Corporation and all other organizational forms Essay

1-1. What is the most important difference between a corporation and all other organizational forms? Owners of a corporation are not liable for obligations the corporation enters into because a corporation is defined as a legal entity separate from its owners. 1-2. What does the phrase limited liability mean in a corporate context? Limited liability means that owners/investors are solely liable for the amounts they invested in the company; and owners/investors are not responsible for any debts, delinquent funds, or collections incurred by the company. 1-3. Which organizational forms give their owners limited liability? Corporations give owners limited liability and limited partnerships give limited liability to the limited partners, not the general partners. 1-4. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of organizing a firm as a corporation? The main advantages of an organization are they offer limited liability to the owners, greater liquidity and life span due to an unlimited number of potential owners investing funds into the firm. The main disadvantages of an organization are their double taxation of profits/dividends and the separation between ownership and control of the firm. 1-5. Explain the difference between an S corporation and a C corporation. The difference between a C corporation and S corporation is a C corporation pays corporate income taxes on profits and then the profits are distributed to the owners, whom are responsible for paying income taxes on these earnings. S corporations do not pay corporate taxes on profits, but they pass the entire tax liability onto the owners. The owners of an S corporation are limited to no more than 100 U.S. citizens. 1-6. You are a shareholder in a C corporation. The corporation earns $2 per  share before taxes. Once it has paid taxes it will distribute the rest of its earnings to you as a dividend. The corporate tax rate is 40% and the personal tax rate on (both dividend and non-dividend) income is 30%. How much is left for you after all taxes are paid? Dividend available after corporate taxes: $2 x (1-0.4) = $1.20 Dividend available after personal taxes: $1.20 x (1-0.3) = $0.84 After taxes are paid, a dividend of $0.84 per share is available for distribution. 1-7. Repeat Problem 6 assuming the corporation is an S corporation. Dividend available after corporate taxes: $2, S corporations are not subject to corporate taxes. Dividend available after personal taxes: $2 x (1-0.3) = $1.40 After taxes are paid, a dividend of $1.40 per share is available for distribution. 2.8 In early 2009, General Electric (GE) had a book value of equity of $105 billion, 10.5 billion shares outstanding, and a market price of $10.80 per share. GE also had cash of $48 billion, and total debt of $524 billion. Three years later, in early 2012, GE had a book value of equity of $116 billion, 10.6 billion shares outstanding with a market price of $17 per share, cash of $84 billion, and total debt of $410 billion. Over this period, what was the change in GE’s: a. market capitalization? Market Value of Equity = Shares outstanding Ãâ€" Market price per share 2009: 10.5 billion shares x $10.80 per share = $113.4 billion 2012: 10.6 billion shares x $17 per share = $180.2 billion The change in market capitalization between 2009 and 2012 is: $180.2 billion – $113.4 billion = $66.8 billion. b. market-to-book ratio? 2009: $113.4 / $105 = 1.08 2012: $180.2/ $116 = 1.55 The change in market-to-book ratio between 2009 and 2012 is: 1.55 – 1.08 = 0.47 c. enterprise value? Enterprise Value = Market Value of Equity + Debt − Cash 2009: $113.4 + 524 – 48 = $589.4 billion 2012: $180.2 + 410 – 84 = $506.2 billion The change in enterprise value between 2009 and 2012 is: $506.2 billion – $589.4 billion = -$83.2 billion 2-11. Suppose that in 2013, Global launches  an aggressive marketing campaign that boosts sales by 15%. However, their operating margin falls from 5.57% to 4.50%. Suppose that they have no other income, interest expenses are unchanged, and taxes are the same percentage of pretax income as in 2012. a. What is Global’s EBIT in 2013? 2013 Revenues: $186.7 million x 1.15 = $214.705 million EBIT = $214.705 million x 0.045 = $9.66 million b. What is Global’s net income in 2013? Net income = EBIT – Interest Expenses – Taxes 2013 Net income: ($9.66 million – $7.7 million) x (1-0.26) = $1.45 million c. If Global’s P/E ratio and number of shares outstanding remains unchanged, what is Global’s share price in 2013? 2013 P/E ratio: 2012 share price/earnings per share = $14/$0.556 = 25.17 2013 EPS: 2013 Net income/shares outstanding = $1.45 million/3.6 million shares = $0.403 2013 Share price = 25.17 x $0.403 = $10.14 per share 2-24. Suppose your firm receives a $5 million order on the last day of the year. You fill the order with $2 million worth of inventory. The customer picks up the entire order the same day and pays $1 million upfront in cash; you also issue a bill for the customer to pay the remaining balance of $4 million in 30 days. Suppose your firm’s tax rate is 0% (i.e., ignore taxes). Determine the consequences of this transaction for each of the following: a. Revenues = Increase by $5 million b. Earnings = Increase by $ 3 million c. Receivables = Increase by 4 million d. Inventory = Decrease by $2 million e. Cash = Increase by $1 million ($3 million earnings + $2 million inventory – $4 million receivables)

Hot Water Burns Like Fire Health And Social Care Essay

This study compiled by a community nurse, within a little community Centre, aims to inform fellow nurses of the causes, and preemptive schemes that are in topographic point to forestall unneeded hurts. The focal point of this study is on inadvertent Burnss and scalds in Australian kids aged 0-14 old ages and the increased hazard to kids aged 0-4 old ages. This age group was found to be of particularly high hazard, harmonizing to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ( AIHW ) , and the Department of Health and Aging ( 2006 ) . The factors that contribute to an increased hazard of Burnss and scalds, including age and development, gender, deficiency of barriers and supervising, unequal statute laws and deficiency of public consciousness are each explored throughout this study. What is a burn? The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) defines a burn â€Å" as an hurt to the tegument or other organic tissue caused by heat [ this hurt causes some or all of the tegument cells or other tissues to decease, this can be caused by ] hot liquid ( scalds ) , hot solids ( contact Burnss ) , or fires ( fire Burnss ) † ( WHO 2008, p.21 ) . Burn and scald facts Harmonizing to Kidsafe Tasmania ( 2008 ) , a scald from hot liquid can go on rapidly, doing a kid who has sensitive tegument compared to an grownup, unneeded hurt, normally to the face, cervix, thorax, and custodies. Hot drinks are the major cause of scalds to kids, doing 44 % of hurts ( Kidsafe ) . Many kids run into grownups who are keeping a cup of hot liquid, such as soup or a drink, or draw dishware or pans from tabular arraies or stovetops incorporating hot liquids ( Kidsafe ) . 20 % of kids pull on boiler cords doing scalds from poached H2O. Hot pat H2O in the kitchen or the bathroom causes 14 % of scalds and 22 % are from cooking hot nutrient in the kitchen ( Kidsafe 2008, p. 1-3 ) . Environmental alterations to cut down childhood Burnss and scalds Move hot drinks to the center of a tabular array out of range Turn saucepan grips around on the range Use hotplates at the rear of the range Reduce hot H2O temperatures to 50A °C Use secured fire screens around fires Use and replace batteries on a regular basis in fume sensors Keep lucifers and coffin nail igniters out of sight and range of kids Ensure all hot contraptions are out of range when chilling Never leave a kid unattended in the bathroom or in the kitchen Ensure electrical contraption cords are out of range ( Australian and New Zealand Burn Association 2009 ) . The Alma Atta Declaration ( WHO 1978 ) provinces: Primary Health Care requires and promotes maximal community†¦ engagement†¦ doing fullest usage of local, national and other available resources ; and to this terminal develops through appropriate instruction the ability of communities to take part ( World Health Organisation ( WHO ) 1978 ) . Consequently a supportive multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral attack from National and community administrations and associations are indispensable to cut down hurt statistics ( Watson, M 2010 ) . Nurses and other wellness professionals play a cardinal function in the instruction, publicity and bar of such hurts ( McMurray 2011 p.5 ) . ‘Hot H2O Burnss like fire ‘ Community consciousness runs, such as ‘Hot Water Burns Like Fire ‘ which was conducted in NSW in 1992, dramatically reduced scald figures. During 1989 – 1996 hospitalization rates for scalds were reduced by 13 % , infirmary corsets decreased by 18 % , therefore liberating up hospital beds. The first stage offered information on causes of scalds, followed by the 2nd stage, which focused on the execution and statute law of the decrease of hot H2O cylinder temperatures to 50A °C. The consequences dramatically reduced the costs to the Australian wellness attention system yearly by about 3.8 – 6.5 million dollars. ( WHO 1992 ) . Federal and province statute law, some facts In 2009 The ACT Government banned the sale of backyard pyrotechnics ( Andrew 2009 ) . South Australia Explosives Regulations Act 2001 prohibits the sale and ownership of pyrotechnics â€Å" other than a general usage pyrotechnic † [ Direct Quote ] . In Queensland smoke alarm Torahs were introduced in 1997, new edifices including redevelopments were required to put in hardwired fume dismaies. In 2007 it became compulsory that all Queensland places install at least one ‘9 V battery powered ‘ fume dismay ( 2007 ) . Appendix 1 illustrates the figure of hospitalizations due to Burnss and scalds in kids aged 0-4 old ages, 5-9 old ages and 10-14 old ages during the 5-year period 1999/00 to 2003/04 ( Harrison, J and Steel, D 2006 ) . During the first 4 old ages of life, a kid is more at hazard from Burnss than those in an older age group and males are of greater hazard than females ( Harrison, J and Steel, D 2006 ) . Harmonizing to Drago ( 2005 ) kids between 0-2 old ages are identified as a high hazard group due to the deficiency of cognition of such dangers. A survey in Greece that focused on hazard associated with babyhood burn hurts within the place besides found that most hurts occurred in the kitchen to babies between the ages of birth and 4 old ages. A astonishing 60 % of instances were due to hot liquid Burnss ( Harrison, J and Steel, D 2006 p. 10 ) . Appendix 2 high spots the cognitive and freshly acquired physical accomplishments that kids gain between the ages of 9 and 12 months. Children below 24 months are â€Å" yet to get the apprehension of danger†¦ [ and hazards associated with their new endowments ] † ( Harrison, J et Al. 2006 ) . The environment in which we live dramas an built-in function in finding hurt forms as Drago ( 2005 ) suggests, most family scalds occur in the kitchen affecting hot H2O in boilers and pots and pans that are pulled down off counters and ranges ( Drago 2005, p.10 ) . In the United Kingdom following the debut of the tea bag, scalds increased conversely teapot scalds decreased. In 1991 Denmark saw a new form of scalds associated with the debut of the electric boiler caused by cords being pulled down. Unfortunately electric contraptions that have cords and grips are frequently responsible for Burnss and scalds in kids under 5 old ages ( Drago 2005 p 10-14 ) . Lower socioeconomic groups Although morbidity and mortality rates are associated with poorness, kids from lower socioeconomic groups within high-income states were shown to hold increased burn hurts ( WHO 2008 p. 85 ) . In Sweden kids of lower socioeconomic groups were up to 2.3 times more likely to be hospitalised for Burnss, than those in wealthier parts ( WHO 2008 p. 21 ) . Due to deficiency of instruction, bar schemes and first assistance preparation, Aboriginal kids are at higher hazard of burn hurts. During a three twelvemonth period 73 % of Aboriginal kids were admitted to infirmary from Burnss, many incidents are caused by reassigning boiling H2O into the bath and sloping it accidently on the kid ( Kennet 2010 ) . Decision Although administrations have collaborated by supplying some community consciousness, the AIHW ( 2008 p.22 ) research states that admittance rates due to childhood Burnss and scalds has increased by 20 % in a decennary. Burns and scalds cause hurting and agony, for the kid, their households and are a significant strain on the wellness attention system. Education to forestall inadvertent hurts is imperative if we want to diminish burn incidences ( Kennett 2010 ) . Communities missing a multifaceted populace wellness attention attack will see injury figures remain ( Watson, M 2010 ) . The kid and household wellness nurse is an built-in solution to the instruction of parents and communities to supply information to protect and advance safe and friendly environments for kids ( McMurray 2011 p.188 ) . Lower socioeconomic groups and Aboriginal communities need extra services and instruction to help bar of Burnss in the first case and first assistance to right pull off a burn so that the pa tients recovery is lessened ( Kennett 2010 ) . Globally the authorities, parliament and others in power necessitate regulation pyrotechnics, fume sensors, and temperatures of hot H2O cylinders around the universe and to increase instruction ( Turner 2009 ) maintaining in head that â€Å" All human existences have an equal right to wellness and safety † ( UNICEF 2008 ) .

My Journey through Essay

Interviewing my son’s preschool teacher, Ms. Contreras, was a wonderful experience. I learned so much about the field and I was able to connect understand her as not only an educator but as a person; as the type of person who does well in this career field. Ms. Contreras is a California state preschool teacher and has been for 20 years. She holds an AA and a BS in Early Childhood Development and loves her job very much, and has decided to stay at the preschool level until she retires. Like any educator, she believes that it is important for parents to be involved with their children’s education. She encourages parents to come and volunteer whenever they are able, and has monthly parent meeting so that the parents are up to date with what is going on in the class room. To Ms. Contreras, the most important thing about being an early childhood educator is that you are an advocate; and advocate for children and their education. That you have and need to understand that chil dren are all different and unique and they all deserve to be in a preschool program no matter what their income or background. Her favorite thing about being a teacher is the innocence of the children at this age; she loves how pure the minds are of her students are. She wishes she can change the fact that preschool is only three hours long, but with state funding so low, that is all she is able to do, and less assessing. She feels that is keeps her from understanding her students and attending to what they need help in. Family is very important to Ms. Contreras so when she had her children, she knew that she needed a career that will work around her children, thus leading her to pick the field in education. She loved the idea of being a break as her children were on break, home when their home at school when they’re at school is how she put it. While conducting the interview, I sensed a vibe that she truly loves what she does and care very much about her students. And as one of the parent volunteers in her class, I can see it when a student randomly give her hugs, or in their eyes as they walk in the door on a Monday morning from what seems like a long weekend without her. One thing that I learned about the professional field of early childhood education from this interview is that you really have to love and understand children to be in the profession. Patience is a big part of this job when you have 24 to 30 preschool all needing your undivided attention. I learned that you need to understand your individual students in order to help them succeed and do your job to the best you can. Having a job in this profession may be hard at times, especially when you have so many students but at the end of the day, if it is truly made for you, the job can be very rewarding. Technology is a big trend now, in not only in the early childhood education field, but in education period. There are many pros and cons about applying technology to the early childhood classroom. Technology today, consists of TV, computers, video games, and now smart phones and wireless tablets. â€Å"Technology’s long-term history includes everything from primitive hewn-rock weapons to wood pencils to drone aircraft and smart phones.† (Estes, 2012) It is no secret that almost every house now has a computer and probably access to the internet, so many young children might be exposed to one or more of these even before preschool starts. The question is whether impacts the education of young children, and I believe that it does. Technology impacts the education of young children in many ways and I believe that technology should be applied to the early childhood classroom. In the preschool and kindergarten ages, technology needs to be developmentally appropriate. Once these technological activities are developmentally appropriate â€Å" technology-supported activities can be justified by a constructivist philosophy because engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction are all part of what goes on in the classroom† (Estes, 2012) Activities such as using the computer and its accessories such as the keyboard and mouse can improve fine motor skills by pushing keys and moving the mouse around. â€Å"These fine-motor movements also hone eye-hand coordination, and that’ll pay off for years to come as your little one learns to catch a ball, use scissors, or put together a tricky puzzle.† (Folds, 1999) This type of technology will be used in the future of each child and will be beneficial to the early childhood classroom, not only for the future but for their development. There are many concerns about the effects of technology for the little ones and to be honest I at one point I thought the same. In our text, many parents agree that it is insane to believe that a tablet app or an iPhone app can better teach a child to read or teach them math. (Estes, 2012) An when it come to video games, many believe that it isolates and can be one of the causes of another trend, childhood obesity. In my personal opinion, technology has come a long way and there will always be an opposing side. Video games, although may never be used in the classroom, do have some benefits to young children. Some video games can teach kids strategy and with video game consoles such as the new Nintendo Wii, force you to get up and move your body in order to play the game. By getting up and moving your body you are exercising. For different grade levels I think different teaching approaches are more appropriate. For the younger grades such as preschool and kindergarten I think the creative curriculum approach is more appropriate. This is the grade that I wish to teach. Having several interest areas or stations throughout the classroom will stimulate the minds of the students into wanting to learn, through play. This is the set up at my son’s preschool and it does seem to work very well with this age group. His classroom is small but he has a block section, library, home living area, an area for puzzle solving, computer play, and tables where the students can make art and a table to play with clay and play dough and eat lunch and snacks. Children age four or younger lack the capacity to sit still for long periods of time so having many options for them to self learn is always great. Children at this age learn through play and I think that the creative curriculum approach is perfect for this age group. I do believe that preschool aged students will benefit from direct instruction, but a limited amount. Maybe a little lecture time before class to discuss small topics such as counting to ten, or practicing letters but all through song, or to lay out the schedule for the day. Songs tend to catch the attention on the younger kids, plus song is easier for kids to remember, especially those who learn more through music. There are many different beliefs about how to properly teach a young child. These beliefs go way back to before we were even a country. In my opinion, Children need hands-on experiences that are linked to more than one sense to learn. They need to feel, do, see, (Piaget’s sensorimotor stage) etc. They should be taught concepts in more than one way (multiple intelligences), and it should be fun. Children should not be made to participate in direct instruction lessons. They should have a choice on whether or not they want to participate and be rewarded for positive behavior. Learning should be play based and overall fun. Early childhood education starts before the young child enters the classroom, it starts from the time the child is born, and many believe that it starts even in the womb. It is then that a young child begins to learn and see the world. Jean Piaget believes and I agree that cognitive development occurs in stages. The first stage is known as the sensorimotor stage and is a blend between a child’s motor skills and improvements to the understanding of their senses. (Estes, 2012) This stage takes place from birth to about age two. The second stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is the preoperational stage. During this stage, usually 18 months to two years, children begin to use symbolic gestures or movements to link to words. (Estes, 2012) In the classroom, I will encourage my students to use their five senses and motor skills to learn about the world around them. In the early childhood classroom, play takes up a big part of the day. According to many early childhood philosophers and educators, children learn through play. Not only is play beneficial to the classroom but to the child’s overall health. Erick Erikson believed that play helped individuals cope with a traumatic or emotional past. In my classroom, there will be centers and they will all be play based. Different type of playing will take place at each center, by doing this I hope to encourage children to play freely and be themselves but also helping them as individuals. Because each child is different, I think that concepts should be taught in many different ways. According to Howard Gardiner, there are seven different intelligences; linguistic, logical-mathematic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. One child’s strength will be in logical-mathematical, for example, and another child’s strength in musical. As an early childhood educator I will teach concepts in many different ways to ensure my students are grasping the information provided and having fun with it. Lastly, I think that children need to be rewarded and praised often. I feel like it encourages them to continue to do well. American psychologist, B.F. Skinner, called this operant conditioning. The idea behind this theory is basically that if one changes their behavior they are indeed learning. (Estes, 2012)The theory is simple, if you are doing something good, you will be rewarded. For example, in my classroom I will do this by rewarding with stickers or treats after lunch time. I see myself in the near future substituting at my son’s school district. Although I cannot teach yet I will be able to sub once I finish a couple more core classes. After I do obtain my degree in Early Childhood Education, I plan on becoming a preschool teacher. I have wanted a job working with kids for as long as I can remember and being a mom I feel like being a teacher will work great around my family life, as I am able to be available to my son as much as possible. I currently live in California, where school funding is low and has been low for a while especially for education. Because of this I think that I will need to start off my career working in or for another preschool program for better financial stability. It has been a dream for me to also become a special education teacher, so I am hoping to go back to school once I have been a preschool teacher for a couple of years and start my journey toward that field. I hear that early childhood special education is a wonderful and rewarding field as well. I think at the end of the day, I want to do something that I love and something that I am confident in. Something that I will be happy to wake up to and look forward to every day and working with kids is just that. References Estes, L. K. (2012). Pathways to teaching young children: An introduction to early childhood education. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Folds, D. V. (1999, Feb 22). Technology for Toddlers. PR Newswire , 1.

The effect of temperature on the Kinesis behavior of fly larvae Essay

The effect of temperature on the Kinesis behavior of fly larvae - Essay Example Firstly, enzymes play a major role in the respiration process. Respiration provides larvae with more energy to carry out movements. On the other hand, enzyme activities depend on temperature. Increases in temperature lead to more enzymatic activity. An increase in enzymatic activity spurs the respiration process in turn making more energy that enables the larvae to cover more distance. However, increases in temperature past the optimal point would lead to denaturation of the enzyme, which would result in less energy production. Consequently, the distance that the larvae cover reduces (Sharma 2013). Secondly, the optimal temperature of 24 degrees Celsius allowed the larvae to reach their maximum metabolic rate. That is why the distance covered by the larvae tends to increase up until the optimum temperature is reached (Johnson & Case 2013). Thirdly, other environmental factors such as light affect the movement of larvae. This experiment did not control such factors, which influence the movement of the larvae. For instance, a change in the wavelength of light would lead to a change in the movement of larvae. Similarly, the intensity of light can have an influence on the movement of larvae (Gadd & Sariaslani 2013). In order to control the effects of light intensity and wavelength on the movement of larvae, I would perform the experiment under different light settings. This would enable me to measure the influence of light on the experiment. Finally, another explanation for the results is the large spread in data. This could be a resultant of differences in the genetic composition and metabolic state of the larvae. Additionally, there was no repeat of the experiments. In order to control these effects in future experiments; I would use a larger sample size and perform three trials for every experiment (Raven & Johnson 2002). One of the possible errors is the direction that the larvae covered. Even though the larvae seemed

WHO considers vaccination to be a primary intervention in the Essay

WHO considers vaccination to be a primary intervention in the preventation of disease and promotion of wellbeing - Essay Example Immunology commences as a component of microbiology; in fact, this is a study of infections illnesses to which the human body responds to have a significant role in establishment of immunology (WHO, 2012). Apparently, immunology entails a concept of germ theory, which is related to a disease contributing to the field of immunology. On the other hand, vaccination involves biological measures, which are derived from living organisms (WHO, 2012). In this case, these measures are aimed at enhancing immunity against disease, prevent diseases through prophylactic vaccines, or offer treatment for illnesses through therapeutic vaccines (Hanekom, 2005, 21). These vaccines are in liquid form, which is injected, orally administered or through intranasal routes. Vaccines entail disease causing microorganism or components, which are administered into the human body. 2. Outline three Countries considered high risk for diseases transmission and the approx % persons travelling to these Countries eac h year (using WHO). The economic conditions in developing countries makes a third of the population, which is approximately 1.3 billion to live on low daily incomes that is below the poverty line of one dollar (WHO, 2012). There are other problems involving children malnourishment; in fact a fifth of these children are not immunized after a period of one year. Furthermore, 30% of the world’s population suffers due to inaccessibility to essential treatment (WHO, 2012). Therefore, there are numerous people living below the poverty line and this leads to increased negligence towards dangerous infectious diseases, and due this reason some diseases have gained ground (Pashine, Valiante & Ulmer, 2005, 63). There are nations whose citizens are suffering significantly suffered from consequences of neglecting these diseases (Burton and Murray, 2011, 164). In addition, this problem is aggravated by increasing mass population movement over the years. Some of the countries considered to have a high risk for diseases transmission by WHO include counties in located along the yellow fever belt of Africa and South America. Source: World Health Organization (WHO) WHO (2012) argues that there has been increasing number of planes travelling to and from these places with airline passengers. For instance number of passengers travelling has increased from 2 million since 1950 to over 1.4 billion in the present days among counties in located along the yellow fever belt of Africa and South America (WHO, 2012). Therefore, this makes transmission of illnesses to be in a matter of hours. Numbers of air travel have increased, thereby leading to increased chances of people transporting diseases from continents from one country to the other in few hours. In this case, this poses a threat of deadly diseases to different countries. This has led to recommendations made by World Health Organization (WHO, 2012, 204), indicating that vaccinations are supposed to be administered routinely to infants. In fact, World Health Organization (WHO, 2012, 204) argues that infants, who live in these locations, should be vaccinated and other people who are planning to travel to these countries. These countries have been regarded to be in highly risk situation posed yellow fever due to is viral nature associated with haemorrhagic disease and increased fatality rate. On the other hand, the recognition of the implications of the public health has increasingly dwindled over the years. For instance, there were cases of Ebola reported in 1996, whereby health workers were infected by patients who had visited the country to seek medical services after an outbreak in Gabon. There are initiatives that have been established in South African government

Advanced Fire Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advanced Fire Administration - Essay Example The chief of police recognized and respected me over the years due to the services I led my unit to offer. It started with frontline supervision and rose to command with many daring rescues. The team leadership I provided with the support and trust of my unit led to effective decisions in a hard and demanding environment. I started as an active firefighter in 1983 where I held the ranks of lieutenant and captain by the year 1989. In 1989, my administrative duties began after my election as the departmental third assistant chief by my colleagues. By the year 1989 to 1991 I had risen to the first assistant chief of the department, it was, therefore, a pleasant surprise when in 1992, my colleagues saw me as best suited for the position of fire chief. I held this position for four years before serving as the vice president and fire ground safety officer to the fire company between 1996 and 2009 (Randy 56). In 2010, I became president to the fire company, this company which is the C.E.O for the fire organization. Its responsibilities were to offer detailed plans, procedures, and standards for implementation at a volunteer fire department serving a unique population comprised of large and small businesses, single-family homes, high buildings, and municipal facilities. My duties as president were to offer expert technical knowledge, to train and safely lead approximately 50 volunteer firefighters and engage in controlling and extinguishing fires to protect property. I also aided in rescuing people endangered by fire, reducing and trying to eliminate potential fire hazards, controlling hazardous materials incidents, coordinating emergency medical services, training volunteers in fire protection and prevention, operating and maintaining fire communications equipment, and advising on improvements to structures for better fire prevention.

Nutrition Labels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nutrition Labels - Essay Example nd Drug Administration together brought two new tools which are "Make Your Calories Count," an interactive online learning program, and a new Nutrition Facts Label brochure . These tools will give power to consumers to have better knowledge about the food they consume and right choices of food products. They are also decided to help in partnership with food industry to advice and provide vital information so that the problems of obesity can be reduced to a great extent due to the misuse of food consumption by the people. It is very important to count calories of foods that a person takes because the calories intake should be equal to calories expenditure to maintain his weight. Calories expenditure depends on the physical activity of a person. If the calories intake is more than the calories expended, the excess calories will be converted into fat and stored in ones body which causes body weight increase and gradually he may become obese which contribute to various serious degenerative disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer etc. The tool â€Å"make your calories count,† provides three information to help planning a healthy diet while managing the calories intake, Size up Your Servings and Calories; See Whats In It For You; and Judge If Its Right For You. As per general guide introduced to calories, a single food item having 40 calories is considered as low-calorie, one with 100 calories as moderate-calorie and the food with 400 calories as high-calorie. It is a simple program that the people can understand and follow and choose their food products depending upon their calorie requirements for a healthy living. Yet another information’s introduced on the Nutrition Fact Label is the percent Daily Value (%DV) which is a quick guide to consumers. Any nutrient at 5%DV or less is considered as low for that specific nutrient and 20% or more considered as high for that particular nutrient. The % Daily Values recommendations are based on nutrients for a

Denial of service (dos) attacks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Denial of service (dos) attacks - Essay Example In other words DOS attack is described, as an attack in which the memory clogged up so much that a target will unable serve its legitimate users. Or data packets are sent to the target system so much so that it cannot handle it and thus making it to either crash, reboot or more commonly deny services to legitimate users. "A denial of service attack involves preventing you from accessing data or service by confusing or overloading the computers or networking equipment" (Cyganski and Orr, 2002, p. 279). This vulnerability is commonly used to hang remote systems and sometimes force them to reboot which ultimately results in denial of service, means denying the valid services by Networks to the legitimate and authenticated users. This attack no longer works as most of the system administrators upgraded their systems making them safe from such type of serious attacks. The trick in this attack is to ping a target system with excess data packets that exceeds the maximum bytes allowed by TCP/IP protocols suite. The memory of the target system would be clogged up and forces it to hang, reboot or crash. Since the data gram is so huge that it would be difficult for the target system to handle. The data sent over the Internet is broken down into small fragments at the source and reassembled at the destination system. Teardrop attack uses the vulnerability present in the reassembling of data packets at the destination system. ... Teardrop The data sent over the Internet is broken down into small fragments at the source and reassembled at the destination system. Teardrop attack uses the vulnerability present in the reassembling of data packets at the destination system. Lets see how teardrop attack works. Suppose 4000 bytes of data have to be sent over Internet from one system to the other, this data is not sent to the destination system at one go. This data is fragmented into small parts and divided into a number of packets. Each data packet has a specified range. For example, 4000 bytes are divided three data packets. The first data packet will be from 1 byte to 1500 bytes; second from 1501 bytes to 3000 bytes and third and final data packet will carry from 3001 bytes to 4000 bytes. These data packets will be having an OFFSET field in their TCP header part. The offset field specifies the range of data that is being carried or specifies to which data packet the bytes are to be sent. A sequence of numbers is sent alon g with the packets so that the destination system could easily able to reassemble.In this attack data packets with overlapping offset field values are sent to the target system in a series. This makes it difficult for the target system to reassemble the data correctly and forces it to crash, hang or reboot. The following scenario explains the teardrop attack clearly. A system receives data in the following manner: (1 to 1500 bytes) (1501 to 3000 bytes) (3001 to 4000 bytes) In teardrop attack the data is sent in the following manner: (1 to 1500 bytes) (1500 to 3000 bytes) (1001 to 3600 bytes) When this type of overlapping data is received by the target system, it simply cannot

Precis for two articles or write a good topic you think Essay - 2

Precis for two articles or write a good topic you think - Essay Example Even though population size is larger in developing countries and has higher growth rate, the greater threat is still developed countries. Developing countries however contribute to the threat of higher consumption through emigration to developed countries or through efforts for improving living standards and per capita consumption such as in China. China is a fast growing economy. While its current per capita consumption is 11 times lower than the one for developed countries, its large population means that continued increase in its per capita consumption would be a great threat to sustainability. Increase in its per capita consumption to 32 would increase global oil consumption by more than 100 percent and global metal consumption by almost 100 percent (Diamond 1, 2). If India could also join China to the 32-consumption level then the global consumption rate would increase by 300 percent while improvement of consumption in all developing countries would increase global consumption by about 1100 percent. Even though Americans suggest that improved governance and better policies could improve lifestyles in developing countries, these may not be valid solutions because economies may not be able to sustain increased consumption levels. Americans are also critical of countries with increasing consumption rates yet these rates are well below that in America. While developing countries may seek to improve their consumption rates towards equality, resource scarcity is a limitation and developed countries may not be willing to reduce their rates. Some of the factors to high consumption rates are however wasteful and minimizing them can ensure a balance with a level of sustainability. Political goodwill appears the necessary tool to this success (Diamond 2 , 3). Malakoff David authored the article, ‘Be fruitful and multiply?’ that the Conservation Magazine published in December 2009. The author identifies conflicting opinions on global

Factors thata effect health and well-being Essay Example for Free

Factors thata effect health and well-being Essay Elizabeth is providing her body with the energy her body needs to perform well and succeed in her work through exercising. Exercise provides stimulation for the brain. Stimulation improves brain function, which will improve many things like learning new skills and concentration. Also, people who remain physically active as they age have a reduced risk of dementia. Elizabeth goes swimming every Saturday with her children. This is an example of the social benefits of exercise. This could help Elizabeth have a positive self- image and have positive self-esteem. Exercise also has many psychological and emotional benefits. When you exercise endorphins are released in the brain Endorphins are the bodys natural feel good chemicals, and when they are released through exercise, your mood is boosted naturally. As well endorphins, exercise also releases adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine. All of these chemicals improve mood. Endorphins are the bodys natural painkillers. The endorphins released during exercise could help Elizabeth with the pain she gets from her Ulcerative colitis. Altogether exercise will improve Elizabeths health, mental state and provide stimulation for her brain, which will help her with many different aspects of life. Regular exercise is benefiting Elizabeths physical, intellectual, emotional and social health and well-being. It is vital that she maintains this positive factor in her life. Supportive Relationships Elizabeth has many supportive relationships in her life. She has a loving family, a good relationship with her partner and a stable group of friends. Research shows that healthy and supportive relationships can reduce stress and improve your overall health and sense of well-being. The main advantages of having supportive relationships are the psychological benefits. On average, people who have supportive relationships are less likely to have mental health problems. Elizabeth does not, and never has, suffered from any mental health problems. This may be because she has people she can talk over any worries or problems with. This will help Elizabeth cope with things like stress and feeling of depression. If Elizabeth feels she has people she can trust and confide in she will be less likely to let these sort of feeling get out of control, she will be able to confront things before they become problems. If Elizabeth did not have such supportive relationships she would be at risk of suffering form stress, which would affect her physical health in many ways. Elizabeth sufferers from Ulcerative Colitis, and although the cause of it is unknown, it is suspected that stress can increase symptoms. So Elizabeths physical well being will be benefiting from supportive relationships because it will help prevent stress causing any flare ups of her Ulcerative Colitis. Elizabeths intellectual development will benefit because she will be less likely to take time off work, and she will be more likely to take part in things that will stimulate her brain such as exercise. Conversation may also provide stimulation. Elizabeth will benefit in ever aspect of her health and well-being because she has good supportive relationships in her life.

The Social Aspects of Human Sexuality

The Social Aspects of Human Sexuality Sexual identity usually refers to how individuals think of themselves, Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 133). These identities include, but are not limited to heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual. People come to accept these different identities as their own, but not without learning societys position on each of them. As with all things in life, the presence of nonconformity brings conflict. This paper will discuss these sexual identities, the contemporary issues associated with each, and a personal account of my struggles finding my own sexual identity. Sexual identity is social. Society defines the different sexual categories and teaches us what characteristics these individuals and groups should have. Society labels these people and their behaviors as normal or abnormal and right or wrong, (Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 133). Through the years, heterosexuality, or an attraction to the opposite sex, has been viewed as right and normal according to society. This is evident in the social institutions that regulate sexuality. First, political institutions make laws stating who can get married and even who can have sex with whom. Families exhibit a portrait of the norm as a man, woman, and children. Religions have rules about many aspects of sexuality. The media and medical community also influence sexuality (Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 175). According to Kimberly Tauches, the view that heterosexuality is the only acceptable form of sexuality is called heteronormativity, (as cited in Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 175). Generally, humans tend to possess a fear of the unknown. Many times, this fear breeds discrimination and hate. Therefore, when individuals state their attraction to members of the same sex, they are often met with ridicule, rejection, and oppression. This sexual identity is called homosexuality and is considered a deviation from societys paradigm of normal. Homosexuals all over the world claim they are the same as everyone else. They argue that there is nothing abnormal about their lifestyles and are forced to fight for social acceptance. In Homosexuality, Opposing Viewpoints (1999), Erin Blades states, The search for the gay gene is itself homophobic. Instead of just accepting the fact that some people are straight and some people are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, people are searching for a cause as if homosexuality is a disease. Nobodys looking for the heterosexual geneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Homosexuality isnt considered natural. Thats why a cause is being searched for, (p. 48). Erin is rig ht. Society views this sexual identity as deviant and immoral. There have been numerous studies attempting to determine whether or not there is a biological or psychological cause for homosexuality. The implication is that if we can determine its cause, we can fix it. Julie Harren states, In fact, many researchers hypothesize that a homosexual orientation stems from a combination of biological and environmental factors, (n.d., p. 1). She goes on to say, While environmental factors may include experiences of sexual abuse or other traumatic events, a common contributor to same-sex attractions is a disruption in the development of gender identity. Gender identity refers to a persons view of his or her own gender; that is, his or her sense of masculinity or femininity. Gender identity is formed through the relationships that a child has with the same-sex parent and same-sex peers, (Harren, n.d., p. 1). Religioustolerance.org states, Many social and religious conservatives in North Ameri ca, their organizations and supporters are heavily promoting the restriction of rights and protections for sexual minorities. Their target is at what they call the gay agenda of marriage and other forms of equality, (Homosexuality and Bisexuality, Welcome to the conflict section, para. 2). These people work toward a culture where homosexuals would be denied rights, including marriage; and their sexual identities would be considered chosen behaviors that are abnormal, unnatural, and sinful (Homosexuality and Bisexuality, Welcome to the Conflict section, para. 2). LGBT persons, or lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered individuals, and transsexuals, are working toward a culture where right the opposite is true. They want equal rights, including the right to marry and adopt children. They want to be free from discrimination and oppression. Homosexuals have taken a great deal of criticism because they are accused of not having self-control over their urges to have deviant sex. Most ho mosexuals contend that this is not what its all about. Erin Blades (1999) writes, When I say Im gay, Im not just talking about who I sleep with. Its not what I do, its who I am. Its so much more than sex. Even outside the bedroom my identity as a lesbian colours every aspect of my life. If people werent so concerned about sex (especially homosexual sex), we wouldnt be hunting for the gay gene, (as cited in Williams, 1999, p. 49). Another sexual identity that is often considered abnormal through societys eyes is bisexuality. Not only do heterosexuals consider this sexuality deviant, but so do many homosexuals. Paula C. Rodriguez Rust states, Bisexuals are often told they dont exist, and that they should make up their minds whether they are lesbian/gay or heterosexual, (as cited in Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 166). She stresses the importance of unity and the acceptance of all people. She disagrees with people who say bisexuality doesnt exist. Rust states, Culturally, the reasons many people feel compelled to protect the gay/straight mindset in which bisexuality does not exist are understandable they are the self-protective reasons that many people prefer to pretend that things they fear or dont understand dont exist but its not a very realistic, respectful, or open-minded way to live in the world, (as cited in Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 170). In this same interview, Paula Rust explains h ow bisexual people can be celibate or monogamous, just like anyone else. She points out that bisexuality means that one is attracted to either sex. Rust sates, Bisexuals dont need sex with both men and women; they are simply more open to the possibilities than heterosexuals, lesbians, and gay men who find only one gender sexually interesting, (as cited in Seidman, Fischer, and Meeks, 2006, p. 167). After many years of struggling with finding my own sexual identity, I have come to the conclusion that I am bisexual. I say this with a great deal of hesitation because I am a Christian who believes that homosexuality is a sin. My first lesbian relationship was right after I got out of high school. We began as just friends. We tried to keep it a secret because where I live; it was definitely not the norm to be gay then. Despite our verbal secrecy, everyone knew. We were always a topic of conversation Ive been told. This relationship was very unhealthy. While doing the research for this paper, I found an article about homosexuality that described it perfectly. Julie Harren wrote, For others, same-sex attractions may not initially be present, but may later develop as a result of entering into a non-sexual friendship which becomes emotionally dependant. An emotionally dependant relationship is one in which two people seek to have their needs met by one another. It is a relationship in w hich healthy boundaries are not in place. The absence of appropriate emotional boundaries can then lead to a violation of physical boundaries, (n.d., p. 2). After this relationship, I went on to have several heterosexual relationships. But, a few years later, I found myself involved with a female once again. This time, there was no initial friendship. She was openly gay. Many times, people would ask me if I was gay, and I would say no. If you ask my ex today, she will still tell you that I am not. It wasnt about whether she was male or female. I just loved her. Had she been a man, I still would have been in love. This brought division to my finally. They disapproved wholeheartedly. I experienced first-hand the discrimination some homosexuals endure their whole lives. After four years, I could no longer deny the conviction God placed in my heart. After much prayer and hesitation, I ended our relationship. I cried for weeks. Actually, I still occasionally cry and long to be back with her. It took a great deal of time to really let go of us. Some days, I am not so sure I have completely. We are still friends. I still love her very much. I do not think God wants me to be with her or any other woman, for that matter. I tried to wait and give my heart time to heal before dating anyone else. Two years later, I am trying it again. I am currently in a relationship with a man. But, I will not deny the attraction I still have for women. Just the other day, I entered a department store and looked over at the service desk. There was a girl with short, spiked hair. I noticed her tattoo sticking out from below her shirt sleeve on her right arm and her pierced lip. I was immediately attracted. Although I believe it to be a sin, I am certain of how I feel. The best I can do is not act on these thoughts and feelings. This is my toughest battle in life. I still catch myself daydreaming of a life with my ex-girlfriend. I am not sure if this will ever go away. I even get angry, w ishing I didnt truly believe what it says in The Bible. But, I believe my God rewards obedience, so I want to follow His direction now. I hope he forgives me. I have no condemnation for others who have not chosen the same path I have. We are all different, and I am perfectly okay with that now. In writing this paper and learning about how others have identified themselves as bisexual despite being in a heterosexual relationship, I have finally accepted this as my sexual identity. I must admit, although Ive never been able to find the words to describe it as well as these scholars have, while reading their thoughts and opinions, I feel a new sense of self-acceptance. I do not know what my future holds, but I realize I am not alone. Although several different sexual identities exist, finding your own is a very personal and at times, difficult part of life. I am glad that I have found mine. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Starbucks Recruitment and Selection Process

Starbucks Recruitment and Selection Process Starbucks is a speciality coffee house which originated in Seattle. Today the organisation has over 15,000 outlets worldwide. It sells a range of hot and cold drinks, food items and accessories. Its philosophy is to create an experience for the customer and a human connection. With the introduction of the Starbucks Card purchasing drinks, food etc. from the outlets has now been made a lot easier. Customers can top up their cards and use them as a method of payment. Starbucks products are also available from supermarkets. Some of the range includes packets of coffee, coffee makers, gift sets etc. Starbucks is constantly innovating its offer to keep up to date with competition from McDonalds, Cafe Nero, Costa Coffee etc. You are required to answer the following questions making reference to Starbucks. Task 1 – Recruitment, Selection and Retention A Barista at Starbucks must have a number of personal characteristics and skills which will enable them to carry out their role. These skills and characteristics are likely to include friendliness, attention to detail, a commitment to providing customer service and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Pilbeam and Coridge indicate that successful resourcing is as much to do with good organisational fit as it is to do with HRM best practice, and therefore the first stage of recruitment should be to undertake a role or person specification in order to establish the skills and attributes necessary for the role. Phillips and Gully suggest that successful recruitment, selection and retention should also be aligned to the strategic objectives of the firm and therefore care and consideration should be given to the most suitable recruitment and selection methods in order to ensure they will attract the best potential candidates and also that the entire process will result in long t erm employee retention. Bratton and Gold state that recruitment is the process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organisation. Selection is the process by which managers and others use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons more likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirements. Accordingly, Torrington et al observe that there are a number of alternative recruitment and selection strategies including interview, assessment centre, and psychological testing. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and therefore it is not uncommon for multiple approaches to be used in combination depending on the seniority of the role in question. However, before recruitment and selection can commence it is necessary to determine a suitable specification for the role. Thus the suggested specification for a Barista at Starbucks is given below:- Figure 1: Personal Specification Template for a Barista at Starbucks (Source, Author) Requirement Essential or Desirable? Qualifications / Education / Training: No essential qualifications required, food safety or food hygiene would be desirable Desirable Experience: Customer service, food handling, retail Essential Knowledge: Some retail knowledge would be desirable, along with a knowledge of various coffees Desirable Skills Competencies: attention to detail; ability to work in a high pressure environment, customer-centric Essential Personal Attributes: open friendly, keen to provide an exceptional customer experience Essential Other: Prepared to go the extra mile to offer exceptional service and use own initiative when necessary in order to promote the brand and concept Desirable The specification is not exhaustive and further attributes may be considered such as an ability to communicate in more than one language, especially if the location of the outlet is such that overseas tourists regularly visit (eg parts of London).   The most cost-effective form of recruitment and selection process for Baristas would be CV and subsequent interview as managers in Starbucks at a local level have a clear idea of their local customer demographic and demand and thus potential applications who submit a CV can be easily screened for desirable and essential skills and attributes. The manager can then interview potential applications before making a decision on selection. An interview has further benefits as it allows the manager to identify the personal attributes and characteristics of the application in order to assess how the application would fit within the existing team, as much of the Starbucks ethos and working model requires a high level of teamwork. Potential questions which might be asked at interview for the Barista would include asking the application to describe their retail experiences to date and getting them to explain how these experiences have relevance at Starbucks. This would test for depth of experience and also organisational fit in terms of focus on the customer experience. Other technical questions might relate to Food safety and handling in order to ensure that the application understands the critical importance of this when delivering an exceptional customer experience. From a regulatory perspective the manager conducting the interview must be sure not to inadvertently discriminate against any potential applications during any stage of the recruitment and selection process. Therefore all applications must be asked identical questions and none should relate to issues of gender, age, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. In short, Starbucks is proud of its heritage as an equal opportunities employer. During the recruitment process potential applications must be offered full opportunity to ask their own questions in order to ensure that they fully appreciate the nature of the role which they may be committing to. Task 2 – Building Winning Teams One of the foremost scholars of team building, Meredith Belbin, identified that in order to function effectively an organisational team requires members with different skills and attributes. In her research she identified that there are nine alternative team roles as she described them (see Appendix for full details). Belbin observed that the most effective teams possessed at least 5 and ideally 7 of the roles, and that an individual member within a team was capable of fulfilling more than one role, but rarely more than two. Tuckman established that when people are first brought together in a team they experience various stages of team development, popularly referred to as forming, norming, storming and performing. This concept is reflected in Figure 2 overleaf. In short, the theory holds that as employee are brought together in a group they experience an evolutionary process whereby they come to understand and appreciate one anothers skills and strengths and then utilise these compl ementary skills for the best advantage of the team as a whole. History has shown that Tuckmans theory has almost universal application, however, when used in combination with Belbins theory it becomes even more powerful as it becomes possible to identify in advance whether or not a group I likely to succeed based on the unique skills and attributes of each team member. For example, if there are too many plants within a group then it is likely that the group will be highly creative but the ideas will rarely be translated into action. Similarly, too many co-ordinations is likely to result in arguments as the co-ordinator role is known to be quite stubborn and even manipulative. When applying these theories and concepts to teams at Starbucks it can be observed that different skills are required for different parts of the operation. Holistic observation of a team working at Starbucks demonstrates the power of team working. Each person has a defined role which they focus upon in order to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of output. For example in any Starbucks outlet one person focuses on taking orders and payments, another one or two (depending on the size of the outlet) focus on making the orders and a further team members is constantly ensuring that the outlet is clean and tidy and well stocked. It can be suggested that this requires a high level of group communication and co-ordination and also a high level of trust as those baristas making the coffee must take on trust the orders given to them by their colleagues. Similarly because two Baristas can work on the same order simultaneously there must be complete understanding and uniformity to the order p roduction process such that they can interchange their roles at any point. Under Tuckmans model it is clear that a team in Starbucks is at the very least in the norming stage of the model and most probably at the performing stage. The concept of team work within organisations has gained increasing prominence in recent years and with good reason as highly effective teams are more efficient and productive. Furthermore, Armstrong identifies the benefits of empowering team members within a role so that they feel more engaged with the organisation and therefore more committed to delivering the best possible experience for the customer or client. At Starbucks one means of achieving this would be to ensure that every team member is fully cross-functional and that they are given stretch performance targets which require them to work as a team. Full cross-functionality means that each team member has an appreciation for other roles and therefore they tend to be more considerate of outcomes. Moreover, a cross -functional team which has accountability for its own results will typically find more effective means of delivering a service in order to reach targets.  Armstrong also discusses how increased responsibility and accountability increase engagement which in turn increases motivation. Some HRM scholars regard the relationship between engagement and motivation as symbiotic, but there is little doubt that engagement and motivation are strong indicators of a high performance team that is committed to exceed expectation and delivering exceptional service. Furthermore, research by Saunders demonstrates that highly engaged teams have lower levels of staff churn. This point is useful as it is closely correlated to the previously discussed matter of recruitment and retention, and thus if the right people are brought into the organisation and they are motivated to stay because they feel the business (for whatever reason) is a good fit for them, then there is reduced churn, increased engagement and greater productivity. In summation, engaged team members are more profitable for the business and thus it becomes a mutually beneficial relationship. Task 3 – Leadership Motivation There is a vast amount of literature and research which embraces the topic of leadership; furthermore, leadership theories have experienced a considerable amount of transition over time as societal perceptions of leadership have changed. Leadership has been defined by Mcquire and Molbherg as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Theories of leadership range for discussions as to the traits of leaders their styles of leadership and transactional and transformational theories of leadership. One of the most popular theories used to explain leadership style is the Managerial Grid as developed by Blake and Mouton and shown in figure 3 below:- As can be seen in the figure, the Managerial Grid examines the prevailing managerial technique of leaders within an organisation in order to identify their preferred style. In ideal circumstances Blake and Mouton believe that a manager and leader should adopt a team style which is participative and empowering and allows the employees of the organisation to make their own decisions within the remit of the organisations objectives. It can be suggested that the concepts of the Managerial Grid share some parallels with the discussions as to transformational and transactional leadership whereby Burns argues that in the longer term transformation leadership is far more effective because it empowers employees to deliver the best possible performance as they have accountability for their own daily working lives. It is evident that there are close linkages between leadership and motivation insofar as good leaders motivate their employees and team members to succeed through a combination of techniques such as engagement, empowerment and delegation of power. Armstrong and Cheese et al believe that the use of these techniques in conjunction with other factors such as employee voice ensure that individual employees align their personal aims and objectives with those of the organisation and therefore voluntarily strive to ensure that the service provided by the organisation is a success. It should also be acknowledge that several scholars perceive there is a difference between a manager and a leader within an organisation. The distinction is subtle and relates to the fact that managers generally focus on day to day operational tasks and leaders tend to occupy a more strategic role. However the distinction is certainly not clear cut and considerable debate still centres on this division of roles. Furthermore a leader can also be a manager by dint of their role within the organisation, and thus leadership tends to be regarded as a personality trait as opposed to an organisational position. In short, a leader tends to be more effective at motivating and inspiring employees because of their ability to engage them and encourage them to strive for enhanced performance. In times of change and development, and also in times of difficult circumstances such as recession, leadership and talent management skills are highly valued. In application to Starbucks it should be observed that in times of recession when consumers tend to cut back on luxuries such as coffee from coffee shops, Starbucks must strive to offer improved service to customers in order to retain them. The managers (and ideally leaders) of Starbucks must also continually strive to motivate Baristas to deliver exceptional service even when customers become more demanding. This concept is closely correlated with that change management and goal setting whereby engaging Baristas with the process can ensure that they feel empowered to respond to the challenge and that they have responsibility for it. At a local level this may mean running small promotions which would suit the customer demographic in order to attract and retain more customers. Furthermore, if Starbucks wish to retain their emplo yees it is prudent to continue to invest in training and development in order to ensure that they are highly skilled and capable of responding rapidly to changes in customer demand. This might include job exchanges with Baristas from other retail outlets in order to share best practice, or creating a forum where Baristas can put forward their suggestions for improvement. Although these are relatively small steps they can help individual Baristas to progress within Starbucks and this ensures that Starbucks generates a reputation as an employer of choice which fosters home grown talent and treats employees with fairness and respect.  Research into the prevailing management style at Starbucks reveals that they have a relatively flat hierarchy which ensures that it is easy to disseminate information widely and effectively within the organisation. Starbucks has a clear mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time and this is fully evidenced in their training policies and ethos. The structure and leadership style of Starbucks also ensures that the business can be responsive to customer needs because the baristas are in direct contact with customers every single day and also have the necessary mechanisms to ensure that they can provide valid and timely feedback to their managers in order to improve the customer experience. Task 4 – Work and Development Needs and Performance Management Armstrong defines performance management as a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved. It is important to observe that from a HRM perspective performance management is not solely concerned with disciplinary procedures, but rather it is concerned with ensuring that each and every employee has the necessary support to achieve their objectives and potential. Thus, performance management is often closely correlated with learning and development as in order to achieve to their maximum potential employees must continue to expand their skills and to develop their capabilities. Furthermore, scholars such as Benson et al have observed a link between training and development and employee retention, which as previously identified, helps to ensure increased engagement and reduced employee churn. However in order to monitor and improve employee performance it is first necessary to set suitable objectives and targets and to apply metrics and benchmarks to these objectives and targets in order to objectively assess employee performance and development. At Starbucks there are two core elements which form the basis of employee performance; these are technical capability that is to say the ability to consistently produce a high quality cup of coffee, and secondly the ability to interact with other stakeholders including team colleagues and customers. The former can be objectively assessed by observation against agreed performance metrics such as speed of production and consistency of taste. This has benefit to individual employees and Starbucks as a whole because it ensures consistency of service and product quality across the network of franchises meaning that the reputation of Starbucks is maintained and also that Baristas are employable across a range of franchises that they ma y be prepared to travel to, thus increasing their value to the company. The second performance metric to assess is more intangible and pertains to perceived service level and customer and colleague interaction. In terms of colleague interaction this can be assessed through a variety of measures such as 360 degree feedback, line manager observation and self-reflection during a performance review. Research has shown that generally speaking individual employees are reasonably self-aware of their skills and capabilities and it is rare that a performance review highlights anything that the employee was not at least already aware of at some level. However the benefit of performance review is that it can demonstrate to individual employees specific areas where they could improve or would benefit from training to enhance their skills set. For example a food safety certificate to help ensure that an individual franchise was fully compliant with legislation, or perhaps rudimentary book-keeping skills to help ensure that the cash is managed accurately in each store . In terms of assessing Barista performance when interacting with customers this can be achieved through feedback forms and customer incentives. For example it is becoming increasingly common that receipts from retailers encourage customers to provide feedback about their service online. This has the dual benefit of helping the organisation to become more engaged with customers and response more rapidly to customer feedback. It can also be used to gather individual barista feedback if specific questions in the feedback questionnaire relate to performance and service such as speed and friendliness and helpfulness of the Barista. The information gathered from feedback surveys can be fed back to each barista in regular performance reviews in order to help them identify areas of development and subsequently improve performance. As noted at the outset of this section, performance management techniques should not be designed with the sole intention of discipline employees, although it is alm ost inevitable that at some stage a form of discipline may be required for certain employee. However, best practice makes it clear that regular performance reviews can help to forestall any such issues as if they are held regularly and reasonably frequently it should be possible to forestall any problems before they become issues of concern. Finally it is necessary to consider how Starbucks applies principles of delegation in order to motivate Baristas. As discussed previously in this review, Starbucks encourages team working and the creation of stretch targets to help Baristas develop and to take responsibility for their own areas of production. This approach is closely linked to effective performance management because empowering Baristas to set and achieve their own targets helps to motivate them to achieve as they feel in control of their targets and daily responsibilities. Targets can be used to monitor and evaluate Barista performance and at each performance review they can be revised as necessary in order to help the Barista improve. For example in the early days of a baristas employment this could be to improve the speed of production and to obtain a certain customer service rating. In due course this could progress to internal training courses in advanced customer service management and customer experience. This holistic process also helps Baristas to appreciate that they are valued and therefore this leads to them becoming more engaged and motivated and delivering improved performance. References Armstrong, M. (2009) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (11th Edition) – Kogan Page, London  Beardwell, J. Claydon, T. (2007) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach (5th Edition) – Pearson Education, London  Belbin, R.M. (2010) Management teams: why they succeed or fail. 3rd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann.  Benson, G. S., Finegold, D., Mohrman, S. A. (2004) You paid for the skills, now keep them: Tuition-reimbursement and voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3): 315–331.  Blake, R.; Mouton, J. (1985). The Managerial Grid III: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co.  Bloisi, W. 2007. Management and organisational behaviour. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill.  Boddy, D (2008) Management: An Introduction (4th Edition) – Prentice Hall, London  Bratton, J. Gold (2007). Work and organizational behaviour. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.  Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row Publishers Inc..  Cheese, P., Thomas, R.J. and Craig, E. (2008) The talent powered organization: strategies for globalization, talent management and high performance. London: Kogan Page.  Foti, R.J., Hauenstein, N.M.A. (2007). Pattern and variable approaches in leadership emergence and effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 347-355.  Govaerts, Natalie, et al. (2010) Influence of learning and working climate on the retention of talented employees, Journal of Workplace Learning 23:1.  Harrison R (2009) Learning and Development, London, CIPD  Hoque, K Noon, M (2004) Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice in Britain in Work, Employment Society vol.18 no.3 pp.481-506  Huczynski A, Buchanan D (2003) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text – Pearson Higher Education, London  Mcquire, D., Molbherg J. K., (2011) Human Resource Development Theory Practice London: Sage.  Murphy, N. (2009) Talent managements role in a time of recession. IRS Employment Review. No 927, 13 August. 5pp.  Phillips and Gully (2009) Strategic Staffing Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pp12-35  Pilbeam, S. Corbridge, M. (2010) People Resourcing: Contemporary HRM in practice. 4th ed. London: Prentice Hall International. Ch 2  Saunders, M.N.K., (2011) Trust and strategic change: an organisational justice perspective in R Searle and D Skinner (eds) Trust and Human Resource Management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.  Starbucks (2012) Search and Apply [online] available at http://careers.starbucks.co.uk/job-search-and-apply retrieved 3rd Feb 2012  Starbucks (2012) Mission Statement [online] available at http://starbucks.co.uk/about-us/company-information/mission-statement retrieved 3rd Feb 2012  Torrington, D. Hall, L. Taylor S (2007) Human Resource Management (7th Edition) – Prentice Hall, London  Zaccaro, S. J., Gulick, L.M.V. Khare, V.P. (2008). Personality and leadership. In C. J. Hoyt, G. R. Goethals D. R. Forsyth (Eds.), Leadership at the crossroads (Vol 1) (pp. 13-29). Westport, CT: Praege

Essay --

The Triangle of Death, The Limbo of the Lost, The Twilight Zone, The Port of Missing Ships, The Devil’s Triangle, The Hoodoo Sea, The Deadly Triangle. These and many more are names for the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle has been a huge mystery to many since the early 1900's. The Triangle is an area located in the western Atlantic Ocean, where supposedly many ships, people, planes, and other objects disappear unexplainably. The three points of location that connect the triangle are Miami, Florida, Bermuda, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The triangle covers about five hundred thousand square miles of ocean. However, there is no official boundaries or markers for the triangle, just recognized linings. Over the past five centuries, more than a thousand ships and planes have disappeared inside of the triangle boundaries, and still to this day continue to do so. There are many theories behind these happenings. However, no one has yet found the real truth behind it. One of the most famous, or well-known happenings of the Bermuda Triangle is the disappearance of Flight 19. This happened in December, 1945 during a US Navy training exercise. Fourteen crew members on a route mission disappeared after sending out many radio messages, and when two Martin Mariner rescue planes came to search for them, only one came back while the other strangely could not be found. It is still not fully known what went wrong here. Many wrecked parts from Flight 19 have never been recovered. More famous incidents of the Bermuda Triangle are: The USS Cyclops and three hundred and nine crew members went missing in 1918, the Douglas DC-3 plane with thirty-two people that went missing in 1958 (no trace of aircraft was ever found), and a yacht that was... ...iangle disappearance is no more logical than trying to find a common cause for every automobile accident in Arizona.† Neither maritime insurance leader Lloyd’s of London, or the U.S. Coast Guard, do not see the Bermuda Triangle as an especially dangerous place. They say, â€Å"In a review of many aircraft and vessel losses in the area over the years, there has been nothing discovered that would indicate that casualties were the result of anything other than physical causes. No extraordinary factors have ever been identified.† So it is ultimately up to you to decide what you believe in when it comes to the Bermuda triangle. While it has become very popular to link the Bermuda Triangle to paranormal activity, most investigations claim they happen from bad weather and human error. With all the hundreds of theories, still today, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains.

gatdream Exploding the American Myth in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Exploding the American Myth in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚   The American Constitution declares the freedom and equality among all people. On this declaration was built the collective dreams of a nation as well as millions of personal dreams. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, exposes the American Constitution for the myth that it always was by revealing the existing class distinctions. The Great Gatsby provides the petty details of the aimlessness and shallowness of the idyll rich, the extravagance of their parties, and the illegal sources of the funds that fueled such mindless activities.    Myrtle's attempt to become a "member" of Tom's group is predestined to fail, because he is of the wealthier, more "sophisticated" class. Taking advantage of her animation, her lively nature, she tries to elude the rest of her class. She gets involved in an affair with Tom, and inherits his values, and his way of living. By doing so, she only demoralizes herself, and becomes corrupt like the rich are stereotyped to be. She belittles people from her own class, and loses all sense of honor that she once had. And for all her social desires, Myrtle never does find her place in Tom's "high brow" world of the rich.    Fitzgerald portrays Myrtle's condition, obviously, as a minor reflection to Gatsby's more substantial struggle. While Myrtle's ambitions come from her social desires, Gatsby's are linked more to his idealism, his strong belief in life's opportunity. For sure, his desire is influenced by social considerations as well; Daisy, who is beautiful and rich, shows a lifestyle that is distant to Gatsby's and therefore is more attractive to him, because it is so far out of his reach.    However, social status is not his premier reason for loving Daisy. It only leads him, and makes him subject to believe in life's great opportunity. Like Myrtle does, Gatsby fights to fit himself into another social group, the one of old money, but his attempt is more significant, because his whole faith in life is rested upon it. Therefore, his failure is much more frightful to him, as any larger dream's failure turns out to be. His whole objective, his confidence in life and himself is completely smashed when he fails to win Daisy's love. His death, when it arrives is nearly meaningless, for, with the defeat of his dream, Gatsby is already spiritually murdered, and would lose all faith in life.

Philly Fans: City of Brotherly Love Essay

â€Å"A true Philadelphia fan learns to boo before he learns to speak.† A quote that is not as exaggerated as it seems. In Philadelphia people are outspoken and live by the way they cheer, brutal. Philadelphia â€Å"fanatics† are the most rowdy fans in all of sports. This is proven by events such as throwing snowballs at Santa Claus, booing Michael Irving after a career ending injury, and the installment of a court inside the Eagles late Veterans Stadium. One example as to why people across the nation believe Philly fans to be the worst fans in sports is the legendary pelting of jolly old St. Nick. In 1968, Eagles fans booed and then pelted a man dressed as Santa Claus who was part of a halftime ceremony. Stories vary on the legendary incident as to why it happened. In 2003, the same man was asked to appear in the same Santa suit at a Sixers game, and as before, he was booed again. Another famous event that shows the rowdiness of dedicated Philadelphians is on October 11, 1999, when Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending neck injury at â€Å"the Vet†. Fans cheered as Irvin was crumpled on the ground. This goes to show if you’re a future hall of famer, but you happen to play for Dallas, you will still get booed. Although booing someone is all a part of sports, Philly fans seem to do it at the most unnecessary of times which give them the persona of rowdy. Another huge example as to why Philly fans have the reputation they do is because of the extremes of what happens at the sporting events. From time to time a game could go from having fun drinking a couple beers chanting â€Å"asshole† to the next Redskins fan you see walking by, to a huge brawl in the infamous 700 level at Veterans Stadium. The common occurrence of violence during Eagles’ games became so bad that Philadelphia installed a court, judge and jail inside Veterans Stadium. If being so passionate about your team leads to booing a crippled hall of famer, pelting Santa with snowballs, and the installment of a court system in your football team’s stadium means you’re rowdy. Every person wearing a green jacket on Sunday, waving a rally towel at Citizens Bank Park, or booing opposing teams at the Wells Fargo Center will gladly accept the â€Å"rowdy† nickname. What others take as rowdiness Philadelphians take as passion for their city and teams.

1984 Dictatorship

The novel 1984 is based on totalitarianism and dictatorship. Big Brother rules Oceania, where the people are forced to listen to him and follow his rules. There are surveillance cameras and microphones set-up everywhere so that Big Brother can keep an eye on everyone and know about everything that's happening. There is no secret in this society, and one wrong move can get you killed with no one knowing, one day everything about you will be erased and you'll eventually be forgotten. Children are taught that if they see anyone suspicious they are to immediately turn them in, even if it is their parents. There are things like thought polices, who patrol around the area to look for anyone suspicious, or anyone who has â€Å"thoughts†. The reason I am telling you about this is because I believe there is some of that happening in our society today to a certain extent. We have laws and rules given to us by the government that we have to keep, of course it is for us, but that is what the people Oceania are told, that the rules and regulations they are given is to benefit them. We have policemen and people from the government around us; patrolling the streets to make sure we don't break the rules we are given. If we view this in a different perspective we are being watched and ruled by the government, just like the people of Oceania. Not only do governments influence us, but so do businesses. Governments and businesses tells us what to buy, what to do, where to go, what to eat, what to believe†¦ 1984 is relevant to the government and war because it is the first book which drew an image about a government that would use the societies freedom as a price for their security. The people of Oceania live their lives without much difficulty, they are use to their life styles and have accepted the fact that that is how they are to live their lives. George Orwell has written this book as a view of the future, how he saw the future, This was seen as a threat to the society at the time. It is surprising to see that the language can be changed so easily. The Newspeak dictionary aims to cut down on the language, from good, brilliant, excellent to good, good good, good good good. To us this obviously makes no sense but to the new generations of Oceania this was their language, When the older generations of Oceania die, the old language would be forgotten, and the new language would be the language of the people. Same goes for the history. The present generation would change the history, modify them so that Oceania would seem like the hero and this history is thought to the children as well so that as they grow us they learn the modified history and from then on the modified past would be the present past. The modified past would obviously changed again so that the truth would be forgotten. The story is told from Winston's point of view, where he views the society as a prison, because the story is told from Winston's point of view the story may seen bias, and can be different to what other people thought at the time. In a way, as a reader we are manipulated to view things the way Winston does. After reading 1984, you realise how different life would be without freedom, you learn to respect your freedom and dignity. You also learn the threat the government can have on you, and the impact they can have. The only problem about wars isn't the death of the innocent soldiers but the impact it would have within one country, the chances it may turn into a totalitarian country.

Class Prophecy 2012 Essay

Having stayed for five years in France for my masteral studies and job as historical journalist in CNN, made me long to go back to my country. I wanted to stay with my family, reunite with old friends, and render my hard work to my countrymen. I know that my studies and my work have led me to different places across the globe, meet new peoples, and lead a wonderful and meaningful life. However, as the rugged saying goes â€Å"there is no place like home†. Upon the completion of my thesis my concluding documentary, and my book about the Philippines in France, I bade everyone â€Å"au revoir† â€Å"until next time† and happily went back to Philippines. Inside the plane we were given all the luxuries that we can afford in this long ride home, that almost always include a newspaper. As I browsing through the pages of the newspaper, I was awestricken by the names that I saw in the bylines. They were of Jenzen Anzano – writing news for the Metro; and Valeriano Onia – reporting about the recent battle of Ginebra versus Rain or Shine. But the good news doesn’t just end there, Mila Mary Lyn Maralit’s chemical invention have earned her an award from the President of the Philippines, Alyssa Mae G. Daraog. Then on the Health and Fitness Section was the full-page length column of the famous psychologist Richard Sanchez. With all their abilities and talents way back our high school years, we knew that these former classmates would indeed become successful and it is heartwarming to learn that these Lucians were pioneers in adhering to the CORE values that we cherished in our high school years. Many hours passed and the song in the plane shifted from The Beatles; to the Lady Antebellum’s; to SNSD’s; to the Hotdog’s Manila. By then we knew that we are approaching the Philippine territory and in no more than an hour we shall be landing. Suddenly, a lady in black dress approached me. It was Mara Cassandra Gomez! She told me that she was in France for two weeks to attend for an international conference in Psychology. We talked and talked until we are notified to go back our seats and fasten our seatbelts for our landing. I can feel the plane slowly going down and sudden gosh of excitement and relief that embraced my being when I finally felt the bump of the wheels in the land of my country. I’m finally back! My first two weeks were spent in countless reunions and homecoming then I wondered where are my high school schoolmates, classmates, friends? I hope to meet them again. However, now is not the time to think about those, we will soon find our ways. By now, I have to work-on my job in the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Right there and then, I was accepted and given projects. First on the list was the Bangon Tribe in Mindoro. I am thrilled because I am the one in-charge of such meticulous and comprehensive task that we shall carry-on. I decided to go to the bookstore to enhance my knowledge and to at least familiarize myself with their environs. As my car was driving along EDSA the billboard of Rowielyn Singh and Jaypee De Castro, the hosts of WilTime Big Time was prominently displayed, then there is also another billboard of pop star singers, Ma. Diana Derpo, Binna Azucenas, and Ericka Faye delos Santos inviting everyone to join in their concert at the Mall of Rommel Concepcion’s Concert Grounds. Lucians of batch 2012’s progress can’t be stopped. From De Castro to Rosario Village/Tramo ; now Lucians are domineering EDSA and filling up the key positions in our society! As I went inside the bookstore, my attention was caught by the book at top of the best-sellers list. That was the name of Rhoxanne Villasin, she is the author of this year’s bestselling book. I grabbed my copy of her book then bought the materials that I needed for my work. Nearby I saw a new mall named Von’s. I went inside and I was really amazed with the beauty and intricate details of the place. While strolling along I heard someone shouted my name. Few steps away from me was Glenn Rose Baculanlan! Dressed like a Parisian doll, she and four other ladies in office attire went to me. Glenn Rose is now a model and the four ladies with her are Roselyn Monforte, Louise May Mackay, Cynthia Mae Pama, and Angel Mae Bahay were the accountants at Von’s the mall that Christian Von Geminiano owns. We went inside the pub named Muppets and had some coffee. While having our funny chats, we reminisced the good-old days wherein being a historian, an accountant, and a model were just a confusing dream†¦ a vague possibility. Just when we are about to part ways a lady appeared before us and introduced herself as Shirlyn! Indeed it was she†¦ Shirlyn Alvario the owner of Muppets restaurant. She informed us that Lucians are involved in the foundations of her restaurant with Bhenz Benig (now a food technologist) as her business partner. Joseph Perez and Rances Marticio were in charge of the place’s architectural design, Bernardino Rodelas for the engineering plans and construction, and the famous artists: Cedrick Caguing, Cyril Flora and John Paul Dogillo for the details and designs. Neither one of us wouldn’t want to end our girl talks and reminisces but then we knew that we have works to do so we exchange contact numbers and promised to meet soon. Back to work, I indulged myself with my project. Busy all day studying, preparing, preparing, studying. One day, three days before my five-member team went to Mindoro, I was informed that certain groups would like to join our trip and they all had their recommendations. Of course, I do not like them to go with us because our work might be exploited by their presence. But then, I couldn’t just discredit their requests so I immediately called my assistant to call their representatives to explain their intentions at exactly two p.m. today. After an hour, my secretary informed me that all the persons that we’ve been waiting to talk to are already inside the conference room and they are quite noisy. I immediately went inside my conference room and . . . it seems like I’m a high school student once more! The faces inside are all my high school classmates and friends. Indeed all of them, wow! Aarone Jhone Julian is now the managing president of the Apple Company in the Philippines; Jennelyn dela Cruz, Ma. Kathleen Adona, and Mark Anthony Borja are now the Division Supervisors of Pasig City; Kimberly Mae Chua, Stefany Cabantog, and Mharianne Yalega, are now head doctors of Lucia General Hospital; Francesca Ann Balmonte, is recognized as one of the bests photographers in country; and Sir Eljun Velga is now the Principal of Sta. Lucia High School. They explained to me that they wanted to join to help and contribute something for progress that has always been OUR dream. Right there and then, I agreed and we’ve planned the flow of our own respective missions consecrated towards the fulfillment of one goal. At home, I packed my things for our mission then watched the news anchored by Merleen Mercolita. News about Ramlou Demegillo’s outstanding performance in the International Dance Sport Competition; Nigel Paulino, Renmar Moses, Julius Caesar Brutas, and Marcelino Loza’s gold in the recent Olympic games; Jovy Ann Sta. Ana, manager of SNSD; Arjay Gervacio-Ventura, the new business tycoon; Ronnel Villamar tops the Bar Exams; and Shelly Ann Ruales’s proclamation as the Philippine Ambassadress to the USA.

An exploration of evil and its development within the Macbeth play Essay

‘Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural events’ Macbeth, one of the most ingenious plays ever written that expresses the power of good against evil. It is a gloomy tale of a Scottish general’s murderous ascension to the throne, aided by supernatural prophecies and a scheming wife whose lust for power eclipses his own, and has precious few good things to say about the human race. In this essay I will exemplify the exploration of evil and malevolence and its development within the Macbeth play. In Elizabethan times, there used to be a natural order and a way of life. It was called the Elizabethan World Picture. This is a chain of command starting from the most divine beings at the apex and the most to the earthly at the base of the chain; everyone had a place, and a role to fulfil. All the creatures of the Universe were arranged in their proper order. At the top was the initiator of all and sundry, god. Below him was the divinely appointed King. The importance of the King cannot be over-estimated: on him rest the fate of the state. Below the King, and deriving their power from him in proper feudal order, came Earls, Dukes, fundamentally the top Churchmen and all the rest of the aristocracy, all the way down to the customary common folk and the servants, below the servants were peasants and the beggars at the foundation of the sequence. This was the hierarchical structure of society and when this is broken in the play, so is the natural order of the world and unnatural and evil things become to occur. Shakespeare shows when the rightful place of things is upset, then everything will be upset, until state of affairs is returned to customary. When Macbeth slays King Duncan, then nature went chaotic. Elizabethan order in the 17th century was Monarch ruling by divine right, and the worst possible crime was to commit regicide. Shakespeare tries to show us the great disruption caused by the regicide. Owls kill falcons (where Macbeth is the owl and Duncan is the falcon), dark in daytime and horses eating each other. The natural order is the most important theme in the play. ‘Tis unnatural, eve like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last, a falcon, towering in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d’ Act II scene IV ‘And Duncan’s horses, -a thing most strange and certain,-†¦Tis said they eat each other. They did so, to the amazements of mine eyes.’ Act II scene IV 1603-1606 coincided with the accession to the English throne of James VI of Scotland who also became James I of England who was a protestant. James I showed a lot of interest in paranormal and supernatural things, he was also affectionate of people who penchant him and said pleasant things about him. James himself wrote a book on witchcraft and had fancied himself an expert, it is also claimed he persecuted witches and had them hung. So Shakespeare wrote the play on honour of James. Shakespeare took this into account and expressed homage to James by constructing it as a supernatural play by supplement witches, apparitions, ghosts and the Kings Evil and Kings Admiration. He also created the hero Banquo as one of James’s ancestors. This very much appealed to James and he enjoyed the play enormously. But what James knew was that his ancestor Banquo did not have entirely sanitary hands, he to performed iniquitous things in his epoch. The faith in the existence and power of witches was extensively believed in Shakespeare’s time, as was demonstrated by the European Witch Craze, were almost nine million women were put to death for being perceived as witches. The belief of the majority of people during the seventeenth century suggests that the witches are influential figures who can implement immense power over Macbeth; the intensity of the calamity is dependant on whether Macbeth is in full control over his deeds or the witches control the naive and inexperienced Macbeth. Witches, ghosts, and disturbances of nature appeals to the fascination of human nature, Shakespeare knew this and with this verity in mind, his intentions were to create the witches, and at the commencement of the play the frame of mind is set with the three witches. The Witches are associated with evil, as Banquo is quick to comprehend, and although their promise to Macbeth appears to foretell the good upcoming, it in reality brings him calamity. Even commencing Act I scene I the witches put their own words into Macbeth’s mouth. ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ The witches in Act I Scene I ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen.’ Were Macbeth’s first words Why are the witches’ words in Macbeth’s mouth? We are supposed to associate him with the witches and evil, this echo introduces the idea of a divination and prompts the question of Macbeths own self control. Is Macbeth in charge of his own destiny or are the witches enticing and alluring him, and taking control of his fate for him? The witches are also very erudite because they opt the perfect time to approach Macbeth when he is full of battle triumph and fresh from killing. They entice him in and he supplicates of them to tell him more, he chooses his individual fate in this particular segment of the play. ‘Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.’ Act I scene III The witches speak Macbeth’s innermost and intimate thoughts. They know exactly what to say to Macbeth and their timing is precise; the evil just seeps through right from the beginning of the play. They tell Macbeth prophecies that manipulate him in which disaster strikes at the end of the play. The witches are referred to as women with beards, entirely sordid and squalid in appearance, and also Shakespeare’s choice of words is amazing as it hangs you in suspense and leaves you wanting more. ‘When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?’ Act I scene I ‘When one wins, one must lose’ The witches on a few occasions refer to Macbeth as something depraved and malevolence, and on one juncture as there son. ‘Hath been but for a wayward son, spiteful and wrathful.’ Act III scene V ‘By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked comes.’ Act IV scene I The Witches and the apparitions also give Macbeth a false sense of security, they make him feel secure, make him feel protected and make him feel as if he can always turn to them, but, they betray him and lead him on knowing what will happen to him. They just use him for there own amusement and make him corrupt. ‘As by strength of their illusion, shall draw him on to his confusion†¦ and you all know, security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.’ Act III scene V It’s not only the witches who exemplify the evil in the play; it’s also the supernatural and paranormal things that happen such as the apparition of the dagger. Macbeth begins to hallucinate about a dagger covered in blood in his hand pointing to Duncan’s room. The dagger symbolizes the point of no return for Macbeth. If he chooses the path in which the dagger leads, there will be no turning back for him. ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: I have thee not and yet I thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Also Macbeth visions Banquo’s ghost in the middle of the great feast and Banquet, he almost has a nervous breakdown. Lady Macbeth attempts to calm him down but to no avail. He sees his ghost as a sign for the future and he goes crazy. Shakespeare somehow makes you feel sympathetic for him. ‘Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Act III scene IV Also, the witches show Macbeth three apparitions. One of them presages: – ‘Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Act VI scene I The second apparition notifies: – ‘Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of women born shall harm Macbeth.’ Act VI scene I And finally the third apparition warns: – ‘Macbeth shall never be vanquish’d be until Great Birnham wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him’ Act VI scene I In the end, all of these apparitions come to pass and Macbeth was warned about them in advanced. Macbeth did be cautious of Macduff but in the end he did not massacre or kill him, and he did not take into precaution the guarding of Great Birnham Wood. Also, the witches only warned him of things to come; they did not tell him how to transaction with them†¦ At the commencement of the play, Macbeth is regarded as the most honoured men in Scotland. He had just won a victorious battle and was referred to as a dignified and courageous man. ‘For brave Macbeth, he well deserves that name’ Act I scene II At first, Macbeth felt he had no reason to kill King Duncan; he deeply cared and esteemed Duncan and the witches’ prophecies which stated that in the future, he will become king. ‘If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.’ But as the play grew on, with Lady Macbeth pushing Macbeth and testing his manly hood, Macbeth soon becomes a cerebral, sadistic and merciless king. The witch’s were only partially to blame for Macbeth’s downfall; Macbeth himself did the dirty deeds. Macbeth is not naturally inclined to perform malicious and spiteful deeds, but he deeply desires supremacy and power. Macbeth’s character is physically strong and mentally weak, and it is this weakness that instigates the downfall and change of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth forces him to make the wrong choices, which puts his leadership at steak. She is mostly responsible for the evil doings of Macbeth. This line shows that she considers Macbeth as a ‘wimp’, and a feeble human. ‘Is too full o’ the milk of human kindness’ Macbeth’s manliness is always being tested so he has no choice but to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth transforms Macbeth into a greedy, cold-hearted human being; by saying things such as â€Å"Are you a man?† She undermines his masculinity, to make him feel at fault, and have it her way. ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man’ Act I scene VII ‘Thou esteem’st the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem’ Although not a â€Å"secret, black, and midnight hag†, as an evil female, Lady Macbeth could be contemplated as a witch according to the standards of Shakespeare’s day. She is more heartless than Macbeth, she lures him and the killing of Duncan was mainly because of her desires to be queen. ‘Look like the innocent flower, But be the Serpent under’t.’ Act I scene V Also, the fact that she works with the witches to influence Macbeth suggests that she is at least indirectly allied with them. At the start of the play Lady Macbeth appears as a nice, beautiful and respectful wife but underneath lies a conniving, deceitful woman. Lady Macbeth’s strong power is used to effortlessly persuade her weak husband. Her strength inspires him at the beginning of the play, but after he realizes his actions he persists with his bloody path. Macbeth does say that he does not want to prolong the foolishness but again is persuaded by Lady Macbeth. Macbeth, while he clearly likes the idea, and even shares her desire, falters on holding his promise to her until she threatens his manhood directly, she is so single-minded in her purpose that she can sacrifice all her femininity and all human feelings in her lust for power ‘We will proceed no further in this business†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢At I scene VII Lady Macbeth is blinded by her own ambition and her own pride, she will not see the proper and loyal side to life, and she would even take life from her own infant to persevere with her plans and her promises. ‘I had given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gum, and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this’ Act I scene VII Lady Macbeth is very manly on the inside, she is very cruel and would never relinquish in battle, it is like she would prefer to be a man than a women. ‘Unsex me here’ As the play draws to an end, so does Lady Macbeth. In Act V, we see Lady Macbeth falling apart, a downfall we later learn leads her to suicide. Macbeth, on the erstwhile hand, has forgotten his guilt and is ready to slaughter more innocent people. As Macbeth progresses with his evil acts, Lady Macbeth begins to go through an episode of insane sleepwalking, convinced that her hands are stained with blood that can not be washed off. At her suicide, Macbeth has already thrown away his conscience and executes even more evil acts without even admitting her to his conscience. The doctor says that the disease that she has cannot be cured. ‘The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? What! Will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that: you mar all with this starting’ Act V scene I ‘This disease is beyond me practice: yet I have know those which have walked beyond their sleep who have died holily in their beds’ Act V scene I On act II scene II Macbeth says ‘will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine making the green one red’ lady Macbeth then says that this deed can be washed away, she soon suffers from the same fate at the end of the play. ‘A little water clears us of this deed’ Act II scene II But Lady Macbeth does not have the concluding say in the end, and nor do the witches have the ultimate say; it is Macbeth who has the final say. The witches did not tell Macbeth to command murders and kill Macduff’s wife and children. In the commencement of the play Macbeth is a kind, loyal, hero, and at the end he becomes an evil tyrant. To Duncan, Macbeth is the most honourable and successful of his noblemen. Duncan’s gifts of position and land to Macbeth are met with his being murdered in cold blood. The thing that started Macbeth of was the prophecy that Macbeth found rather alluring was that he would be future king. ‘All hail, Macbeth!, that shalt be king hereafter!’ ‘Let not light see my black and deep desires’ Act I scene IV Macbeth gains from this foul act the fair position of kingship, which, of course, is met with tragedy at the play’s end. Shakespeare has taken the structure of Tragedy and imbedded its shadow into almost every part of the play. Along with the central rise and fall, there are many switches and unexpected turns of good and bad convincing the reader by the play’s end that the witches are right indeed. When Macbeth returned after completing his brutal murder his character had changed for the worse he became obsessive over his ambition; becoming future king. Macbeth then decided that he would kill Banquo because he was with him when he getting his prophecies from the witches, and therefore he knew that Macbeth had a reason to kill Duncan. Macbeth hired three murderers to finish Banquo. He does not want to kill Banquo himself because he cannot kill a friend and lose the support of one. ‘But wail his fall who I myself struck down.’ Act III scene I Macbeth changes drastically from the beginning of the play, he becomes much more evil and much more sinister from when the play began. He orders murders to savagely annihilate Macduff’s innocent wife and children, with Macduff only hearing about it from the Ross. ‘But I have words that would be howl’d out in the desert air, when hearing should not catch them.’ Act IV scene III When Macbeth hears about his wife’s death, Macbeth broods on life’s futility. ‘She should have died hereafter; there would have been a time for such a word. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time; and all of our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death.’ Act V Scene V Even when Macbeth does get confronted by Macduff and his gathered forces, he refuses not to surrender and chooses to fight on and get killed. The honour and bravery that once run bright through Macbeths blood still remains to some extent. ‘They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, but bear- like I must fight the course. What’s he that was not women born? Such a one am I to fear, or none.’ Act V scene VII The language that Shakespeare uses is so powerful and so indulging and at the same times. All of his idioms have meaning and life and some of them are just so magnificent to read, the language used on all the evil that develops is outstanding and is not just put there for any reason. ‘I am in blood yet stepped in so far that I should wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er’ Act III scene IV The weather set in the play is also dark, gloomy and moody. On every occasion the witches are brought into milieu, the weather changes to dark and dreary. Always comes thunder before the lightning, which comes before the witches. And before every apparition, the thunder strikes again. I believe that Shakespeare uses thunder and lightening because they represent the power of the witches and the turbulence of Scotland. ‘In thunder lightning, or in rain’ Act I scene I Darkness, in our society, represents and is an indicative of Evil. For instance, a dark night, a dark place or even a black cat all symbolises horror and evil. Shakespeare knew this and used the witches, Macbeth and the in orderly Scotland as prime examples. Even in appearance the witches are ‘Secret, black, and midnight hags’ because they represent the agents of chaos. Macbeth is an agent of disorder, he murders and he consults witches, because of this he is described using dark imagery. Scotland it self was in shambles when Macbeth ruled, it all represented the evil. Scotland under the rule of Macbeth is described as, â€Å"shrouded in darkness†, by Malcolm.. ‘Sighs, and groans, and shrieks that rent the air’. Scotland All these descriptions of Scotland portray Scotland as a place where the agents of darkness have shrouded the land. In conclusion, there is a big comparison between the beginning and the end of the play. In the beginning, Macbeth was Valiant; Lady Macbeth was pure and sweat-hearted, Scotland was in peace and natural order was rightfully in place. At the end of the play, Macbeth had become a tyrant, Lady Macbeth had died and was cruel and sadistic and Scotland was described as ‘shrouded in darkness.’ In the end, the Evil reigns supreme over the good.