work is the main cause of fatigueness in combination with physical, mental and emotional factors that causes exhaustion in workers. Shift work affects the general health and performance of the employees. Because of shift work employees have not follow any routine in their eating habits and they have not regular pattern to sleep and this may produce health problems (Finn, 1981). According to health and safety perspective all the working hours are not same. Night shifts are more difficult and risky. Working overtime also raises the fatigueness in a worker. This can lead to other accidents. Some workers do shift work with their own choice but mostly do because of economic necessity (ACTU Guidelines on shift work extended hours, 2000). Mostly people dont know the extra stress that night shift workers have, is because of work in late night hours. When most people are in their beds, night shift workers are getting ready to work. Night Shifts put negative impact on health of workers because these shifts affect the circadian rhythms of the human body. These circadian rhythms change all over the day and night to regulate different biological functions of body. For example our cardiac rate and the temperature of body changes throughout 24 hrs and this is lowest at 4am and it is on the peak in the mid of afternoon. The circadian rhythms reset after 24 hrs by environme ntal factors like light and darkness. Temperature of body goes up with the day light and goes down at night. Thats why body is active during daytime, whereas in the night it is meant to sleep for recovering and replacing the energy of the body. But working at night disturbs biological clocks thats why sleeping becomes difficult so workers feel fatigue. Work during night shifts imbalance these rhythms in spite of their regular timing. Because of this, workers who can do night shifts come across problems in sleep, fatigueness, gaining weight and problems related to digestive system. Some of these problems also become chronic diseases. According to study done by the Journal of the National Cancer institute (2001) depicts that the females doing night shifts have more risk of breast cancer because of exposure to light during night which interrupts the production of melatonin (Victoria,2010).A study found that the breast cancer risk is 60% more in women doing night shifts. Because the mel atonin hormone mainly produced during sleep. However several studies found rhythmic adjustments to a new work schedule sets in 4 days to 2 days. The continuous change in day, evening and night shifts diminishes the normally programmed body rhythms. According to Sparks and Cooper et al (1977) the field of occupational health psychology, overtime fatigue is an important factor in the health conditions and working hours plan. Because of excessive work in shifts raises in backbone injuries, bacterial infections, three times increase in accidents on job after 16 hrs of work these all have related to fatigue and overtime in shift work (Rosa, 1995) To minimize the health risks of shift work: According to article how lifestyle changes can reduce shift work stress published in Sleep disorders guide (2006-08) suggests that workers have to follow some useful measures to tackle the shift work correctly. Workers should not take more than 2 night shifts regularly in one week. So that their body take rest and the workers are not faces fatigueness. Workers take frequent breaks from work when they feel tired and not able to stand in same posture for a long time. Keep entertaining by talking to your fellow colleagues if worker feel difficult to work during long hours in night shifts, but always follow the safety measures. Workers have to follow proper eating habits .Afternoon shift workers take their meal in the middle of day, not in middle of their shift. Workers are advised not take heavy meals when they go for night shifts and they take light meal throughout night shift and take moderate breakfast. A heavy meal compels the workers to s leep and this may lead to accidents and even discomfort in stomach. After completing the night shift workers have to take proper rest with adequate sleep. They have to avoid heavy exercise before going to bed because metabolism of body will still elevated for many hours and this will produce difficulty in sleep. While sleeping they relaxed their mind and keep their brain free from any disturbance. If they fail to sleep then read a book or listen some music. Workers should follow healthy life style according to their shift work and they should exercise 30-40 minutes daily. With doing regular exercise his mental and physical health remains good and this will reduces the health problems. Workers have to take proper diet to maintain their physical health. Workers drink more water in night shift. They have to socialize with other coworkers to minimize disruption in social life. Workers practices to reduce the stress. They have to schedule daily events by the calendar use. Workers choose the prioritize tasks and always tackle one task at a time (Stones, 1987). 4. Critically review the evidence that multiple roles in work and non-working life lead to negative outcomes for employees and organizations. Work culture changes rapidly in present days. Previously concept of work done is to fulfil basic human needs but now this is not the fact. The basic needs are not enough, but standard of living is also an essential part for doing work. According to Blekesaune (2008) unemployed people are at major risk of breakdown in personal relationships .Males and females who lost their jobs have similar impact. According to Work life Balance Survey(Hurst and Richards 2003) there were more than 1200 employees who took part in internet survey done in the form of questionnaire and each one ,out of the ten participants worked more than 70 hrs every week, whereas he is being signed for 35-40 hrs. 98% of workers took their office work t home. 17% of them skip their lunch break.97% workers found that it is difficult to balance work and life.70% of workers took work as main stressor (Work life balance survey, 2003). Work or nonwork conflict generally noticed when work and non work roles are not compatible with one another and participation in one role made difficult in participating in another role (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985). The Spillover Model (Loscocco and Roschelle, 1991) guided well on present study related to work and non work conflict. In Spillover model, there is a positive relation given between work and non work roles to the limit of satisfaction or not satisfaction in one of the roles moves into other (Bond et al., 1998).Work and non work conflict influences the general health and mental wellbeing of workers and their families. As an example, a recent epidemiological study done in Australia establish that the parents who work regularly for long hours or back home stressed have develop more physical illness and other psychological problems(Earle,2003). According to Duxbury (2003) work and non work conflict impact on the ability of workers to bring up their families which results in lesser levels in family wellbeing and stability. Researchers found that policies which are designed to assist work and non work conflict can change workers behaviour which is good for the organization. Evidences found that the policies which are family friendly results in raises in back to work after the delivery (Squirchuk and Bourke, 1999). When we are talking about the effect of stressors on a person, few researchers analysed to divide the life of a person into separate functional fields. Like divided between the home and work place. Because in each area individual play more than one role. Like in family they have two roles spouse as well as parents and same in their workplace they follow different roles. Researchers found that in each field person suffers from stressors and strain. So if in a demanding job person becomes stressed at work place then its quite possible that he come back home in same state of mind, so this create difficulities in home atmosphere also. There are two major hypotheses proposed to explain the work -home relationship. The spillover hypotheses proposed that there are no hard boundaries between different life areas. The work and nonwork experiences will positively related to one another. So the persons, who changed, stimulate and satisfy work experiences will likewise same non work experiences. Thus stressful moments experienced in work makes person tired at work as well as when he came back home, this makes difficult to interact with the family and social life. Case studies based on early work approve this approach (Young Wilmott, 1973, Piotrokowski, 1978). According to compensatory hypotheses, in between home and work there will be negative relationship. As an example, for boarded and non stimulating work experience, a person compensates this with good experience at home or from other free activities (Wilensky, 1960, Rousseau, 1978). According to the compensatory hypotheses, a person majorly involved in work would be not involved at home or the other way around. Another immaterial approach is segmentation hypotheses which approve that work and non-work areas are essentially nondependent, separated psychologically and perform separate functions (Blood and Wolfe, 1960, Dubin, 1973). This was the primary formulation of work and home relationship but myth of separate worlds of family and work has exposed (Kanter, 1977). This model is now often dishonored. These models just gives idea that up to what extent behaviour in one area lead to same or different behaviour in other, or to which extent satisfaction or stress in one role is associated to similar feeling in other (Staines,1980). According to National Study of changing work force, 19% of fathers who are working and 38% of working mothers feel stress oftenly and very oftenly in the three month period of this study. The data shows that male and female both suffered by contrasting demands of the family and workplace to balance these two. These conflicts noticed in previous two decades, when labour work becomes more in organizations and females are equally take part in working in organizations. The increased ratio of working women splits their role in two areas. In studies of Work and family conflict mental health is always targeted. Mental illness is inability to cope with the surrounding environment and reality. These studies proved that mental health depends upon the variation of experiences in work and family (Forne, 2000). In work and family conflicts there is not any selective gender but mental problems for e.g. mood changes are more in females who are working then males (Kohn, Dohrenwend Mirotznik, 1998). In the midlife, work and family conflict and mental stress are comparatively stable. So if the worker is having mental health problems, this is not good for organization also. Worker not cooperated with co workers and the environment of work is always tensed. This will affect the production of the organization also. There is another major problem which occurs because of work and family conflict that is drinking. When a worker not balance his both roles and because of stress start drinking alcohol and become habitual then this make the situation worse. Because he could not take care of his family properly and even not concentrate on his work. Because of this he cut off from his family as well as from society and even from his co workers. He or she might become a victim of accident at work. Because of drinking problem he lost money and this also affects his financial condition. Marriage life of worker is also affected thats why now a days divorce rates are high, because of imbalance in family and work. When work and life conflict occurs care of children and elderly people becomes difficult. Sometimes person even thought about the suicidal attempt because of this worse situation. 5. Discuss and critically evaluate research that has examined the impact of bullying at work. Introduction Bullying at work is behaviour of annoying, offending or affecting negatively to a person in his work tasks (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf Cooper 2003).According to HSE bullying at work is to ignore someone, circulating rumours, annoying somebody in front of others, giving somebody a task which is not achievable, constantly underestimating somebodys work .It is not a new behaviour but it was not much noticed till the end of twentieth century. Bullying was brought into the public arena by Andrea Adams, a journalist of UK, who wrote a book o bullying, in the year 1992.He also produced radio documentaries in which discussion was there on workplace bullying. In UK and Ireland bullying word is used whereas in Germany, Austria and Scandinavia it is called as mobbing and in US as emotional abuse. According to the study, Destructive conflict and bullying at work (Hoel Cooper, 2000) one in every ten people bullied on work within last 6months and the number increases to one in four in last five years. According to this study women are bullied more as compare to men. Managers or persons on senior post were culprit in 74.7% cases of bullying. The obvious experienced negative behaviour at work was somebody was not giving proper information, which gives negative impact to your performance or impossible targets or deadlines. Bullying was mostly associated with bad mental health and less satisfaction in organization (Hoel Cooper, 2000). Types of Bullying Bullying at work due to direct comments on employees causes harasses, humiliation and put negative impact on performance in work and this creates uncomfortable working atmosphere (Einarsen Rakness, 1997).It is found that usually bullying behaviour has two categories: personal and work related. Personal is an again and again offensive comment regarding you and your personal life. Work related is direct comments on your work task, not giving reasonable deadlines to complete tasks, non manageable load of work. According to Zapf (1999) there were five types of bullying behavior: A. Make the task more difficult. B. Stop communicating with somebody. C.Attack on anyones personal life. D. Humiliate and criticize in front of others. E. Circulate rum ours. Now a days physical bullying or sex abuse related bullying also found with women employees in workplaces. Impacts of bullying on psychological wellbeing Bullying at work put direct impact on persons psychological wellbeing. Psychological impacts are mental stress, anxiety, loss of sleep, less concentration in the given task or work, binge eating, addiction to alcohol or smoking, lack of alertness at work ,due to this sometimes accidents occurs. Psychologists noticed behavioural changes in workers, who face regular bullying at work. Worker becomes irritated, emotional, and aggressive. Some women who faced sexual bullying, later on gone into reverse personality. They become aggressive even on situations which are ignorable. They hate opposite sex either he is in his own blood relation. If a person continuously suffers from bullying he may develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (Bjorkqvist et al, 1994, Leyman and Gustafsson ,1996). Impacts of bullying on physical wellbeing The person who faces regular bullying for long time also found physically ill. Because of this his blood pressure becomes high so he is suffering from hypertension and it is one of the indicators for cardiac diseases. Their immunity which helps him to fight with diseases or infections gone done. So he got infections more easily. Because of anxiety his digestive system also disturbs, so problems like diarrhea/constipation, stomachache, acidity occurs. Studies shows that continuous mental stress could also be one of the reasons of skin diseases like irritation, psoriasis etc. sometimes mental stress is the main reason of migraine. Sometimes lot of frustration could change persons mind towards suicidal attempt. Impact on organisations Bullying at work place also put impact on organizations by lowering the productivity of goods. Because workers are not work properly in organizations. Due to continuous bullying some workers often took leaves from work, which also put bad impact on work. Quality of production also gone down due to the bullying, because of this profit of organization also reduces. Studies show that work efficiency of workers also lowers because of bullying at work. At times this bullying at work place led the concern organizations to the court which is also harmful for the reputation of organization. 6. Compare and contrast the effectiveness of primary and secondary/tertiary stress management strategies in improving employee wellbeing. According to Richard Lazarus (1984) the definition of stress is that Stress is a feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize (Lazarus,1984). According to Dr. Mellisa Conrad Stopplers book, Stress, Hormones and Weight gain Stress is simply a fact of nature-forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The person responds to stress accordingly as it affect the person and his environment. Stress occurs because of external and internal factors. External factors are the environment, our home, personal relations, all outer situations, challenges, difficulties and expectations of life. Internal factors which affect your power to deal stress are nutritional status of a person, level of health and fitness, emotional status and how much rest and sleep a person got (Stoppler, 2007). Management of stress For managing the level of stress, organizations tried and do efforts for mental and physical health of the workers (Cooper Cartwright, 1997). The stress prevention done at primary, secondary and tertiary levels (Murphy, 1988). Primary intervention (preventive) Todays world is the world of globalization. In this world there is lot of competition, because of that stress becomes the biggest problem in employees in the organizations. Organizations are also affected due to stress level in employees. So organizations have low productivity and pay major cost for health care. For preventing the stress in organizations, primary interventions are there to reduce the level of stress. The major concentrate of primary intervention management is to search the causes of stress and to remove the causes. Primary intervention is also known as Stress prevention intervention. The main features of primary intervention stress management are, improving communication, re-scheduling or designing the structure of the tasks, give decision making chances to workers, lowers the work load, build cohesive teams, establish genuine policies of employment, sharing the rewards and contrast resolution skills. The primary intervention tries to modify or remove the causes of stress in the organizations so that workers work in good working atmosphere (Cooper et al., 2001). According to Wall, T.D. Clegg, C.W. (1981) study of work design done at confectionary company who faced troubles of demoralization in workers, gap in relations between workers and turnover problems. Organizations given the power of decision making, break for rest and after twenty eight months, they observe there was not any change in skill or not any progress in the task given to them. Secondary intervention (Creative) Secondary intervention is mainly related with the immediate detection and management of experienced stress by raising awareness and modifies skills of stress management of the worker with training programs (Cooper and Cartwright, 1997).In the secondary intervention workers have to manage their stress, not changing or removing the stressors. The Programmes of stress management assist and channelize the workers to know the symptoms of stress in them and other coworkers and try to get out of it. In the secondary intervention development of coping skills, management of anger, counseling and cognitive behaviour therapies are used. In the secondary intervention some class sessions or training programs are also there for increasing awareness and controlling the stressful conditions like training to do muscle relaxing exercises, educational seminars etc. Training to the workers to do their work could lower stress and improve their efficiency or creativity (Bunce and West, 1996). Cognitive behaviour therapy improves the mental wellbeing to well tolerate the harsh experiences without changing and controlling them (Bond and Bunce, 2000). Tertiary intervention (Reactive) Tertiary intervention assists the workers to give treatment, compensate and rehabilitate them who are suffering from illness due to stress. This intervention usually assist workers to come out from stress occurs due to their work. The main aim of these programmes is to treat the worker who is beneficial for the organizations. This intervention includes medical intervention, treatment and ongoing counseling also. So that worker returns to their work normally. These services are provided in house counselors or foreign agencies in the form of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPS). Employee Assistance Programs give twenty four hrs telephone services. Workers are easily access these services (Cooper and Cartwright, 1997). Meditation help to reduce stress, sleeplessness, anxiety and tensions (Alexander et al.,1993).For lowering their stress level, workers concentrate more on deep breathing and muscle relaxing exercises(Mcguigen,1994). Comparison of stress prevention interventions According to Kempier and Cooper (1999) now a days for stress management the secondary and tertiary interventions are more used as compare to primary ones. It was seen that these three interventions are effective in reverse order. In case of stress at the working place the primary intervention targets on the cause of stress in work place, secondary saw the effect of stress on worker and tertiary helps workers to rehabilitation and provide treatment in case of medical sickness due to stress. Secondary and tertiary level interventions play important role in preventing stress but they are not completely successful in stress management unless the cause of stress is not removed. Another limitation of secondary and tertiary interventions is that they dont address the area to control the stressor which is important. Secondary and primary interventions are not sufficient to maintain the health of workers without removing the cause as in primary intervention (Cooper and Cartwright, 1997). Conclusion The secondary and tertiary interventions are useful in stress prevention but without the removal of cause they are not much beneficial. These interventions have favourable affect on indivual level and organizational level.

Alienation in As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner Essay -- As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner is an American novelist whose major work is As I Lay Dying. Faulkner gave each of his characters traits that are expressed throughout the story.   The reader is introduced to each character through their detailed and descriptive character traits.   We are able to delve into the character's mind and see their personal and distinct traits. He did not tell us anything about the characters, but he takes us into the mind of each character to analyze what we see there. Even though these characters lead parallel lives we can see the total alienation and breakdown of the relationships between each other.   Darl, Jewel, and Anse possess character traits that contribute to or cause the breakdown of their relationship.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Anse Bundren is a poor farmer, who was married to Addie for more than thirty years. He is lazy and selfish and relies greatly on his family and friends. Anse’s selfishness is what separates him from his two sons-Darl and Jewel. For example, the journey to Jefferson, to bury his dead wife was a promise he made to Addie, but his continued perseverance to better himself reveals his true selfishness. Despite the trials along the way and Addie’s body decomposing and attracting buzzards he is only concerned with getting to Jefferson to buy his new teeth. He uses Addie’s death to accomplish his own selfish motives. After Addie’s death Anse says, â€Å"But now I can get them teeth. That will be a comfort.† (Faulkner 28). The only reason Anse is carrying out with the journey is to get his new teeth. He further shows his selfishness when their mules are drowned in the flood. He makes an arrangement with a kinsman to trade Cash’s eight doll ars and Jewel’s beloved horse for a new team of mules. Thirdly, Anse is so concern... ...ls seperate from each other despite everything they share together. Faulkner shows us that with the death of Addie, the flood, fire, and the decomposing of flesh that should have brought them closer together, they are too self-absorbed in themselves to ever get close to each other. Works Cited Backman, Melvin. Faulkner: the major years;: A critical study. Indiana University Press 1966 Blotner, Joseph. Faulkner: A Biography (Southern Icons) University Press of Mississippi, 2005 Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. New York: Vintage, 1987. Getty, Laura J. â€Å"Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying† The Explicator. 64.3 (2005): 230. Gale. Web. 3 Oct. 2011 Humphrey, Robert. Stream of consciousness in the modern novel University of California Press, 1968 Vickery, Olga W. The Novels of William Faulkner: A Critical Interpretation, LSU Press, April 1, 1995

Corporate Valuation - Dandy Fashion Berhad :: Business Finance Stock Market

The value of public companies is determined by the stock market. The value of companies not publicly quoted will be greatly influenced by the same market. Therefore, we will focus on the main stock-market-related ratios. They are:  · Market Capitalization  · Share values, nominal, book, market  · Earnings Per Share (EPS)  · Dividends Per Share (DPS)  · Dividend Cover and Pay-Out Ratio  · Earnings Yield  · Dividend Yield  · Price To Earnings Ratio (PE)  · Market To Book Ratio Below is the balance sheet for Dandy Fashion Berhad: Dandy Fashion Berhad BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2006 ($000,000s) Assets Liabilities & Shareholder's Equity Long Investment $ $ Owners Funds $ $ Net Fixed Assets 440 Issued Capital 80 Investment 40 Capital Reserves 60 Revenue Reserves 220 360

Nostra Aetate Essay

1. What contemporary reasons would cause mankind to draw â€Å"closer together† and to strengthen â€Å"the ties between different peoples†? (2) Culture, common beliefs, sports, births, deaths, celebration, tragedy, reunions, weddings, music and war are all contemporary reasons that would cause mankind to draw closer together. Regardless of age or gender, one can still love a sport. When Steve Jobs passed away, the world mourned. Though tragic, death can bring many people together and teach them not to take everything for granted. Also, recently, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton brought together many people all across the world – everyone was watching. Of course, war. Though war isn’t really recent, when soldiers died for Canada, people were brought together at the time, they were safer, closer in numbers. Also, protests bring people together to fight for a common belief. In this sense, all the reasons that bring people together and streng then the ties together are because EVERONE has been affected. When something happens and EVERYONE is affected, it causes people to come closer together. 2. According to the Church, what three things draw people to fellowship? (3) i) â€Å"One is the community of all peoples, one their origin for God made the whole humans race to live over the face of the earth.† Basically, we are all human, and our origin is God, and we all share and live on the Earth together. ii) â€Å"One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design to extend to all men.† – This means that the final goal of mankind is to reach God through Salvation, and that He will be our Saviour. ii) â€Å"Until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the City ablaze with the glory of God where the nations will walk in His Light.† – That this glorious city of God, heaven will come to the people who are good. These are the three reasons that draw people to fellowship. 3. List the questions that are examined by all religions. What is the basis of the universal need to recognize a Supreme Being? (3) Some common questions that are examined by all religions are: What is man?

The Emergence Of The Ku Klux Klan

The occupation by Union troops in the former Confederate states led to the development of the Ku Klux Klan. During the Reconstruction, the process of rebuilding that followed the Civil War, white supremacy reigned supreme in the Southern states (Trelease xxviii). However, early Reconstruction legislation limited the amount of power that whites had over blacks politically and socially. Implementations such as the Reconstruction Act of 1867 created a precedent that made blacks equal with whites, giving them their civil rights as well. Violence and uprisings caused President Grant to send in Union troops to put down the initial attacks and to sustain peace throughout the former Confederacy. These troops, though, caused hatred to run through the minds of the citizens of the South and resulted in more violent attacks. The troops, with their presence in the South, actually caused more harm than good. Terrorist organizations, the Ku Klux Klan being the most prominent and overpowering, began forming and meeting under the cover of darkness. With the withdrawal of the troops, President Grant put the lives of black people in the South in certain jeopardy. Violence immediately rose in the South and the Ku Klux Klan came into existence. The Reconstruction period was deeply hurt by the overbearing presence of the Civil War. The country, in disarray, needed to get back on track and began reconstructing itself. A temporary settlement was reached during the war in order to create a better country and to get the U. S. back on the right foot. But, as the war ended, the Reconstruction settlement was still left unsettled. The situation became even more strayed with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1865, which then made Andrew Johnson, Lincoln s vice president, the Commander-in-Chief. Being from Tennessee and, as well, being a Democrat, Johnson soon made it obvious that the Republican commitment to rebuilding the South and his commitment were completely different. Johnson blamed the Confederate rebellion on a group of wealthy Southerners and therefore fought for a policy of leniency for former rebels and one of neglect for former slaves. Johnson wanted to restore political rights to the Southern states as quickly as he could. By immediately giving the governors of Southern states the right to call a constitutional convention, they would be able to write a new constitution forbidding slavery and prohibiting secession. All of a sudden, the South grew very optimistic after the realization that they had a friend in the White House. Scheming and extremely rejuvenated, Southern governments reorganized years of chaos under Johnson’s new policy. For example, the Southern governments created and passed a series of acts or laws known as the black codes. These codes, varying in severity from state to state, strongly restricted the rights of freed slaves and hampered their efforts to eventually become an equal in Southern society. The codes were made to leave blacks with a status of in-between that of slave and freed slave. It was during this time in the mid-to-late 1860s in Pulaski, Tennessee that an informal group of men began what was called a social club at first, named the Ku Klux Klan. Nathan Bedford Forest along with six other officers, after serving in the Confederate army during the Civil War, began the club in the South to be, in effect, a military force serving the interests of the Democratic party (Foner 425, Reconstruction). The Klan s actions were soon directed at the Reconstruction governments because of the dislike and hatred the KKK had for them. In becoming more powerful and having a membership of up to 40,000 by 1868, the KKK became more forceful in their tactics to have Democrats elected into offices around the Southern states (Tourg e 30). The occupation of Union troops in Southern territory aggravated them to the point that there was hatred toward the Union. It was at this time period that the KKK formerly came into existence for the first time. Aside from the Presidential Reconstruction, Congressional reconstruction occurred and activity continued after 1867. Impeachment hearings against President Johnson were a part of the Congressional reconstruction and reorganization. Johnson, however, was not convicted and removal from office failed by one vote in the Senate. Congressional Republicans felt that Johnson was blocking the implementation of the government’s Reconstruction policy. Congress, therefore, passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1869. It extended the power of the Fourteenth Amendment, allowing the protection of the right to vote for blacks by saying that no person could be disallowed the right to vote on the basis of skin-color or race. Another act passed during the Reconstruction was the Civil Rights Act (1875) which disallowed hotels, theaters, or railroads to discriminate or segregate according to color or race. The Supreme Court, however, declared this act unconstitutional in 1883. Many other acts, laws, and codes were passed during the Reconstruction as a result of the change in the country. But the backbone of the Reconstruction was the Reconstruction Act of 1867. In the Reconstruction Act it was stated that the former Confederate states would be required to give equal civil and political rights to blacks as to whites. These governments, on the other hand, were free to govern themselves after they complied with the federal compromise. The treatment of blacks from this point on hurt the Confederate governments. In the future, Reconstruction governments had disastrous economic consequences because of their inability to protect blacks against violence. (Foner 119, Politics) The opposition to the Reconstruction became apparent in the months and years directly following the Civil War. Violence and attacks on the government and its officials began and caused concern among American citizens. The method by which Reconstruction governments were overthrown differed. States with white majorities, especially the ones in the upper South, tried to convince most whites to vote Democratic. The whites believed this would be enough to beat the Reconstruction, a process that white Southerners called redemption. By 1871, governments, especially those run by Republicans, transformed into traditional Democratic rule in the upper Southern states. The Ku Klux Klan became extremely violent and uncontrollable by the late 1860s. In 1869, local organizations of the KKK, named klaverns, became increasingly cruel and inhuman to the point that the Klan s leader, Nathan Forest, officially disbanded himself from the group. After Forest s disbanding, the klaverns continued to operate by themselves, taking matters into their own hands. The Klan spread a nameless terror among negroes. and was labeled southern murderers as a result of their actions (Foner 342, Reconstruction). With the group s membership increasing by leaps and bounds, their overbearing presence in Southern politics and social life began to concern politicians in Washington D. C. President Grant, therefore, passed the Force Bill, which led to the Fourteenth Amendment being passed and ratified in 1870. As well, Grant passed legislation through Congress adopting three Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871 outlawing terrorist organizations and giving the President the power to use the Federal army against them if necessary. In late 1871, President Grant orders the arrest of hundreds of Klansman for their part in the violence that was sweeping through the South at the time. It was only after substantial force was taken by Washington and by Federal troops in 1872 that the Klan went out of existence. The disappearance of the KKK marked the first time peace reigned in the Confederacy after the Civil War (Foner 125, America s Reconstruction). Again, though, it was Union forces that created the peace in the South and the implementation of black civil and political rights. The southern citizens hatred returned with the occupation of Union troops again in the South. But, s troops pulled out of the former confederacy due to a period of relative peace, the Democrats returned to power in the mid-1870s. Along with this new dominance, of course, came the re-emergence of the KKK in 1873. In the elections of 1876, both Democrats and Republican claimed to be victorious. However, the Republican Party gave in to Democratic claims to state offices because the Democrats clearly won the electoral votes. Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, in this case, won the presidential election and brought the Democrats to the forefront once again. Helping Hayes election to office were once again the overbearing presence of the KKK. They destroyed ballot boxes and drove former slaves from the poles, resulting in the Democratic electoral vote landslide (Foner 129, America s Reconstruction). While still gaining support during its non-existence in 1871 and 1872, membership of the KKK rose to almost 500,000 (Tourg e 30). The KKK s reappearance made them, if at all possible, more feared and more violent than in the past. Their victims now became strictly blacks who were successful economically or blacks who resisted white control of labor (Foner 120, Politics). It was now evident that the Klan had no real motive in terrorizing blacks. The most apparent motive, yet still extremely unreasonable, was the hostility they had toward the elevation of the colored race in society (Tourg e 30). At the time, Governor Albert Ames of Mississippi commented on the treatment of blacks, especially by the KKK: â€Å"A revolution has taken place and a race disenfranchised-they are to be returned to an era of secondslavery. (Foner 129, America s Reconstruction) Repeated killings and murders throughout the South after 1875 became all too common, beginning with the massacre of thirty blacks in Clinton, Mississippi and continuing with the assassinations of Arkansas Congressman James M. Hinds, three members of the South Carolina legislature, and several men who had served in Constitutional conventions (Foner 342, Reconstruction). With the clear evidence that the KKK was the driving force behind these killings, they received the reputation that they so duly earned over the many years of their existence. The main reason for the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan came as a result of the occupation of Union troops in the South. There were two times within a seven-year span that troops from the North came to the South to calm tempers and to suppress the violence. Southerners took offense to the flooding of enemy troops in their territory, and hatred quickly spread throughout. Ignorance, as well as racism, brought about the theory and development of terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. Both periods in which the troops were stationed in the South, white supremacists grew more and more intolerant of the acceleration of the black race in their society. The troops allowed blacks to gain back their rights, and the KKK was formed to help stop negroes from influencing political issues and elections. Had Union troops never occupied the South, it can be assumed that organizations like the Ku Klux Klan would never have existed. It is understood, then, that blacks never would have received equal treatment in the South, but they also would never have been terrorized the way they were by the KKK. Therefore, Union troops caused the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan.

Analysis of Competitive Advantage in an Absolut World Essay

Currently the fourth largest spirit brand in the world, Absolut Vodka is a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in spirits and wines. (Top Ten Premium Spirit Brands Worldwide 2007, 2007). Considerably young in the market, and then a part of ‘V & S Vin and Sprit’, Absolut started branding and exporting their premium blend of vodka a mere 30 years ago, in 1979, where in, began the start of the iconic ‘Absolut’ brand. History of ‘Absolut’ Though the production and export of Absolut started in 1979, the start of the story goes aback a hundred years to 1879, when in Ahus, Sweden, a young man named Lars Olsson Smith, also popularly know as the ‘King of Vodka’ revolutionized the production and purification of Vodka by a process called ‘Continuous Distillation’. He called the Vodka made through this process ‘Absolut rent Branvin’ which in Swedish means absolutely pure Vodka (Lewis, 1996). Realizing the power of the name ‘Absolut’ he registered the brand name in 1879. A hundred years passed, as Absolut vodka continued to be refined and sold in Sweden, but by the late 1970’s, it became obvious that in order to sustain the distillery, they had to export their vodka to improve sales. The American market were the biggest consumers of vodka in the western world, so it was natural that Absolut decided to start their journey in America in 1979. In five short years, Absolut Vodka found itself being available in eighteen countries and by 1985, it was number one among imported vodkas being sold in the United States. (Absolut The Story, 2004) Production – The ‘One Source’ Concept Lars Olsson Smith had transformed Swedish Vodka, which was traditionally unrefined since the invention of the continuous distillation process. Absolut has continued to produce vodka in this manner. This production of superior quality vodka involves the use of high quality raw materials. Absolut’s concept of production is the ‘One source’ concept, where in, all the raw materials have been obtained from the same, singular source. The raw material for Absolut, which is winter wheat, is cultivated in fields surrounding the small town of Ahus in southern Sweden. The water which is used comes from their own deep wells which they claim are untouched by pollution and impurities, and the vodka is distilled, produced and packaged in the Absolut’s Ahus distilleries. 50,000 bottles of Absolut that are produced everyday are shipped from the small Ahus Harbor, to consumers the world over. Every single bottle of vodka imprinted with the Absolut brand name comes from this one source, ensuring that Absolut Vodka tastes exactly the same wherever it is sold in the world (Absolut The Story, 2004). The Absolut Brand When V & S Vin & Sprit decided to export their brand of Vodka, they hired Gunnar Broman, a creative director from a Stockholm agency to help with the branding, packaging and marketing their product. After much deliberation on possible packaging, they chose a bottle design that had been inspired by an old Swedish pharmacy bottle they found in an antique shop in Stockholm (Absolut The Story, 2004). As opposed to other alcohol liquor bottles that had long necks and square shoulders, the Absolut bottle had a short neck and round shoulders. The team decided to have the label printed directly onto the bottle, which was a brilliant innovation, as it further established the quality and clarity of the product (Lewis, 1996) As observed by Giep and Moriarty (2009, p. 79), â€Å"Thanks to its cylindrical simplicity and transparency, the Absolut bottle, though solid and heavy, is elegant and utterly distinctive†. With bold and colorful typography proclaiming the brand name and a brief story about the brand, these different and distinct features made the bottle stand out, and this is how the iconic ‘Absolut’ bottle came to be. The Absolut bottle has been at the forefront of every single advertising and marketing campaign that the company has put out, and is, literally as well as figuratively the image of the brand.

Jesus Christ and Miracles Essay

A miracle is basically an event that cannot be fully explained by science and sometimes defies logic and reasoning. Generally, miracles are attributed to positive things such as a person suddenly being cured from devastating or a person waking from a deep coma after a lot of years. However, miracles are also attributed to persons and possibly the best person whom miracles are associated with is Jesus Christ. According to Wikipedia, Jesus Christ performed many miracles which include curing the sick, exorcising demons from people, controlling nature, and raising dead people, among others. Moreover, possibly the most popular miracles that Jesus performed based on Wikipedia are the turning of water into wine, the exorcism of seven evil spirits from Mary Magdalene, the healing of the mute, the blind, the deaf, and the leper, walking on water, the multiplication of small amounts of fish and bread, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the transubstantiation of bread and wine, and his own resurrection from the dead, among many others. Basically, according to Wikipedia, Jesus performed miracles in order to show everyone that the divine power of God, His Father is real. In addition, the general view of the Catholic Church according to Wikipedia is that Jesus mainly performed miracles not only to help those who are in need but to convert non-believers into believers. However, according to Wikipedia, modern analysts of the Bible claim that miracles that Jesus performed were merely symbols and metaphors. For example, healing the blind served as a symbol for people who could not see the truth even though it is presented clear on their faces and healing the dead was a metaphor for people who could not or refused to listen to the truth. Nevertheless, the prevailing perception still is that miracles are the good, yet improbable things that happen in a person’s life and that Jesus Christ is the main performer of these miracles Works Cited Wikipedia. org. 2008. â€Å"Jesus. † 12 April 2008 .

Bald Soprano Research Paper

Now these people with no concrete definition to their being are to live in this gigantic world to the best of their ability. Their lives aren’t normal ones. Ionesco brings out the absurdity in his characters by excluding any solid foundation or motivation for living on earth. One very important form of guidance on life’s journey is Time. If there was no concept of time then all chaos would ensue and no one would know when anything is to be done. It is also a key factor to know how to live and work alongside time: to work with it, not against it. Will they be able to live in some sense of normality or will they be off on their own supernova to be absurd for evermore. Through the use of symbolism, irony and dialogue, Eugene Ionesco’s, The Bald Soprano conveys the idea that life is a never-ending cycle to express the absurdity of the human condition. The cycle of life is symbolized through the clock to reveal that the characters are stuck in an endless loop of time. The clock seems to take on a life all its own. It seems to decide when it wants to ring and how many times. The clock rings in a way that is quite shocking to the audience. This is because in the real world a clock does not normally ring 17 times. Nor is it normal for it to shoot out random times that don’t even go in order. In only one moment â€Å" The clock strikes seven times. Silence. The clock strikes three times. Silence† (The Bald Soprano 2). There seems to be no set regimen for time to follow. Time in the play is unorganized and almost absent in its common purpose. In no possible way could these characters even have the smallest possible chance of some normal routine when they have no constant to guide them through. Yes, Time is present but it is not the way in which we calculate it. There is no repeating pattern in this aspect and yet it still proceeds on which causes an endless loop of lunacy from which they cannot escape. The peculiar thing about it is the characters are not even finding it odd, as this is their notion of normalcy. In the play â€Å"the abnormal is treated as if it were thoroughly normal† (knowlson). And its funny because they don’t even realize that it never rings the same way or goes in a repeating pattern. The clock is random. It intrudes illogically. There is no logic in the Smith’s lives. The concept of reality is being distorted and no ounce of sense remains. The characters are flat, broad and general, which clearly emphasizes the absurdity of the human condition: trying to find a meaning and purpose to life. Even the primary characters last name, which is Smith, is so plain and typical. The plays cyclical structure accentuates repetition of the illogical happenings in the incompatible world in which the Smiths, Martins, the Maid and the Fire Chief live in. The play includes a â€Å"circular trajectory that ends where it began† (Kraus), thus causing the whole disordered cycle to start over and where the characters are involuntarily perplexed for all eternity. The characters live in a world of irony. They are lost in a continuum of memory loss without even realizing that they are losing their minds. Considering they don’t realize, they have no recollection of what has been going on around them and therefore not knowing what their purpose is in being where they are. This constant back and forth concept is for one, ironic because they have no memory of no longer having memory, but it is also mind-boggling. Mrs. Smith says, â€Å"We were expecting them. And we were hungry. Since they didn’t put in an appearance, we were going to start dinner without them. We’ve had nothing to eat all day† (The Bald Soprano 4). Mrs. Smith said she and Mr. Smith were going to eat but they didn’t. The characters can’t even remember what decisions they made and can’t remember to follow them. There is no stable element to guide them along a steady path. In the real world our memories our like our personal book of stories that hold the events that have happened in our lives. It defines us as a person of who we are in the past as well as who we are now. We as humans also interpret things we experience differently and remember things in different ways. Though we rely on our memory and mind quite heavily, who says it is a reliable resource to begin with? Ionesco is pointing towards the idea that our minds can’t possibly do everything for us as well as remember anything and everything we want it to. Unreliability of the memory is a concept that Ionesco wants us to take a look at, and that is a natural human failure that is part of our absurdity. As seen in The Bald Soprano the mind isn’t always a dependable tool that is conducive to everyday living. Our experiences make up our life’s journey and define our being. Ionesco’s characters do not know who they are and their purpose for living. At the end of the play the two couples switch places. The Smiths become the Martins and the Martins the Smiths. This results â€Å"in a da capo conclusion [with] the words that had been spoken by the Smiths at the beginning of the play [are now being spoken by the Martins]† (Knowlson). It’s ironic how they repeat the story but as different people but with the same name, because what is the purpose of having a name and being somebody if anyone can be anyone? Ionesco brings out inconsistency, which is a major factor in the play and possibly a factor in our lives. Without consistency the lives in which we lead would lack substance and meaning. Ionesco suggests the idea of a normal daily schedule in which a human being can follow and keep order is a necessity. The human condition may seem absurd at times because what really is the point in doing the same thing everyday for as long as we live? The answer is, the consistency in the constant never ending cycle is life, which is why we are living. There may be nonsense in the play but somehow it leads to sense. The ironic statements due to memory loss show the absurdity in which humans possess. Mr. Smith is one who can be categorized as so. Without his memory he puts out ironic phrases without even putting thought to it and this leads to a lack of sentence structure. The play is made up of dialogue that sometimes seems to lack a sense of logic. The language in the play decreases in substance as the play progresses. The â€Å"language flows independently from meaning† (Feal). The words are not communicating what they seem to say but rather the underlying meaning, which is found in the way the language is used or how really how it is informally used. Language and meaning march to the beat of a different drum. The words are separate entities that work independently yet together to convey Ionesco’s view on language, which is that it is made out to be more than what it is really worth. Language is used as a communicator and the order, or lack of it, in which words are placed, conveys a message of pure insanity. The characters â€Å"actions contradict words, and [their] words contradict [their] actions. Even the title is misleading, since there is no bald soprano in the play† (Esteban). Ionesco writes where there is meaning in no meaning, so he probably intended on writing with meaning all along. The characters talk just to talk and they really have nothing of importance to say. As the play drags on while the structure becomes less and less until dialogue has lost all value and â€Å"made into mere exchange† (Knowlson). The words on the page are out of content and have become particles of matter that are floating in the air. The more they talk, the less they are actually communicating and this is causing the precious tool of language to no longer articulate. Like when Mr. Smith states â€Å"The pope elopes! The pope’s got no horoscope. The horoscope’s bespoke† (The Bald Soprano 17). The play starts out with sentences that make no sense at all then it breaks down to just words without meaning until finally all that is left is a bunch of frenzied sounds. The characters have gotten quite angry that they lost all ability to communicate that their chatter swells up into mushy sound. They live in a never-ending cycle of insignificant discourse. This is Ionesco pointing out the absurdity of how humans converse. The Bald Soprano is a piece under the genre of the Absurd. It is very easy to see why. In this genre a common aspect is that the characters are rapt in an endlessly repeating cycle. This cycle usually leads nowhere as it is a cycle with no beginning and no end. Ionesco uses this cycle to emulate life. Life is filled with a bunch of meaningless things that fill our everyday lives. Banana. When something is of meaning we know because we have experienced the everyday typical life of a human. Broadway. Dreams. Goals. That’s what we are. Well that’s what we should be. Life is pretty much repeating. Repeating. Repeating. Repeating. We have a set way of doing things and we follow it. We repeat these actions to fill up our lives with substance so that there is at least something there to start with and so that we have the ability to move forward and continue. Think of it as muscles. Muscles give our body substance to stand up and it is what allows us to move as well as other necessary functions. In our world we use a clock to stay in touch with time. Time. Timing. Bad timing. Time is a fundamental concept that guides humans through life, gives structure, as well as ages and heals. We also say funny things sometimes and we do use a language to communicate. It is how we use all these things that matters. Bald Soprano Research Paper Now these people with no concrete definition to their being are to live in this gigantic world to the best of their ability. Their lives aren’t normal ones. Ionesco brings out the absurdity in his characters by excluding any solid foundation or motivation for living on earth. One very important form of guidance on life’s journey is Time. If there was no concept of time then all chaos would ensue and no one would know when anything is to be done. It is also a key factor to know how to live and work alongside time: to work with it, not against it. Will they be able to live in some sense of normality or will they be off on their own supernova to be absurd for evermore. Through the use of symbolism, irony and dialogue, Eugene Ionesco’s, The Bald Soprano conveys the idea that life is a never-ending cycle to express the absurdity of the human condition. The cycle of life is symbolized through the clock to reveal that the characters are stuck in an endless loop of time. The clock seems to take on a life all its own. It seems to decide when it wants to ring and how many times. The clock rings in a way that is quite shocking to the audience. This is because in the real world a clock does not normally ring 17 times. Nor is it normal for it to shoot out random times that don’t even go in order. In only one moment â€Å" The clock strikes seven times. Silence. The clock strikes three times. Silence† (The Bald Soprano 2). There seems to be no set regimen for time to follow. Time in the play is unorganized and almost absent in its common purpose. In no possible way could these characters even have the smallest possible chance of some normal routine when they have no constant to guide them through. Yes, Time is present but it is not the way in which we calculate it. There is no repeating pattern in this aspect and yet it still proceeds on which causes an endless loop of lunacy from which they cannot escape. The peculiar thing about it is the characters are not even finding it odd, as this is their notion of normalcy. In the play â€Å"the abnormal is treated as if it were thoroughly normal† (knowlson). And its funny because they don’t even realize that it never rings the same way or goes in a repeating pattern. The clock is random. It intrudes illogically. There is no logic in the Smith’s lives. The concept of reality is being distorted and no ounce of sense remains. The characters are flat, broad and general, which clearly emphasizes the absurdity of the human condition: trying to find a meaning and purpose to life. Even the primary characters last name, which is Smith, is so plain and typical. The plays cyclical structure accentuates repetition of the illogical happenings in the incompatible world in which the Smiths, Martins, the Maid and the Fire Chief live in. The play includes a â€Å"circular trajectory that ends where it began† (Kraus), thus causing the whole disordered cycle to start over and where the characters are involuntarily perplexed for all eternity. The characters live in a world of irony. They are lost in a continuum of memory loss without even realizing that they are losing their minds. Considering they don’t realize, they have no recollection of what has been going on around them and therefore not knowing what their purpose is in being where they are. This constant back and forth concept is for one, ironic because they have no memory of no longer having memory, but it is also mind-boggling. Mrs. Smith says, â€Å"We were expecting them. And we were hungry. Since they didn’t put in an appearance, we were going to start dinner without them. We’ve had nothing to eat all day† (The Bald Soprano 4). Mrs. Smith said she and Mr. Smith were going to eat but they didn’t. The characters can’t even remember what decisions they made and can’t remember to follow them. There is no stable element to guide them along a steady path. In the real world our memories our like our personal book of stories that hold the events that have happened in our lives. It defines us as a person of who we are in the past as well as who we are now. We as humans also interpret things we experience differently and remember things in different ways. Though we rely on our memory and mind quite heavily, who says it is a reliable resource to begin with? Ionesco is pointing towards the idea that our minds can’t possibly do everything for us as well as remember anything and everything we want it to. Unreliability of the memory is a concept that Ionesco wants us to take a look at, and that is a natural human failure that is part of our absurdity. As seen in The Bald Soprano the mind isn’t always a dependable tool that is conducive to everyday living. Our experiences make up our life’s journey and define our being. Ionesco’s characters do not know who they are and their purpose for living. At the end of the play the two couples switch places. The Smiths become the Martins and the Martins the Smiths. This results â€Å"in a da capo conclusion [with] the words that had been spoken by the Smiths at the beginning of the play [are now being spoken by the Martins]† (Knowlson). It’s ironic how they repeat the story but as different people but with the same name, because what is the purpose of having a name and being somebody if anyone can be anyone? Ionesco brings out inconsistency, which is a major factor in the play and possibly a factor in our lives. Without consistency the lives in which we lead would lack substance and meaning. Ionesco suggests the idea of a normal daily schedule in which a human being can follow and keep order is a necessity. The human condition may seem absurd at times because what really is the point in doing the same thing everyday for as long as we live? The answer is, the consistency in the constant never ending cycle is life, which is why we are living. There may be nonsense in the play but somehow it leads to sense. The ironic statements due to memory loss show the absurdity in which humans possess. Mr. Smith is one who can be categorized as so. Without his memory he puts out ironic phrases without even putting thought to it and this leads to a lack of sentence structure. The play is made up of dialogue that sometimes seems to lack a sense of logic. The language in the play decreases in substance as the play progresses. The â€Å"language flows independently from meaning† (Feal). The words are not communicating what they seem to say but rather the underlying meaning, which is found in the way the language is used or how really how it is informally used. Language and meaning march to the beat of a different drum. The words are separate entities that work independently yet together to convey Ionesco’s view on language, which is that it is made out to be more than what it is really worth. Language is used as a communicator and the order, or lack of it, in which words are placed, conveys a message of pure insanity. The characters â€Å"actions contradict words, and [their] words contradict [their] actions. Even the title is misleading, since there is no bald soprano in the play† (Esteban). Ionesco writes where there is meaning in no meaning, so he probably intended on writing with meaning all along. The characters talk just to talk and they really have nothing of importance to say. As the play drags on while the structure becomes less and less until dialogue has lost all value and â€Å"made into mere exchange† (Knowlson). The words on the page are out of content and have become particles of matter that are floating in the air. The more they talk, the less they are actually communicating and this is causing the precious tool of language to no longer articulate. Like when Mr. Smith states â€Å"The pope elopes! The pope’s got no horoscope. The horoscope’s bespoke† (The Bald Soprano 17). The play starts out with sentences that make no sense at all then it breaks down to just words without meaning until finally all that is left is a bunch of frenzied sounds. The characters have gotten quite angry that they lost all ability to communicate that their chatter swells up into mushy sound. They live in a never-ending cycle of insignificant discourse. This is Ionesco pointing out the absurdity of how humans converse. The Bald Soprano is a piece under the genre of the Absurd. It is very easy to see why. In this genre a common aspect is that the characters are rapt in an endlessly repeating cycle. This cycle usually leads nowhere as it is a cycle with no beginning and no end. Ionesco uses this cycle to emulate life. Life is filled with a bunch of meaningless things that fill our everyday lives. Banana. When something is of meaning we know because we have experienced the everyday typical life of a human. Broadway. Dreams. Goals. That’s what we are. Well that’s what we should be. Life is pretty much repeating. Repeating. Repeating. Repeating. We have a set way of doing things and we follow it. We repeat these actions to fill up our lives with substance so that there is at least something there to start with and so that we have the ability to move forward and continue. Think of it as muscles. Muscles give our body substance to stand up and it is what allows us to move as well as other necessary functions. In our world we use a clock to stay in touch with time. Time. Timing. Bad timing. Time is a fundamental concept that guides humans through life, gives structure, as well as ages and heals. We also say funny things sometimes and we do use a language to communicate. It is how we use all these things that matters.